BLOCKBUSTER Total Access click to activate coupon for $10 off your first month. Free Information on EVault 1-866-928-0735 Invisible Cost of IP Law Revised PC History Bigger and Cheaper Solar Cells SDR News is a Daily (M-F) Technology Podcast with Tech News Highlights from Slashdot, Digg and Reddit Click Here to Sign Up for the SDR Newsletter Prefer a Direct Download ? (mp3) Download today’s show. SDR News Links If a news item has disappeared from the Del.icio.us list above, try the full list here. Thumbnail Views: Via Thumblicio.us SEARCH ANY STORY YOU HEAR ON THE PODCAST Mix and Match Alternate Energy by Andrew McCaskey Here’s why favoring one form of alternative energy over another is bad science and worse policy: YMMV. Your mileage may vary. and when, what and how will certainly vary. Therein is the problem when governments try to encourage or subsidize one form of alternate energy over another. Two articles today point this out: The study in the UK that roof mounted wind turbines are virtually useless as a source of energy in urban environments - from an efficiency standpoint - and the advances in production of solar cells that could approach the magic crossover point of $1 per watt. The reason for poor performance of the roof-top turbines is the disruption of airflow by buildings, billboards and other urban structures that disrupt the regular wind flow, as compared with installations in rural areas without trees - the stereotypical windswept plains. Conversely, these same rooftops in most areas of the world offer an excellent mounting point and distribution for solar photo-voltaic conversion, especially in either concentrator form or using large arrays of very low cost cells, even if they are not particularly efficient - such as those being produced in Ohio, Germany, and Arizona featured in the IEEE article. It looks to me that in addition to net neutrality as policy we need some public policy that includes ‘alternate energy neutrality’ in subsidization and support. Else we end up with something like the ‘ethanol from corn’ handout that starves appropriate technology at the expense of the politically connected. Contact Us CES 2008 Coverage for Tech Podcast Network Stroke Patient Examination by WebCam Watch Today’s Video Episode Click to view videos submitted or recommended by other SDR podcast listeners. . . If you find a YouTube video that pertains to one of our news items, or have produced an item that would be of interest to SDR listeners, please send us the link slashdotreview{at}gmail.com Save $10 on any order of $50 or more at GoDaddy.com! Be sure to sign up for our upcoming roundtable. We will be using GoToMeeting. Also, be sure to check out GoToMeeting. Why? Because you can hold meetings right over the Net — from anywhere. Plus, you can hold all the meetings you want for one flat rate. To get your free 30-day trial , visit www.gotomeeting.com/techroundtable. Take 10% off any order at GoDaddy.com! Code SLASH Take $5 off any $30 order at GoDaddy.com! Code SLASH2 .com Domains $6.95 at GoDaddy.com! Code SLASH3 More blogs about SlashdotReview… Slashdot Review by Email - Sign up here: Enter your Email Powered by FeedBlitz Less

Roundup, deals, IPOs Rebecca Zacks wrote: A pair of New England tech firms sparked up an otherwise slow summer week by announcing their intentions to go public it a market that’s scared off virtually everybody else. —Not one but two New England cleantech firms filed for IPOs. Wind-farm developer First Wind of Newton, MA, registered for an offering worth up to $450 million, aiming to trade on the NASDAQ exchange under the apt symbol “WNDY.” And Enfield, CT’s STR Holdings, which owns a maker of polymers and laminates used in photovoltaic solar panels called Specialized Technology Resources, announced its intention to raise up to $300 million and trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PVS.” —Boston-based Sophos, a maker of software for managing and protecting corporate networks, made a $340 million takeover bid for German encryption and security software maker Utimaco Software. —Searchandise Commerce, the Beverly, MA-based merchandise search company formerly known as Guidester, raised $7.5 million in a Series C funding round. New investor Cloquet Capital Partners led the deal, which was joined by existing investors DFJ Gotham, Wheatley Partners, Milestone Venture Partners, Inflection Point Ventures, and Tim Draper. —CIA venture fund spinoff In-Q-Tel, which recently opened a Boston office, made a strategic investment in Burlington, MA-based Veracode, which spots software security flaws by examining raw binary code. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. —Forrester Research (NASDAQ: FORR) of Cambridge, MA, announced it will acquire fellow market-research firm JupiterResearch and its parent company, JUPR Holdings, for $23 million in cash. Comments | Permalink | Share |  E-mail Less

