Your report for Tuesday, September 2, 2008

New Dow Corning technology to cut the cost of solar power
Midland-based Dow Corning Corp. has demonstrated a manufacturing process featuring new developmental silicone materials that significantly increases the production rate of solar panels, effectively lowering the cost per watt of solar power. "This technology represents a real step-change in the industry, and will help make solar power a viable and sustainable energy option globally," said Gaetan Borgers, global industry director, Dow Corning Solar Market Business Unit. The process works in conjunction with developmental Dow Corning PV-6100 Encapsulant series, which provides a clear laminate to protect each solar cell in a panel and can replace commonly used ethyl vinyl acetate resin. The silicone-based material provides higher watt efficiency, longer module life, and optimum UV resistance. Equipment for the new process requires less capital and less factory space. The process and encapsulant series are being piloted by select solar partners in the new Dow Corning Solar Application Center in Freeland and are expected to be commercially available in mid-2009. More.

State launches e-mail alerts for food recalls
As part of National Food Safety Education Month, the Michigan Department of Agriculture today launched a new alert system to notify consumers when food-related recalls and warnings are issued. The system will alert consumers in the event of a Class I recall, where the food has been deemed unsafe or unfit for human consumption and if consumed may cause serious adverse health consequences or death. Sign up at the end of the story here.

Michigan's AIM Computer, TM Group in new Microsoft case study
Microsoft Corp. has released a new Microsoft Dynamics Customer Solution Case Study featuring work by Fraser-based AIM Computer Solutions Inc. and Farmington Hills-based TM Group Inc. The case study describes how auto supplier Bing Group helped overcome industry pitfalls by using technology to create a reliable manufacturing platform. Get an overview and a link to the full white paper here.

Ann Arbor machine vision group tops 300 members
The Automated Imaging Association, the Ann Arbor-based machine vision trade group, announced that membership has reached a record high of 304 companies from 27 nations. Soliton Technologies of Bangalore, India, the first Indian company to design and manufacture machine vision cameras, became AIA's 300th member. Founded in 1984, AIA was organized specifically to promote the use of image capture and analysis technology. Originally, AIA represented companies who focused on factory automation applications of machine vision. Today the technology has expanded to applications such as medical imaging, biometrics, security, life sciences, entertainment, and intelligent transportation, among others. More.

OnStar sets up emergency communications for Gustav
The OnStar subsidiary of General Motors Corp. Monday announced the opening of a "Crisis Assist" emergency services system for those affected by Hurricane Gustav. OnStar subscribers in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama will find that a push of the OnStar button will put them in contact with specially trained Crisis Advisors. On Aug. 31, OnStar saw a 30 percent increase over typical call volume. More. (And here's more from the Associated Press on how OnStar subscribers used the service to stay out of harm's way.)

The Week Ahead: Light this week, insanely busy next

The Great Lakes IT Report's Michigan IT Calendar reveals only a few events this week.

But the state's most comprehensive IT calendar, available at this link, also shows that that good ol' summer event lull is about to come to a screeching halt, and tech events are about to take off.

This week, it's a Money Finders Deal Incubator meeting tonight and a health care tech talk Thursday. The weekend also features free observatory viewing at the University of Michigan-Dearborn and a Saturday event on preparing for corporate buyout offers.

Next week it's tough to pick a favorite. There's a major engineering summit on Michigan's future on Mackinac Island, a major meeting of seed and venture funds in Detroit, an event in Grand Rapids for manufacturers to diversify into medical products, a life sciences venture capital talk in Ann Arbor, an executive help desk panel discussion, the first meeting of the year for the Great Lakes Software Process Improvement Network, the Automation Alley annual black-tie gala and the Michigan Flash Fest for developers -- a busy 16 events overall.

See you out there!

Note: For information on how you can sponsor content in the Blue Box, contact Dan Keelan at (248) 455-7380 or dkeelan@cbs.com.

Mulally to keynote at Consumer Electronics Show
Ford Motor Co. CEO Allan Mulally will become the second Detroit Three CEO to deliver a keynote at the International Consumer Electronics Show. Automotive News reported last week that Mulally would make the speech at the 2009 CES Jan. 8-11 in Las Vegas. During a groundbreaking keynote last January by General Motors Corp. CEO Rick Wagoner, the nation's largest automaker unveiled the Cadillac Provoq, a concept fuel-cell crossover vehicle.

Bright House networks expands MGTV hours for Kilpatrick hearings
Bright House Network announced it will extend on-air hours to accommodate Michigan Government Television’s coverage of Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s hearing on the removal of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. The hearing will be covered live from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Sept. 3, 4 and 5. Bright House has also said the hearing will be replayed in its entirety at a later date. More.

