Thursday, July 8, 2010

Imagine Cup Challenges Students to Solve World Problems with Technology

“We deeply believe that tomorrow’s innovators will come from the dorm room, not the boardroom.”
That is a quote from Microsoft’s general manager of Education Strategy, Jon Perera. For eight years now, Microsoft has sponsored the worldwide Imagine Cup, a technology competition for high school and college students around the world. This year’s theme is, “Imagine a world where technology helps solve the world’s toughest problems.” Students work in teams to compete in a number of broad categories including software design, embedded development, game design, digital media and IT challenge, which is a systems level survey for managing technology.
This year’s event is being held in Warsaw, Poland home of the astronomer Nicolas Copernicus and physicist Marie Curie-Sklodowska. Opening ceremonies on July 3rd kicked off the competition of projects of teams who have advanced to the worldwide finals. Consisting of several students and a mentor to provide guidance, each team has advanced through several regional events in their respective countries to qualify to appear in Warsaw. For them, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to demonstrate the application of their ideas – ideas that can help change the world.

Team SuperLove Factory from Thailand - Image © Microsoft
This year there have been over 325,000 entrants into the Imagine Cup with 400 teams from all over the world competing this week for top honors and awards. A panel of judges helped narrow that list down using published criteria including how well the idea adheres to the theme and how well the students demonstrate mastery of technology in their categories, including various Microsoft technologies.

On that last point, I had read about Microsoft taking some criticism from earlier events. While it would be great to see some additional open technology used, whether that would be an open software language or open embedded platforms such as Arduino, I don’t think it compromises the competition. After all, the team’s projects are as much about the ideas as they are about the implementation.

For example, Team NLO from Russia developed a water quality monitoring tool called PolarVision that is already in place in a Russian national park to determine where contaminants are entering the water system. It’s possible that Team NLO can find an investor here at the Imagine Cup to bring his idea to mass market, or at least exposure for one of many compelling ideas that can have a positive impact in the world.
The first round of judging has already occurred across all major categories, with the finalists announced. There will be plenty of demonstrations, exhibits and presentations over the next two days, and I am here in Warsaw covering the event courtesy of Microsoft.

If you’re looking to get involved for the Imagine Cup next year, first check in with your school to see if they organize their own teams, or register your own. In the US there have been spring and fall competitions to tie in with class projects. There are also milestones that must be accomplished to advance. If your team succeeds, you can earn a spot at next year’s worldwide Imagine Cup finals.

World’s first HSPA+ phone to be made by HTC, run Android, launch on T-Mobile USA in September

HSPA+ is a technology meant to maximize the lifespan of 3G. Don’t get me wrong, LTE and WiMAX is all well and good, and we’ve seen what LTE can deliver in countries like Sweden and Norway, surpassing 20 megabits per second, but do you know what the upper limit of HSPA+ is?
How does 42 megabits per second sound? That’s using established standards. With hacks it can even even break 100 megabits per second, but the only place you’ll see such speeds are in a lab

So far there haven’t been any HSPA+ phones launched. It’s a chicken and egg problem. No HSPA+ networks, no need to make HSPA+ modems. Thanks to consumer demand for mobile broadband however, there’s plenty of HSPA+ in Europe and Asia, and thanks to T-Mobile USA there’s even some on the other side of the pond too. The iPhone 4, the latest from Apple, can only hit 7.2 megabits per second, and while you may not ever see that on AT&T’s network, there will be other countries with more evolved wireless infrastructure getting close to 4 or even 5 megabits per second.
According to a T-Mobile spokesman, we aren’t sure if they’re from T-Mobile EU or USA, but whatever, said spokesman said that in September there will be an HSPA+ HTC smartphone running Android launching on T-Mobile USA. Considering T-Mobile’s American network is rated at 21 megabits per second, you’re looking at possible speeds of 10 megabits or more, in the palm of your hand.

No, it isn’t WiMAX, which has the nerve to call itself 4G, and no, it isn’t LTE, which for some strange reason Verzion can’t reach double digit megabit speeds with, T-Mobile uses plain old 3G technology, but they use the latest advancements that technology has to offer.
Think of your DSL modem. I remember growing up as a kid my mother would give me lunch money everyday, and me being the geek I am, I saved it up. What did I finally purchase with the almost $150 that failed to stunt my growth seeing as how I’m almost 2 meters tall? A U.S. Robotics 33.6 kilobit per second modem. At the time, that was the best you could get over the copper wire strung to your house. Then technology got better. The latest and greatest I know about DSL technology is called ADSL2+ and it pushes 24 megabits per second.
Same copper wires strung to your house.

See where I’m getting at with HSPA+? It’s 3G, but damn good 3G, and T-Mobile USA is going to get the world’s first HSPA+ mobile phone to take advantage of the best 3G has to offer.

Lack of Space Technology Is Not the Muslim World’s Problem

The Obama administration decided to dispatch Charles Bolden, head of NASA, to do “public diplomacy” on Al Jazeera, where he said that President Obama wanted him to “find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science, math, and engineering.” He then announced that our deficit-ridden U.S. government will begin a new fund “to support technological development in Muslim-majority countries.”
The 57 OIC countries include some of the wealthiest in the world, yet many are human-rights offenders. Handing them our technology and funds could end up strengthening theocrats and monarchs, further preventing real reform.
Consider the words of Dr. Ahmed Zewail, this administration’s first science envoy to the Middle East and appointee to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. After Obama’s Cairo speech last June, Zewail wrote a very revealing op-ed in the Boston Globe, in which he professed that the way for Obama to stimulate an “Islamic Renaissance” would be to provide “investment in education” with a “new emphasis on science and technology.” This ignores the fact that many militant Islamist leaders, from bin Laden to Zawahiri to most of the heads of the Muslim Brotherhood, are very scientifically educated. In fact, the Brotherhood (Ikhwan) is sometimes pejoratively referred to as the “Brotherhood of Engineers.”
Zewail goes on to write: “Most Westerners today are unaware of the extent to which Nasser’s regime promoted education as the vital engine of progress.” How insulting: Gamal Abdel Nasser’s legendary fascism, pan-Arabism, and socialism have become “engines of progress.” Nasser infected the Middle East with a deeply corrupt ideology, yet Obama’s science envoy is apologizing for the Egyptian despot.
The challenge is not science and technology. Real Muslim reform will only come from modernization of thought in the political sciences, liberal arts, free markets, theology, and philosophy. Theocratic Islamist movements are the primary obstacles to Muslim enlightenment — not the absence of space technology.
— M. Zuhdi Jasser, MD, is the founder and president of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy based in Phoenix, Arizona.

Friday, May 28, 2010

Intelligence Agents Borrow Wall Street Trading Technology

NEW YORK—Wall Street often guards its high-frequency trading strategies as if they were matters of national security. Yet the worlds of the quants and the spymasters share more than a penchant for secrecy.