energy, IPOs, deals Wade Roush wrote: August doldrums don’t appear to be affecting the New England clean energy industry. Two area companies—one in wind, one in solar—filed for initial public offerings with the Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday. Together the companies hope to raise three-quarters of a billion dollars—and to restore some movement to the technology IPO market, which has been largely stalled since the beginning of the year. First there’s First Wind, the Newton, MA, company formerly known as UPC Wind, which filed S-1 registration papers indicating it hopes to raise $450 million in an offering underwritten by Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, and JPMorgan. The 130-employee company, which we profiled in January in relation to a wind project in northern Maine, has wind farms operating or in development in six states and one Canadian province. First Wind said it will apply to be listed on the NASDAQ exchange under the symbol “WNDY.” In its filing, First Wind noted that wind energy is the fastest-growing source of new electricity in the United States and is expected to account for 1.8 percent of electricity production by 2012. The Department of Energy is studying the feasibility of raising that proportion to 20 percent by 2030, which would require the construction of more than 300,000 megawatts of generating capacity. But wind farms aren’t always popular neighbors, and whoever takes on the challenge of siting thousands of new turbines will have to deal with a huge maze of permitting processes and regulatory reviews; First Wind, which has so far constructed facilities in both New England and Hawaii, touts itself as uniquely skilled at that part of the process. The other New England energy company announcing its IPO intentions this week is Enfield, CT-based STR Holdings, owner of Specialized Technology Resources Inc., which isn’t a solar energy company per se but manufactures the plastic laminates and encapsulants (ethylene-vinyl-acetate polymers, to be exact) that insulate and protect the semiconducting materials used in photovoltaic solar panels. STR hopes to raise $300 million on the New York Stock Exchange, with Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs as underwriters. It plans to trade under the symbol “PVS.” The company already supplies encapsulants to solar module manufacturers such as BP Solar, First Solar, Solarwatt AG, SunPower Corporation, and United Solar Ovonic; STR says its customers cumulatively covered 30 percent of the global market for photovoltaic panels in 2007. Solar energy is a field in turmoil, with dozens of companies racing to develop cheaper, more efficient photovoltaic cells. But STR says in its S-1 filing that it’s in a strong position to supply components to the industry whichever way the technology develops, since it will always be necessary to package and protect photovoltaic panels before installing them in outdoor environments. Comments | Permalink | Share |  E-mail Less

T. Boone Pickens has launched a national campaign to create support for his radical plan to solve the country’s short-term energy crisis. In short, Pickens wants to take much of the natural gas being used to generate electricity, and use it to power new fleets of natural gas vehicles, primarily buses, trucks, and government-owned vehicles. Then he wants to construct massive wind farms in the Midwest to generate enough electricity to replace what was being created by natural gas. More details on the “Pickens Plan” can be found at www.pickensplan.com. On Monday, Mercury News business columnist Chris O’Brien spoke with Pickens about his plan and the campaign. Less

