Blues to
cover swine flu shots
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
and Blue Care Network last week announced an interim policy to automatically
cover the cost of administration of the H1N1 swine flu vaccine for members
in their fully insured customer groups and individual coverage during
the 2009-2010 flu season -- unless a group chooses to opt out of the
coverage. The Blues also announced that it will enable larger self-funded
groups whose benefit plans are customized to add coverage for the H1N1
administration upon request. Normal copays and deductibles would apply
if the member has them. More.
CMU
startup harnessing the human body's biopower Who could have conceived
of harnessing power that’s available right in a human body? Bio-Nano
Power, at tenant at Central Michigan University Research Corp.'s business
accelerator, did just that. The potential to efficiently capture and
use the “bio-fuel” inside each of us has taken a huge step
forward, thanks to the dreams, vision and commitment of Nathan Long
and his team of researchers at Bio-Nano Power. On Sept. 2, 2009, Long
filed a comprehensive patent, “Bio-Nano Power Cells and Their
Uses,” which ties together more than two years of intense biotechnology
and nanotechnology research to develop power cells that generate efficient,
high density power and emit lower CO2 pollutants. This opens doors to
smaller, stronger, sustainable power that has applications in nearly
every conceivable area from miniature medical applications like internal
glucose monitors to small and large energy-consuming machines like personal
computers or even automobiles. More.
X-Rite
gets new partnerships, equipment features Grandville-based X-Rite
Inc. made no less than five product partnership announcements Friday,
the first day of Print 09 the international printing industry convention
in Chicago, which runs through Wednesday. Included were deals with companies
in New York, the United Kingdom and California. More.
Michigan
Design Center launches new Web site The Troy-based Michigan
Design Center Thursday announced it has launched its new consumer-oriented
Web site, www.MichiganDesign.com.
The site allows design conscious consumers direct access 24 hours a
day, seven days a week, to the Troy-based center¹s showrooms, designers,
products and online resources. More.
Car
reliability site hits fifth birthday
The West Bloomfield car reliability Web site www.truedelta.com
is observing its fifth anniversary. Currently, the site has 42,126 members
with 51,647 cars.
And those members report near-realtime car reliability data that pout
TrueDelta 14 months ahead of the market leader. And TrueDelta's Gas
Mileage and WNTC Surveys provide information available nowhere else.
Michael Karesh, who developed the site, says that over the coming year,
he will have a redesign and some major upgrades to the existing site,
including a number of features members have been asking for. (Unsolicited
Opinion Dept.: Agreeing to report on your car's reliability is easy,
painless and even borderline fun.) More.
The Week Ahead: Green, VC, CIO, life science events all on tap
The
hits just keep a'comin' on the Great Lakes IT Report's Michigan IT Calendar,
the state's most comprehensive IT calendar, at
this link.
It's a nicely busy week. But
c'mon, whose idea was Thursday? Seven events? How'm I supposed
to choose?
Anyway, the week gets off
to a good start with an Inforum presentation by Detroit's new mayor
and its new school finance czar, along with a visit from Google's green
energy czar at the University of Michigan, and a major entrepreneurship
venture session (sorry, no czars there) in Oakland County. There's also
a virtual desktop session in Grand Rapids and a marketing roundtable
in Ann Arbor.
Wednesday's highlight is an
economic diversification summit in Flint and a hot IT trend panel in
GR.
And Thursday -- well, Thursday
is just silly. Major life sciences summit in Grand Rapids, a U.S. Green
Building Council session on greener buildings for municipalities in
Southfield, an Ann Arbor New Enterprise Forum event on venture capital
term sheets, the Ross Energy Club at the UM business school's second
annual Carbon Symposium, and even more.
Lucky you can rest up Friday.
Well, actually, no, you can't, not without missing HDI Motown's terrific
executive panel, moved to a larger venue at the Oakland County complex
on the Pontiac-Waterford border. Sheesh!
See you out there!
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
Ford improves
realism of high-tech imitation leather To most observers, the door
panels in Ford Motor Co.’s all-new Taurus appear to be covered
in hand-stitched leather. Close inspection reveals what looks to be
the twists of linen thread, the bumps of turned-under selvage and the
natural surface imperfections of real leather. But it’s actually
just a very convincing illusion: The coverings are actually sprayed
urethane, according to AutoTech Daily. (Unsoliciated Opinion Dept.:
Hey, PETA-friendly leather interiors!) More.
Ann Arbor
nonprofits schooled in online marketing
Ann Arbor non-profits now
have a new tool to help them market their services to the community.
The City of Ann Arbor's Community Television Network recently worked
with Heart Legal Services, United Way of Washtenaw County, and NEW (Non-Profit
Enterprise at Work) to assist them in producing a “digital business
card” for each of their organizations. Digital business cards,
like public service announcements, are an effective way to promote the
mission and services of an organization. The same digital business card
can be broadcast on television, radio, and the Internet to reach a substantial
and diverse audience. More.
Comcast
continues enhancement of digital network As part of the company’s
ongoing digital network enhancement, Comcast last week moved 27 analog
cable networks to its digital lineup in the communities of Birmingham,
Beverly Hills, Bingham Farms, Franklin, Bloomfield and Bloomfield Hills,
clearing the way for even more On Demand, High Definition and other
digital programming for local customers. The upgrade has already resulted
in the launch of 15 new HD channels in these six communities with many
more to come. The project is slated to roll out in other cities and
towns across Michigan over the course of the next year. More.