The defense and intelligence fields have long relied on computers to help collect and organize data. But a new cross-pollination has flowered with the super-fast automated systems developed by Wall Street. That technology is now being used to search the Internet's message boards for security threats, comb through bank records for unusual flows of money and gather information used in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Just as ...

Microsoft toppled as world's largest tech firm

Microsoft has been toppled as the world's largest technology manufacturer, based upon market capitalisation at least.

Long-term rival Apple has forged ahead of the Seattle-based software giant in Q1 2010, with its value rising to £154 billion, compared to Microsoft's £150.98 billion.

The success of the Apple iPhone, and the new iPad, has led to a surge in the company's market worth in recent years.
Shares in the company now cost ten times more than they did in 2000, while Microsoft has seemingly struggled to maintain the industry dominance it established during the 1990s.
Microsoft is still the better performing company based on profits alone, clearing £10 billion in the first quarter of 2010 compared to Apple's £9.3 billion.

However, with the Apple iPad shifting more than one million units in its first month in the US, and the tablet device's global launch taking place today (May 28th), the next quarter's figures will be particularly interesting.

Commenting on the news, Microsoft's chief executive Steve Ballmer noted that the company has "good competitors", but is continuing to perform "very well".
Posted by Jon Aspinell

Monday, May 24, 2010

Technology Executives to Provide the "State of Technology" at NCTA's Statewide Conference in RTP

Event to Focus on Technology's Impact on Communications, Energy/Smart Grid, Government Solutions, Healthcare and Supply Chain/Logistics


RALEIGH, N.C., May 21, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The North Carolina Technology Association (NCTA), the primary voice of the technology industry in North Carolina, announced its lineup of presenters for the organization's annual RTP conference, to be held Wednesday, May 26 from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel in Durham. The event, titled "State of Technology: Transforming the Way We Live, Work and Play" will feature presentations from companies whose solutions are revolutionizing their respective industries. Executives from the following companies are confirmed as speakers: Gigabeam, NWN Corporation and Sony Ericsson in communications; Accenture, Elster Solutions, and Progress Energy in energy/smart grid; Cisco, Raytheon and SAS in government solutions; Allscripts, CSC and d-WISE in healthcare; and Flextronics, GXS and Inmar in supply chain/logistics.

Dr. John Kelly, senior vice president and director of IBM Research, will provide the opening keynote presentation. As the global leader for IBM Research, Dr. Kelly is focused on stimulating innovation that delivers new technologies and services and opens new markets for IBM. At the State of Technology Conference, Dr. Kelly will discuss IBM's smarter planet agenda and what it means for the future of business and society.

"IBM is applying its deep research skills to help our clients address some of the world's most formidable and exciting challenges," said Dr. John E. Kelly III, senior vice president and director of IBM Research. "As the ability to monitor and analyze the physical and natural systems that run our world increases, technology holds new promise to make the world work better. IBM scientists and engineers are working on these things around the world."

"Technology plays such a key role in nearly every aspect of our daily lives," said Brooks Raiford, NCTA president and CEO. "The five presentation areas on which we will focus during this year's conference are industries that are especially important in our state. We are pleased to have executives from some of the leading companies in these industries to present and discuss ways in which technology will continue to shape the way we do business and live in North Carolina."

Title sponsor for this year's event is IBM. Additional sponsors include: EMC(2), Cisco, Hosted Solutions, Accenture, Beacon Technologies, Triangle Business Journal, Time Warner Cable Business Class, SAS, Hudson IT, AT&T, Business Wire, CSC, DPR Group, Grant Thornton, SunGard, tw telecom, Vaco, AllScripts, CA, DataChambers, Peak 10, Railinc, Elster Solutions, GXS, Level 3, New Horizons Computer Learning Center, NWN Corporation, Project Right Track, Raleigh Economic Development, Computer Service Partners and Red Hat.

For more information or to register for the State of Technology Conference, please visitwww.nctechnology.org, or contact Marc Montoro at mmontoro@nctechnology.org or 919-856-0393 ext. 225.

SOURCE: North Carolina Technology Association (NCTA)

DPR Group, Inc.
Michelle Perkins, 919-678-9200
mperkins@dprgroup.com

Copyright Business Wire 2010

Comtex

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Medical technology department observes National Lab Week

The University of Southern Mississippi Department of Medical Technology hopes to increase awareness about a profession currently experiencing considerable employment growth as part of National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week from April 18-24.

Medical technologists, also referred to as medical laboratory scientists, serve as vital health care detectives who uncover and provide laboratory information from analyses that assist physicians in patient diagnosis and treatment. Clinical laboratory personnel examine and analyze body fluids and cells.

They look for bacteria, parasites and other microorganisms; analyze the chemical content of fluids; match blood for transfusions and test for drug levels in the blood that show how a patient is responding to treatment.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of clinical laboratory workers is expected to grow by 14 percent between 2008 and 2018, faster than the average for all occupations. The volume of laboratory tests continues to increase with both population growth and the development of new types of tests.

Dr. Jane Hudson, chair of the Department of Medical Technology at Southern Miss, notes that in 2009 the program saw 100 percent job placement rate for graduates and a 100 percent pass rate on the American Society for Clinical Pathology examination.

“Medical technologists/medical laboratory scientists are responsible for providing test results that are used by the physician to make approximately 70 percent of the medical decisions,” said Hudson. “The shortage will only become more critical with 12,200 new laboratory professionals needed annually to meet the growing need of the world’s population, but only 4,000 to 6,000 graduates will join the workforce each year.”

Hospitals are traditionally the major employer of clinical laboratory workers. However, employment is expected to grow rapidly within medical and diagnostic laboratories, physicians’ offices and throughout the entire health care industry.

The following statistics clearly illustrate the impact the med-tech program at Southern Miss has made on South Mississippi:


• 83 percent of the medical technologist staff at Wesley Medical Center in Hattiesburg are Southern Miss graduates

• 77 percent of the staff at Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg


• 68 percent of the staff at Memorial Hospital in Gulfport

• 50 percent of the staff at VA Medical Center in Biloxi

• 50 percent of the Tissue Typing Laboratory at University Medical Center in Jackson

• 43 percent of the staff at Singing River Hospital in Pascagoula


“Our graduates are recruited heavily for South Alabama and South Louisiana also, thus our program truly serves the Gulf South,” said Hudson. “The only other programs in the Gulf South are LSU at New Orleans, the University of West Florida at Pensacola.”

On-Premise ERP vendors: Your Partners are Abandoning You

Big Trouble Brewing for On-Premise ERP Firms

Last night, NetSuite made a number of announcements at their SuiteCloud 2010 event here in San Francisco. Specifically, these announcements covered a number of deals they’ve recently inked with major SI, accounting and outsourcing firms.