The wind is a very old friend of mine. "Whitestone Motion Pictures presents Wind, a short film that captures the magic and wonder of the unseen. Shot in high speed with the Phantom HD, Wind captures those tiny moments of magic that most of us miss with the naked eye." The movie has been written and directed by Brandon McCormick. Music by Nicholas Kirk. Cinematography: Dan Marrero and Brandon McCormick. Produced by Dave Ronne and Brandon McCormick. Cast: Bill Szymanski is the grandfather; Anslie Hogan is the little girl. "Whitestone Motion Pictures presenta Wind, un corto che cattura la magia e la meraviglia del non visto. Girato in high speed con la Phantom HD, Wind cattura quei piccoli momenti di magia che quasi tutti ci perdiamo ad occhio nudo." Il film è stato scritto e diretto da Brandon McCormick. Musica di Nicholas Kirk. Direttore della fotografia: Dan Marrero e Brandon McCormick. Prodotto da Dave Ronne e Brandon McCormick. Cast: Bill Szymanski è il nonno; Anslie Hogan è la ragazzina. thanks Brandon! DOWNLOAD: Scarica The Wind.[Format: MPEG-4 - Size: 59 MB - Running Time: 3 min.] DOWNLOAD (ALT.): Scarica The Wind.[Format: Quicktime - Size: 72 MB - Running Time: 3 min.] WATCH: Guarda The Wind su Vimeo.[Format: Flash Video] DOWNLOAD (ALT.): Scarica The Wind.[Format: Ogg Video - Size: 28 MB - Running Time: 3 min.] DOWNLOAD (ALT.): Scarica The Wind.[Format: MPEG-4 - Size: 35 MB - Running Time: 3 min.] MP3: Scarica il brano I Am Wind. LINK: Visita Whitestone Motion Pictures. IMDB: Pagina di Brandon McCormick CODECS: Ogg - Apple Quicktime - Flash Less

HomeSick is an experimental animation by IHan Cheng based on his own illustrations. The film "is influenced by Surrealism and Art Nouveau both visually and thematically, and the horizontal camera movement is used to simulate Chinese painting handscroll format (emakimono)." Musician Umyot Boonmarlart made "an integration of rich orchestral composition and electronica to serve the rich unique visuals." HomeSick è un'animazione sperimentale di IHan Cheng, basata su sue illustrazioni. Il film "è influenzato dal surrealismo e dall'art nouveau, sia visivamente che nel soggetto. Il movimento orizzontale è usato per simulare la pittura cinese su rotolo (emakimono)." Il musicista Umyot Boonmarlart ha realizzato "un'integrazione di composizione orchestrale ed suoni elettronici al servizio delle ricche immagini." via feed DOWNLOAD: Scarica HomeSick.[Format: MPEG-4 - Size: 30 MB - Running Time: 3 min.] DOWNLOAD: Scarica HomeSick.[Format: Quicktime - Size: 30 MB - Running Time: 3 min.] DOWNLOAD (ALT.): Scarica HomeSick.[Format: Ogg Video - Size: 21 MB - Running Time: 3 min.] LINK: Visita I Han Cheng. LINK: Visita Umyot Boonmarlart. CODECS: Ogg - Apple Quicktime Less

Saudi Arabia of Wind Why TV Won’t Just Die iPhone VoIP Tradeoffs SDR News is a Daily (M-F) Technology Podcast with Tech News Highlights from Slashdot, Digg and Reddit Click Here to Sign Up for the SDR Newsletter Contact Us Prefer a Direct Download ? (mp3) Download today’s show. CES 2008 Coverage for Tech Podcast Network The Pickens Plan Watch the You Tube Episode Today’s Headlines Include… Saudi Arabia of Wind Why TV Won’t Just Die iPhone VoIP Tradeoffs SDR News Links If a news item has disappeared from the Del.icio.us list above, try the full list here. Thumbnail Views: Via Thumblicio.us SEARCH ANY STORY YOU HEAR ON THE PODCAST BLOCKBUSTER Total Access click to activate coupon for $10 off your first month. Early Adopter Blinders by Andrew McCaskey In a continuation of some of the comments yesterday, the notes from the Wired blog published today are further commentary. As much as we would like to think that we (podcasters, listeners or readers) we are still pretty far along the extremes of the general consumer curve. Even among those under 30, there are a large number of people to whom a jump into digital everything is a stretch. The majority of the public are in the equal entertainment mode - and as long as traditional TV, radio or movies (distribution method being almost irrelevant) provide the entertainment and diversion experience there is little or no reason to change. This means that the delivery mode (smartphone/iphone, 3G, WiMax) is irrelevant. The killer app is going to be the affordable combination of entertainment experience, location awareness, personalization and content tailoring that can’t be satisfied otherwise. The competition is alternate uses of time and attention, not technologies or delivery methods. That is why mobile anything is so powerful - it allows integration of the entertainment and amusement experience in a variety of venues and social situations. ======= I am looking forward to the Podcamp Boston this weekend. Follow on Twitter at axmc. Click to view videos submitted or recommended by other SDR podcast listeners. . . If you find a YouTube video that pertains to one of our news items, or have produced an item that would be of interest to SDR listeners, please send us the link slashdotreview{at}gmail.com Save $10 on any order of $50 or more at GoDaddy.com! Be sure to sign up for our upcoming roundtable. We will be using GoToMeeting. Also, be sure to check out GoToMeeting. Why? Because you can hold meetings right over the Net — from anywhere. Plus, you can hold all the meetings you want for one flat rate. To get your free 30-day trial , visit www.gotomeeting.com/techroundtable. Take 10% off any order at GoDaddy.com! Code SLASH Take $5 off any $30 order at GoDaddy.com! Code SLASH2 .com Domains $6.95 at GoDaddy.com! Code SLASH3 More blogs about SlashdotReview… Slashdot Review by Email - Sign up here: Enter your Email Powered by FeedBlitz Less

