The Neatest Nanotech of 2005

Technology Review picks five important advances in nanotechnology and materials science in 2005 -- and one policy issue that could decide the future of the entire field.

Source: Technology Review


Harvesting Energy from the Sun

Rising oil prices and the threat of global warming have rekindled the search for alternative sources of energy. While we reported this year on the growing acceptance of nuclear power as a source of clean energy, we also described several advances in nanotechnology that may pave the way for more practical solar power. Konarka of Lowell, MA, has pushed forward its "roll-to-roll" solar cell technology, which is based on nanoparticles embedded in a film. While its cells aren't as efficient as conventional ones, they are made using an inexpensive process. The lower price tag, combined with the cells' flexibility, could make solar power available in more places, including the windows of buildings and fabrics for tents, handbags, and other items. We also reported on the use of nanowires for capturing the energy of the sun, which could lead to higher efficiency from inexpensive cells.

The Lithium Economy

Light lithium-based batteries can pack quite a punch -- so much so that they've been too dangerous to group together in high-power applications, such as cordless drills and hybrid cars. Now, thanks to computer modeling that identifies promising new battery materials, this is no longer the case. This year we saw the introduction of lithium ion battery packs in cordless tools, and 2006 will bring more such applications, as well as a move toward lighter, more powerful hybrid cars. Eventually, materials monitoring could lead to batteries with enough power and energy density to make electric cars practical -- and a pleasure to drive. Because lithium batteries don't have the distribution problems inherent in hydrogen, batteries could beat out fuel cells in the cars of the future.

Toward Self-Assembling Devices

A nanotech dream is the "one-pot" synthesis: combine raw materials, mix, bake -- and out comes a working device made from nanoscale parts. Such a synthesis technique wouldn't require as much energy as the high-temperature reactions in the semiconductor industry today. It would also dramatically cut down on the use of dangerous solvents and the production of waste materials. And it would also be cheap. Angela Belcher at MIT is directing the evolution of viruses and yeasts to make such self-assembly possible. Others hope to use diatoms as templates for nanodevices. In our current Technology Review magazine (Dec. 2005/Jan. 2006) we describe a nanomachine that could help assemble single-molecule memory devices.

Nanomedicine


This year saw the advance of fantastically sensitive nanosensors capable of detecting disease at its earliest stages -- when it can still be treated. Charles Lieber and Xiaowei Zhuang, chemistry professors at Harvard, demonstrated that nanowires could be used to detect a single viral particle. An array of such detectors might be able to screen almost instantly for as many as one hundred different viruses at once -- a boon for doctors diagnosing disease or a country defending against biological attacks.


Nanosensors might also sniff out cancer earlier and with more precision than current tests. High sensitivity means only a small blood sample is needed -- comparable to the fingerprick used by diabetics to monitor glucose levels. Such a test could be invaluable for people with a family history of disease, for example, either to quickly identify the need for treatment or to set their minds at ease that they are healthy. The tests themselves might be inexpensive and so easy to use that they could be bought over the counter at a drugstore. We reported on the work of Charles Lieber at Harvard and James Heath, a physical chemist at the California Institute of Technology, developing such sensors.

Nanoscale particles could also be used as a core delivery device for the detection, imaging, and targeted and personalized treatment of cancer. This has the potential of transforming cancer treatment, killing more tumors, while at the same time eliminating the usual side effects of chemotherapy or radiation therapy. James Baker, a physician and professor at the University of Michigan, has developed a delivery system that could make it into human trials next year.

Universal Memory

While self-assembly might one day transform computer manufacturing, more near-term applications are likely to come from hybrid solutions that combine new nanoparticles and existing fabrication techniques. This path is being followed by Nantero, a company that has created a process for making so-called universal memory. This type of computer memory could store information without a continuous source of power, similar to the flash card in a digital camera, yet access it very quickly, like the memory inside a PC. Nantero's technique incorporates nanotubes into traditional semiconductor fabrication processes. The company says partners using the nanotube technology will make announcements about actual products in 2006.

Nano and the Environment

Nanotechnology is leaping technical hurdles -- but ultimately its success will depend on winning over consumers. And that will mean assuring the public that nano-scale materials are safe. The very aspects that make nanotechnology so exciting -- novel properties emerging at this scale and the ability to subtly and precisely modify these properties, with such dramatic results -- raise questions about how these new substances will behave in the environment, including the human body. This year there have been growing efforts to discover the environmental and health effects of nanomaterials. Now many nanotech proponents say that the coming year will be a critical window of opportunity for demonstrating that researchers and industry take safety concerns seriously. It will be a time to find and deal with any existing problems -- before they become dire-sounding headlines. However, whether 2006 will also bring the increased organization, cooperation, and funding needed to make this oversight happen remains an open question.

NY Times: Israel hi-tech booming

According to The New York Times, Israel's hi-tech industry has had its best year in nearly half a decade, and is heading toward a full recovery after the dot-com implosion and outbreak of the intifada in 2000, YNET reported.

Source: YNET

It seems that 2005 was the best year for Israel's hi-tech industry since the dot-com implosion in 2000, The New York Times reported Monday, adding that Intel's USD 3.5 billion investment in a new factory in Kirayt Gat is a shining example for the improvement in the industry.

According to the Times, the hi-tech industry in Israel has nearly recovered completely from the crisis of 2000, and now attracts major players such as Intel, as well as startups and venture capital companies. Israel boasts more than 70 companies registered at Nasdaq, more than any other country in the world outside the United states. The hi-tech sector plays a significant role in the Israeli economy, which is expected to grow by 5 percent this year, the Times reported.

The technology industry contributed to the modernization and reshaping of the local economy throughout the 1990s, and has built a reputation for itself as a fertile ground for innovative startups, which often relocate to the U.S. In 2000, Israel was affected by both the collapse of the industry and the outbreak of the intifada.

For several years Israeli VCs refrained from even holding their annual meetings, because overseas investors were reluctant to attend. However, the Times states that the situation has dramatically changed in the last years, and that investors are now returning to Israel.

According to the central Bureau of Statistics, the number of hi-tech employees in Israel hit a record of more than 66,000 workers in 2000, and then dropped to 53,000 between 2001-2003.

The number has gradually increased, and it now stands at 61,000. Exports of the hi-tech sector totaled USD 13 billion in 2005, which represent 40 percent of all Israeli exports.

Venture Capital investments in Israel in 2005

Israel is a powerhouse of ingenuity and innovation, boasting the largest number of startups in the world per capita.
The abundance of startup companies in Israel is an outgrowth of the country's high concentration of engineers in its workforce and government encouragement of entrepreneurship. Israeli high-tech has been made famous for startup innovations such as Internet security, instant messaging, and ingestible video cameras. Here are some stats from 2005 VC investments in Israels.

The average first investment made by Israeli VCs in the third quarter of 2005 was $2.75 million, with follow-on investments averaging at $0.92 million, according to a quarterly survey conducted by the IVC Research Center.

Thirteen seed companies attracted $34 million, a significant jump from the $22 million raised in the previous quarter and a slight drop from the $36 million enlisted in the third quarter of 2004, the survey said.

The survey, conducted in cooperation with the Israel Venture Association (IVA), was based on reports from 92 venture investors, including both Israeli and foreign entities.

Ninety Israeli high-tech companies raised $336 million from venture investors in the third quarter of 2005, according to the report.

In the third quarter, Israeli VCs invested $188 million in Israeli companies, compared with $163 million invested in the previous quarter and $194 million in the third quarter of 2004.

The report found that Israeli VCs are putting more of their money into Israel and less abroad. The Israeli VC share of the total amount invested in Israeli high-tech companies rose to 56 percent, from an average of 42 percent over the past five years. At the same time, Israeli VCs investment in foreign companies in the quarter dropped sharply to $20 million compared with the previous quarter and $23 million in the third quarter of 2004.

The communications sector led capital-raising in both the third quarter and the first three quarters of 2005, the report said. Thirty-one communications companies attracted $112 million, or 33 percent of the total amount raised. The software sector followed with 16 companies raising $55 million.

Life science capital-raising slowed in the third quarter to $53 million, accounting for 16 percent of total capital raised, compared with 24 percent in the second quarter. The sector did, however, succeed in keeping its position as the second most attractive Israeli sector in the first three quarters of the year, attracting 22 percent of the capital raised, according to the report.

Think away the pain

Pain can be mysterious, untreatable and debilitating, and its causes can be unknown. But if you could see the pain -- or, at least, your brain's reaction to it -- you might be able to master it.

Source: Wired News

A study from researchers at Stanford University and MRI technology company Omneuron suggests that's possible, and the results could lead to better therapies for those suffering from crippling chronic pain.

