GLITR Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Your report for Wednesday, November 11, 2009

ESD, UM-Dearborn begin conversation on water-based development
Around 240 people gathered Tuesday for a presentation and panel discussion at the University of Michigan-Dearborn on the economic development potential of Michigan's abundant fresh water.
Christopher Webb and David Skiven, co-directors of the Engineering Society of Detroit Institute, spoke first about their May 2009 report, the "Michigan Clean Water Initiative." A wide-ranging panel discussion then talked about what industries could be lured to Michigan by abundant fresh water, and how the state's other economic development issues interact with water. As it turns out, industries where Michigan is already strong and looking to get stronger, including food processing and renewable energy production, require large quantities of water. More.

New 'application marketplace' from Compuware's Covisint
Compuware Corp. Tuesday announced that its Covisint subsidiary launched AppCloud, a secure application marketplace that allows health care technology providers to offer their products and services to Covisint communities. Covisint made the announcement today at the Healthcare IT Summit in LaQuinta, Calif., where it is presenting to industry analysts and IT executives on both the challenges and opportunities associated with cloud computing. More.

TC's Oneupweb offers new franchise resource
The Traverse City marketing agency Oneupweb has launched a new resource for franchisors at http://franchise.oneupweb.com. The site is full of free white papers, resources and more to help franchises succeed in the critical final months of 2009, and beyond. Oneupweb has long been working with franchise businesses and associations, including the International Franchise Association, Franchising.com, Mr. Handyman, Spring-Green, Molly Maid and many other successful franchises. More.

Washtenaw County Salvation Army Red Kettles now take plastic
The Salvation Army of Washtenaw County Red Kettle Campaign is going high tech this year with the addition of credit card machines at three kettles in Briarwood Mall and one kettle at Sam’s Club in Ypsilanti. TSA-WC is the first corps in the state of Michigan, as well as The Salvation Army’s Central Territory, to use credit card machines at its kettles. Don't worry about security -- the machines don’t hold the credit card data, it's transmitted through a secure cellular connection. More.

Stryker buys California firm, other companies' assets
Kalamazoo-based Stryker Corp. announced Tuesday that it has acquired OtisMed Corp., a privately held software technology firm. OtisMed will focus on customizable instrumentation that has the potential to complement the many benefits that surgeons and patients realize from Stryker's Triathlon Knee System, as well as other Stryker implants. OtisMed will operate as part of Stryker's Orthopaedics Division and remain located in Alameda, Calif. Stryker also bought the rights to Sonopet Ultrasonic Aspirator control consoles, hand pieces and accessories from several other firms. More.

Ann Arbor moves up to nation's No. 5 'Most Digital City'
Last year, the City of Ann Arbor was recognized for the first time for its use of technology to create a seamless environment between local government and citizens by e.Republic’s Center for Digital Government and Digital Communities magazine. In 2009, the City of Ann Arbor moved up in the annual Digital Cities Survey rankings and was recognized as the No. 5 Best Digital City in the country in its population category (75,000 to 124,999). The city's Web site at www.a2gov.org features a variety of online resources that helped Ann Arbor to earn the No. 5 ranking and improve service efficiencies and access to information. More.

UM study: Less-educated may be more susceptible to H1N1 flu
People who did not earn a high school diploma could be more likely to get H1N1 and the vaccine might be less effective in them compared to those who earned a diploma, new research shows. The University of Michigan study looked at a latent virus called CMV in young people, and the body's ability to control the virus. Previous studies have shown that elderly people with less education are less successful at fighting off CMV, but this is the first known study to make that connection in younger adults as well. More.

New security technology from Dearborn company
Dearborn-based Aegis Data Security was to announce Wednesday the availability of its new hardware and software package, Aegis Data Shield System. The company says the system comes “ready to drive” out of the box, requires no learning curve, and according to the company puts an advanced technology spin on an ancient Leonardo da Vinci concept popularized in the book and movie, “The Da Vinci Code.” More.

