Ann Arbor's Adaptive Materials, UM set fuel cell flight record The longest fuel cell powered flight of a radio-controlled aerial vehicle has been achieved by students at the University of Michigan and engineers at Ann Arbor-based fuel cell manufacturer Adaptive Materials Inc. Their plane, named Endurance, flew for 10 hours, 15 minutes and 4 seconds in a flight that lasted from sunrise to sunset on Oct. 30 at Field of Dreams Park in Milan. The previous world record, held by a California-based company, lasted just over nine hours. The student SolarBubbles team built the airframe, which has an 8-foot wingspan. Adaptive Materials funded the project and built the vehicle's propane-powered solid oxide fuel cell. More.
Perrigo acquires Florida firm Allegan's Perrigo Co. announced Thursday that it has acquired Unico Holdings for approximately $49 million in cash. Based in Lake Worth, Fla., privately held Unico is the leading manufacturer of store brand pediatric electrolytes, enemas and feminine hygiene products for retail customers in the United States. The acquisition is expected to add nearly $50 million of annual sales and be accretive to earnings in the first twelve months. More.
Dow Chemical proposes energy policy
Midland-based Dow Chemical Co., slammed by rising energy prices earlier this year, Thursday released "Dow's Energy Plan for America." Included in the plan is a goal of improving the energy efficiency of buildings and homes by 30 percent within 10 years, with appropriate tax incentives, public education campaigns and best-practice studies. It also calls for oil drilling off the American coasts with "state-of-the-art technologies that assure environmentally friendly production." Also, it calls for more coal "polygeneration" plants that convert domestic coal and biomass into "power, chemicals, plastics and jet fuel for military and commercial aviation" while sequestering the carbon generated. And the measure calls for expansion of incentives for renewable energy. More.
New features in Belleville firm's software
Belleville-based Active On-Demand Thursday announced the release of the latest version of its transportation management system, APT. Release 1.11 introduces Business Intelligence features in the form of a carrier dashboard. APT connects shippers with freight carriers via its real-time collaborative exchange, an Internet-based business to business exchange where shippers enter on-demand transportation requests and carriers competitively submit bids within minutes. The system manages shipment, tracks cargo location, and provides complete, detailed shipment visibility to shippers, consignees, and carriers. More.
U.S. car market only half as green as the rest of the world The Auburn Hills-based automotive research firm Jato Dynamics reported Thursday that the United States auto market is currently behind Europe and Japan in the global drive for more fuel efficient cars, with cars that are only half as efficient in terms of MPG and carbon footprint. More.
GLITR seeks guests for exclusive lunch on energy policy
The Great Lakes IT Report has a few openings left for a private, invitation-only luncheon with your humble narrator and representatives of the law firm of Howard and Howard.
On the agenda -- how the state's new renewable energy and utility regulation bills, passed earlier this year, will affect the large industrial electric ratepayers.
The event will be held Wednesday, Nov. 19 from noon to 2 p.m.
The recent market meltdowns have largely overshadowed information about these dramatic changes in Michigan’s energy policy. The few reports that made the news cycle created the impression that Michigan’s industries will now save billions on their electricity bills. Time will tell whether that will be the case – but many familiar with the new laws question whether lower energy bills will be seen any time soon.
The discussion will include experts from the Energy and Utilities practice group of Howard & Howard Attorneys, P.C., and will be led by Matt Roush, editor of the Great Lakes IT Report and the Michigan Energy Report. The roundtable is designed so you can interact with other business leaders on the issue of energy reform, and the discussion will seek ideas on how you can reduce the economic consequences of the new laws on your business.
Typically, just 15 business leaders are given a chance to attend these roundtables.
If you would like to learn about our state’s new energy policy and about strategies designed to minimize the new laws’ impact on your bottom line, please RSVP for this event by calling William Jayne at (248) 455-7253 by Monday, Nov. 17, 2008. Space is very limited, so please respond at your first opportunity.
For information on how you can sponsor content in the Blue Box, contact Jeff Lasser at (248) 455-7319 or jeff.lasser@cbsradio.com.
GLITR Adopt-a-Family update I'm getting more response to the Great Lakes IT Report effort to be a major source of new donations for the Adopt-A-Family program of Volunteers of America. It takes just $150 to adopt a family of four for the holidays, providing a nice Christmas dinner, toys and warm clothes to two adults and two children who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford a good holiday. And you can personally adopt the family, play Santa and deliver the goodies -- or be completely anonymous. It's all up to you. Let's see some more help! And thanks to New Horizons of Michigan, PMV Technologies, Velcura Therapeutics, WorkForce Software, RelWare and the other companies getting involved! E-mail me at mnroush@cbs.com.