The researchers asked people in pain to try to control a pain-regulating region of the brain by watching activity in that area from inside a real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, machine. Initial results showed subjects could reduce their pain, some quite dramatically.

It's the first evidence that humans can take control of a specific region of the brain, and thereby decrease pain, said Stanford professor Sean Mackey, who co-wrote the paper, which was published last week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"(Similar to) going to a gym and working muscle using weights, here we're using the real-time fMRI technology to exercise a certain brain region," he said.

Study co-leader and Omneuron CEO Christopher deCharms said for many people with chronic pain, available treatments like medication or surgery simply don't work. But this exercise, which researchers have termed "neuroimaging therapy," could one day help some of the millions of Americans who suffer from untreatable chronic pain.

In the study, eight healthy subjects who'd been subjected to a painful stimulus and eight chronic pain patients underwent a series of fMRIs. The images tracked activity in the brain's rostral anterior cingulate cortex -- an area deCharms said is related to pain. Subjects watched this area on a monitor in real time during the procedure. Prompted by researchers' suggestions of trying to lessen their own pain by ignoring it or imagining it as benign, they set out in a mental game of hot-and-cold to lessen their discomfort.

Twenty-eight healthy subjects and four pain patients were also put into control groups that tried to control pain by viewing other patients' brain data or using other mental strategies, but no fMRIs. These tactics didn't show a significant reduction in pain, deCharms said.

The pain patients reported that the fMRI helped them decrease their overall pain 64 percent. Healthy subjects said they saw a 23 percent increase in their ability to control the strength of their pain, and a 38 percent increase in their ability to master its unpleasantness.

"I think most people found it very exciting to be able to watch the activity in their own brain, moment by moment, as it took place," deCharms said.

Vera A. Gonzales, a pain psychologist in League City, Texas, said she thinks the study lends scientific data to what scientists already knew empirically -- that people can decrease their own pain by focusing on certain thoughts.

It probably also helped that subjects could watch their brain activity unfold on a screen, she said. For years, some therapy methods have allowed patients to monitor and try to control their biofeedback by concentrating on things like skin temperature and heart rate.

Mackey and deCharms cautioned it will be some time before such therapy could be available for commercial use. They're investigating the process of getting Food and Drug Administration approval, and right now they're focusing on a study to investigate the effects of long-term neuroimaging therapy, deCharms said. One day, patients may even be able to think away other problems like depression, anxiety and dyslexia.

"We don't yet have a good answer to what happens if you keep practicing and practicing," he said.

Microsoft's new TV stopping patent

Microsoft's long running request for an interactive TV patent has been granted, reports The Register. The patent, which Microsoft originally applied for in 1993, enables the company to develop and market technology that allows television viewers to pause programmes to follow on-screen hyperlinks and participate in games, chat rooms and other interactive services.

Source: PhysOrg.com


The invention also solves the dilemma that confronts people when interrupted by a phone call while watching TV. When a programme is paused, the system records the time-sequential signal, delaying the display until the viewer is ready to resume watching. Given that 12 years have elapsed since the original application, the patent is certainly not new. Nor, not being exactly suited to today’s market, is it quite ready for use at Microsoft. For this reason, Microsoft is interested only in the ‘pause’ clause of the patent.

The corporation believes that programmes such as sporting events will be able to incorporate hyper-links to internet sports pages and chat rooms, the additional content being displayed in a split screen alongside the main broadcast event. Microsoft also claims that no matter when, for how long or how often pauses are taken, the viewer can still enjoy the entire event.

Dubbed Patent #6,973,669, the document describes an invention using the vertical blanking interval (VBI) of analog broadcasts, technology that Intel once had great plans to exploit. However there are problems with bandwidth. Intercasting delivered data at around 10kbit/s while modern digital TV streams at 19Mbit/s per channel. Patent #6,973,669 has a total of thirty-five claims. In 2004 Bill Gates, predicting a drop in broadcast TV revenues, offered broadcasters his company's split screen featuring Google-style ads. Despite being six times more expensive than its competitors, Microsoft has already won BT, SBC and Swisscom as customers for its interactive TV.

Israeli firms behind cell phone software to aid vision impaired

Two Israeli companies are behind the technology of U.S. company Nuance Communications' new software that enables the vision impaired to have easy access to cell phones.

Source: Haaretz

Nuance is utilizing the technologies of two firms it acquired - ART and Phonetic Systems - to substantially increase the size of on-screen content on handheld mobile devices, as well to change screen colors in order to help see text clearly. An estimated 150 million people worldwide have some vision problem that makes use of certain devices difficult, particularly cellular phones, due to small screens and the use of miniature font faces.

The Nuance accessibility suite includes audio feedback, improved display quality and support for a Braille keypad, innovations slated to improve the quality of information display and allow special-needs users to better use mobile devices.

Since the product is not language-dependent, it is available and accessible to any user. It will be available through cellular carriers or various Internet sites. It is available over the Internet in Israel, as the local carriers still don't sell it.

It is, however, far from popularly priced, with Nuance Zooms costing 180 euros and Nuance Talks going for 200 euros. The Internet and cellular devices are not user friendly for the disabled. The Israel Internet Association and nonprofit advocacy group Access Israel have been working for some time to change the situation. But most solutions are still too expensive for many.

Rafael's Airbag Protection for Helicopters Proves Maximum Survivability

The REAPS (Rotorcraft External Airbag Protection System) developed by RAFAEL Armament Development Authority Ltd. successfully performed in a series of tests last month as part of Phase II of the Concept and Technology Demonstration program contracted by the US Navy.

Source: RAFAEL (Armament Development Authority)

The REAPS, is a one-of-a kind external airbag system, attached under the fuselage of passenger rotorcrafts, designed to moderate the crash impact loadings with a surface (hard/soft ground or water). Using a proximity sensor to measure the physical parameters of ground approach, the system is able to deploy its airbags prior to an imminent crash, thereby limiting passenger injuries and airframe damage.

The REAPS testing took place near Phoenix, AZ on Bell 206 rotorcrafts. Two drops were conducted at a maximum gross weight of 3300 lbs, at impact velocities of 27 and 34 ft/sec (1,600 and 2,000 ft/min). The rotorcrafts were equipped with four ATD's (Anthropomorphic Test Dummies), two 50% (medium size) males, one 95% (large size) male and one 5% (small size) female.

The "passengers" were intact after each drop, and the airframe experienced limited damage, proving outstanding crash worthiness in helicopters that are known for their lack of it. In addition the tests proved that due to the REAPS airbags, the passengers were subjected to an impact of less than 25G with absolutely no rebound and secondary impact.

According to Mr. Ken Bennett, a helicopter specialist at HeliWorks, Pensacola FL, both helicopters were in a repairable state following impact.

"These tests indicate a successful completion of Phase II of the US Navy's C&TD program." says Dr. Benjamin Keren Corporate VP and General Manager Ordnance Systems Division at RAFAEL. "We foresee REAPS becoming an FAA certified standard component in all passenger rotorcraft; both in the civilian and military arenas, significantly decreasing the amount of casualties and damage so prevalent in helicopter crashes today."

About RAFAEL

RAFAEL designs, develops, manufactures and supplies a wide range of advanced defense systems. These leading edge products include naval, air and ground precision weapons, electro-optic systems, electronic warfare (EW) systems, Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (C4I) systems, acoustic defense systems, armored protection and training systems.

Japan devotes billions to keeping edge in science

Japan will budget 215 billion dollars over five years to maintain its reputation as a scientific powerhouse amid fears it is losing its technological edge, officials said.

Source: Physorg

Japan's Nobel laureates and the Japan Business Federation had launched a campaign to press the government for the funding despite a cost-cutting drive under Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Iwao Matsuda, a state minister in charge of science and technology, said Koizumi had approved a budget of 25 trillion yen (215 billion dollars) for a five-year science development program starting in fiscal 2006.


The Finance Ministry was initially against setting a specific figure for the science program, which will include research on bird flu, space and supercomputers. "We can show overseas and at home that Japan is still focused on science and technology," Matsuda said of the budget.

Japan, once vigorous in promoting science, has recently been seen as falling behind China, which has an ambitious space program, and IT giant India. "We believe the path Japan should take is to provide a good research environment here for scientists from across the world rather than competing against other countries," science ministry official Koki Uchimaru said.

Japan's space program has been eyeing more ambitious projects since it successfully sent a weather satellite into space in February. That was Japan's first launch since November 2003 when it had to destroy a rocket carrying a satellite to spy on North Korea shortly after lift-off when one of two rocket boosters failed to separate.

The failure was all the more embarrassing as it came one month after China, Japan's neighbor and growing rival, became the third country after the United States and the former Soviet Union to launch a successful manned space flight. Japan earlier this week pledged 135 million dollars to help Southeast Asia fight bird flu.