Genpact, the General Electric spinoff, has made a big splash over the years bringing back office BPO (business process outsourcing) to the world. Genpact has large numbers of process black belts on staff that help design more efficient and effective ways of delivering back office processes and software. Last night, it was announced that Genpact will create a new BPO practice solution around NetSuite cloud applications. This business will cater to mid-market and larger firms.

Wipro, one of the world’s largest outsourcers, announced that they were building a NetSuite practice focused on NetSuite technologies.

Hein & Associates LLP, a top 50 accounting and tax firm, announced that they were building out service offerings around NetSuite applications.

(Fujitsu Japan previously had a relationship with NetSuite.)

Why is this occurring? System integrators and outsourcers understand that they need to find lower cost solutions to bring to clients. These same firms are seeing clients moving to cloud based solutions and they want to hitch their stars to the perceived and potential market leaders in the space. Similarly, these service providers get the economic advantage true cloud based solutions possess over on-premise applications. What these service providers are signaling is a shift in the market preferences of clients.

On-premise providers that previously dismissed cloud applications as a phase or fad should be scared now. The service firms that supported and enlarged the markets for those on-premise solutions are now abandoning an old market segment for something more market relevant and more economically attractive to clients/customers.

These recent moves by Genpact, Wipro, et.al. will likely presage many more announcements by other consultancies, systems integrators and outsourcers. The services ecosystem is changing and the on-premise solution providers won’t be able to stop it.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Geneva Atom Smasher Sets Collision Record

GENEVA — The world's largest atom smasher has set a record for high-energy collisions by crashing two proton beams at three times more force than ever before.

The $10 billion Large Hadron Collider directed the beams into each other Tuesday as part of its ambitious bid to reveal details about theoretical particles and microforces.

The collisions start a new era of science for researchers working on the machine below the Swiss-French border at Geneva.

Scientists at a control room at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, broke into applause when the first successful collisions were recorded. Their colleagues from around the world were tuning in by remote links.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

GENEVA (AP) — The world's largest atom smasher was ready to start a new era of science on Tuesday, but problems delayed scientists seeking to collide the first beams of protons to learn more about the makeup of the universe and its smallest particles.

Dubbed the world's largest scientific experiment, the $10 billion Large Hadron Collider holds the promise of revealing details about theoretical particles and microforces, scientists say.

Tuesday's initial attempts were unsuccessful, however, because problems developed with the beams, said scientists working on the massive machine. That meant that the protons had to be "dumped" from the collider and new beams had to be injected.

"It's a very complicated machine and we have ups and downs," said Michael Barnett of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. "Right now we have a down."

Two beams of protons began 10 days ago to speed at high energy in opposite directions around the 27-kilometer (17-mile) tunnel under the Swiss-French border at Geneva.

The beams were pushed to 3.5 trillion electron volts in recent days, the highest energy achieved by any physics accelerator — some three times greater than the previous record.

The European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, is now trying to use the powerful superconducting magnets to force the two beams to cross, creating collisions and showers of particles. They could have been successful immediately, but such huge machines can be so tricky to run that it could take days.

When collisions become routine, the beams will be packed with hundreds of billions of protons, but the particles are so tiny that few will collide at each crossing.

Steve Myers, CERN's director for accelerators and technology, describes the challenge of lining up the beams as being akin to "firing needles across the Atlantic and getting them to collide half way."

He said the problems Tuesday started with a power supply that tripped and had to be reset. The second time, the system designed to protect the machine shut it down. That was likely to have been a misreading by the system rather than any basic problem, said Barnett.

The collisions will come over the objections of some people who fear they could eventually imperil the Earth by creating micro black holes — subatomic versions of collapsed stars whose gravity is so strong they can suck in planets and other stars.

CERN and many scientists dismiss any threat to Earth or people on it, saying that any such holes would be so weak that they would vanish almost instantly without causing any damage.

The Large Hadron Collider was launched with great fanfare on Sept. 10, 2008, but it was sidetracked nine days later when a badly soldered electrical splice overheated, causing extensive damage to the massive magnets and other parts of the collider some 300 feet (100 meters) below the ground.

It cost $40 million to repair and improve the machine so that it could be used again at the end of November. Since then the collider has performed almost flawlessly, giving scientists valuable data in the four-week run before Christmas. It soon eclipsed the next largest accelerator — the Tevatron at Fermilab near Chicago.

The extra energy in Geneva is expected to reveal even more about the unanswered questions of particle physics, such as the existence of antimatter and the search for the Higgs boson, a hypothetical particle that scientists theorize gives mass to other particles and thus to other objects and creatures in the universe.

Scientists hope also to approach on a tiny scale what happened in the first split seconds after the Big Bang, which they theorize was the creation of the universe some 14 billion years ago.

Rolf-Dieter Heuer, the director-general of CERN, has said it is likely to take months before any scientific discoveries are made, partly because computers will have to sort through massive amounts of data produced by the collisions.

Heuer said researchers hope by the end of this year to make discoveries into the dark matter that scientists believe comprises 26 percent of the universe. The better understood visible matter makes up only 4 percent of the universe.

Dark matter has been theorized by scientists to account for missing mass and bent light in faraway galaxies. Scientists believe it makes galaxies spin faster.

A separate entity called "dark energy," making up the remaining 70 percent of the universe, is believed linked to the vacuum that is evenly distributed in space and time. It is believed to accelerate the expansion of the universe.

Other possible candidates for discovery are hidden dimensions of space and time.

Physicists have used smaller colliders for decades to study the atom. They once thought protons and neutrons were the smallest components of the atom's nucleus, but the colliders showed that they are made of quarks and gluons and that there are other forces and particles.

Worlds Fastest NVIDIA Fermi Graphic Cards

Nvidia’s latest graphic cards the GTX 480 and GTX 470 which Nvidia are touting as the worlds fastest are Nvidia’s first to use DirectX 11 .

These next generation graphics cards are also the first to use Nvidia’s latest technology Fermi which creates faster frame rates at high resolutions. Perfect for hardcore gamers.

Using DirectX 11 Nvidia are betting that future games will use the new tessellation method of tilling graphic elements in games. But these monsters come with a monster price tag to match. The Nvidia GTX 480 with 1.5GB costs a whopping $499 and you will also need some serious PSU installed as it will requires 250 watts to run. Need more power? Well you can slot these beauties together in SLI producing a reported 90% increase in performance.

The slightly less well equipped Nvidia GTX 470 with 1.2GB will be priced at $349. Both will be available to buy in mid April.

