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In the last quarter of 2009, a number of significant public speeches were made about Internet of Things in China. It started on August 7, when Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao made a speech in the city of Wuxi calling for the rapid development of Internet of Things technologies. It included this equation: Internet + Internet of Things = Wisdom of the Earth. Wen Jiabo followed up with a speech on November 3 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, in which he encouraged breakthroughs in key technologies for sensor networks and the Internet of Things.

When was the last time you heard President Obama talking about Internet of Things? The Chinese Premier has made it a regular part of his speeches and interviews.

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That’s not to say that the U.S. isn’t doing anything. As Pat Burns noted in his excellent 2009 year in review of wireless sensor networks, the U.S. Department of Defence has already invested heavily in Internet of Things technologies. But China is poised to make rapid growth in this area in 2010.

Here’s an excerpt from an interview Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao did with the Xinhua News Agency at the end of December:

"This concept [of Internet of Things] first came to my mind when I talked with a group of young researchers who returned to China after their overseas studies,” Wen said, referring to those he met during his inspection tour to east China’s Jiangsu Province in November.

“I learned Internet of Things is a network that can be applied to infrastructure and services. The program will have a rosy prospect,” Wen said.

According to Internet of Things, when objects ranging from books to airplanes are equipped with minuscule identifying devices, they can be identified and managed through computer networks.

Internet of Things was one example Premier Wen cited while outlining the country’s initiatives to foster new growth areas, especially in emerging strategic industries."

This would be the equivalent of President Obama talking directly about the Internet of Things to the Washington Post or New York Times. It’s significant that China is putting such high level emphasis on a set of technologies that many techies in the Western world still consider very early stage.

What then can we expect from China this year in Internet of Things? According to Chinese consulting firm CCID Consulting, in 2010 China will push forward with major policy initiatives. Chinese government departments will introduce "relevant industry support policies to speed up the development of China’s Internet of Things industry." At the same time, Chinese provinces, municipalities and industrial parks will release supporting policies. Jiangsu Province and Beijing will be the pacesetters, according to CCID Consulting.

In a follow-up post, we’ll explore some practical examples of China’s current focus on Internet of Things.

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Trolls: Those creepy, hyperaggresive, hateful, mouth-breathing basement-dwellers. They’ve were a feature of the Internet long before the social web, and most of us feel they’re probably here to stay.

But one of the things most trolls rely on is anonymity, a wall behind which they hide any information that could be used against them, including their jobs, locations, appearances and real names.
And anonymity is a not-so-slowly disappearing feature of the social web. What do you think: Will the rise of transparency and the fall of anonymity put trolls in the deadpool any time soon?

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Two things have brought this to mind.

First, there’s this interesting post from The Next Web. Last week, Zee Kane wrote this piece about a typical flame thread that became a bit too personal.

Kane observes, absolutely correctly, “If you’ve spent more than ten minutes on any blog, YouTube video or any site that permits anonymous commenting, you will have noticed some of the filth that many commenters come out with. Often it’s completely incomprehensible; other times it’s pure bile and frankly a test of what a human will not reply to.”

When an anonymous commenter attacked the subject of the original post in the comments thread, the subject, one Hermione Way, decided to find out who the troll really was. Email addresses, IP addresses and the social web being what they are, Way soon had her attacker pegged and found out that his “anonymous” persona had been trolling and attacking some of the people he’d called his friends in real life.

This chain of events left Kane editorializing, “Privacy truly is dead.” This is a theme some think we’ve been beating over the head lately at ReadWriteWeb, but it’s as timely as it is true.

Facebook’s game of footsie with privacy and user data has led to a string of well-researched, thoughtful posts by our own Marshall Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick has very well justified his position that Facebook’s original brand promise to conceal and protect user data has definitely changed to a promise to make the site – and user data – more “open” and accessible to other users and search engines.

Kirkpatrick sees this as a broken promise, which it is, to a point. I also see it as an overarching trend of sociological behavior online.

Think about the days of You’ve Got Mail, that god-awful, AOL-based Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks flick where two real-world rivals end up being anonymous penpals via email with no idea who the other person is or what he or she looks like. That could never happen today. Username conventions have drastically changed over the past 10 years; more and more online identities are tied to part or all of a user’s real name rather than a “handle” for anonymous chatting and posting.

The same is true of avatars. However posed or candid, more of us are using real photographs of our own faces on the web rather than cultural icons, cartoons or some graphical represenation of our personality.

Today, anonymity represents the far, sketchy outposts of the web, much like the Reaver-filled edges of space in Firefly. Those who inhabit that space might be more likely to engage in account-cracking, cyberbullying, mob behavior and other activities that run the gamut from unkind to actually illegal. The illusion that their anonymity protects them from discovery and possible prosecution is often just that – an illusion.

Of course, anonymity can be great for freedom of speech purposes. Several of our favorite sites lately, such as Formspring.me and Quora, provide opportunities for the anonymous asking of questions in a safe environment. But I’ve already experienced a bit of trolling on those sites, as well.

What do you think: Is anonymity linked directly to trolling behaviors? Is the social web trending away from anonymous profiles and posts? Will less anonymity lead to fewer incidents of trollism? Let us know your opinion in the comments.