Stupid Investment of the Week

Chuck Jaffe of MarketWatch discourages average investors from investing in today’s early nano fund:

“It’s not that nanotechnology is a bad business or that exchange-traded
funds are a poor idea. It’s that the combination of the two, at this point in
time, can’t deliver what investors like Roger really want, namely an intense
focus on this emerging technology."

BOSTON (MarketWatch) -- Roger D. from Salem, Mass., has been reading and hearing a lot about nanotechnology and figures it's "America's next great investment sector".


Hoping to "get in on the ground floor," he wrote recently looking for a mutual fund that specializes in nanotech. There is one, but the PowerShares Lux Nanotech fund, an exchange-traded fund, won't give Roger what he wants because it's a Stupid Investment of the Week.

It's not that nanotechnology is a bad business or that exchange-traded funds are a poor idea. It's that the combination of the two, at this point in time, can't deliver what investors like Roger really want, namely an intense focus on this emerging technology.

Stupid Investment of the Week highlights the flaws and characteristics that make an investment less than ideal for the average investor, in the hope that spotlighting problems in one situation will make them easier to root out elsewhere. While obviously not a purchase recommendation, neither is this column intended as an automatic sell signal, as there may be times when unloading a problem investment merely compounds trouble.

PowerShares Lux Nanotech (PXN) is only two months old and is up nearly 15% in that short time, so the only negative to bailing out would be dealing with short-term capital gains.

That rapid gain is what investors like Roger might expect from a nanotech fund; unfortunately, it helps hide fundamental problems in the fund.

Nanotechnology -- sometimes called "molecular manufacturing" -- is more about process than product. Where biotechnology focuses on specific techniques, nanotech is a branch of engineering working at the molecular level to effect change in the design and manufacture of goods. It has uses in countless products.

Functionally, nanotech is not so much an industry or sector as it is a foundation for development, kind of like electricity. It already is part of many everyday goods and, eventually, it will be pervasive; today, however, it is still a developing field in which many different companies are doing research and development to come up with ways to improve what they do.

Lux Research is the leading nanotech consulting and advisory firm, and the creator of the Lux Nanotech Index, which tracks 26 public companies involved in "developing, manufacturing and funding nanotechnology operations."

PowerShares is a leading provider of exchange-traded funds, which effectively are baskets of stocks that are put together to track a benchmark just like an index fund but which trade like a stock. Exchange-traded funds can be a cost-effective and flexible way to capture all of the benefits of index investing.

But when you put the ETF structure together with a thin index like Lux Nanotech, what you really get is a muddle. The first clue is the 26 companies. That makes the index even tighter than the Dow Jones Industrial Average of 30 stocks and barely diversified on its face. When a sector is this narrow, it's hard to construct an index that can be used as the basis for an investment.

During the Internet stock mania of the late 1990s, investment firms rushed to create "Internet funds" and built portfolios holding just about any company with a Web site. Eventually, to differentiate companies building the Internet from stocks like The Gap that simply used the Web as another distribution channel, "pure-play funds" emerged focused only on the firms developing the new technologies.

An investor like Roger wants pure-play on nanotech and the PowerShares fund falls short.
You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who considers General Motors (GM: General Motors Corporation)
to be a "nanotech stock," and yet it makes up nearly 2% of the index and thus the fund. The same goes for General Electric (GE:General Electric Company), duPont (DD: E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company), 3M (MMM:3m co com), IBM (IBM: International Business Machines) or Hewlett-Packard (HPQ)
And yet stocks like that make up 25% of PowerShares Lux Nanotech.

Clearly, the name-brand companies use nanotechnology at one level or another, but it's not yet grown to where it's a major component in bottom-line profits. If interest rates and gas prices shoot up dramatically next year and new-car buying slows to a crawl, nanotech may help GM develop some innovative new products but it won't save the company's bacon.

Meanwhile, stocks where nanotech is the primary business make up less than half of PowerShares Lux Nanotech.

"Pure-play nanotech would be difficult to do today," says PowerShares CEO Bruce
Bond. "We'd be concerned about knowing the viability of those companies. ... The
big names in the fund are the companies that are spending the most on
nano-enabled products in their businesses today, and they are the ones that have
the most to gain as nanotechnology and research is made available."

There are two other key reasons for allowing blue-chip dilution. First, there's that questionable viability of pure nanotech stocks, as described by Bond, and then there is liquidity; having some giants in the line-up ensures the kind of liquidity necessary to run a fund based on an index.

Matthew Nordan, vice president of research at Lux, notes that it would be intellectually dishonest to build the index without including the giant companies that, to date, have benefited most from nanotechnology, and he's probably right.

But it would be equally dishonest to sell a guy like Roger a nanotech fund that doesn't give him much real exposure to the small, emerging issues that he actually wants to own.
If GM, 3M and the others are nanotech stocks, then investors like Roger get their fill of nano through ordinary growth mutual funds.

"I don't think you can look at this and think you really are buying a true nanotech fund," says Jim Lowell, editor of the ETF Trader newsletter, a service of MarketWatch. "Yes, these big companies are very interested in using and developing nanotechnology, but it's a research and development expense to them, not a profit center.

"When an ETF cannot hold what its name says it holds but instead reaches out to get stuff that doesn't belong, you're looking at a gimmick. Average investors usually are better off avoiding gimmicks."

Chuck Jaffe is a senior MarketWatch columnist. His work appears in dozens of U.S. newspapers

Hotwiring Your Search Engine

Google a topic, and the results are based on popularity, right? Wrong. Inside the shadowy world of 'SEOs.

Source: Newsweek (By Brad Stone)

Dec. 19, 2005 issue - Three years ago, the web site of Oppedisano's Bootery, an 81-year-old shoe store in the amiable upstate village of Honeoye Falls, N.Y., was receiving a scant 100 visitors a week. Then the owners hired a Seattle consultant named Rand Fishkin, who performed an obscure procedure called a "search-engine optimization." Fishkin built a new, easy-to-use Web store at a new address, shoe-store.net, and rewrote the shoe descriptions so that they were clearly visible to the Web's major search engines, which scour the Internet and index its content. Since the search engines measure links as an indication of popularity, Fishkin also peppered online bulletin boards and shoe-enthusiast Web sites with links to his client's site. It worked. Today, when someone searches online for Santana Helen boots or Dansko Montego loafers, the site comes out ahead of thousands of other shoe stores on the Web. "I don't know much about this whole SEO thing," says co-owner Korey Buzzell, who makes three times more money online than in the store. "All I know is that we're in good hands."

If search-engine rankings are supposed to represent a kind of democracy—a reflection of what Internet users collectively think is most useful—then search-engine optimizers like Fishkin are the Web's lobbyists. High-priced and in some cases slyly unethical, SEOs try to manipulate the unpaid search results that help users navigate the Internet. Their goal is to boost their clients' (and in some cases their own) sites to the top of unpaid search-engine rankings—even if their true popularity doesn't warrant that elevated status.

As online shopping grows, search-engine rankings can make a difference between success and failure on the Internet. This holiday season, 10.8 percent of shoppers will find their way to online retailers via Google alone, according to research firm Hitwise. And SEO firm Enquiro reports that the links on the very top of a search-results page—what users see without scrolling down—capture 70 percent of all users' mouseclicks. That's why the SEO profession has taken off, from a few hundred practitioners in the mid-'90s to thousands today, with many of them working inside big firms like Intel and IBM. "Having an SEO either in-house or as a consult-ant is now considered a necessity," says Danny Sullivan, editor of SearchEngineWatch.com, who notes that the companies are partly motivated by keeping their critics off all relevant search-results pages.

Search engines like google, Yahoo and MSN have a conflicted relationship with SEOs. They deplore the so-called black-hat SEOs who use unsavory techniques, like spamming the Web with dummy pages full of links, in an effort to make their sites appear popular. But they are increasingly tolerant of ethical or "white hat" SEOs like Fishkin, who primarily help their clients knock down the virtual walls that prevent search engines from fully indexing their site. Earlier this year Google engineer Matt Cutts started a blog directed at the SEO community, dispensing tips on how to make sites more visible to the automated software "spiders" that catalog the Web. It's good for Google and SEOs: better-organized sites increase the amount of content in Google's index, while improving SEO rankings.

