GLITR Friday, June 19, 2009

Your report for Friday, June 19, 2009

Azure Dynamics gets 50-truck order from Canada's Purolator
Oak Park-based Azure Dynamics Corp., the developer of hybrid and electric drive trains for mid-sized trucks, said Thursday that Purolator Courier Ltd. has placed an order for an additional 50 Balance Hybrid Electric trucks. The trucks will be delivered in the fourth quarter 2009 and will be deployed primarily in Ontario. Purolator previously received its initial order of 105 Balance Hybrid Electrics. More.

UM Tech Transfer clarifies policy to encourage student startups
The University of Michigan Office of Technology Transfer wants to make it clear that student entrepreneurs can pursue their inventions on campus without concern that the University will later try to claim ownership. That's why the office is making several changes to its Technology Transfer Policy. The most significant change clarifies the ownership provisions for intellectual property created by students. University policy is now unambiguous: Student entrepreneurs are the sole owners of their inventions, even if they work on a project in a university design course, receive guidance from a faculty member, or use university equipment. Only inventions by student employees will be considered university property. More.

MiVote.org to offer connection between Detroit candidates, voters
The groundbreaking civic engagement Web site MiVote.org aims to connect voters with candidates for Detroit city council and Detroit city charter commission through an innovative showcase of video interviews this month. The project is a partnership among the Institute for Local Government at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, ARISE Detroit, WWJ Newsradio 950, the League of Women Voters and Detroit Public TV. All candidates certified for the Aug. 4 primary will be videotaped during a five-minute interview answering two questions. More.

Ferris State U. expands welding technology program
Most students start their college programs in September or January; Ferris State University’s Welding Engineering Technology program has introduced May as another option. In 2005 the admission standards for Ferris’ Welding programs were increased. In turn, so did the demand for the programs. As the number of Ferris’ Welding Technology associate degree students increased, so has the Welding Engineering Technology admissions -- reducing the number of community college and other transfer students allowed into the program. More.

Lansing's Niowave gets order from new MSU atom smasher
Niowave Inc. of Lansing announced that it has received a contract from the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University to produce 10 Superconducting Radio Frequency cavities. The NSCL at MSU is constructing a superconducting linear accelerator for the advancement of rare isotope beam research. The contract is valued at $195,000 and includes the production of four subassemblies for each SRF cavity. Founded in 2005, Niowave is a Lansing based research, development and manufacturing firm specializing in superconducting particle accelerators. More.

Ballmer remarks: Detroit, US can bounce back with R&D

Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer said he believes Detroit can bounce back during a visit earlier this week to the National Summit, a meeting convened by the Detroit Economic Club to create a national economic agenda.

In his prepared remarks, Ballmer noted that he grew up in the Detroit area and that "this is the place where I learned almost everything I know that's really important about the world. Detroit has always been and is a place where people work really hard every day. It's where at least I learned about persistence, dedication, and really focusing in and doing a job and doing it really right."

While he called the return "bittersweet" given the auto industry's woes, "I remain very optimistic nonetheless about the process for Detroit and for this area. Detroit is a special place, and it will, in my opinion, bounce back."

Ballmer said Detroit's challenge is America's challenge: how to proceed in an economy that fosters entrepreneurship, and rewards hard work and innovation, but also in a period where America's lead in innovation is faltering.

The solution, Ballmer said, is for the nation to deepen its commitment to innovation by investing more in research and taking a longer term view of the role that innovation plays in creating business success. Ballmer said too many American companies overemphasize short-term profits over long term investments in research and development.

Also, Ballmer said, what America "absolutely must do" is provide a first-class education to everyone in this country. Ballmer said the United States is falling behind other nations, particularly in math and in science.

More from the Great Lakes IT Report.

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

New software from first responder technology firm
Ann Arbor-based ERT Systems LLC, a leading provider of automated tracking systems for first responders, has announced the release of P.A.R. 4, an enhanced version of its popular emergency resource tracking and scene management software. "Version 4 adds a number of new features which greatly improve ease-of-use and overall scene management," said Dennis Carmichael, president of ERT Systems. "They include independent zone and assignment tracking, and a running 'activity log' for each firefighter. Most of these updates are the direct result of suggestions by our users, based on their experiences in the field." More.