This song came at a very strange and weird time. Ill shorten her up abit story wise. I was in a accident good while back now fully recovered now. I was doing Christmas music for family and friends who helped in my complete recovery. Now a painted picture. I had a broken jaw rippied off the tip of my nose and knocked out 9 teeth. Bike accident ouch. Again fully recovered and happy to be here still. So where this song came from I dont know but the timing was in the middle of christmas recording. I ran with it anyway cause I hadnt really ever did wording like this and the song poured out. Anyway that set the strange stage for Water. I hear some Willie in there somewhere. LIsten Less

Part of the unofficial internal mic mefi challenge. A song about a car accident outside my apartment building and the people that come to watch. I wrote and recorded this track this morning. I feel like mornings are the best time for me to play and record because that's when it is quietest outside. You can still hear the wind blowing outside and a truck backing up if you listen closely. Less

Esto super la ficcíon,debe de ser la realidad. Some wisdom and a lot of good animation in this IDs for the spanish channel La Sexta. Made at Cocoe Studio. Micropoems by Ajo, music from Mastretta , illustrations and characters by Jean Duprez. English subtitles by Anita Alvarez. Un po' di saggezza e tanta buona animazione in questi ID per il canale spagnolo La Sexta. Opera di Cocoe Studio. Micropoemi di Ajo, musica di Mastretta , illustrazioni e personaggi di Jean Duprez. Sottotitoli inglesi di Anita Alvarez. via Motionographer and ComputerLove™ DOWNLOAD: Scarica Micropoems.[Format: MPEG-4 - Size: 29 MB - Running Time: 2 min.] DOWNLOAD: Scarica Micropoems.[Format: Quicktime - Size: 29 MB - Running Time: 2 min.] DOWNLOAD (ALT.): Scarica Micropoems.[Format: Ogg Video - Size: 10 MB - Running Time: 2 min.] WATCH (ALT.): Guarda Micropoems in finestra.[Format: Flash Video] LINK: Visita Cocoe. CODECS: Ogg - Apple Quicktime - Flash Less

Take me to the magic of the momentOn a glory nightWhere the children of tomorrow share their dreamsWith you and me. Yea, in fact the song ain't nothing to do with this spot, but I guess I'll keep singing it while you watch it, 'kay? The spot has been directed by Bruno Aveillan at Wizz. Editor: Frederique Olsak. Creative agency: Euro RSCG Worldwilde. Visual effects made at La maison by Eve Ramboz, François Dumoulin, Bruno Maillard. 3D graphics: Luc Froehlicher, Emmanuel Chapon, Guillaume Laforge, Matthieu Royer,Pierre Pilard. Research and development: Frédéric Valleur. Coordination: Dorothée Dray. Sì, in effetti l'omonima canzone non c'entra nulla, ma temo che continuerò a cantarla mentre guardate lo spot. Spot che è stato diretto da Bruno Aveillan presso Wizz. Montaggio: Frederique Olsak. Agenzia creativa: Euro RSCG Worldwilde. Effetti visivi presso La maison, opera di Eve Ramboz, François Dumoulin, Bruno Maillard. Grafica 3D: Luc Froehlicher, Emmanuel Chapon, Guillaume Laforge, Matthieu Royer,Pierre Pilard. Ricerca e sviluppo: Frédéric Valleur. Coordinazione: Dorothée Dray. thanks Mathieu DOWNLOAD (DVD): Scarica Wind of Change.[Format: MPEG-2 - Size: 33 MB - Running Time: 1 min.] DOWNLOAD (HI RES): Scarica Wind of Change. [Mirror][Format: MPEG-4 - Size: 12 MB - Running Time: 1 min.] WATCH: Guarda Wind of Change in finestra. DOWNLOAD (LO RES): Scarica Wind of Change.[Format: MPEG-1 - Size: 12 MB - Running Time: 1 min.] LINK: Visita La maison. LINK: Visita Wizz. LINK: Visita Euro RSCG. CODECS: not needed Less