Via DVICE

Toyota to Supply Hybrid Technology for Mazda Sedan (Update3)

March 29 (Bloomberg) -- Toyota Motor Corp., the world’s biggest carmaker, will supply its hybrid technology used in the Prius to Mazda Motor Corp., enabling the Hiroshima-based automaker to build its first hybrid sedan.

Mazda will develop and produce a hybrid vehicle in Japan and plans to start selling the model by 2013 in its home market, the companies said today in Tokyo.

The alliance lets Mazda avoid costs for developing hybrid technology on its own, while allowing Toyota to cut costs of hybrid production by increasing output of hybrid parts. The partnership follows the weakening of Mazda’s 40-year-old ties to Ford Motor Co.

“It’s a win-win relationship for both companies,” said Koji Endo, managing director at Advanced Research Japan in Tokyo. “The pact will help Toyota lower costs by selling more and saves Mazda having to develop its own hybrid system, which can cost between 50 billion yen to 100 billion yen.”

Ford has reduced its holding in Mazda to 11 percent from 33 since 2008 and said in December and said it would develop future models without the Japanese carmaker. As demand for hybrid, electric and other next-generation cars increases, smaller carmakers like Mazda may find it too expensive to develop the technology alone.

Mazda made the request for the alliance last year, said Mazda Executive Vice President Masaharu Yamaki.

Hybrid Technology

Toyota currently provides Nissan Motor Co. with hybrid- related technology, and signed a cross-licensing agreement with Ford in 2004.

Mazda has a gasoline-electric version of its Tribute sport- utility vehicle, which uses Ford’s hybrid system. It sold 173 units through the first 11 months of 2009. Mazda also developed a Premacy hydrogen-powered hybrid, which isn’t on sale. Toyota’s Prius has been best-selling car in Japan for nine straight months.

Toyota’s American depositary receipts rose 23 cents to $80.98 at 4:04 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. Each ADR is equal to two ordinary shares, which fell fell 0.5 percent to 3,740 yen in Tokyo. Mazda dropped 0.4 percent to 246 yen. The announcement was made after markets closed in Japan.

--Editors: Ian Rowley, Kae Inoue

To contact the reporters on this story: Kiyotaka Matsuda in Tokyo at kmatsuda@bloomberg.net; Takako Iwatani in Tokyo at tiwatani@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Kae Inoue at kinoue@bloomberg.net

Monday, March 29, 2010

Incremental Advances are Lifeblood of Entire Sector

Technological advances in the extraction of natural gas from shale rock in the past decade have transformed the global market for this commodity.
The combination of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling have led to forecasts that the US has up to 100 years supply at current usage rates.
Just a few years ago, there were dire predictions that supplies were so low and demand so high that the country would be the world’s biggest importer of liquefied natural gas by 2010.
Nobody saw the shale finds coming.
“The technology used to access natural gas from shales is as complex and sophisticated as that used in the Apollo Space Programme,’’ says John Pinkerton, chief executive of Range Resources, the independent oil and gas company.
He adds: “The industry is always improving the process. Every six months or so, there is some tweak that makes the wells incrementally better and cheaper. And that in turn opens new areas to production.’’
That holds true for the entire energy sector.
Advances are often incremental, leading to improvements in finding, extracting and producing that receive little attention in the wider world, but make the industry one of the most high-tech of any.
GE Oil & Gas notes that it has been pushing the boundaries of subsea drilling for more than 50 years. The current water depth drilling record of 10,011 feet was achieved with its VetcoGray and Hydril Pressure Control systems.
The industry has gone from 3D seismic technology to help find resources to now 4D seismic.
Natural gas is now cooled and liquefied so it can be compressed in tankers and shipped around the world.
In control rooms in Houston, companies can see live data from wells. And wind energy producers now use radar to judge where the wind is coming from, to better position propellers.
“The amount of engineering innovation cannot be understated,’’ says Jorge Leis, head of Bain’s North America Oil & Gas practice. “Every step of the value chain is seeing unbelievable progress.’’
That goes for energy efficiency as well, where rapid advances are being made, from more energy-efficient lightbulbs to the creation of a supergrid.
“The most meaningful advancement has been the financing available for renewables projects,’’ says Parker Weil, co-head of energy and power investment banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
“In parts of Europe [Germany and Spain], there was an attractive feed-in tariff that spurred wind and solar development. In the US, the tax equity product was what enabled a majority of the wind and solar development.’’
Ali Ferling, managing director, Worldwide Oil and Gas Industries for Microsoft, believes that the key to moving these advances forward in the oil industry has been a change of mindset that allows outsiders into these once closely guarded industries.
There was a time, he says, when the “Big Oil” companies would not seek help from a Microsoft or any other high-tech company for fear proprietary information would leak out.
However, there is now acceptance that outsiders can be trusted, he says. This has enabled the industry to improve its operations across the board.
He cites Microsoft’s ability to sell BP a Hurricane Management System that combines 3-D satellite imagery and real-time weather data with a visual representation of BP staff and facilities, so that the company can better manage its response to storms.
Ben Thuriaux, principal at Arthur D Little, the consultancy, says that, over the past six years, there has been a large increase in technology investment by some of the national oil companies, such as PetroChina and Petrobras.
Publicly available data for CNPC/Petrochina, he says, suggest that research and development investment is increasing rapidly and there is a good chance that from 2009 onwards, it will lead in this regard.
The Chinese now see mastery of technology as a crucial component of their internationalisation strategy. They believe that proven technology can facilitate access to resources, he says. Their research institutes also provide a steady stream of technical staff.
As the competition for new technology broadens, advances are likely to come even more rapidly, and the industry certainly believes there will be enough of them to keep companies in the energy game for many years to come.
“The end of fossil fuels is greatly overplayed,’’ says Laurence Rosenblatt, a former ExxonMobil executive and now president and chief operating officer of MA Gales, a privately owned energy acquisition, holding, management and consolidation company.
As proof he points to the shale gas finds: “No one started looking for natural gas until about 10 years ago.’’
Now new fields are cropping up across the country and the hunt is on for them around the world.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. You may share using our article tools. Please don't cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web.

