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Wind power group blows off state renewable energy proposal A leading wind energy association blew off the House-passed energy package Tuesday, saying the legislation would actually put $2 billion in new investment in wind energy projects at risk. In letters to Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Senate Energy Policy Committee Chair Bruce Patterson (R-Canton Township), the American Wind Energy Association urged the leaders to make a "fresh start" with annual renewable energy requirements much more aggressive than the bills that passed in the State House of Representatives two weeks ago. More
Automation Alley tech investment spinoff so far: 150 new jobs
Automation Alley's Technology Business Accelerator investments have produced nearly 150 new jobs and additional private capital investments of $12.5 million. That was the word from Thomas Anderson, Automation Alley director of entrepreneurism, in an appearance before the Commerce Committee of the Michigan House of Representatives. Of those 18 investments, 17 are still making progress, Anderson said. More.
Meijer launches prepaid cell phone line
Grand Rapids-based retailer Meijer Inc. has partnered with Fusion Mobile, an Austin, Texas-based wireless provider, to unveil Meijer's own brand of prepaid wireless phones and phone cards. Meijer is the first major retailer to offer its own branded prepaid cell phone service. Meijer Mobile offerings are now available at all 181 Meijer stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky. More.
FastSwitch continues IT success in Michigan The growth continues to be swift for the new Wixom office of the aptly named IT services firm Fast Switch Ltd. Dublin, Ohio-based Fast Switch achieved a 100 percent increase in business in 2007. Growth year-over-year for the first quarter of 2008 was more than 72 percent. More.
SBAM launches pilot of rural entrepreneurship consulting help The Small Business Association of Michigan this week announced a 12-month pilot project that delivers complex and sophisticated market research to small entrepreneurs in Tuscola, Houghton and Keweenaw counties who want to accelerate the growth of their businesses. If successful, SBAM plans to expand the project across Michigan. The SBAM “Economic Gardening Pilot Project” is funded by $130,000 in grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Business Enterprise Grant program. More.
What a nice little party we all enjoyed last night at the spectacular Detroit Science Center.
I gathered with maybe 60 or 70 of my closest friends for the wrap-up party of what has now been conclusively shown to be the fifth annual Great Lakes IT Report Tech Tour.
Besides the networking and the refreshments, we also enjoyed a nice little speech about WWJ Newsradio 950's newsgathering strategies from Pete Kowalski, our station manager.
Danielle DeLonge, network manager of ConnecTech, the association for technology professionals managed by Automation Alley, spoke about some of her experiences on the tour, and her realization that the desire to diversify Michigan's economy through technology-based economic development and entrepreneurship is by no means limited to the parts of Michigan where the ZIP Codes start with 48. There's plenty of interest, talent, determination and drive in West Michigan, the northern Lower Peninsula and the UP.
Also speaking was Ryan L. Wheeler, corporate sales manager at Alma-based TMS Technologies Inc., one of the companies I interviewed on the Tech Tour, just sort of as an example of the kinds of companies I'm looking for on these tours -- tech-based, entrepreneurial and growing. TMS offers small and mid-sized businesses an automated freight management system, as well as overall IT services.
And then yours truly took to the podium for a spin around Michigan in pictures. Yeah, like grampa's old slide shows, but with a bit of a high-tech twist.
From Kalamazoo to Grand Rapids to Traverse City to Marquette to Mount Pleasant to Lansing to Flint, it was a great week and a great ride. Thanks again to the Tech Tour's sponsors, Alliance Technology Solutions, Clark Hill, ConnecTech, Data Recovery Group, the Detroit Science Center, General Motors Corp., Lawrence Technological University, the Melting Pot Restaurant, NextEnergy and OnStar.
Note: For information on how you can sponsor content in the Blue Box, contact Dan Keelan at (248) 455-7380 or dkeelan@cbs.com.
Merit Network completes new fiber optic link to Toledo Merit Network engineers recently lit a newly completed fiber optic connection to OSCnet, Ohio's regional research and education network, and began sending data across the 10-gigabyte path. The new fiber link provides Merit with a second route to the Internet2 backbone, by providing a connection in Cleveland, Ohio. The original link is located in Chicago. The fiber optic link spans nearly 70 miles from Southfield to Toledo, Ohio, and took approximately one year to complete. The project was part of Merit's strategic initiatives, continuing to provide its members with access to the finest advanced network infrastructure in the country. More.
Two new tech HQs Ann Arbor-based Adaptive Materials Inc. will hold an open house at its new headquarters and manufacturing plant Friday, May 16 from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Michelle Crumm, chief business officer, will make remarks about the company's growth and plans for the future around 10 a.m., and tours of the building will follow. More. Also, the Troy-based performance dashboards developer iDashboards has moved into new, larger offices at 5750 New King St. in Troy. The new offices are 5,000 square feet in size, more than double the previous 2,000-square-foot space. More.
KISS Auto Auction Web site sets May 16 launch party
KISS Auto Auction, a new online auction site serving used car dealers in Michigan, will be announcing industry awards at its launch celebration on May 16 at the Rock Financial Showplace in Novi. KISS was founded by Larry White, a veteran of Michigan auto industry, and Jeff Stanislow, who has more than a decade of experience in technology and the Web. The Las Vegas-style launch celebration is the first of what will be regularly recurring activities sponsored by KISS for auto dealers in Michigan. More.