THE WORLD IN TECH

Wi-Fi for travelers becomes Web marketing lure
Google, Yahoo, eBay and Microsoft, competitors on the Web, all have the same idea for marketing themselves this holiday season: temporarily providing free Wi-Fi access in airports, airplanes and public places. Google Inc. announced Tuesday that it would provide free Wi-Fi access in 47 airports across the country, including Boston, Houston and Seattle, through Jan. 15. The airports handle about 35 percent of U.S. air travelers, the company said. EBay is providing free WiFi on some Delta Air Lines flights Thanksgiving week, while Microsoft has been providing it at airports and hotels since September. More.

Microsoft's monthly security fixes spare Windows 7
Microsoft's newest computer operating system has survived its first few weeks on the market without needing any security fixes. Microsoft Corp. plugged several security holes Tuesday, but none are aimed at Windows 7, which was released Oct. 22. That's to be expected, said Ben Greenbaum, a researcher at the antivirus software company Symantec Corp. "Attackers will take more time to figure out ways of breaking into Windows 7," he said. Computer users can get the patches through Microsoft's automatic-update service, or by visiting microsoft.com/security. More.

Eager gamers line up for 'Modern Warfare 2'
Ryan Norwalk cleared his schedule. Unlike his friends who had class or work, the 26-year-old California State University Northridge college student was spending Tuesday gunning down foes and building his online notoriety in "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2," the highly anticipated, first-person shooter video game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision Blizzard Inc. Late Monday night, Norwalk was among the fans lined up for the "Modern Warfare 2" launch outside the GameStop in West Hollywood, Calif., one of over 10,000 retail outlets deploying the game at midnight. In the first week, fans worldwide are expected to spend at least half a billion dollars on the follow-up to 2007's "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare." More.

U.S. State Department rips assault of Cuban dissident bloggers
The U.S. State Department issued a statement late Monday decrying attacks on three Cuban bloggers, including one who has gained international attention for her searing observations about life on the communist island. Sanchez, who has won international awards for her blog "Generacion Y," said Friday that two Cuban state agents in civilian clothes stopped her and Pardo in Havana's Vedado neighborhood as they and other friends headed to a nonviolence march. Sanchez said she and Pardo were ordered into a car where the agents pulled her hair and kicked her. Both she and Pardo were held briefly before being let out at their homes, she said. Cadelo was picked up by a car separately around the same time. More.

Stocks: Shares mostly fall after rally as the dollar rises
Caution returned to the stock market Tuesday as investors decided to slow an advance that has lifted the Dow Jones industrial average 475 points in five days. Stocks mostly fell in light trading, though the Dow tacked on 20 points to close at a new high for the year. The modest advance came a day after the Dow shot up 200 points for the second time in three days. Broader indexes slipped as the market again took its direction from the dollar. Record-low interest rates in the U.S. and the resulting slide in the dollar have been major forces behind the surge in stocks in recent months. A weaker dollar allows investors to borrow money cheaply, while low interest rates also encourage them to hold any assets other than low-yielding cash, such as stocks, commodities and bonds. More. The Nasdaq Composite Index (COMP) fell 2.98 points or 0.1 percent to 2,151.08. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) rose 20.03 points or 0.2 percent to 10,246.97. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index ($SOX) rose 0.26 points or 0.1 percent to 311.52. The Morgan Stanley High Tech 35 Index (MSH) rose 0.32 points or 0.1 percent to 547.11. The NYSE Arca Pharmaceutical Index (DRG) rose 0.71 points or 0.2 percent to 297.66. The NYSE Arca Biotech Index (BTK) rose 3.6 points or 0.4 percent to 899.85. Finally, the Standard & Poor's 500 (SPX) fell 0.07 points or 0.1 percent to 1,093.01.

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.

LEGAL NOTICE: This email may be considered an advertising or promotional message. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email from this station, please reply to this email by sending a reply email by clicking on the "reply" button at the top of this page or by sending an e-mail to Matt Roush or Georgeann Herbert. Or you can change your subscriber profile: «Reserved.Unsubscribe»

You must use this method to notify GLITR and WWJ of your opt-out request, as we cannot guarantee that other methods of notification will be effective. Please be aware that we may continue to contact you via email for administrative or informational purposes, including follow-up messages regarding contests you have entered or other transactions you have undertaken. By law, such messages are not considered to be commercial e-mail.

Note: The Great Lakes IT Report is sent in HTML format only. Please make sure you have given us permission to send you an HTML message. If you have any questions, drop an e-mail to Georgeann Herbert or Matt Roush.