But black-hat SEOs take an altogether different approach. Instead of working for clients, they generally attempt to propel their own ad-packed sites up to the top of the rankings, so they can capture searchers and get them to click on revenue-generating ad links. One British black-hat SEO who goes by the online handle Earl Grey, but requested that his real name not be used because he could be harassed by anti-spam vigilantes, showed NEWSWEEK one of his tricks. Using an illicit software program he downloaded from the Net, he forcibly injected a link to his own private-detectives referral site onto the site of Long Island's Stony Brook University. Most search engines give a higher value to a link on a reputable university site. As of last week, Grey's site ranked fourth on Yahoo and first on MSN for the search term "private detectives." (Google, which moves more cautiously, can take up to a year to rank new sites.) If his detective site gets booted off the search engines, Grey will simply move on to another project. "I'm not very professional,'' he says. "I do what I need to do to get where I need to be."

White-hat SEOs largely steer clear of these tactics and often take a more scholarly approach. Fishkin, for example, studies each Google patent application and search-algorithm upgrade. "If you don't understand how search engines work, you can't do a great job of optimizing a Web site," he says. He posts his findings to his ad-sponsored Web site, seomoz.org, which draws lots of links and thus itself has high rankings. But even he occasionally strays into "gray" territory. For example, for clients such as Seattle loan company Avatar Financial, Fishkin pays Internet ad companies to display text links across a network of sites such as The Miami Herald, betting that major search engines misinterpret these ad links as legitimate measures of popularity. Search engines say they are working on ways to discount these SEO shortcuts.

But for now, such tactics appear to work. Avatar Financial ranked seventh on Google last fall for its key search term "hard money loan,'' a type of commercial mortgage. Then last month Google upgraded its search algorithm with a software update it called Jagger, a secretive scrambling of the variables it uses to rank sites. Avatar fell to page two of search results, eliciting cries of anguish from Fishkin's client. But by last week he had restored it to the second spot on Google's results, partially by increasing the number of links to the site on other financial Web sites. His clients were happy, and their rivals were probably out shopping for an SEO of their own.

Top 10 Innovative Web 2.0 Applications of 2005

By: Mark Millerton
Source: Articles Dashboard

As 2005 draws to a close, I am overwhelmed by the amount of Web 2.0 startups that this year brought. There were no doubt hundreds or perhaps thousands of new services that came about following on the trend of "Web 2.0". Developers are beginning to create apps that are truly useful. Characteristics include more user interaction, far more efficient use of technologies such as AJAX, and slick design.

2005 also brought many "me too" companies. It seemed like every other Web 2.0 application was "The Best Social Bookmarking Site" or "The Best Startpage Site" or "Another Boring To-Do List site". My only hope is that this nonsense ends a quick death by the end of this month. I am optimistic that 2006 is the year of "Web 2.0 Innovation". It is the next logical step...and I anticipate it with great enthusiasm.

There have been quite a few "top web 2.0 companies of 2005" lists made in the past couple of weeks and I was sick of seeing the same high profile sites over and over again. Here are my picks for Innovative Web 2.0 companies.

To all developers: Your new years resolution should be to innovate, not immitate...we are counting on you!

1. TravBuddy - I like TravBuddy because it allows users to create journals of their journeys. The application mashes up with Google Maps and has some very cool AJAX features. This is a very cool way to discover and research destinations. Out of all the Web 2.0 apps from 2005 I am most excited about Trav Buddy growing and becoming a huge success. I love to travel and I love to research travel destinations. I'm tired of reading snippets from real people rating a hotel and even more tired of reading "about" sections on city websites, hotel pages, etc. This has huge potential.

2. Rollyo - Plain and simple, Rollyo allows you to create a search engine based on any criteria that you see fit. From digital cameras to triathletes, Rollyo is one cool way to gather information. The site is designed well and super easy to use. Great application!

3. TagCloud - Tag cloud is cool because it is loosely based on social bookmarking...and I do mean loosely. I like this site because you can through RSS feeds into it and it will automatically parse keywords and create massive "Tag Clouds". This is a very innovative way to keep track of news, blogs, etc. that you have in your feed reader.

4. Digg - Viva La Democratic media! Digg was one of this years smash successes, and rightly so. Users submit stories, users "digg" these stories, popular stories go to the homepage, lame stories turn to dust. Digg is the first site I go to every morning to find out whats new in tech. Rumor has it that Digg will be branching away from tech soon, and as long as they do it in a way that doesn't offend the techies...I can't wait to read politics.digg.com, and money.digg.com, and bizarre.digg.com.

5. Yahoo Answers - Yahoo has been on a Web 2.0 rampage the past couple of weeks. One property that came out of this is Yahoo Anwers. The site allows you to simply ask a question. Then, the community answers you and users can vote which answer is best. This is one of those apps that might depress you for not thinking of it first. Want to know how to tie a fancy knot? Just ask and in a short time users will tell you! Brilliant!

6. NetWorthIQ - Wanna know how filthy rich you aren't? NetWorthIQ allows you to enter in your debts, assets, cash, etc. and track your net worth over time. The site is easy to use and you can even compare yourself to other people your age, location, education level, etc. The graphs are pretty and the site really sets itself apart from the Web 2.0 pack.

7. SideJobTrack - Here is a beautiful project management application which, at first glance, seems to be a site in a very a crowded space. It is not! SideJobTrack sets itself apart by catering to more of an offline enviornment. There are tons of useful features such as invoicing, estimates, reports, and of course all the general project management features that all the other applications in this stuffy space have. Two thumbs up for this company going a step above to really carve out a niche.

8. gChart - gChart is a very cool idea based on the Google Maps API. You click anywhere on the map and it tells you the time zone and has a live clock. Who said Web 2.0 had to be fancy? This site proves that you can take a simple idea and create a very useful application. I love it!

9. MooFlex - I first got a glimpse of MooFlex a couple months back when they produced a video of the admin backend. MooFlex is a content management solution that has ajax galore. I give these guys two thumbs up for design and innovation in the content management arena. They are currently in private beta but there is an ultra cool demo on their site.

10. GiveMeaning - "GiveMeaning.com is a website for the $5 philanthropist." I like this site because it creates a community where people can help people. There are a lot of very cool opportunities to donate to causes that aren't stemmed from the big likes of Red Cross, etc. I found an organization that was collecting money and support to print brochures to educate the public about suicide. This is a very cool way to help out those in need and a very cool platform indeed.

There you have it folks. My Top 10 List of Innovative Web 2.0 Companies of 2005. Lets hope 2006 spawns a surge of innovation. I am excited about what is going on with internet business right now and I can't wait to see what the next step is.Also, lets hope that 2006 spells the death of the social bookmark clones, to do list clones, calendar clones, startpage clones, etc. etc.

Important Addition

Basecamp takes the top slot in the Project Management & Team Collaboration category.
Ta-da list takes runner up in the Online To Do Lists category and Writeboard takes runner up in the Web-Based Word Processing category.
Basecamp and Backpack were also awarded Business Week Best of the New Web Editor’s Choice awards.
Please add any other additions you might have in the comments. Thanks!

Desperate VC

Source: Dilbert

New Israeli mobile phone to detect breast cancer

Source: PhysOrg

Inspired by biofeedback therapy, Israeli researchers have developed a prototype mobile phone with a rudimentary infrared camera that can be easily, quickly, and non-intrusively used to detect the presence of breast cancer and heart disease. Infrared cameras are used to detect temperature and oxygen flow variations throughout breast tissue. After a completed scan, a data packet is uploaded wirelessly to a diagnostic center where doctors determine if more checks are necessary. Israeli mobile company Cellcom is planning on bringing consumer handsets with this technology included to market.

Small tech’s big impact

Source: Nanotech Buzz

Nanotechnology is a flashpoint in the debate about our use of technology. It’s a technology that, according to M.C. Roco, chair of the National Science and Technology Council's subcommittee on Nanoscale Science, Engineering and Technology, “is likely to change the way almost everything--from vaccines to computers to automobile tires to objects not yet imagined--is designed and made.”

Any technology with the potential to change everything understandably stirs strong feelings both for and against. Technophobes like Wendell Berry believe that technology has done more harm than good. Technoromanticists like Ray Kurzweil believe it can solve all our energy and environmental problems and help us to live forever. But nanotechnology is, like every technology, a tool—in this case, a very, very powerful tool.

Nanotechnology is not inherently good or evil, and it will not change our human nature, which determines how we use technology. What it will change is the magnitude of the impact that technology has on our lives. Probably it will have a greater impact than any other technology. That’s saying a lot when you think about the impact that computers, nuclear energy and plastics have had on our lives. But nanotechnology is unlike any technological genie we’ve uncorked before. At the nanoscale, the boundaries between living and non-living things blur, and it becomes possible to create products that build themselves and respond intelligently to their users and environment.

But as profound as these impacts may be, nanotechnology will neither destroy us nor make us immortal. It will simply amplify the consequences of our use of technology. The good things that we do with nanotechnology will be even better than the good things we’ve done before. Unfortunately, the bad things that we do with nanotechnology will be even worse than the bad things we’ve done before.