HP Celebrates 10th Anniversary by Opening Platform to Designers and Developers

PALO ALTO, Calif., Mar 29, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- In celebration of its 10th anniversary, Snapfish by HP announced it will open its application programming interface (API) to allow creative individuals and businesses to be part of the evolution of its leading online personal publishing service.
The initiative -- called Snapfish Publisher -- will allow designers, developers and printing partners to reach more than 85 million registered users through the worldwide Snapfish network, while delighting new and existing consumers with a broader yet more specialized portfolio of customizable options that meet a myriad of creative needs and personal preferences.
When Snapfish Publisher officially launches this summer, it will serve as a platform for individuals and companies to market and sell their creative designs, merchandise and services. This enables content contributors as well as Snapfish to capture a greater share of the more than $1 billion market for online photo ordering projected in the United States this year, of which more than 60 percent will consist of photo merchandise.(1)
"We've had an incredible 10 years building a global family that has chosen Snapfish to share, preserve and print their memories in fun, easy and imaginative ways," said Ben Nelson, general manager, Snapfish by HP. "This year, we're rewarding our customers and opening the doors to new audiences by empowering designers and developers to go beyond photos and be part of the future of Snapfish. We are propelling personal publishing to new creative heights by making Snapfish the place that is both inspired and developed by its members."
Snapfish, the No. 1 online personal publishing service, also announced:
-- The service's first licensed content relationship with iconic media brand LIFE, enabling consumers to order printable merchandise featuring images from the legendary LIFE photo archives.
-- Ten days of celebratory sales and fun activities on www.snapfish.com/birthdaybash to thank people for choosing Snapfish.
Open API to showcase, merchandise work of budding creatives
The worldwide creative photo merchandise market -- which includes photo books, calendars, greeting cards, scrapbook pages and more -- is expected to grow by a compound annual growth rate of nearly 40 percent from 2009 through 2013.(2) Snapfish Publisher presents developers and designers with a tremendous opportunity to better meet widespread consumer demand and inspire people to do more in terms of personal expression and, ultimately, drive sales and revenue.
Snapfish Publisher allows designers to tap into this market by accessing the technical specifications needed to upload and submit their creative concepts and to begin developing their own designs for sale via the Snapfish network. The open platform will roll out in phases and eventually evolve into three primary "store fronts" to meet the unique needs of designers, developers and printing partners.
-- This summer, a select group of designers will launch new templates for cards, followed by photo books. Later this year an open invitation will be extended for everyone to get creative and submit designs for an expanding range of products -- helping alleviate the frustration many experience when searching for the "perfect" card or gift.
-- Beginning this fall, developers can monetize their creativity by uploading and merchandising applications for personal publishing products that encourage customization and imagination.
-- Also this fall, printing partners will be able to submit and sell their own products through the Snapfish network of sites as printable merchandise, a category that continues to see robust growth.
"By opening its API, Snapfish has the power to differentiate itself in an increasingly competitive market by giving consumers expanded creative choices that go way beyond photos," said Alan Bullock, associate director, Internet Imaging Trends, InfoTrends. "Snapfish Publisher has the potential to be a game changer for the industry, fueling growth for Snapfish as well as artists and designers around the world."
In addition to enabling sales across its vast member base in 22 countries, Snapfish will reward content contributors with a competitive business model, cross-promotion in various marketing channels and a "crowdsource"-inspired interface that features best-selling designs most prominently.
Snapfish remains dedicated to making it as easy as possible for users to navigate the site. The company is making significant investments in improving its search and browsing capabilities, including the ability to search by various attributes such as designs, styles and colors.
Licensed content collaboration with LIFE expands growth opportunities
A new relationship with LIFE enables Snapfish to capitalize on the $30 billion market opportunity for print-based licensed merchandise(3) by making iconic photographs from the LIFE archives available to Snapfish users.
This collaboration with LIFE, a first of its kind for Snapfish, builds upon HP's /quotes/comstock/13*!hpq/quotes/nls/hpq (HPQ 53.42, -0.08, -0.15%) unrivaled portfolio of popular licensed content, including brand powerhouses Sony Music, Nickelodeon and the National Basketball Association (NBA). In building a portfolio of content partners, Snapfish plans to unlock new revenue streams and explore future growth opportunities in the consumer publishing market by combining its world-class publishing technology with content from LIFE and other popular brands.
Currently Snapfish offers greeting cards, note cards and notebooks using more than 100 of the world's most renowned images from the LIFE archives. It plans to introduce more offerings that combine history's greatest collective memories with users' own in the coming months. Prices start at $1.99, and more information is available at www.snapfish.com/lifestore.
Tenth anniversary celebration features customer appreciation, rewards
Ten years and 10 billion printed images later, Snapfish has seen incredible growth by staying ahead of market trends and continually innovating to meet consumer needs -- powering the transition from film processing to digital photo printing, driving the continual shift from home delivery to retail pickup, and enabling instantaneous memory sharing across a growing number of mobile and social networking platforms.
Snapfish remains committed to delivering more choice and ease of creation for its customers no matter where inspiration happens -- at home, online, at retail or on the go.
To commemorate and celebrate its 10th anniversary, Snapfish is hosting a virtual birthday party at www.snapfish.com/birthdaybash with special anniversary discounts, promotions and giveaways to thank customers for sharing more than 10 billion of their most meaningful memories via the Snapfish network:
-- Promotions will run April 1-10 and feature some of the most popular offerings from Snapfish, including custom photo books, personalized jewelry, collage mugs and 10-cent shipping.
-- Prizes will include digital picture frames, Snapfish gift certificates, the HP Mini 311 Series, and the HP Photosmart Premium with TouchSmart Web, the world's first web-connected home printer, which features a Snapfish app for accessing and printing photo albums.
About HP
HP creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments and society. The world's largest technology company, HP brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure to solve customer problems. More information about HP is available at http://www.hp.com/.
(1) InfoTrends, U.S. Forecast, 2010.
(2) IDC, "Worldwide Creative Photo Merchandise 2009-2013 Forecast: The Creative Print Bible," February 2009.
(3) Based on a summer 2009 Research Study by The Licensing Letter, EPM Communications.
This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect, the results of HP and its consolidated subsidiaries could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations; any statements concerning expected development, performance or market share relating to products and services; any statements regarding anticipated operational and financial results; any statements of expectation or belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include macroeconomic and geopolitical trends and events; the execution and performance of contracts by HP and its customers, suppliers and partners; the achievement of expected operational and financial results; and other risks that are described in HP's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended January 31, 2010 and HP's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to HP's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2009. HP assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.
(C) 2010 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice.
The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.
SOURCE: HP Snapfish by HP
Cherie Britt, +1-209-551-1027
cherie.britt@hp.com
or
Porter Novelli for HP
Katie Neal, +1-415-975-2297
katie.neal@porternovelli.com
or
HP Media Hotline, +1-866-266-7272
pr@hp.com
www.hp.com/go/newsroom
Copyright Business Wire 2010

Sunday, March 21, 2010

You can Win Friends and Influence People

This is Dale Carnegie's summary of his book, from 1936

Fundamental Techniques in Handling People
1. Don't criticize, condemn or complain.
2. Give honest and sincere appreciation.
3. Arouse in the other person an eager want.
---------------
Six ways to make people like you

1. Become genuinely interested in other people.
2. Smile.
3. Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
4. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
5. Talk in terms of the other person's interests.
6. Make the other person feel important - and do it sincerely.
---------------

Win people to your way of thinking
1. The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.
2. Show respect for the other person's opinions. Never say, "You're wrong."
3. If you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.
4. Begin in a friendly way.
5. Get the other person saying "yes, yes" immediately.
6. Let the other person do a great deal of the talking.
7. Let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers.
8. Try honestly to see things from the other person's point of view.
9. Be sympathetic with the other person's ideas and desires.
10. Appeal to the nobler motives.
11. Dramatize your ideas.
12. Throw down a challenge.
--------------

Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment
A leader's job often includes changing your people's attitudes and behavior. Some suggestions to accomplish this:
1. Begin with praise and honest appreciation.
2. Call attention to people's mistakes indirectly.
3. Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person.
4. Ask questions instead of giving direct orders.
5. Let the other person save face.
6. Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. Be "hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise."
7. Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to.
8. Use encouragement. Make the fault seem easy to correct.
9. Make the other person happy about doing the thing you suggest.