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It looks like voice communications company Voxeo wants to expand its platform by buying up technology — the company says it has made eight acquisitions in the last two years. Tonight, it’s announcing the purchase of ClackUp, a web conferencing startup.

Voxeo offers what it calls “unlocked communications,” allowing businesses to use voice-over-Internet-protocol technology to automate customer and employee phone calls, text messages, and more. The Orland, Fla. company is now adding ClackPoint technology to its platform, with ClackPoint-enabled services appearing over the next year. ClackPoint’s virtual conference rooms allow users to communicate via voice, video, and text messages from telephones, VoIP devices, Skype phones, and the company’s own web application. ClackPoint also opened its technology so that you can access its conference rooms through widgets on other services, including Google Wave.

Web conferencing seems like a logical expansion area for Voxeo, and ClackPoint in particular sounds like a good fit since the two companies share a vision of providing as many access points to their communication tools as possible. The financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Voxeo raised $9 million from North Atlantic Capital and Florida Growth Fund last year.

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A report from mobile analytics firm Motally finds that outside north America, the Symbian operating system used by Nokia still dominates Windows and Android phones.

Motally’s analysis says the future isn’t all about smartphones:

The most interesting trend in the data is the large amount of mobile website traffic that is done on feature phones, particularly in regions like South America, Asia and even Europe.  These regions house the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China), which many economists believe will be major drivers of global economic growth in coming years.

The Nokia 3310 (pictured) is one hot-selling phone in the emerging world. It’s the successor to the Nokia 3210 that sold more than 160 million units worldwide.

Below are the most important charts from Motally’s report, which will be published later today.

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It’s a well documented fact that the Robot Apocalypse is only a matter of weeks, moments or scores away, but today we’re facing the grim reality that it may already be underway in certain sections of Germany. Thanks to a tie-up between whiz kids at the Technical University of Dortmund and University of Manitoba, the so-called Bioloid you see above can actually scale walls on its own. As in, autonomously. The robot doesn’t rely on a predefined motion sequence; instead, it looks up and figures out the most efficient way to get from the bottom to the top based on the X / Y positions of the grips. Future versions of the critter will utilize a full-on vision system, but hopefully we’ll have outposts established on Mars by then in order to maintain some semblance of freedom. Peep the horror show after the break (if you must).

Continue reading Bioloid robot goes climbing on its own, will one day rip you from your hiding tree

Bioloid robot goes climbing on its own, will one day rip you from your hiding tree originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 22:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mass High TechMicrobial research spawns new generation of biofuelsMass High TechAnd with the help of advancements in biofuels, the company is exploring biofuel production as well as shifting some of its industrial chemical feedstocks to …and more&nbs…

As shown in the table below, taken from the latest fourth quarter Pimco report, 'Non U.S. Developed' debt has jumped to 16% of the portfolio vs. just 3% the quarter before. That's an enormous shift in exposure given that it happend over just three months for this $200 billion fund.

Furthermore, he's slashed his exposure to both U.S. 'Government-Related' (to 32% from 48%) and 'Mortgage' (to 17% from 22%) securities. 'Net Cash Equivalents' meanwhile spiked to 8% of the fund vs. 2% in September. It's pretty clear Mr. Gross expects a rocky road ahead for U.S. fixed income:

PIMCO Q4 Total Return Fund Report: While PIMCO does not expect the Fed to tighten any time soon, there is still the question of how negatively markets will react as the Fed winds down its unorthodox policies that were designed to inject liquidity into the financial system. These policies include the Fed’s program of purchasing mortgage-backed securities.

...

The current environment is characterized by a high level of policy uncertainty and relatively rich valuations for many fixed income assets. This setting argues for caution in terms of overall risk exposure in portfolios, but PIMCO believes there are still a number of prudent strategies available to enhance potential

Emerging Markets and Currency – PIMCO plans to take exposure to high quality EM credits such as Mexico, Brazil, Korea and Russia, which have low levels of debt relative to the size of their economies. We also will look to take positions in select EM currencies, such as Brazil and China, anticipating that faster growth in these economies should allow their currencies to gain versus the U.S. dollar.

(Tip Via Bloomberg)

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See Also:

• Watch Erin Burnett And Bill Gross (Kind Of) Dance
• Bill Gross's Government Bond Holdings Hit 5-Year High
• Bill Gross: It's Time To Buy Utilities

A Peugeot confirma o sucesso de seus mais recentes lançamentos na Europa com três importantes conquistas na premiação Car of the Year Awards, promovida pela influente revista inglesa What Car?. A Marca ocupou lugar de destaque com os modelos 3008 e 5008, que conquistaram vitória nas respectivas categorias a que pertencem – crossover e monovolume. Mais que isso, o 3008 foi eleito o Carro do Ano 2010 e, em função desta atribuição, a Peugeot passar a ser a Marca com o maior número de conquistas na história da premiação, com cinco títulos.