There’s no magic in it that will allow us to bypass our own human nature and use it only for the good. But because its potential impact is so great, and because it is moving forward so quickly, the time is now to discuss how we want to use it, controlling the negative consequences as much as possible while welcoming the good.

Nano Armor: New Israeli breakthrough

An Israeli company has recently tested one of the most shock-resistant materials known to man. Five times stronger than steel and at least twice as strong as any impact-resistant material currently in use as protective gear, the new nano-based material is on its way to becoming the armor of the future.

Source: Iddo Genuth, Isracast
Nano-Armor: Protecting the Soldiers of Tomorrow from PhysOrg.com

A year ago IsraCast reported on the development of the first commercial nano-based lubricant which was developed by the Israeli company ApNano materials. A year later we find ApNano working also on a wholly different application of their technology - shielding and protection. In recent research lead by Prof. Yan Qiu Zhu of the School of Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering at the University of Nottingham, England, a sample of the ApNano material was subjected to severe shocks generated by a steel projectile traveling at velocities of up to 1.5 km/second.

The material withstood the shock pressures generated by the impacts of up to 250 tons per square centimeter. This is approximately equivalent to dropping four diesel locomotives onto an area the size of one’s fingernail. During the test the material proved to be so strong that after the impact the samples remained essentially identical compared to the original material.

Additionally, a recent study by Prof. J. M. Martin from Ecole Centrale de Lyon in France tested the new material under isostatic pressure and found it to be stable up to at least 350 tons/cm2.

In the line of fire - creating super shock-resistant materials

Some of the equipment that's being used to produce the Inorganic Fullerene materials at ApNano's laboratories in Nes Ziona, Israel.
In order to understand how it is possible to create this ultra-strong shock absorbing material we first need to understand the nature of the nano material developed by ApNano. In the early 1990's the Nano-materials Synthesis Group in the Weizmann institute headed by Professor Reshef Tenne, ApNano Chief Scientific Advisor, and recent winner of the Materials Research Society medal, together with Dr. Menachem Genut, currently the President and CEO of ApNano Materials, Prof. Gary Hodes and Dr. Lev Margulis, discovered a new class of inorganic nanostructures. The group had found that certain inorganic compounds such as WS2, MoS2, TiS2 and NbS2 that normally occur as large flat platelets can be synthesized into much smaller nano-spheres and nano-tubes which they named inorganic fullerene-like nanostructures or IF for short. Fullerenes are a new form of carbon, other forms being diamond, graphite and coal.

They are molecules composed entirely of carbon, taking the form of a hollow sphere, ellipsoid, or tube. Spherical fullerenes are sometimes called buckyballs, while cylindrical fullerenes are called buckytubes or nanotubes. Buckyballs are named after R. Buckminster Fuller, architect of the geodesic dome that he designed for the 1967 Montreal World Exhibition. IF materials are Fullerene-like materials but instead of being composed out of carbon they can be created from various other inorganic elements.

The "Onion like" nano-structure of the IF materials, is the result of a sophisticated manipulation on the original layered material. This unique structure is responsible for its remarkable strength and durability.

The new IF material produced by the Weizmann Group was made of Tungsten Disulfide (WS2). In contrast to organic Fullerenes, IF is easier and much less expensive to produce, it is chemically stable and is less reactive and consequently less flammable. Organic Fullerenes are also considered to be highly toxic while IF materials have been tested extensively and deemed safe. Tungsten Disulfide is relatively heavy and for that reason ApNano is currently experimenting with other materials such as Titanium Disulfide which is at least four times lighter and is expected to perform even better than Tungsten Disulfide against shock waves. One of the most interesting new IF properties discovered by ApNano is its extremely high degree of shock absorbing ability. Shock absorbing materials are commonly used in impact resistant applications such as ballistic protection personal body armor, bullet proof vests, vehicle armor, shields, helmets, and protective enclosures.

The new Tungsten based IF material has up to twice the strength of the best impact resistant materials currently used in protective armor applications such as boron carbide and silicon carbide, and are over 5 times stronger than steel. It is also possible to combine IF with other substances in order to expand their range of capabilities. For instance, mixing IF with highly elastic materials can lead to new compounds which are both flexible and shock-absorbing. These properties position IF materials as one of the best candidates for future protective gear and armor.

Dr. Menachem Genut – ApNano's President and CEO, co-discoverer of the inorganic fullerenes.
Currently ApNano can manufacture only a few kilograms of the new material a day at their lab in Nes Ziona. In an interview by IsraCast, Dr. Menachem Genut, ApNano CEO, explained that the company is moving into semi-industrial manufacturing within the next six months producing between 100-200 kilograms of the material per day, gradually moving to full-scale industrial production by 2007, creating several tons each day.

Although it is currently still hard to determine the exact price of the "nano-armor" when in full industrial production, given the cost of the original materials (Tungsten Disulfide, Titanium Disulfide, etc.) and the relatively low production costs, Dr. Genut stated that a kilogram of the new material will cost considerably less than a similar amount of the carbon-based Fullerenes. More field testing will need to be carried out before the nano-armor can be declared commercial but the company is optimistic that with some external financial backing it will be possible to have the first product ready in less then three years.

by Iddo Genuth - IsraCast

The original story can be found here.
For any comments about this story, please contact the writer of the original article

Introducing: DNA Pyramids

A simple method to create robust DNA "pyramids" that self-assemble in seconds has been invented by physicists in the UK.

Source: NanotechWeb.Org

Each side of the tetrahedral pyramid is made up of a double helix of DNA. The pyramids can then be joined together to make larger 3D nanostructures on which to build molecular electronic circuits and tiny containers for drug delivery (Science 310 1661).

DNA - the "building block of life" - consists of two linear strands wound into a double helix with one of four different "bases" attached to every sugar group along the strands. DNA is an attractive engineering material because strands with complementary base sequences recognise and bind to each other, enabling complex molecular structures to be made by self-assembly.

Previous attempts at making DNA nanostructures, in the shapes of cubes or octahedra, required many steps and did not produce much material. The new method, invented by Andrew Turberfield and Russell Goodman of the University of Oxford, overcomes this problem.


It creates nanoscale tetrahedra of DNA that self-assemble in a single step in just seconds with a yield of up to 95%. The tetrahedra are made from four short strands of synthetic DNA, each of which runs around one face. Each edge is formed where neighbouring strands have complementary base pairs.
The new method is simple and involves heating DNA strands in a salt solution to just below boiling point. When the strands are rapidly cooled, they bond together to form a tetrahedron. The team can then link different tetrahedra together using single strands of DNA.

"Tetrahedra are used extensively in architecture and engineering because their structure is simple but very strong, making them ideal for use in DNA nanostructures," says Turberfield. "These atomically precise nanostructures are ideal building blocks for nanofabrication and can be produced cheaply in large quantities – all you have to do is mix the components together."

Indeed, colleagues at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam showed that the tetrahedra can withstand forces of up to 100 picoNewtons by compressing them with the tip of an atomic force microscope. These compression tests also allowed the Anglo-Dutch team to measure the elastic properties of DNA for the first time.

The team now plans to make 3D scaffolds for molecular devices such as electronic circuits using linked tetrahedra. The DNA pyramids could also act as containers for individual protein molecules and so be used to deliver drugs.

"We have designed a family of DNA tetrahedra which are structurally stable and can be manufactured in a quick and simple step," adds Turberfield. "Ultimately we hope to use them as building blocks for nanofabrication, to act as templates for much more complex DNA nanostructures."

About the author
Belle Dumé is science writer at PhysicsWeb

Q&A with nanotech investor guru

from the latest issue of NanoNews-Now covering Investing In Nanotechnology.
Editor Rocky Rawstern interviews nanotech investment guru Jack Uldrich. Select Quotes:
Source: NanoNews
NN: What do you say to potential investors about companies that are raking in tens of millions of dollars in VC funding without having a near-term product?
First off, neither VC's nor individual investors should invest in "science projects." If a company doesn't have a real product (or at least a plan to develop a real product) - stay away! Having said that, I am comfortable if a VC chooses to invest in a company that may not have a viable product for 3 to 7 years - after all it is their (or their investors) money they are using.

NN: Who do you like these days, who are you keeping an eye on, and why?
On the conservative side, I like a number of the Fortune 100 companies, including Intel, IBM, GE, IBM 3M and Dow. Granted, these aren't the sexiest companies and they are unlikely to yield sizeable returns, but they do understand how nanotechnology can improve many of their existing business lines and they are working on those improvements today. Furthermore, they have the resources to invest in those nanotechnology-enabled products that can lead to entirely new business in the future. Lastly, because they have the resources, I think they are going to smash a number of their smaller competitors.