Friday, March 19, 2010

IRDA hardselling unit linked products amid spat with SEBI

NEW DELHI: In the midst of its spat with SEBI over regulating ULIPs, insurance regulator IRDA today sought to hardsell unit-linked insurance
policies as an alternative to regular income or pension payouts.

"If you have not already provided for regular income/ pension during your retired life, consider Unit Linked Pension Plan," Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority said.

In a public notice issued today, IRDA highlighted various risks as also benefits associated with the ULIPs.

ULIPs -- one of the most common insurance plans sold by life insurers where the money collected from consumers is invested into equity and debt markets and returns are linked to the same -- has become a bone of contention between the two financial sector regulators, with both claiming authority to regulate these schemes.

Earlier this year, Securities and Exchange Board of India issued show-cause notices to various life insurance companies, asking why they did not seek its approval before offering the ULIP schemes, as they invest part of their corpus in capital market.

However, the insurance sector, including IRDA, objected strongly to this move, saying the SEBI Act, that requires the market regulator's approval for any investment schemes related to securities market, does not apply to insurance.

In its today's public notice, IRDA said money from consumers is invested in a fund of their choice such as equity, debt, liquid etc in a Unit Linked Pension Plan.

Once bitten by Apple, telcos warier with iPad

PARIS: European telecom operators can't afford to miss out on selling Apple's new iPad but after their experience with the iPhone, they are warier
of Apple's clout and want to protect networks and profits from the new gizmo's risks.

The iPhone's success makes the iPad a must-have for operators because it may revolutionise the tablet market, and because turning away the iPad risks future iPhone business with Apple. But much has changed since mid-2007 when Europe's carriers, eager to differentiate themselves and boost usage of the mobile Internet, jockeyed for exclusive contracts to distribute the iPhone, often agreeing to tight restraints imposed by Apple on everything from handset subsidies to advertising.

Now operators are taking a much more careful approach to try to ensure the iPad will really help them make money. They want to prevent an iPhone redux where Apple captured most of the value -- not only by selling the device but also by hawking downloadable mobile software, games, and services through its Application Store -- reducing the role of the telecom operator to that of a simple data pipe.

"The operators are disenchanted with Apple," said Virginie Lazes, analyst with investment house Bryan Garnier. "They are starting to complain that they build and invest in the network yet they don't get a piece of the jackpot of mobile services." As a result, European operators are tamping down expectations for the iPad as they begin to weigh the offers, contracts, and subsidies that they will offer with it.

For operators, the business case for the iPad is simply less attractive than for the iPhone or a smart phone because they won't earn revenues from voice calls or texting, say analysts and executives who requested anonymity because they were not authorised to speak about ongoing negotiations with Apple. Nor is the iPad likely to be a competitive advantage for operators since Europe's tougher consumer protection laws make it tough for Apple to sign exclusive distribution deals here as they have in the United States with AT&T. The iPad goes on sale in some European markets at the end of April.

One way operators can protect their profits and networks would be not to subsidise the iPad as they have the iPhone. Not only did Apple charge operators more for its iPhone than other smartphones, the California-based company also dictated how much operators had to subsidise the phone to consumers. For example, France Telecom's exclusive contract required it to subsidise 310 euros of the 3G iPhone's 400-500 euro price, according to documents released when French regulators outlawed the iPhone exclusivity. Such subsidies obviously boosted sales of the iPhone, yet weighed on the operator's profit margins.

Analysts say the iPad could be sold without a subsidy from telecom operators, in which case its sales are likely to be more modest than the iPhone and it could remain a niche product. Nils Katla, who heads Telenor's strategy in the Nordic region, said Telenor was interested in selling the iPad but was still debating how.

Google to add Maya, Nahuatl languages to search engine

MEXICO CITY: Internet giant Google is adding two native Central American languages -- Maya and Nahuatl -- to its universal search service, a company
official said Thursday.

"Searches in these two pre-Columbian languages and mobile satellite-linked connections to the Internet are part of Google's growth strategy," Google's Mexico marketing technology director Miguel de Alva said.

"The two languages are of interest to online searchers because the first (Maya) is spoken by 1.5 million people and the second (Nahuatl), by more than one million."

He noted that people speaking either of the two languages also speak Spanish.

Nahuatl is mostly spoken in southern Mexico and northern Central America, while Maya is spoken across Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, Guatemala and Belize.

De Alva said the Google language project was well underway.

"We're looking to team up with some academic institutions that will validate the languages, because we want to make sure our customers are getting the real, correct language both in vocabulary and meaning, as well as the word's particular usage."

The Google Translate service is fast becoming part of the California-based Internet firm's popular main search engine.

As of December, searchers can use the automatic translation program to look for Web pages written in any of 51 languages. The tool displays results from as many as five languages at a time.

In France Wipro sees outsourcing potential

DUBAI: Indian IT services provider Wipro said it is keen to expand its footprint in France as the country offers huge potential for growth and has stepped up its investment in the region.

"We invested in a senior leadership team. We are seeing excellent progress and we are extremely confident of our future in France," Wipro CFO Manish Dugar said in a statement here.

Wipro believes that sales opportunities are huge in France for an IT outsourcing company, it said.

The French government has undertaken series of measures in recent years to make it easier and more profitable to do business in France. These far-reaching reforms have changed the equation for existing companies and new investors.

"It is a large under-penetrated market for offerings that take advantage of the global delivery model. But more critically, some of the world's biggest and best corporations represent France. And French companies are becoming more and more international and global," Dugar said.

Last week, French Minister for the Economy, Industry and Employment, Christine Lagarde and Michel Mercier, the Minister for Rural and Regional Development, presented the 2009 report on job-creating foreign investment in France.