Os Peugeot 3008 e 5008 são dois veículos complementares, destinados a clientelas distintas, mas que compartilham um conteúdo tecnológico ambicioso, além de características como volume, modularidade, alto nível de qualidade e excelente comportamento dinâmico, como também consumo e emissões de CO2 moderados – a partir de 130g/km para o 3008, que em 2011 receberá motorização com a tecnologia HYbrid4 (99g/km), inaugurando a gama de tração híbrido-diesel.

Fonte: Peugeot

Rebecca Zacks wrote:

This week Ryan and Luke had several great interviews with some of the newest CEOs in New England life sciences. Those and the rest of the week’s biotech, devices, and health IT news below.

—Luke caught up with Steve Gullans, a managing director with Excel Venture Management, who reports that his Boston-based venture firm is having a good year at a time when others are struggling. Early successes among Excel’s portfolio companies include San Diego-based Synthetic Genomics’ $600 million investment from Exxon Mobile and Woburn, MA-based BioTrove’s acquisition by Carlsbad, CA-based Life Technologies.

—Ryan scored an interview with John McCarthy, the new CEO of Marlborough, MA-based Qteros, a developer of cellulosic ethanol technology. McCarthy was formerly the executive vice president at Cambridge, MA-based cellulosic ethanol developer Verenium (NASDAQ:VRNM), and aims to help Qteros cut partnership deals like the $90 million one with energy giant BP he helped Verenium ink in 2008.

—Ryan also chatted with Scott Minick, the new CEO of Cambridge-based Bind Biosciences, which recently closed an $11 million Series C round of venture capital led by businessman and philanthropist David Koch. Minick invested in Bind, a developer of highly targeted nanoparticle-based drugs, in 2007, as a managing partner at Arch Venture Partners; he ended an 11-year tenure at Arch to become Bind’s full-time CEO.

—Waltham, MA-based Polaris Venture Partners and Arch Venture Partners, which has operations in Boston and Seattle, reportedly agreed to pay $14 million for the assets of Iceland-based genomics firm deCode Genetics (NASDAQ:DCGN), which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November. Both venture firms previously invested in deCode.

—Yet another newish CEO, Dave Okrongly of Quanterix, told Luke about his big dreams for his Cambridge-based firm. Chief among them: using technology developed in the Tufts University lab of David Walt to capture the $8 billion market for antibody-based diagnostics.

— Southborough-MA-based IkaSystems, a maker of software for healthcare payers, raised a combined $120 million from private equity fund Essex Woodlands Health Ventures and Providence Equity Partners, according to Venture Wire.

—Cardiorobotics of Middletown, RI, raised $5 million in equity investments, according to an SEC filing. Founded by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh, the startup develops robotic probes for surgical applications, among other things.

—Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE:TMO) of Waltham said it will pay $145 million in cash for Ahura Scientific, which makes handheld detectors of chemicals and metal for the pharmaceutical and security markets. Backers of Wilmington, MA-based Ahura include Arch Venture Partners, Waltham, MA-based Castile Ventures, California’s Fuse Capital, and GF Private Equity Group, of Durango, CO.

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Apple’s finicky about emulators in the App Store, but most of the candidates have been unofficial, and dubiously legal. Sega’s Ultimate Genesis, though, is official, and looks like a full virtual console for your iPhone.

Sega’s released a pile of classic games in the App Store, all of which were technically emulated; the apps were emulators and ROMs, all packaged into one. (This made the adaptions faithful, if a little slow on non-3GS hardware.) Now, with the App Store’s in-app purchasing system, they can do it right: the free app, which should show up sometime today,in the beginning of February comes with just one game—Space Harrier II—but you can buy as many as you want from within Ultimate Genesis. Here’s the current lineup:

• Sonic the Hedgehog: $5.99
• Golden Axe: $4.99
• Ecco the Dolphin: $2.99
• Shining Force: $2.99

Some of these games are already listed as standalones, so in an abstract way, Ultimate Genesis is really just a new way to package old apps, and a focused sales channel for new ones. But that’s exactly what a Virtual Console-style emulator is! And why this is a fantastic idea. [Sega]

It looks like magicJack just got introduced to some serious competition. The TK6000 by Nettalk is a small device that can connect to any standard phone and an internet connection, and from there you’ll be able to make unlimited Free Calls throughout the U.S. and Canada – for a lifetime! It gets even better –  there is no computer required, you just need to have an internet connection handy. Other features included are voicemail, 3-way calling, free directory assistance, a U.S. phone number and competitive international rates. Currently, the TK6000 is available for 4 payments of $24.95. Yes, that payment plan sounds cheesy, and yes the name “TK6000″ is not nearly as clever as “MagicJack” or even “Skype”- but if this little box is really going to offer you free phone calls for life, we know more than a couple of people who will be all over it.

Project finance loans worth US $760 million have been secured for the construction of twin Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants – Valle 1 and Valle 2 – scheduled for development in Andalucía, Spain.

French technology group Areva has been awarded three contracts totalling €260 million in the bioenergy sector in both Brazil and Thailand.

The tragedy of Haiti continues to unfold, painfully and inescapably, in front of us. The need couldn’t be clearer, and there are two things we in the renewable energy community can do to help in the aftermath of last week’s devastating earthquake.