—Jack Uldrich, President, The NanoVeritas Group, author of Investing In Nanotechnology: Think Small, Win Big (available in March 2006).

Nano-watchers will definitely want to keep an eye on Israel

Israel is on the nanotech map. A current snapshot shows that more than 30 Israel nanotech startups and over a dozen established firms representing over US $76 million in investment capital.
Israeli firms are developing nanotech applications in fields that are historically successful for Israel and are currently the subject of strategic focus by risk capital firms.

Source: Foresight
Explore the Israel NNI website for details;.

here are some of their assertions on why Israel is and will continue to be a player:

Israel’s small size and limited financial resources are serious challenges, but Israel’s academic, business and government leaders recognize nanotech as a key platform for ensuring Israel’s continued R&D excellence for decades to come. (read more on my post "Israel and Europe compete for VC money" )

Over 250 Nano Researchers Working in 7 Leading Fields. Led by the Technion Institute and Bar-Ilan University, Israel's six universities have added or assigned new researchers to nanotechnology studies, and this strong growth trend will continue. Read more on

Nanotechnology is a natural enabler for Israel. In fact, our small size is also our advantage — it means sharper focus, more efficient use of funds, fewer commercial obstacles, rapid prototyping and testing, and higher quality standards.

Areas of research include:

Nanomaterials- Israel today ranks first in the world for publication citations in fields related to these disciplines, according to the Philadelphia-based Institute for Science Information (ISI). (Learn more in my previous post on the technion study )

Nanobiotechnology -Of all nano-related disciplines, current research in this area is increasingly likely to be commercialized and marketed.

Nanoelectronics -Over 80 percent of Israel's nanotech researchers are engaged in disciplines that contribute to nanoelectronics.

Water Remediation-In 2005, Israel opened the world's largest saltwater reverse osmosis water treatment facility on the southern Israeli coast, confirming Israel as one of the most advanced 'beta' sites for water research.

Israel’s outstanding track record is just a hint of what nanotechnology will bring. Israel and nano are a strategic fit.

And from Lux Research’s Nanotech Nations Report dated October 2005: “Israel’s technology development strength puts it in the same nanotech league as the U.S. and Taiwan."

The best is yet to come

Fully half of current nanotech research is in preliminary stages, suggesting that the bulk of Israel's applied research will be undertaken only in coming years.
The small percentage of research in prototyping and commercial stages also sends a positive signal to potential investors: now is a good time to develop collaborative partnerships with Israeli academic and industrial players.

New Israeli initiative to help start up companies reach the US market

The Israel Economic Mission in New York has launched a new initiative, where Israeli executives working in U.S. technology, pharmaceutical, banking, media, and venture capital companies will open doors and offer advice to other Israeli companies looking to penetrate the U.S. market.

source: Globes
by: Ran Dagoni, Washington

Israel’s economic mission in New York has launched a new initiative, in which Israeli executives in US technology, pharmaceuticals, banking, media, and venture capital companies will open doors and offer advice for new companies trying to break into the US market. The first meeting of this executives network with three recently founded companies was described by the participants as a great success.

The meeting was held in the Nixon Peabody LLC law firm, under the aegis of Nixon Peabody’s Israeli Business Team, headed by Mitchell C. Shelowitz. Israel Minister for Economic Affairs to North America Zohar Pery and Israel Economic Mission to North America director of high tech business development Roi Tzur are coordinating the program.

The three companies were Svivot Ltd., which develops and markets intelligence inference systems that analyze commonalities between groups for military and police intelligence units; Dynasec Ltd., develops platform that enables organizations to efficiently manage risk, governance and compliancy processes, such as under the US Sarbanes-Oxley Act; and Applicure Technologies Ltd., which has Internet security solutions.

The participating Israeli executives came from Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq:CMCSA), Integrated Device Technology (NYSE:IDT), Merck & Co. (NYSE: MRK), SAP (NYSE; LSE: SAP; XETRA:SAPG), Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:TWX), Bank Hapoalim USA, VocalTec Communications Ltd. (Nasdaq: VOCL), Giza, GlobalTech Research, and other companies.
Some executives declined to publicly reveal their identities.

Svivot VP Sam Roth said:

“The executives willing to help are not people who have nothing else to do; they
simply want to help. They not only shared their wisdom and experience with us,
but also provided critical connections. They didn’t just tell us whom to
approach; they opened the first doors.”

Another participant said doors were opened for Svivot to the New York Police Department and the Office of Homeland Security in Washington.

GlobalTech Research managing director Etan J. Ayalon said the forum was naturally limited, numbering 15 to 30 people at each meeting, where there was group pressure and an effort to talk in a practical way. This was in contrast to investment conferences with hundreds of participants, where it is possible to avoid commitments to act. He said US consultancy firms charged tens of thousands of dollars for providing services of this kind, including retainers and expenses.

What Two Experienced VC's Are Looking for from Entrepreneurs

On December 1, two veteran venture capital professionals gave an audience of software entrepreneurs some tips on the best ways to approach them to achieve a favorable funding outcome.

Source: American Venture Magazine
By Lew Koflowitz

Sita Vasan, an executive with Intel Capital, and Daniel F. Summa, a partner with Genesys Partners, both based in New York, were the panelists in a discussion about VC financing opportunities. The discussion was moderated by Raymer W. McQuiston, a partner with the law firm Brown Rudnick Berlack Israels LLP.

The discussion, sponsored by the Venture Capital special interest group NYSIA), was held at the Times Square offices of Brown Rudnick.

These days, Vasan said she is interested in innovative and disruptive technologies, especially in the areas of home automation (the digital home), mobility, and education.

Summa said that Genesys, an early stage VC and merchant banker, medical devices is a current area of interest for his firm.

Summa sees the current technology and VC expansion as a "new beginning" for VCs and technology entrepreneurs, following the dot-com bust several years ago.

Resource Frugality as a Key to Future Success

Whatever the technology or business in which an entrepreneur is involved, Summa says he is particularly impressed with startups that are extremely economical and frugal with their resources, and have bootstrapped and already built something of a track record, before they approach a VC for financing. He calls these startups "Depression-era babies," because of their extreme cost-consciousness, and believes that this is an indication that such companies will be similarly economical with any new capital infusions they receive.

The typical first round investment made by Genesys is in the $1-$3 million range. A second B round is usually $5-$7 million, with Genesys typically seeking to exit the investment after that, says Summa.

Both Vasan and Summa commented on the increasing volume of VC funding, on both the East and West Coasts, with greater applications, for example in the financial services area in New York, as would be expected.

Management Team is Key for Startup

What's important in a startup's business plan? The management team is key, both agreed. Summa said he evaluates a plan using a number of key criteria – technology, production, marketing, revenue model and business model. Each of these plays a critical role in the potential success of the business going forward.

Both agreed, too, that "it's important not to overwhelm the VC with too much information." As is typical of VC's, they are being inundated with proposals and plans, and entrepreneurs need to get at the gist in a hurry.

Vasan, in particular, recommends a 2-page executive summary – no more – adding that a good Powerpoint presentation would be an excellent accompanying document.

One particular no-no: Don't continuously call the VC. If they like your executive summary, they'll let you know, and they'll probably want to move quickly. Vasan noted that an entrepreneur recently called her 10 times, and "I crossed him off my list," she said.

If they're interested in your business, the typical deal can take 2-3 months to close; it could be as little as 45 days from the time of the term sheet. However, Summa noted, things can get slowed down during holiday and vacation periods.

How Safe Are Nanoparticles?

Lots of new products, from toothpaste to khakis, use nanotechnology. But some say we don't know enough about the health and environmental risks from the particles tiny enough to penetrate cells in lungs, brains and other organs.

Source: Wired News

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island -- Those stain-resistant khakis you just picked up at the mall, the tennis ball that holds its bounce longer and sunscreen that's clear instead of white have something in common -- nanotechnology.

Scientists manipulating matter at the molecular level have improved on hundreds of everyday products in recent years and are promising dramatic breakthroughs in medicine and other industries as billions of dollars a year are pumped into the nascent sector.

But relatively little is known about the potential health and environmental effects of the tiny particles -- just atoms wide and small enough to easily penetrate cells in lungs, brains and other organs.
While governments and businesses have begun pumping millions of dollars into researching such effects, scientists and others say nowhere near enough is being spent to determine whether nanomaterials pose a danger to human health.

Michael Crichton's bestselling book Prey paints a doomsday scenario in which a swarm of tiny nanomachines escapes the lab and threatens to overwhelm humanity. Scientists believe the potential threat from nanomaterials is more everyday than a sci-fi thriller, but no less serious.
Studies have shown that some of the most promising carbon nanoparticles -- including long, hollow nanotubes and sphere-shaped buckyballs -- can be toxic to animal cells.