THE WORLD
IN TECH
Verdict
spares Microsoft $358 million in patent damages A federal appeals court
said Friday that Microsoft Corp. does not have to pay Alcatel-Lucent
$358 million for patent infringement because of problems with how the
damages were calculated. The disputed patent covers a method of entering
information into fields on a computer screen without using a keyboard.
Alcatel-Lucent says Microsoft's Outlook calendar and other programs
illegally used this technology. A U.S. District Court jury determined
that damages should roughly equal what Microsoft would have paid up
front to license the technology from Alcatel-Lucent. But Friday, the
U.S. Appeals Court for the Federal Circuit said the telecom company
didn't prove its technology was valuable enough. More.
$100
million question: Where's broadband in the United States? The
national stimulus package passed by Congress in February may have been
too enthusiastic about spending money on one particular project: figuring
out where broadband Internet access is available and how fast it is.
The $787 billion stimulus bill championed by the Obama administration
set aside up to $350 million to create a national broadband map that
could guide policies aimed at expanding high-speed Internet access.
That $350 million tag struck some people in the telecom industry as
excessive, compared with existing, smaller efforts. The map won't even
be done in time to help decide where to spend much of the $7.2 billion
in stimulus money earmarked for broadband. Now it appears the final
cost won't be as high as $350 million. To be sure the money is used
"in a fiscally prudent manner," the National Telecommunications
and Information Administration signaled Wednesday it would initially
spend more than $100 million, and then reassess the program. More.
Hacker
pleads guilty to huge theft of data A computer hacker who was
once a federal informant and was a driving force behind one of the largest
cases of identity theft in U.S. history pleaded guilty Friday in a deal
with prosecutors that will send him to prison for up to 25 years. Albert
Gonzalez, 28, of Miami, admitted pulling off some of the most prominent
hacking jobs of the decade -- invading the computer systems of such
retailers as TJX Cos., BJ's Wholesale Club, OfficeMax, Boston Market,
Barnes & Noble and Sports Authority. Federal authorities say tens
of millions of credit and debit card numbers were stolen. More.
U.S.
video game sales slide for sixth straight month Video
games sales declined in August for the sixth straight month, following
what analysts called a disappointing showing from the latest "Madden"
game. Nonetheless, game makers are eyeing a stronger September, boosted
by the much-hyped launch of "The Beatles: Rock Band" as well
as "Guitar Hero 5." Although the video game industry held
out longer than many other sectors in the recession, it began recording
double-digit declines in March when compared with the same period in
2008. On Thursday, market researcher NPD Group reported a 16 percent
August decline -- to $908.7 million -- in overall U.S. retail sales
of hardware, software and accessories. More.
(And speaking of video games, the surviving members of Nirvana aren't
happy with the latest
Guitar Hero.)
Stocks:
Shares slide after five days of increases as oil slumps Investors pulled money out
of stocks Friday after a five-day rally left the market at its highest
levels in nearly a year. Stocks slipped in quiet trading after the recent
string of gains and a drop in oil prices. Crude slid 3.7 percent, which
hurt energy stocks like Exxon Mobil Corp. That overshadowed a rosier
profit forecast from FedEx Corp. and a government report on improving
sales at wholesalers. Even with the losses, stocks still logged big
gains for the week. The forecast from FedEx is important because its
delivery business is seen as an indicator of how healthy the economy
is. Separately, the Commerce Department reported that sales at the wholesale
level rose in July by the biggest amount in more than a year, even though
inventories fell for a record 11th straight month. More.
The Nasdaq Composite Index (COMP)
fell 3.12 points or 0.2 percent to 2,080.9. The Dow Jones Industrial
Average ($INDU)
fell 22.07 points or 0.2 percent to 9,605.41. The Philadelphia Semiconductor
Index ($SOX)
fell 4.58 points or 1.4 percent to 321.24. The Morgan Stanley High Tech
35 Index (MSH)
rose 0.61 points or 0.1 percent to 530.49. The NYSE Arca Pharmaceutical
Index (DRG)
fell 0.03 points or less than 0.1 percent to 283.7. The NYSE Arca Biotech
Index (BTK)
fell 7.31 points or 0.8 percent to 927.85. Finally, the Standard &
Poor's 500 (SPX)
fell 1.41 points or 0.1 percent to 1,042.73.
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
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The Week Ahead: Green, VC, CIO, life science events all on tap
The
national stimulus package passed by Congress in February may have been
too enthusiastic about spending money on one particular project: figuring
out where broadband Internet access is available and how fast it is.
The $787 billion stimulus bill championed by the Obama administration
set aside up to $350 million to create a national broadband map that
could guide policies aimed at expanding high-speed Internet access.
That $350 million tag struck some people in the telecom industry as
excessive, compared with existing, smaller efforts. The map won't even
be done in time to help decide where to spend much of the $7.2 billion
in stimulus money earmarked for broadband. Now it appears the final
cost won't be as high as $350 million. To be sure the money is used
"in a fiscally prudent manner," the National Telecommunications
and Information Administration signaled Wednesday it would initially
spend more than $100 million, and then reassess the program. 