TechTown's 'Soft Landings' site to be international gateway for trade This week, TechTown launched its International Soft Landings program, designed to ease the transition overseas companies face when they enter the U.S. market by providing them with business services that speed up the establishment of an international branch. TechTown is Wayne State University’s 43-acre research and technology park currently incubating more than 50 companies. The program has the potential to draw international firms that are interested in trading with Canada through the NAFTA agreement, which could lead to significant job creation in Detroit and the state. Already, the program has received interest from companies in China, eastern Europe, Sweden and South Korea. More.
Ilumisys debuts products, channel partners Troy-based Ilumisys Inc., developer and producer of next-generation solid-state lighting technology, announces a growing roster of channel partners, two new additions to its product line and increased opportunities in the business and government communities. Ilumisys, founded in 2007, is a spinoff of Altair Engineering, a global software and technology company that has a growing presence in the energy market. With the support of its majority owner, Ilumisys has a deep research and development background that includes more than 25 patent filings. More.
THE WORLD IN TECH
EBay vendor passes gigantic feedback milestone If you've ever sold something on eBay, you may have been pleased to receive positive feedback from the buyer. Multiply that by a million, and you can imagine how Jack Sheng feels. Sheng, 33, owns Los Angeles-based Eforcity Corp., which has been selling electronics accessories on the online auction site since he started his business in 2000 with two childhood friends. In the past two months, four separate eBay user IDs belonging to Sheng and his company each surpassed more than 1 million feedback points. No one else on eBay has come close. More.
Microsoft says paying for search draws more traffic
Microsoft Corp. said Thursday that paying people to use its Internet search engine is attracting new consumers, although there is little evidence that those people are making a habit of it. Under Microsoft's Cashback program, launched in May, the company rewards shoppers with rebates from a few cents to $20 or more on items they find using its search engine, Live Search. When Microsoft began Cashback, the company said it would measure its success by the number of items advertised in the system, growth in its share of searches that lead to transactions online, and how happy merchants are with returns on their investment in Cashback ads. More.
Study: Unlicensed stories reel in readers, but not for newspapers
Here's another reason for ailing newspaper and magazine publishers to wince: On average, the audience perusing unauthorized online copies of their articles is nearly 1.5 times larger than the readership on their own Web sites, according to a study released Thursday. However, the problem, flagged by copyright cop Attributor Corp., could turn into a golden opportunity if media companies figure out a way to mine advertising revenue from the traffic flocking to their pirated stories posted on blogs and other sites. Attributor, which makes software that trolls the Internet for copyright violations, estimates the average Web publisher could collect more than $150,000 in additional revenue by selling ads alongside its unlicensed material. More.
Electronic Arts wants to help people get fit, too Following in the footsteps of Nintendo's popular "Wii Fit," the video game publisher known for the "Madden" football games is jumping into fitness software targeted mostly at women.Electronic Arts Inc. on Thursday announced a new line, EA Sports Active, that runs on the Nintendo Wii console and aims to complement, not compete with, Nintendo's "Wii Fit" exercise title. Peter Moore, president of EA Sports, called the new brand, whose first title launches next March, a "somewhat radical departure from the normal game experiences we provide customers." More.
Stocks: Big gains for tech sector at market close
Technology stocks roared to life late in the session Thursday as the sector turned its back on a sales warning from semiconductor giant Intel Corp. and the broader market seemed unfazed by a report that new jobless claims reached their highest point in more than seven years. By the closing bell the Nasdaq Composite Index (COMP) had jumped 97.49 points or 6.5 percent to 1,597.9. The Dow industrials ($INDU) rose 552.59 points or 6.7 percent to 8,835.25. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index ($SOX) jumped 14.36 points or 7.2 percent to 215.15 and the Morgan Stanley High Tech 35 Index (MSH) rose 23.96 points or 7.5 percent to 343.05. The Amex Pharmaceutical Index ($DRG) rose 16.06 points or 6.3 percent to 270.23, while the Amex Biotech Index (BTK) rose 41.2 points, or 6.8 percent, to 646.15. Finally, the Standard & Poor's 500 (SPX) rose 58.99 points or 6.9 percent to 911.29.
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 Georgeann Herbert at gherbert@cbs.com or (248) 455-7299. 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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The longest fuel cell powered flight of a radio-controlled aerial vehicle has been achieved by students at the University of Michigan and engineers at Ann Arbor-based fuel cell manufacturer Adaptive Materials Inc. Their plane, named Endurance, flew for 10 hours, 15 minutes and 4 seconds in a flight that lasted from sunrise to sunset on Oct. 30 at Field of Dreams Park in Milan. The previous world record, held by a California-based company, lasted just over nine hours. The student SolarBubbles team built the airframe, which has an 8-foot wingspan. Adaptive Materials funded the project and built the vehicle's propane-powered solid oxide fuel cell. 
GLITR seeks guests for exclusive lunch on energy policy