There are fears that exposure can cause breathing problems, as occurs with some other ultrafine particles, that nanoparticles could be inhaled through the nose, wreaking unknown havoc on brain cells, or that nanotubes placed on the skin could damage DNA.


The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is developing guidelines for working with nanomaterials, saying the tiny particles may raise health concerns and the risk to those who work with them is unknown. Also unknown is the risk to consumers and the environment.

"No one knows, and that's the problem," said Pat Roy Mooney, executive director of the ETC Group, an Ottawa nonprofit that studies the impact of technology on people and the environment. "People are rubbing them on our skin as sunscreens and as cosmetics."

Mooney's group is calling for products, such as sunscreen, that are directly absorbed into the body to be taken off the shelf until there is more study. "Frankly, I don't think that skin creams or stain resistant pants or food additives are a good reason to sacrifice someone's health," he said.

The federal government currently spends about $1 billion a year on nanotechnology research under its National Nanotechnology Initiative. A newly released inventory by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies found about $6 million being spent annually by the federal government on research that is highly focused on health and environmental effects of nanotechnology. Though the inventory is not a complete accounting of all research, it indicates that a small percentage of research dollars are going to health and safety, said Dave Rejeski, director of the non-partisan policy group.

"More energy and more funding needs to go into it," said Kevin Ausman, executive director of the Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology at Rice University in Texas. "There is not going to be a simple answer to the question 'Is nanotechnology dangerous?'" he said.

But Ausman and others said the nanotechnology sector is ahead of the curve when it comes to understanding potential dangers, and is doing far more early research than has been done in other industries, even one as relatively new as biotechnology.

"These issues are being discussed openly," said Agnes Kane, a pathologist at Brown University, who is moving into nanotechnology after extensive work researching asbestos. She is one of several Brown professors sharing a $1.8 million, four-year grant to study the effects of nanoparticles on human and animal cells.

The asbestos industry, which doled out staggering sums of money for liability lawsuits after material used for insulation was shown to cause cancer and other ailments, paid the price for a failure to fully understand the product's dangers before putting it on the market, Kane said. "This is one of the few areas that I've been in that there has been a discussion at the beginning," she said.

Rejeski said researchers are struggling with how much to spend and how to decide what research to fund. The group's inventory of research is a kind of "nanotech dating service" that can help match up researchers with similar interests who are looking for partners, he said.
It can also identify holes and point to areas that need more funding. For example, a search of the inventory shows much of the research now happening is focused on the lungs. Very little is focused on the gastrointestinal tract -- even though there are new toothpastes being developed that use nanotechnology, Rejeski said. There's also very little so-called lifecycle research -- how nanomaterials break down in the environment, Rejeski said.

Scientists are also working on creating a standard terminology for nanotechnology so that researchers from different backgrounds can work together and better understand the research that's been done in other fields.

The NanoBusiness Alliance, a group of large and small businesses, is looking at working with other groups to conduct an economic analysis of the level of funding that is needed for environmental health and safety research in the coming year. The alliance consists primarily of nanotech startups but also includes major corporations such as Lockheed Martin and Motorola and research institutions including Northwestern and Purdue universities.

Sean Murdock, executive director of the group, said he believes it's premature to regulate the young industry but that businesses recognize that more health and safety research is needed.
"If we keep our eye on the ball," he said, "we can avoid big downstream problems."

Can you really profit from Blogs? 10 tips say you can.

Money, Money, Money... That's what most people have in mind when starting a website or a blog but is there real money in blogs?

A recent study by a British blogger on Adsonblogs finds that 35% of the top blogs have no Adsense, no donation buttons or any other way to make money. It's possible to assume that some of the blogs are used are promotional tools only and others simply aren't in business at all.

according to Mike Reardon,

There is a more secure income in plastic bottles in the mall, or sitting with a
cup in front of the market.

But some people claim they make Six Figures from blogging. So it's worth a shot to list the potential sources of income.

How to make money from blogs

1. Adsense - the google ads are popping out like mushrooms after the rain but do people really click on them? In many cases, people that snoop around are not interested on shopping usually but google's sophisticated Adsense adapt to the content on the page. There are many services out there that can teach you how to incorporate the ads to your site and save you the learning curve.
   
2. Donations - Services like PayPal or Amazon are using the honor system etc. The chances that someone will donate are slim, but hey - at least you are giving the opportunity. Side note: I noticed that many sites with a large number of members set up goals. A targetfor example "help us reach $1000 for the new search" and it works for them.
   
3. Books - Come up with a recommended library in one big post with all the books you'd would like to read or have read and encourage reviews and suggestions for additions via the comments. All books will be linked by Amazon affiliate links. This actually works sometimes and it's easy to apply.
   
4. Other Online Ads - I recommend blogads but you need to reach a critical mass to carry ads -for advertisers find us a very cost-effective way or reaching a very specific audience and you make money by hosting the ads.
   
5. Merchandise. blogs are quickly becoming brand names. Cafepress is a great service that will make t-shirts, mugs, posters and what not with your site logo on it. I will implement it soon with the new logo and site design that I'm about to launch, but for those of you with an established crowd of readers - it's worth a shot. If you don't get any sales you can always give it to your family for Christmas.
   
6. eMiniMalls- Services like chitika offer you a chance to place a "sophisticated" ad on your site. MiniMalls are more informative than other ads, and it's possible to catch good deals through them.
   
7. Learn your crowd. So, everybody is selling ipods these days, but is it really what your crowd is looking for? You can ask them. Online surveys like Surveymonkey can make the task really easy if you have a news letter.
   
8. Content is KING. it's been said over and over again, but the post wouldn't be accurate without it. Write about something that you are passionate about and will drive people, and more people = more clicks. Read blogs, subscribe to newsletters and get inspiration constantly. I often find myself talking to a colleague and than sitting down to take notes.
   
9. Affiliate programs. These programs operate as B2B. The purpose is to transform readers into shoppers and there are many out there: Amazon, ClickBank, Linkshare and more.

10. Sell your Blog. the ultimate wet dream of a blogger is to do "Blog Flipping". Selling your blog is not an easy task, but it's certainly possible. The other side of the coin is buying Blogs from others. Get a blog that is doing well by producing steady revenue from ads, and build up from its current point. (Relax, mine is not for sale).

Critics will say that blogs should not be used to advertise in. That people visit a blog to get information and the ads are like the annoying people handing you flyers in the mall. In my opinion blogs have incredible potential and the market is still trying to figure out how to use them. I'm interested to hear your opinion on blog revenues. I'd like to hear from any bloggers who are making money and others that are failing to. What works? Help compile the ultimate How To guide on blog revenue.

Nothing is harder than diamond, right? Wrong!

New nano material is far tougher than diamonds.
Published by: Jerusalem Post (link was updated
to original full article)

Scientists from Bar-Ilan University and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology say that using nanotechnology, they have discovered a material 40 times harder.

Professors Eli Altus, Harold Basch and Shmaryahu Hoz, with doctoral student Lior Itzhaki have published their findings in the Internet edition of the world's most influential chemistry journal, Angewdte Chemie.

If nanotechnology can be applied to create tiny machines, scientists must first understand the connection between the quantum mechanical behavior of atoms and molecules and the classical world of mechanical engineering. For example, a miniature vacuum cleaner might be built to travel through human blood vessels and clean out excessive cholesterol. Yet it is unknown whether its tiny mechanical arm would be strong enough to remove the fatty plaques.

"We don't know if the rules of macro are relevant on the nano level," says Hoz. "For example, we're not sure if I-shaped beams (which are the strong structures used for construction of houses and railway ties) are also the optimally strong structure in the nano world," where materials are measured in microns.

Hoz says his team wanted to bridge the macro world of mechanical engineering and the nano world controlled by quantum mechanics. For this he brought together Eltus from the Technion, who is an expert in the former, and BIU's Basch, a specialist in the latter.

The team broke the world hardness record by combining quantum mechanics, chemistry and mechanical engineering. They synthesized polyyne, a superhard molecular rod comprised of acetylene units - that resists 40 times more longitudinal compression than a diamond. Ironically, these glittery gems are comprised from the element carbon and have the weakest type of chemical bonds, while polyyne has the strongest bonds in carbon chemistry.

Operatic Mice

The biology of song comes mostly from research on songbirds and shares important characteristics with human language. Song commonly figures in courtship rituals among birds, insects and frogs - but excluding humans, such behavior in mammals had been restricted to whales and bats, and none of these can be studied with genetic tools.

In a new study published in the open access journal PLoS Biology, Timothy Holy and Zhongsheng Guo at the Washington University School of Medicine show that mice can sing too; and this could open whole new avenues of research into the genetic contributions to song and song learning.

