| 
CMS Land
reports environmental progress in northern Michigan
CMS Land Co. reports that significant progress has been made
in addressing environmental issues related to the defunct cement plant
that once operated on the shores of Little Traverse Bay. The abandoned
site was redeveloped in 1994 into what are now Resort Township's East
Park and the Bay Harbor Resort. August water monitoring results verify
that pH readings above the action level of nine have been virtually
eliminated and human health and safety concerns have been effectively
addressed. More.
ProQuest
launches library school, student trainer programs
Enrollment in the ProQuest Library School Program is now open
for the 2009-2010 school year. The program makes Ann Arbor-based ProQuest's
acclaimed reference tools available to information science students
at no charge during the school term. The program is aimed at supporting
library education, enabling students to learn essential search skills
on the data resources they are likely to encounter after graduation.
ProQuest also selected students for its Student Trainer Initiative,
which helps LIS students to develop bibliographic instruction skills.
More.
Borders
signs agreement with Verizon to offer free Wi-Fi
Ann Arbor-based Borders Group Inc. Tuesday announced that it
has signed an agreement with Verizon to provide free Wi-Fi service in
virtually all of its more than 500 Borders stores nationwide. Borders
and Verizon are well under way in the process of equipping stores to
offer free Wi-Fi, with service expected to be available by mid-October.
More.
THE WORLD
IN TECH
GM's trial
program selling cars on eBay set to end
General
Motors Co. said Tuesday that it is concluding its partnership with eBay
Inc. in which the automaker used the auction site to sell new cars through
California dealerships, as it shifts focus to broader, national marketing
programs. GM and eBay said the program was slated to end Sept. 30, and
was not canceled for lack of participation. GM spokesman John McDonald
deemed the program a "success" because it helped the Detroit-based
company improve strategies to reach car buyers who typically don't consider
GM products. "We're taking what we learned from eBay and applying
it to our digital and social marketing media marketing strategies,"
he said. "From our view, it was a success." More.
Microsoft
CEO's compensation down 6 percent in '09
The
value of the compensation package granted to Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve
Ballmer fell about 6 percent in fiscal 2009, a year in which weak computer
sales cut into the software maker's profits. Ballmer received a pay
package valued at $1.28 million for the year that ended in June, according
to an Associated Press calculation of figures disclosed in a regulatory
filing Tuesday. Ballmer's salary, which is set at the beginning of the
year, increased by 4 percent to $665,833. The CEO's bonus was cut by
14 percent to $600,000 from $700,000 in 2008, according to the company's
annual proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
More.
YouTube
says Warner Brothers videos returning
YouTube
said Tuesday that music videos from Warner Music Group Corp. will return
to the video site in the coming months after a nine-month dispute over
splitting ad revenue. Most of the catalog of videos from artists such
as Madonna, Metallica and Green Day will be available for free viewing
by the end of the year. YouTube typically gives content owners the majority
of the revenue in ad-sharing deals. Under the new arrangement, Warner
will get an even larger share than before because it is also bearing
the burden of selling ads, which Warner will contract to an outside
agency. YouTube gains by ensuring that viewers wanting Warner music
will have a reason to visit the site. More.
AT&T
gets Garmin Nuviphone; T-Mobile gets Google Android
After
more than a year of delays, Garmin Ltd.'s GPS unit/wireless device hybrid
nuvifone is finally going on sale in the U.S. Garmin, based in the Cayman
Islands with headquarters in Olathe, Kan., said Tuesday AT&T Inc.
will begin selling the nuvifone G60 on an exclusive basis beginning
Oct. 4 at AT&T stores and online. The device will sell for $299
with a two-year agreement and $100 mail-in rebate. More.
Also, T-Mobile USA plans to start selling the first phone from Motorola
that uses Google's software on Oct. 19. The Motorola Cliq will cost
$200 with a two-year contract, T-Mobile said. Buyers who aren't already
T-Mobile customers will have to wait until Nov. 2. More.
Stocks:
Surprise drop in consumer confidence weighs on markets
A surprise drop in consumer confidence tripped up investors
Tuesday, a day after a round of corporate takeovers set off a steep
market rally. Stocks slid after the Conference Board said its consumer
confidence index fell in September. Economists had been expecting a
reading of 57; instead it came in at 53.1. The private research group
said consumers are still worried about losing their jobs. Many analysts
warn a turnaround in the economy won't hold if consumers don't start
picking up spending and employers add jobs. The report offset early
enthusiasm over an increase in home prices. More.
The Nasdaq Composite Index (COMP)
fell 16.69 points or 0.8 percent to 2,090.92. The Dow Jones Industrial
Average ($INDU)
fell 42.25 points or 0.4 percent to 9,665.19. The Philadelphia Semiconductor
Index ($SOX)
fell 1.99 points or 0.6 points to 321.05. The Morgan Stanley High Tech
35 Index (MSH)
fell 7.79 points or 1.5 percent to 524.21. The NYSE Arca Pharmaceutical
Index (DRG)
rose 0.39 points or 0.1 percent to 284.1. The NYSE Arca Biotech Index
(BTK)
fell 1.77 points or 0.2 percent to 926.84. Finally, the Standard & Poor's
500 (SPX)
fell 6.4 points or 0.6 percent to 1,044.38.
|
E-Mail Story
Print Story
Grand
Valley State University is a rapidly growing institution, rising from
obscurity to challenging Western Michigan University for the most dominant
university in this part of the state. So it makes sense that Grand Valley
is getting much more serious about technology transfer, tech company
spinouts and job creation. Grand Valley was the first stop on Day Six
of the Great Lakes IT Report's Fall Tech Tour 2009. I also visited the
downtown Grand Rapids campus of Ferris State Unversity, where fascinating
things are also happening. 
In the Blue Box: New Web site for state Republican Party