This week we dig into the Wall Street Mess. Are we headed into the next Great Depression? We'll talk to a Finance Campaigner at the Rainforest Action Network, to see how they fought some big bankers, and won. That interview with Matt Leonard of RAN is only available in the audio program. But first, Wall Street needs to dig themselves out with a new bubble scam. Why not use our concern about climate change. If a new American Administration takes on carbon emissions, they may hand out billions in new wealth, as tradable pollution credits. In just a couple of minutes, we'll talk with an anonymous Wall Street insider, about the big banker's plans to get rich, on climate change. There are lots of clips from the recent Bear Stearns debacle, to similar stuff from 1929. About 8 minutes of multimedia audio in the show. But for blog readers, let's get into Warren Buffett. (And incidentally, DNA tests have shown he is no relation to the singer Jimmy Buffett...) What does the world's richest man say about climate change? Can the multi-billion dollar empire of Warren Buffett help prevent the catastrophe? At the age of 77, the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway is listed by Forbes magazine at the top of the capitalist heap, with 62 billion dollars at his command. Buffett says he is not as good at giving away money, as making it. So, he has an agreement to steer countless billions from his estate, 83 percent of it, to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. That Foundation may be one key in the future fight against climate change, but not yet. Gate himself has said precious little about climate change. The Foundation is immunizing and helping poor African kids, but is apparently not yet tuned into the changing winds that stripped North Africa of its annual rain. We can only hope that the Arctic Ice melt last year, and continued storm damage in the United States and elsewhere, will melt the hearts of Bill and Melinda, so they begin to tackle climate change with the billions at their command. Meanwhile, there is gigantic cult of following Warren Buffett's investments, and his sayings. Whole books are devoted to being like Buffett. And the man has some common sense, without a doubt. Here is what Buffett said about the current economic debacle, on CNBC March 4th, 2008. [clip on Wall Street bankers drinking their own cool-aid] I've done an exhaustive search of the Net, and various media archives, and here is Buffett on climate change: [TV static] That's right. Nothing, nada. Is is possible this old-world man of sensible plaid shirts, and down-to-Earth companies, hasn't heard we are in trouble? While companies all over the globe are publishing advertising, about their new committment to saving the world, and themselves, from wrenching climate change, Mr. Buffett is Mr. Invisible. Why? I've been wondering why Buffett is misssing in action, and words, for years. But our guest today, the proprieter of the Climateer Investing blog, pointed out that Buffett's company reporting for 2007, which included a long philosophical report from Chairman Buffett, says absolutely nothing about climate change. It's not that Buffett companies are not agents of climate change. He owns many polluting industries. He also owns companies with major exposure to global warming, especially his massive holding of insurance companies. Every other big insurance company, companies like All-State and Munich Re, have acres of reporting on their exposure to climate change damages. The series of big Florida hurricanes, followed by Katrina, topped off their years of research showing an increase in catastrophic climate-related events, around the world, since the 1980's. Well, let's talk about Warren Buffett. Warren does not have a limousine. He drives himself in his own Cadillac, and is a big supporter of General Motors. He is known for his frugality, rather than the usual conspicuous consumption of other billionaires. Buffett has lived in the same small house for the past 50 years. The richest man does know about climate change. In a letter in 1993, he told investors that possible global warming indicated that, quote, “catastrophe insurers can’t simply extrapolate past experience.” "If there is truly ‘global warming,’ for example, the odds would shift, since tiny changes in atmospheric conditions can produce momentous changes in weather patterns.” The question was still "if" back then. However, even more recently, he seems