Grand Theft Auto IV tops $500 million in sales in first week
"Grand Theft Auto IV" raked in more than $500 million in its first week in stores, selling more than 6 million units worldwide, the video game's publisher said Wednesday. The highly anticipated title from Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. has received stellar ratings along with criticism for its violent content. The game follows Eastern European immigrant-turned gangster Niko Bellic on crime missions around a fictional Liberty City. The title sold about 3.6 million units on April 29, its opening day, bringing in roughly $310 million. This is $10 million more than what Microsoft Corp.'s "Halo 3," another blockbuster game, took in during its first week last fall. The game has lifted sales of Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3, the two consoles for which it is available. More.
Clearwire, Sprint to form $14.55 billion wireless company
Clearwire and Sprint Nextel said Wednesday they will combine their wireless broadband units to create a $14.55 billion communications company. The new company, which will retain Clearwire's name, will continue developing a mobile network based on WiMax technology, which promises faster speeds than the latest cellular networks for movies, games and other data services. A group of outside investors, including Intel Corp., Google Inc., Comcast Corp., Time Warner Cable Inc. and Bright House Networks, will kick in $3.2 billion for the new company. The investment is based on a target price of $20 per Clearwire share and will give the companies a 22 percent stake in the new venture. More.
AP gives inside look at Microsoft's raised Yahoo offer Just how serious was Microsoft Corp. about raising its bid to $47.5 billion for slumping Internet pioneer Yahoo Inc.? The answer is taking on greater importance as more outraged Yahoo shareholders threaten to sue the company's board - or try to replace the 10 directors - for the way they responded to Microsoft's sweetened offer. With shareholders up in arms, Sunnyvale-based Yahoo has been trying to raise doubts about the legitimacy of Microsoft's last bid of $33 a share by pointing out that it wasn't submitted in writing. There is even a theory circulating that Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer dangled the new offer before his Yahoo counterpart, Jerry Yang, fully knowing that it would be spurned and open a window for him to flee a deal that was starting to look like a potential albatross. More.
Flying saucers, tiny helicopters compete in British war game Emotion-detecting robot cars will face off against eavesdropping flying saucers in the English countryside when scientists, academics and schoolchildren compete later this year to design the next generation of military equipment. The British Ministry of Defense's first ever "Grand Challenge" intends to encourage participants to turn their ideas into prototypes for machines the army can use in urban environments. The six finalists, who each received $600,000 to build such contraptions as a disc-shaped remote-controlled flying robots fitted with heat and motion sensors, were in London last week to display their models. More.
Stocks: Techs tumble after mixed earnings report from Cisco Technology stocks never found their footing in Wednesday's trading as the sector closed with broad gains following a mixed earnings report from Cisco Systems Inc. The Nasdaq Composite Index (COMP) fell 44.82 points or 1.8 percent to close at 2,438.49. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) tumbled 206.48 points or 1.6 percent to 12,814.35. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index ($SOX) fell 5.5 points or 1.4 percent to 397.51 and the Morgan Stanley High Tech 35 Index (MSH) fell 10.21 points or 1.7 percent to 582.11. The Amex Pharmaceutical Index ($DRG) fell 5.5 points or 1.8 percent to 298.85, while the Amex Biotech Index (BTK) fell 9.13 points or 1.2 percent to 747.47. The S&P 500 ($SPX) fell 25.69 points, or 1.8 percent, to 1,392.57.
All contents copyright 2008 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS Radio & Eye logo trademarked and copyright 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. Written and edited by Matt Roush, Technology Editor, WWJ Newsradio 950, Detroit. GLITR contains material from the Associated Press, Reuters and MarketWatch.com, used by permission. For coverage comments or news tips, e-mail Matt Roush at mnroush@cbs.com or call (248) 455-7380. For marketing and advertising queries, contact Dan Keelan at dkeelan@cbs.com or (248) 455-7252. To subscribe, e-mail Nancy Ho at nancy.ho@cbsradio.com. For questions or concerns, please email Pete Kowalski, WWJ's Station Manager.
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A leading wind energy association blew off the House-passed energy package Tuesday, saying the legislation would actually put $2 billion in new investment in wind energy projects at risk. In letters to Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Senate Energy Policy Committee Chair Bruce Patterson (R-Canton Township), the American Wind Energy Association urged the leaders to make a "fresh start" with annual renewable energy requirements much more aggressive than the bills that passed in the State House of Representatives two weeks ago. 
What a nice little party we all enjoyed last night at the spectacular Detroit Science Center.
Danielle DeLonge, network manager of ConnecTech, the association for technology professionals managed by Automation Alley, spoke about some of her experiences on the tour, and her realization that the desire to diversify Michigan's economy through technology-based economic development and entrepreneurship is by no means limited to the parts of Michigan where the ZIP Codes start with 48. There's plenty of interest, talent, determination and drive in West Michigan, the northern Lower Peninsula and the UP.
