GLITR Thursday, October 29, 2009

Your report for Thursday, October 29, 2009

Whirlpool gets $19.3 million for smart appliances to talk to smart grid
Benton Harbor-based Whirlpool Corp. Wednesday announced that it is the recipient of stimulus funds as part of the United States Department of Energy's Smart Grid Investment Grant program. The grant of $19.3 million over a two year period -- which Whirlpool will match with its own investments -- will help the company accelerate its work to deliver to consumers smart appliances that can connect with the smart grid. For example, the company recently announced that in 2011 it would deliver one million U.S.-manufactured smart dryers capable of reacting intelligently to signals from the smart grid by modifying their energy consumption to save consumers money on their home electric bills. More.

ECD, CertainTeed top governor's residence with solar...
Rochester Hills-based Energy Conversion Devices Inc. and CertainTeed Corp. Wednesday announced the installation of EnerGen, a breakthrough solar roof system, on the official residence of Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm. EnerGen is the first product developed through a joint venture announced between the two companies in October 2008, and is slated for official launch to the roofing industry in 2010. EnerGen combines Uni-Solar's industry-leading expertise in photovoltaics with CertainTeed's century-long leadership in residential roofing to create a solar roof system that seamlessly integrates the solar with roofing shingles. To celebrate this achievement, the two companies donated a 3.2-kilowatt EnerGen system for Granholm's official residence in Lansing. More.

...as ECD also rolls out new solar for commercial roofs
Energy Conversion Devices Inc. Wednesday introduced its new Uni-Solar PowerTilt solar roof system, which it says is the lightest rack-mounted solar system available today. Uni-Solar PowerTilt solar rooftop systems are manufactured for the Building Applied Photovoltaic market. The new Uni-Solar PowerTilt product will be available in 136 or 144 watts per panel, and offers unique features and benefits to the rooftop solar buyer. More.

Ann Arbor entrepreneurs launch EveryMeeting.com
Ann Arbor software developers RB Systems Inc. this week announced the launch of EveryMeeting.com, a Web site where associations can post their meetings and events, including speaker information and links to contact people. The developers say their market is more than 40,000 professional associations and organizations always looking to get more people to attend their meetings and events. EveryMeeting.com also allows for the posted meetings to be spread virally on more than 150 social media outlets. More.

MSU profs eye online 'proxy marriage' to spread same-sex unions
Two Michigan State University professors are pushing an 'E-marriage Project' as a way to spread same-sex marriages beyond the few states where they're now allowed. Building upon the established practice of proxy marriage, The Legal E-marriage Project would assist states already performing same-sex marriages with enacting laws to allow couples to marry by proxy via the Internet. States have authorized marriages preformed outside their borders for centuries, the professors said. More.

Michigan's new 'Blue Economy' topic of Nov. 10 breakfast

The Engineering Society Of Detroit, WWJ Newsradio 950, and the University Of Michigan Dearborn are proud to present "Blue Economy: Turning Michigan's Fresh Water Into Renewed Prosperity," a business breakfast Nov. 10 at the Fairlane Center on the campus of the UM-Dearborn.

About 20 percent of the world’s surface fresh water is present within the Great Lakes. Michigan’s water can and will play a significant role in our state’s economic recovery. The idea of a blue economy will act as a unifier on a very large scale for Michigan groups that have historically been in conflict -- big business, government, unions, academics. The main question for the blue economy event to answer is: "How does Michigan fairly and effectively build a policy consensus for a critical resource that everyone needs?"

WWJ Newsradio 950's Matt Roush will host a panel discussion, featuring leading experts in the area of water and how it can be utilized to better make a positive impact in our economy.

The program will kick off with a special presentation by The Engineering Society of Detroit Institute (ESDI) co-directors, Christopher J. Webb and David A. Skiven.

Panelists include:
• Michigan Lieutenant Gov. John Cherry
• Pam Turner, Detroit Water and Sewerage Department Director
• Chuck Hersey, SEMCOG Environmental Programs Manager
• Tim O’Brien, Consultant and expert on the Rouge Gateway Partnership
• Gil Pezza, Co-chair Michigan Water Technologies Cluster Initiative
• Tim Nasso, Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Dow Chemical
• Carol Miller, Professor and Chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Wayne State University

Admission is free, but advance registration is required. To register, visit www.wwj.com. UM Dearborn is located at 19000 Hubbard Drive in Dearborn. The event will start at 7:15 a.m. with registration and a continental breakfast. The program will begin at 8 a.m. For more information, contact Della Cassia at (248) 353-0735, ext. 112 or dcassia@esd.org.

Note: For information on how you can sponsor content in the Blue Box, contact Jeff Lasser at (248) 455-7319 or jeff.lasser@cbsradio.com.

Two Michigan companies team up for new Web publishing tool
CrystalType, an innovative new Web publishing system built on the popular and widely supported Drupal platform, has been released, giving publishers a powerful and profitable way to deliver content to their online readers. CrystalType was developed as a joint venture between Switchback, a content management specialist based in Ann Arbor, and Stunt3 Multimedia, a Detroit technology firm. The system allows users to easily create, edit, publish and manage all types of content. More.