still on undecided about climate science. Buffett doesn't actually say that storms are impacted by "“atmospheric, oceanic or other causal factors." Its just the huge insurance losses have caused him to be more cautious. Hardly an endorsement of climate change, from the head of the third largest insurance company on Earth. In an article in 2006, Al Gore said: "The best long-term investors, including Warren Buffett, now realise that climate change can materially impact company returns." But there is litte on the Net to indicate that Gore and Buffett are close friends, or anything like that. However, Buffett has come out in support of the Democrats for 2008. He is on the record as unhappy with the Bush administration management, if it can be called that, of the economy. Inevitably, some of Buffett's subsidiaries are involved in climate change mitigation, one way or another. For example, PacifiCorp, a utility owned by the Berhsire Hathaway empire, will make a joint feaibility study in Wyoming, with a coal-fired power plant using Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC). That could be called a kind of carbon capture tech. The EPA, and the Electric Power Research Institute are looking at this technology, which gasifies coal, makes electricity, and then grabs the carbon for sequestration, as a way to keep coal plants working, without wrecking the climate. We shall see. NetJets Europe, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, is hoping to develop a plan to offset, or otherwise remediate, its carbon emissions. Meanwhile, other parts of the empire churn out planet-destroying levels of CO2. His companies make giant recreational vehicles, are involved in the trucking industry, and his utilities emit lots of carbon. For example, Buffett bought over $2 billion of the debt issued by the gross polluter TXU, the Texas utility. Berkshire Hathaway also ownd MidAmerican Energy Holdings, another utility conglomerate. One of those subsidiaries is Yorkshire Electricity and Northern Electric, with 3.8 million customers, making it the UK's third largest electricity producer. His subsidiary Northern Natural pipelines reportedly carries about 8% of the natural gas used in America. But MidAmerican also has wind farms, as we will hear in a moment. Buffett's recent investment in the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp, 10 percent of the railroad giant, has to be seen as climate friendly, considering the much greater efficiency of rail travel. Of course, the company should be moving to more electric rail power. And yet, at least 20% of Burlington Northern's business is just hauling coal from Wyoming to big power plants in the Midwest. Dirty fingerprints, there. And Buffet is a big supporter of the Canadian Tar Sands. Here is a clip from the National Post, February 7th, 2008: If Warren Buffett refuses to comit himself publicly to the reality of climate change, and ignores it in his annual company reports, he isn't so shy about Peak Oil. Let's listen to this interview on CNBC in March of 2008. [CNBC interview] My thanks to the Climateer Investing blog for some of these tips. Find at climateerinvest.blogspot.com. His entry for February29th is Who Cares What Warren Buffett Thinks About Global Warming? Well, I do, and you should too. If this seemingly amiable man at the top of the heap doesn't get it, we are all in trouble. This is no place to hedge bets. This is a planet that needs leadership, and so far, Mr. Buffett has failed to provide it, and that is damaging. That's my opinion, I'm Alex Smith, for Radio Ecoshock. Less

YERT visits Hull, Massachusetts, to learn more about their wind-energy program, not to mention the papa, mama, and baby-sized windmills in the area. A big thanks to Andrew Stern for the guided tour! Less

YERT explores thoughtful arguments for and against the offshore wind farm proposed in Nantucket Sound, then goes to the beach for some additional... um... investigation! Less

..featuring clips! Eric and J.D. talk mockumentaries, faux-hawks, the likelihood of Catherine O'Hara getting a real Oscar nomination, and Ricky Gervais' addition to Christopher Guest's ensemble comedy "For Your Consideration" in their review of the director's latest. Less

Everytime the bass bangs, realize it calls your name.. Let the beat wind you up, and don’t stop till your time is up.. Get in line now.. Wind it up, uh, uh, uh, uh….... Wind it up, uh, uh, uh, uh….... Yodellay, yodallay, yodal-low Less