"Against the backdrop of a worldwide downturn in foreign direct investment flows, the IFA and French regional development agencies recorded 639 job-creating foreign investment projects in 2009, an increase on the figure in 2007 (624), and nearly as many as in 2008 (641). The results for 2009 are the fourth-best in the last 15 years," it said.

These investments will enable 29,889 jobs to be created or maintained (versus 31,932 jobs in 2008), which is broadly in line with the annual average since 2000 (30,400).

Glenmark gets USFDA nod for anti-hypertension tablets

Lahore - Pakistan: Glenmark Pharmaceuticals today said its American subsidiary has received the final approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Moexipril Hydrochloride tablets used for treating hypertension.

The USFDA has granted the final approval for tablets to the company's group firm Glenmark Generics Inc, Glenmark Pharma said in a statement to the National Stock Exchange.

Tablets are generic version of Schwarz Pharma's Uniretic. "The product is currently available and will begin shipping immediately," Glenmark said.

The product is indicated for the treatment of patients suffering from hypertension. Total sales for this combination during the 12-month period ending December 2009 were USD 8 million, according to IMS Health.

The latest approval comes shortly after Glenmark got the final approval for Ropinirole Hydrochloride tablets, the generic version of GSK's Requip tablets.

Shares of Glenmark today settled the trade at Rs 241.75, down by 0.56 per cent on the NSE.

Banks slow in tapping market ahead of new fiscal

MUMBAI: Banks have been slow in raising capital ahead of the start of the new fiscal as most have already raised funds earlier this year, and the spiking of yields recently has rendered the environment for selling bonds unfavourable, say merchant bankers.
Usually, March end is the time when banks flood the market with bond issuances as they ready themselves for a likely pick-up in demand for loans from consumers and industry.

A number of banks such as Bank of India, Axis Bank, Bank of Baroda were expected to sell their bonds recently, but they have so far refrained from tapping the market. However, IDBI Bank and UCO Bank did sell their bonds in the local market in the past few days, merchant bankers said.

Banks primarily raise funds for shoring up the capital in their balance sheet, something they burn up as they lend to consumers and the industry. This is mostly done by selling bonds called Tier-II issuances in industry parlance. Tier-I capital consists of selling fresh shares (equity) and perpetual bonds, which are like quasi-equity offerings.

“Most banks have already fulfiled their capital requirements by raising funds in the December-January period,” said Ajay Manglunia, head of the corporate desk at Edelweiss Securities, a debt brokerage firm. “Hardening of rates recently has also led banks to go slow on their capital-boosting activities,” he added.

Corporate bond yields have been rising, tracking spiking government bond yields. The yield on the Reuters benchmark five-year corporate bond ended at 8.55% on Monday, it has risen over 50 points since January.

“The outlook on credit demand remains dismal, especially since April to October is traditionally a period where companies do not take long-duration loans,” said Ashish Nigam, head of fixed income at Religare Asset Management. “If base rates come into effect, then demand for loans is going to take a further hit because lending rates would go up,” he added.

RBI has prescribed a minimum overall minimum capital adequacy of 9% for commercial banks with up to 50% of it in the form of Tier-II, comprising subordinated bonds and free reserves. Most banks are already capitalised well beyond this limit, bankers point out.

This allows them to defer any fund-raising activity than is aimed at boosting capital. The activity in the corporate debt market itself has been low, in line with government bonds, with traders waiting for cues from the government’s borrowing schedule for FY11.

The central bank will release a tentative borrowing calendar for the April-September period at the end of the month.

India will have world's most educated people by 2030: Sibal

NEW DELHI: Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal has said that India will have the most educated people by 2030, thereby stressing on the use of technology to spread education to dispossessed areas of the country.

Sibal said the government is giving weightage to the use of Information Communication and Technology (ICT) to increase access to education among people residing in rural and geographically disadvantageous places.

Technology is going to play a major role in the education sector in the 21st century, said Sibal, adding that the government has put in place an ICT mission.

He asked the states, civil society, parents and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to move in the right direction.

Sibal also came up with the idea of providing mobile phones to the teachers to check the problem of their absenteeism, saying the mobile phones will specify the exact place where the teacher is positioned at any given point of time.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Today's Technology Can Support Water Reuse Practices, but Policy Incentives Still Needed for Long-Term Success

World Water Day Calling Attention to the Global Issue of Clean Water Scarcity

TREVOSE, Pa., Mar 17, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- According to the United Nations Development Program, more than 1 billion people, or about one in six worldwide, do not have safe drinking water and more than 2 billion lack access to adequate sanitation. If current water usage trends continue, by the year 2025 two-thirds of the world's population won't have enough clean water.

With World Water Day (March 22) fast approaching, now is the time for a global effort to support the widespread adoption of water reuse practices, which can be a key step toward quickly and effectively reversing the global threat of clean water scarcity.

Heiner Markhoff, president and CEO--Water & Process Technologies, GE Power & Water, urged the adoption of fiscal and policy incentives to drive greater water reuse. "With supportive frameworks in place, we can make great progress in creating a global society that adheres to and promotes water reuse," he said.

The water treatment and reuse technology exists today to help address this global challenge. Unfortunately, the motivation to employ these technology solutions often doesn't. In the United States, for example, it is often less expensive to withdraw water from a river or a well than to treat it and reuse it.

"Industry leaders, educators and policymakers worldwide need to work together, proactively tackling the policies, technology developments and fiscal issues needed to ensure an adequate supply of clean water for the future," Markhoff said.

GE Power & Water provides proven technologies and solutions for water treatment and reuse and continues to invest heavily to enhance current products and to develop new, even more advanced technologies. The company offers a diverse selection of technologies for the global water treatment industry ranging from desalination to cooling water solutions, mobile water to petrochemical solutions and water recovery to boiler water solutions.

GE continues to enhance its capabilities to help customers meet the world's water challenges. Two recent examples: GE is creating a center of excellence (COE) in Minnetonka, Minn., for manufacturing reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membranes; and a COE in Oroszlany, Hungary, for manufacturing ZeeWeed* ultrafiltration membranes. ZeeWeed technology is the cornerstone of GE's filtration product line and has been installed in more than 500 drinking water and wastewater facilities worldwide. A GE COE brings together the company's most advanced capabilities and expertise to focus on a key technology sector.

Further expanding its global presence and capabilities, GE has established a world-scale Global R&D Center in Singapore and recently opened the GE Saudi Water & Process Technologies Center in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

GE has many examples of providing technology for successful water treatment and reuse projects around the globe, ranging from small commercial building installations to the largest reuse plant in the world, in Kuwait. Some recent examples include:

-- A new water treatment system, the first to be used in a North American coal mine, is being implemented by CONSOL Energy Inc. in one of the nation's largest coal mines. The Buchanan No. 1 coal mine in Oakwood, Va., will receive GE's advanced filtration membranes and thermal water treatment technology to treat the mine water, enabling about 99 percent of the water to be reused in part at the company's preparation plant facility.