R.L. Polk adds online portal to auto fleet statistics
The National Vehicle Population Profile offered by Southfield's R. L. Polk & Co. is one of the leading industry solutions for gaining insight into the ever changing automotive market. As part of continuous improvement efforts, and to ensure that customers are receiving maximum benefit, Polk has introduced the industry's only Web-based interactive system for analyzing the vehicle population in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. More.

Watch cats online at Dearborn Shelter's KittyCam
The Dearborn Animal Shelter Thursday announced the startup of "KittyKam," an around-the-clock Webcam of the shelter's cat habitat, or as they (ahem, not me) called it, their Best Little Cat House in Town. The launch of the KittyKam coincides with national Adopt-a-Cat Month and provides a new avenue to increase adoptions by reaching more people. More.

THE WORLD IN TECH

Militants, 'hacktivists' using Web to gain recruits, cash
Terrorist groups that have long used the Internet to spread propaganda are increasingly tapping the Web to teach Islamic extremists how to be hackers, recruit techies for cyberwarfare and raise money through online fraud, U.S. officials say. A senior defense official said intelligence reports indicate extremist groups are seeking computer experts, including those capable of breaching government or other sensitive network systems. More.

Jury rules against Minnesota woman in download case
A replay of the nation's only file-sharing case to go to trial has ended with the same result, finding a Minnesota woman to have violated music copyrights and ordering her to pay hefty damages to the recording industry. A federal jury ruled Thursday that Jammie Thomas-Rasset willfully violated the copyrights on 24 songs, and awarded recording companies $1.92 million, or $80,000 per song. Outside the courtroom, she was resigned. "There's no way they're ever going to get that," said Thomas-Rasset, a 32-year-old mother of four from the central Minnesota city of Brainerd. "I'm a mom, limited means, so I'm not going to worry about it now." More.

Google invests $2.6 million in startup tied to Brin
Google is putting another $2.6 million into 23andMe, a biotech startup with family ties to its co-founder, Sergey Brin. The investment disclosed Thursday in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission builds upon the minority stake that Google already held in the 23andme, which was started in 2006 by Brin's wife, Anne Wojcicki. Google invested $3.9 million in 23andMe two years ago. Mountain View-based 23andMe analyzes people's DNA to detect potential health problems before they occur. More.

Microsoft readies free PC security software
Microsoft Corp. plans to release a test version of its free computer security program Tuesday. Microsoft Security Essentials is designed to find and kill malicious software that steals passwords and other personal information or turns PCs into spam distribution hubs. Once the program is installed, Microsoft says the software will update itself automatically. It will keep a low profile unless dangerous software is detected. More.

Stocks: Technology stocks falter; RIM down ahead of report
Technology stocks fell slightly Thursday, with of Research In Motion under pressure ahead of its quarterly earnings report, which came out after the closing bell. The Nasdaq Composite Index (COMP) fell 0.34 points or less than 0.1 percent to 1,807.72. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) rose 58.42 points, or 0.7 percent, to 8,555.6. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index ($SOX) had a rough day, falling 4.89 points or 1.8 percent to 261.27. The Morgan Stanley High Tech 35 Index (MSH) fell 2.37 points or 0.5 percent to 446.55. The NYSE Arca Pharmaceutical Index (DRG) rose 3.31 points or 1.3 percent to 261.94. The Amex Biotech Index (BTK) rose 13.54 points or 2 percent to 674.33. Finally, the Standard & Poor's 500 (SPX) rose 7.66 points or 0.8 percent to 918.37. Investors appear to have been drawn back by at least two pieces of data on Thursday. Total U.S. jobless claims dropped for the first time since January. The 148,000 decline for week ended June 6 fell the most since November 2001, to break a streak of 21 straight increases. Also, mid-Atlantic factory activity booked its smallest retreat since last September, raising hopes for the economic recovery. The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia reported that its index of general business activity for the manufacturing sector came in at -2.2 in June, compared with -22.6 in May.

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.