Pure Michigan campaign drives up traffic to Michigan.com
Last week the Travel Industry Association of America honored Travel Michigan with a Mercury Award for the Best State Tourism Radio Advertising for its Pure Michigan campaign. The Pure Michigan campaign continues to drive record volumes to Michigan's official travel Web site, michigan.org, which maintains the title as the No. 1 state tourism Web site. According to the July 2008 rankings of Hitwise United States -- an international company which tracks traffic to major Web sites -- michigan.org had more traffic than any other state tourism Web site, capturing 9.33 percent of the market share. This is the third month in a row that michigan.org has had more volume than any other state tourism Web Site. More.

THE WORLD IN TECH

Ad targeting based on ISP tracking now seen as unlikely
It sounded like a winning proposition - free money - for Internet access providers. By tracking their subscribers' personal Web surfing habits, they could help deliver ads targeted to the consumers' interests, and claim a share of the burgeoning online advertising market dominated by Internet search companies. But those efforts to sniff out consumers' interests are running into the ditch. A slow-building privacy storm moved in on NebuAd Inc., the Silicon Valley startup that can facilitate the Web tracking. And its potential partners, the Internet service providers, failed to make the case that they should be in the ad business at all, rather than simply being the pipes that pass Internet traffic back and forth. One by one, cable and telephone companies that had conducted trials using NebuAd's ad-serving system have indefinitely suspended expansion plans. In interviews, executives at the Internet access providers blamed an unfavorable climate as Congress considers tightening federal oversight. More. (And here's more on the ISPs that have acknowledged allowing the tracking.)

FAA outage reveals odd computing practices
When a computer glitch at a Federal Aviation Administration center caused widespread airline delays this week, it served as a reminder that the U.S. flight system is waiting for a modernizing overhaul. But it also appears the FAA's management of its existing technologies falls short of standards in other vital sectors. By using computing practices that would be considered poor in credit card networks or power plant operators, for example, the FAA was vulnerable to a problem caused when new software was loaded at the Atlanta center that distributes flight plans. Because the FAA relies on just two computing systems, one in Atlanta and one in Salt Lake City, to handle that chore for the entire nation, the software glitch all but sank the system Tuesday. The Salt Lake center remained up and served as a backup, but it became overloaded by information coming from airlines. More than 600 flights were delayed from Atlanta all the way to Boston and Chicago. More.

Phone companies ready with backup plans for Gustav
The hurricane bearing down on the Gulf Coast could be a test for the country's wireless carriers, which faced criticism and a regulatory push after Hurricane Katrina took out networks. Sprint Nextel Corp. spokeswoman Stephanie Vinge-Walsh said the company's Emergency Response Team, with trucks that can act as cell towers, was "caravaning down, military-style," to the Gulf Coast on Friday. Verizon Wireless has spent $137 million in the past year on enhancing its network in the Gulf Coast area, including doubling its capacity at regional switching centers to handle a barrage of calls when disaster strikes. More.

Satellite phones turn cowboys into fire sentinels
The craggy gullies where Idaho cowboy Paul Nettleton runs 1,200 head of cattle are often precious minutes from reliable cell phone coverage. That could spell disaster in this region where sudden summertime storms howl in from eastern Oregon, bringing dry lightning that can ignite fast-moving wildfires on sage- and juniper-covered hillsides. Unchecked, the flames could quickly turn this old mining town's historic wooden buildings to ashes. This spring, Nettleton and six other Owyhee County ranchers who make their livelihoods in some of America's most remote backcountry began carrying satellite telephones provided by the federal Bureau of Land Management and the Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security. It's an effort to turn men whose ranching families have been wedded to this land for more than a century into a high-tech advance guard against devastating wildfires. More.

Stocks: Dell leads tech sector retreat
Dell Inc. led the tech sector into negative territory Friday after the computer giant reported lower-than-expected quarterly earnings, falling nearly 14 percent on the day. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index (COMP) lost 44.12 points or 1.8 percent to 2,367.52. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) lost 171.63 points or 1.5 percent to 11,543.55 as investors also reacted to data showing declines in consumer spending and personal income. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index ($SOX) lost 10.01 points or 2.8 percent to 352.82 and the Morgan Stanley High Tech 35 Index (MSH) lost 13.81 points or 2.4 percent to 560.09. The Amex Pharmaceutical Index ($DRG) fell 3.75 points or 1.2 percent to 309.96, while the Amex Biotech Index (BTK) fell 4.41 points or 0.5 percent to 831.22. The S&P 500 ($SPX) fell 17.85 points, or 1.4 percent, to 1,282.83.

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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