-- OMNOVA Solutions' Performance Chemicals and GE have implemented a sustainable water solution in a greater Green Bay (Village of Howard), Wis., facility to save 3.6 million gallons of water per year, lessening the stress on fresh water sources and reducing environmental impact.

-- Cogentrix Energy, LLC's 120-megawatt power plant in Battleboro, N.C., has implemented a GE technology solution to conserve an estimated 3 million gallons of water annually, or the equivalent to approximately 22 percent of its current water usage. This greatly reduced its dependence on municipal freshwater sources impacted by a historic drought that ended earlier this year.

-- GE technology has helped SVA-FujiFilm Opto-Electronics Materials Co. Ltd. of China reduce tap water consumption, waste water discharge and operational costs. A customized water treatment system at the company's Shanghai site has been operating since September 2008 and has achieved both high water quality and raw water saving--up to 15%-25% less water consumption compared to conventional solutions.

-- Using GE technology, the city of Tempe, Ariz., has expanded its water reclamation program, resulting in the reuse of an additional 2.5 billion gallons of water a year for commercial and industrial applications. Tempe's Kyrene Water Reclamation Facility was recently upgraded with GE's ZeeWeed membrane bioreactor technology to improve water reuse.

-- Multiple GE technologies are featured at the Sulaibiya wastewater treatment plant in Kuwait. The world's largest membrane-based wastewater filtration plant, Sulaibiya purifies more than 1 million gallons of wastewater per day for agricultural and industrial uses.

* Trademark of General Electric Company; may be registered in one or more countries.

About GE

GE /quotes/comstock/13*!ge/quotes/nls/ge (GE 18.04, -0.03, -0.17%) is a diversified global infrastructure, finance and media company that's built to meet essential world needs. From energy, water, transportation and health to access to money and information, GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide.

GE serves the energy sector by developing and deploying technology that helps make efficient use of natural resources. With 60,000 global employees and 2009 revenues of $37 billion, GE Energy www.ge.com/energy is one of the world's leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technologies. The businesses that comprise GE Energy--GE Power & Water, GE Energy Services and GE Oil & Gas--work together to provide integrated product and service solutions in all areas of the energy industry including coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy; renewable resources such as water, wind, solar and biogas; and other alternative fuels.

For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ge.com. GE is imagination at work.

SOURCE: GE


GE Energy
Kimberly Ramalho, 215-942-3409
kimberly.ramalho@ge.com
or
Masto Public Relations
Howard Masto or Beth Coffman
518-786-6488
howard.masto@ge.com
beth.coffman@mastopr.com




Copyright Business Wire 2010

T.I. Accused Of Illegally Using AKOO Name For Clothing Line

(AllHipHop News) Rapper T.I. could end up in court again to defend himself against trademark allegations levied against his Akoo Clothing line.

Akoo International bills itself as the world’s largest social music television network. The company filed a complaint against T.I. and Akoo in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, claiming trademark infringement.

According to the lawsuit, Akoo International has held the trademark for “Akoo” for years.

The federally registered trademark is sued by Akoo International, which delivers video programming to over 86 million monthly customers, via the Internet, shopping malls and universities in over 30 states.

Akoo International’s technology allows viewers to interact with programming on large screen, networked HDTV’s, using their mobile phones.

"Akoo has been recognized as a leading social TV platform for connecting brand advertisers with millions of our engaged viewers," said Akoo CEO Niko Drakoulis. "Our primary obligation and goal is to prevent confusion among our consumers, which is among the most basic objectives of trademark law. At the same time, Akoo has invested nearly a decade of effort and substantial capital to deploy its network and will do everything in its power to protect its brand."

Akoo International claims T.I.’s use of the name Akoo has mislead, deceived and confused consumers and potential clients.

The company also took action to defend their Akoo trademark when T.I.’s clothing line ran a controversial billboard advertisement in Newark, NJ, which was condemned by residents, as well as Mayor Cory Booker.

USDA International Technology Services Awards Emtec Federal a Contract with Ceiling Value of $82.5 Million

Five-Year Blanket Purchase Agreement Provides Procurement and Ancillary Services to Support USDA Employees

MARLTON, N.J., Mar 02, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Emtec Federal /quotes/comstock/11k!etec (ETEC 1.42, -0.04, -2.74%) , a systems integrator, today announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) International Technology Services (ITS) organization has awarded the company a five-year Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) with a not-to-exceed value of $82.5 million. ITS is the in-house provider of Information Technology (IT), service and support for more than 40,000 USDA Service Center Agency (SCA) employees and their networked computers, IT equipment and the shared infrastructure that their agency networks and applications run on.

Under this contract, Emtec Federal will provide procurement and other ancillary services to support the USDA's migration to a paperless business environment and to establish and maintain a consistent, common and compatible technical infrastructure across the SCA's 3,500 Field Service Centers (FSC). This infrastructure will support the FSC's current and future physical and organizational structure as well as current and future projected business needs. This will allow the SCA to create a team approach for program delivery in which the agencies share common resources, thus maximizing customer service and administrative efficiency.

In addition to these IT solutions for ongoing operations, Emtec Federal will provide the same type of procurement services to aid in quick recovery in natural disaster situations, to fulfill special purpose needs in homeland security and ever-changing field service job requirements. The agencies within the SCA comprise the front-line offices within USDA that directly work with its customers -- the Nation's farmers, ranchers and landowners -- in land and water conservation initiatives and farm assistance programs, to include such activities as defined in legislative farm bills.

"Our team is ready to provide USDA employees with the latest technology solutions to ensure that they can get their jobs done effectively and efficiently while simultaneously meeting legislative requirements and Presidential initiatives," said Jeff Posey, VP of Sales, Emtec Federal. "We look forward to providing the USDA and its organizations with state of the art solutions as legacy systems age and newer technologies become available."

About Emtec Federal

Emtec Federal is a subsidiary of Emtec, Inc., established in 1964, and is a systems integrator providing IT services and products to the federal market. Emtec helps clients identify and prioritize areas for improvement and then implement process, technology and business application improvements that reduce cost, improve service and align the delivery of IT with the needs of their organization. Emtec's market leading value based management methods, coupled with best-in-class IT technology, consulting and development services, allow us to address a wide range of specific client needs, as well as support broader IT transformation initiatives. Emtec's service capabilities span the USA, Canada and countries around the globe. For more information visit: http://www.emtecinc.com/.

SOURCE: Emtec Federal


Emtec Federal
David Singer, 973-232-7880
DavidSinger@emtecinc.com
or
Welz & Weisel Communications
Nicole Nolte, 703-218-3555
Nicole@w2comm.com


Copyright Business Wire 2010.

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