Social encounters among mice prompt vocalizations, such as the inaudible ultrasonic calls of males presented with females or female hormones called pheromones. Previous studies of these vocalizations focused on classifying them by when they happened, rather than on their acoustic patterns. In this study, Holy and Guo focused on the sounds themselves, using cotton swabs coated with urine from female or male mice or a combination of the two to elicit the male mouse's ultrasonic sounds. Far from random patter, male ultrasonic calls were found to contain complex passages with long sequences composed of diverse syllable types.

The authors used either a slow playback (that distorted the temporal structure of the calls, which came out sounding like low, intermittent whistles) or digitally dropped the pitch to an audible level without interfering with the time sequence. The pitch-shifted recording sounds remarkably like birdsong. Forty-five different males produced the same rapid "chirp-like" syllables of varying duration, spaced at about 10 syllables per second. Discrete clusters of pitch changes were identified as having followed a stereotyped pattern instead of random occurrence, and could thus be regarded as "song."

"The richness and diversity of mouse song appear to approach that of many songbirds," they write. Future studies can begin to unravel the physiological basis and mechanics of ultrasonic mouse song, and perhaps decipher the messages encoded in the notes and melody.

Cheer up your hamster

Have you taken a close look at your hamsters recently? Do they look down in the mouth? Ohio State University researchers say these cute little rodents may suffer from anxiety and depression during the dark days of winter, just as some humans do. Using a variety of tests, researchers found more symptoms of depression and anxiety in adult hamsters that were housed in conditions with limited daylight, as they would find in winter, when compared to hamsters who had days with longer daylight.

The research also examined whether hamsters that were born during short days were more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety as adults.

The results for these tests suggest that hamsters born in winter-like light conditions had increased depressive symptoms as adults. Overall, the results suggest that the season the hamsters were born in, their sex, and the changing of the seasons all play a role in levels of depression and anxiety.

"These results in hamsters may provide some insight into the development of seasonal affective disorders," said psychology and neuroscience Prof. Randy Nelson, who co-authored the study.

Previous studies suggested that the hormone melatonin plays a key role in the seasonal behavioral changes found in hamsters. Scientists know that levels of melatonin change along with seasonal changes in daylight. Melatonin is also produced in people, so the research may be applicable to human seasonal affective disorder.

No second chance

Brooks-Keret VP Nimrod Elmish on avoiding pitfalls in dealing with venture capital funds.
Source: Globes

“Almost every entrepreneur I meet tells me, ‘Just arrange a meeting for me with investors, just open the door, and I’ll charm them. My product will win them over,”

says Brooks-Keret VP marketing and business development Nimrod Elmish. Brooks-Keret provides financial management and business development services for companies from seed-stage start-ups to large publicly traded corporations; its services include making introductions, managing financing rounds, and preparing financial reports. It replaces a company’s need for a full-time financial management and business development manager.

Many companies meet Elmish after preliminary meetings with venture capital funds. Logically, it is never too soon to make contact with a venture capital fund. After all, even if you’re not interested in an immediate investment in your product, the fund will at least get to know you, give your direction, and maybe recommend you to someone else. But Elmish claims that this logic is wrong.

Be Smart...

“Entrepreneurs claim that they send their material to everyone around. Usually, what happens is that an analyst, who conducts a preliminary screening for funds, concludes that the company is too new or too unfocused. The analyst is liable to send the documents to an affiliated fund for consultancy. The next time you contact that fund or one of its affiliated funds, even if you’ve done good work since then, the fund is liable to pull out that earlier document, and say, ‘No’, without taking the company’s updated circumstances into account. As a result, someone who contacts funds too soon is liable to be blocked in the future,”

says Elmish.

Elmish recommends that start-ups initially rely as much possible on private capital and grants from the Office of the Chief Scientist, which he says can finance up to 40% of R&D costs, without diluting holdings at all. “First of all, work quietly, in secret. Investors like to see who manages alone for a while, or who did the impossible with a negligible budget, those who fought. They don’t want those people who want a ride on someone else’s money.

“If an entrepreneur is able to raise $50,000-100,000 from someone who believes in him, the first thing he must do with the money is to establish his intellectual property and set a clear business direction for the company. Afterwards, some technical work and a little market research as part of a business plan should be carried out, in order to spot in advance the big problems liable to affect the company. This should be done before seeking financing. A fund should be approached when you’re a real company with an organized team and the beginnings of a product, not when you’re a group of guys with a nice idea.”

Elmish also quashes the entrepreneurs’ natural impulse to approach large companies to interest them in buying their technology or product. “If you haven’t signed a confidentiality agreement with them, you’re not sufficiently protected, and if you’re relying on such an agreement, know that large companies are deterred by them. The functionary you contact in Israel doesn’t know whether his company’s R&D department in New Jersey isn’t right now working on an idea similar to yours. If he signs a confidentiality agreement with you, you’re liable to sue him when the product comes on the market, even if no crime was committed. The added value they give at this stage is low. The stage at which your company becomes an important market player and an acquisition target, is the stage at which you must prepare a strategy for meeting with that large company.”

Elmish recommends holding the first meeting with an investor after you’ve done the basic work. This is a dry run in which the entrepreneur undergoes a reality check. During this meeting, the investor will flood the entrepreneur will pertinent comments, and bring the dream back to reality. Money rarely results from this meeting, but if you’ve ensured confidentiality in advance, and chosen the right investor for your first meeting, you can learn a lot without burning any bridges.

One pitfall an entrepreneur has to face is appointing a CEO for his company. Elmish says a CEO with no prior experience in senior management, or in founding and running a start-up in a comparable field to the company’s business, will not last long in the job after a venture capital fund invests in the company.

It is not easy hiring a CEO who meets all the requirements. If you cannot find a CEO, Elmish recommends a surprising tactic: don’t hire one. “Tell the fund that you believe that the entrepreneur can run the company for a year or two, but can’t be the CEO, and that you’re willing to let the fund appoint one. As far as you’re concerned, this is an opportunity to get an excellent CEO through the fund’s connections.”

Elmish says you should contact a venture capital fund not only with an excellent CEO in hand, but also with proven and experienced operations and business development managers, if possible. “The team is the first thing a fund looks at,” he says. An entrepreneur often wants to continue managing the project forever, even though his or her natural place is usually as CTO or business development manager. Elmish warns that funds who suspect that the entrepreneur will not vacate the CEO chair, or fire an existing CEO, will hesitate to invest in the company, and all the work will go to waste.

When arriving for the really critical meeting with a venture capital fund, it’s important to be well prepared. Elmish recommends that a company arrive with a two-page synopsis of the company and its product, and a one-page summary of the team. “When you’re talking about the product and the company, let the facts do the talking,” he says. “But don’t be modest when describing the team. Present the team in their best light.”

Before the first meeting with a venture capital fund, it’s important to find out exactly who you’re meeting with, and gather intelligence about all the participants. What are they interested in? What questions do they tend to ask? Will they ask about your business plan, or about the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)? Are they nice guys, or rude or arrogant? Why did other companies fail to obtain investment? Elmish also recommends for the company to have its technical expert at this meeting, who can answer any technical questions.

Correctly reading the meeting’s participants makes it possible to correct errors. “If you feel that you’ve suddenly said something problematical, immediately say, ‘but we’ve not yet settled this matter, we’ll examine it later.’ This will allow you to recover from almost any mistake,” says Elmish.

Let’s assume we’ve passed all the stages and get an offer to invest. Sometimes you now have two choices: a small investment for a small stake in the company; or a large investment for a large stake, even control. Usually, an entrepreneur will hesitate diluting too much of his or her stake and ceding control to a venture capital fund, and will opt for a smaller financing round. Elmish says this is a mistake. “A fund wants to be at least an equal partner in the company, which is good. After all, you’ll probably have to hold more financing rounds, and again face dilution. If the fund acquires the controlling interest, you’ll have more money until the next round, but more importantly, in the next round, the fund will have want to keep its proportional stake and will handle most of the negotiations.”

Another mistake is to tell a venture capital fund, “We want to hold a financing round at a minimum company value of X.” This usually results in a counter-proposal at a much lower company value, one that does not always reflect a company’s true value. Elmish believes that every company is worth what investors are willing to pay for it, and when a venture capital fund makes the first offer, the initial value is usually higher. “If you mention a company value during the presentation, all the interaction with the fund, assuming it wants to invest, it’ll be trying to persuade you that you’re not worth what you think you are.

“Private investors or funds are influenced by their surroundings, and their decision are influenced by calculations about how they will appear in three years: as the village idiot, or prescient savant who was the first to discover and invest in the next big thing.”