iMedia

"What's very dangerous is not to evolve"

In touting his new hit product, Kindle, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos may indeed be channeling his inner Steve Jobs. The device might do for text what the iPod has done for music. But there's a much bigger lesson to be learned, according to Fast Company: "What's very dangerous," Bezos concludes, "is not to evolve."

Synthetic tree uses "coal-fired" technology to collect carbon

Using technology that "is similar to what is used to collect carbon from flue stacks at coal-fired power plants," Fast Company reports on a synthetic tree that captures carbon up to 1,000 times faster than real trees.

It could potentially be most useful at gathering carbon from small, distributed sources like gasoline in cars and jet fuel from planes--places where carbon is otherwise impossible to collect.
The synthetic tree works by collecting CO2 on a sorbent, cleaning and pressurizing the gas, and releasing it. [Professor of geophysics at Columbia University Klaus] Lackner's tree (which looks nothing like a tree) is flexible in size and could fit in the design of industrial facilities or enclosed in barn-like structures in rural locations.
Lackner and his company, Global Research Technologies, have been working on the technology since 1998, and now they have an early model to show for it.

Businesses could learn a lot from a seat at the Poker table

Via Creative Generalist, this Harvard Business Review article asks a particularly relevant question for businesses in an age of fluid markets and information ubiquity. If competitive advantages don't last long, if "hypercompetition" is the rule, the "skill of getting out of things" and refocusing an organization is just as important as being able to recognize opportunity in the first place. I wonder what businesses could learn from Poker pros about letting go of a once-solid position. [Cross-posted from the IdeaFestival]

Harnessing urban windpower

Is urban wind power just a nice idea? Hardly, Wired reports:

The first rigorous, worldwide study of high-altitude wind power estimates that there is enough wind energy at altitudes of about 1,600 to 40,000 feet to meet global electricity demand a hundred times over....

Even better, the best high-altitude wind-power resources match up with highly populated areas including North America’s Eastern Seaboard and China’s coastline.

Estimates from the cited study put the "wind power density" at 16 kilowatts per square meter.

Innovation "scarce"?

Perhaps innovation isn't as rare as many people suppose. Executive coach and facilitator Johnnie Moore suggests that innovation isn't scarce - as long as process and certainty aren't the primary goals.

Kentucky companies vie for financing to commericalize UK, UL research

At the YoungStartUp Ventures forum in New York City, Kentucky has two companies pitching today for Series B financing - AllTranz, commercializing technology from University of Kentucky, and ApoImmune - commercializing technology from University of Louisville.

The Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation has invested in both companies through the Kentucky Enterprise Fund and both are clients of the Innovation and Commercialization Centers - Von Allman Center for Entrepreneurship in Lexington and the Enterprise Corporation in Louisville.

Matt McGarvey
Vice President, KSTC

State of venture capital

At the YoungStartUp Ventures in New York City,  Stephen Davis, partner at Goodwin Proctor, states that a healthy economy requires a strong venture capital infrastructure.

A panel of venture capitalists had the following to say - the current downtown in activity is a resetting of expectations; recession culls the herd; products getting funded are not "nice to have" but "need to have"; early stage money is more important now than ever before - the seed investors are discerning who is going to make it.

The amount of capital going to "green" technologies will continue to outpace all others.

Matt McGarvey
Vice President, Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation

New Space Sciences Center debuts at Morehead State University

[Cross-posted from Kentucky Space blog] The Space Fellowship has posted a very nice article on the ribbon cutting ceremony at Morehead State University for its brand new Space Sciences Center, also pointing out that Morehead's 21 meter radio antenna will serve as the ground control facility for KySat-1, part of an expanding infrastructure (and here) designed to support the efforts of Kentucky Space. The event was attended by a number of dignitaries, including Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear.

Kentucky Space advisor MSU Professor of Space Science Dr. Ben Malphrus had this to say:

For Dr. Malphrus, professor of space science and director of the SSC, the wait was worth it.

'This is a dream come true. This is a major milestone for the Space Science program at Morehead State University. The new facility will greatly enhance our capacity to develop, test, validate and operate spacecraft systems. The new laboratories and research infrastructure will allow us to engage our students in engineering design efforts for space systems and intimately involve them in astrophysics research,' said Dr. Malphrus.

'The facility will support the Kentucky Space program’s goal of creating a cottage aerospace industry in the commonwealth and greatly expand our role in Kentucky’s space enterprise. Generations of students will be trained in this facility that will support not only scientific research but also an industry vital to the nation’s economy and security as we enter a new space age.'

MSU is among only five institutions in the U.S. with a bachelor’s degree in space science.

Check out the entire article!

Wayne

Richard Florida on Gen Y destinations

Where will Gen Ys, that "entrepreneurial, innovative, and socially aware boomlet," launch their careers? Richard Florida has some ideas, and educational options matter:

Where older Americans see high-quality schools and safe streets as key, Gen Y understandably ranks the availability of outstanding colleges and universities higher. Many are likely to go back to graduate school, and having great programs nearby is a big plus. When it comes to their overall community satisfaction, access to open space, being in an aesthetically beautiful city, and having access to vibrant nightlife are also quite important; Affordable housing, air and water quality, and availability of religious institutions matter too but slightly less so.

What will higher math, science expectations achieve?

Among parents and students, the National Math Science Initiative is fomenting a national expectations revolution. Kentucky is on the front lines.