MEDC helps fund two pharmas, one diversifying auto supplier
State officials Wednesday announced two more Michigan companies have been selected to receive loans in the sixth round of funding under the state’s Company Formation and Growth fund, an initiative aimed at retaining Pfizer Inc. talent and assets in the state. The pharmas were Kalamazoo-based Kalexsyn Inc. and Saline-based Research Essential Services LLC. The MEDC also announced assistance to Automation & Modular Components Inc./Quality First Systems Inc. in Davisburg from the Michigan Supplier Diversification Fund to diversify the companies' operations into new industries. More.

Stryker unit indicted for fraud, conspiracy
A federal grand jury in Massachusetts has returned an indictment charging the Stryker Biotech unit of Kalamazoo-based Stryker Corp. and some of its current and former employees with wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the federal Food and Drug Administration, distribution of a misbranded medical device and lying to the FDA. In a statement Wednesday evening, Stryker said it is "disappointed with this action and still hopes to be able to reach a fair and just resolution of this matter." More.

THE WORLD IN TECH

Leaked video game footage shows terrorist attack
Footage leaked from "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" reveals that players of the upcoming video game can shoot innocent civilians in an airport in a realistic rendering of a terrorist attack. The game, which has an "M" rating for mature audiences, comes out next month in what its publisher hopes may be the most lucrative launch in the history of entertainment, not just for games but counting music and movies too. More.

Ohio universities focusing on advanced energy
The state is asking eight Ohio universities to share their knowledge about advanced energy in an effort to help the state emerge as a world leader in the field and create a "green-collar" work force, officials announced Wednesday. The "Ohio Centers of Excellence" offer expertise in areas such as solar panels, algae-based fuels, climate change and energy storage. Each will help speed up the growth of Ohio's advanced energy economy by creating new technologies and refreshing old ones, producing new businesses and creating a pipeline of technically skilled workers, said Gov. Ted Strickland. More.

Verizon's iPhone challenger goes on sale Nov. 6
Verizon Wireless' answer to the iPhone -- the Droid- - will go on sale for $200 next week as the company taps into the growing appetite for smart phones that go far beyond making calls. The Droid could help Verizon retain its status as the nation's largest wireless carrier and contribute to a turnaround of its manufacturer, Motorola Inc., which hasn't produced a hit since the wildly popular Razr phone in 2005. The new device also could give a boost to Google Inc., which used the Droid to unveil new mapping software that could challenge standalone navigational devices, sending GPS gadget maker Garmin Ltd.'s stock plunging after Wednesday's announcement. More.

Yahoo sets out to regain analyst respect
With its stock in a three-year funk, Yahoo Inc. set out Wednesday to persuade investors that the Internet company's struggles are nearly over. "We have fallen and we really want to get back up," Yahoo Chief Executive Carol Bartz said as she kicked off an all-day meeting with financial analysts. Bartz vowed to make the company more profitable, and said she hoped Wednesday's session would win back some of the respect that the company lost as two previous CEOs were unable to deliver on their turnaround promises. More.

Stocks: Shares slide as new home sales fall
Signs of a weaker housing market and a gloomier outlook on the economy gave investors more reasons to dump stocks. Major market indexes fell by the largest amount in about a month Wednesday after the Commerce Department said new home sales dropped for the first time in five months. Sales slid 3.6 percent in September to 402,000. Analysts had expected an increase. The retreat came as Goldman Sachs Group Inc. reduced its expectation for the nation's economic output for the July-September period. Goldman Sachs predicts third-quarter gross domestic product rose at an annual rate of 2.7 percent, weaker than its earlier forecast of 3 percent. More. The Nasdaq Composite Index (COMP) fell 12.85 points or 0.6 percent to 2,163.47. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) fell 50.71 points or 0.5 percent to 10,041.48. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index ($SOX) fell 0.74 points or 0.2 percent to 326.87. The Morgan Stanley High Tech 35 Index (MSH) fell 3 points or 0.6 percent to 544.79. The NYSE Arca Pharmaceutical Index (DRG) fell 2.02 points or 0.7 percent to 297.45. The NYSE Arca Biotech Index (BTK) fell 27.09 points or 2.9 percent to 903.62. Finally, the Standard & Poor's 500 (SPX) fell 6.85 points or 0.6 percent to 1,091.06.

All contents copyright 2009 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS Radio & Eye logo trademarked and copyright 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. Written and edited by Matt Roush, Technology Editor, WWJ Newsradio 950, Detroit. GLITR may contain material from the Associated Press, CNET, News.com, MarketWatch.com or Reuters, 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, or with general questions or concerns, contact Pete Kowalski, WWJ's station manager, at prkowalski@cbs.com. To subscribe, e-mail Matt Roush or Georgeann Herbert at gherbert@cbs.com.

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