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Juice Technologies will show a prototype of its Plug Smart device at the Plug In 2009 conference in Long Beach, Calif., next week.

The utility wants to use the charger to let consumers control charging and view their energy usage via the Web or a cell phone when used with a smart meter, said Hal Snyder, vice president of customer solutions for SDG&E, in a statement.

A portable smart charger that will be tested for billing an electric-car owner's utility account while on the go.

The product, which can fit inside of a car trunk, also allows people to schedule car charging to take advantage of off-peak rates and to view data, such as the amount of kilowatt-hours used and carbon emissions.

The portable device would address one of the conundrums associated with plug-in electric vehicles: how to “refuel” on the go when there’s a lack of public charging stations.

Plug-in electric car drivers in San Diego will be able to charge up at a friend’s house without leaving behind a hefty electric bill.

Nissan’s all-electric cars, which are supposed to have a 100-mile range, are expected to be available next year. But there’s significant concern with the lack of charging infrastructure–often referred to as the electric car industry’s chicken and egg problem. The Energy Department program includes $400 million, out of $2.4 billion, for charging infrastructure for consumers’ cars and trucks.

Utility San Diego Gas & Electric said on Wednesday that it plans to use a mobile car-charging device from Juice Technologies as part of a trial of plug-in electric cars in the region.

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Juice Technologies)

Juice Technologies, based in Columbus, Ohio, will supply its Plug Smart “intelligent charger” which should allow people to charge cars anywhere in SDG&E’s service territory and have the usage billed to the driver’s account.

As part of a giant Department of Energy battery funding project, the city is one of five locations in the U.S. to set up a network of charging stations for about 1,000 Nissan Leaf sedans made available to consumers.

In anticipation of a report on geoengineering from the U.K.’s Royal Society next week, watchdog ETC Group warned against unintended consequences from large-scale projects. “Even the most careful computer models won’t be able to predict what will happen if an experiment is scaled-up and moved out of doors,” the group said in a statement Friday.

As concern grows over climate change, a number of geoengineering ideas have been proposed, including placing mirrors in space to reflect sunlight or shooting sulfur particles into the stratosphere, which would also have a cooling effect.

Algae would grow from pumped-in carbon dioxide and sunlight and be harvested for use either as a liquid fuel to run in a combined heat-and-power unit or turned into biochar, or charcoal used as a soil conditioner that also sequesters carbon from the air.

London, if it gets an algae-growing makeover.

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Institution of Mechanical Engineers)

However, in its analysis, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers found that most promising geoengineering techniques can be done on Earth. It argues that a handful of technologies be deployed at large scale, along with other strategies, to mitigate the effects of climate change.

At the top of the list are artificial trees, which are mechanical devices that can absorb carbon dioxide from the air faster than trees and then sequester that gas underground.

(Credit:
Institution of Mechanical Engineers)

The future of green technology is algae-cultivating buildings, artificial trees, and lots of white roofs, according to the U.K.’s Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Engineers envision that long plastic tubes, called photobioreactors, be integrated into building designs or retrofitted onto existing skyscrapers.

Cultivating algae to make liquid fuel is one of the most active areas of research in biofuels. The institution recommends that algae be incorporated into buildings so algae can be grown at a large scale.

Although proposing billions of white roofs doesn’t appear to be controversial, many other geoengineering ideas are. For example, scientists have warned about the environmental impact–or effectiveness–of “seeding” the ocean with iron to spur growth of plankton to sequester carbon.

The group on Thursday released a report that recommends governments fund research on geoengineering, or large-scale fixes for climate change. The report, a year in the making, is targeted at policymakers and is meant to inspire engineers to develop ways to cut greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.

The institution’s report refers to the research done by Columbia University Professor Klaus Lackner, who is researching the concept and materials to absorb large amounts of CO2. Also required are underground storage formations, such as depleted oil wells. At a cost of $20,000 per tree, the institution concludes that it’s the most practical approach.

Finally, the institution says that buildings should be retrofitted with reflective roofs to deflect the sun’s rays. In the past months, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu has publicly touted this relatively low-tech approach, which was studied in-depth at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory last year.

How artificial trees, which capture carbon from the air, could be deployed alongside wind turbines.

The “Discard 50 then Choose the Next Best” method apparently gives you a 25 percent chance of choosing the best candidate.

However, I would be interested whether any of you number-conscious geniuses out there have also used mathematical principles to choose your betrothed. Perhaps you have done it more than once, but we would still love to hear your number-based criteria.

Were they each the other's 38th choice?

Perhaps the subject most fascinating to me at the moment is the gamble that is involved in choosing a life partner.

However, the more I thought about it, the more it seemed a little more natural than it might have appeared. We march our way merrily through life, meeting people and declaring them a “yay” or a “nay.”

Here’s the real beauty of this calculation, though. You don’t have to limit yourself to 100. This optimization works for any population. So if you have a world of 26 potential life partners, simply divide by 2.72 and choose the next best one.

So for a long time, mathematicians believed that, given 100 choices (each of which has to be chosen or discarded after the interview) you should discard the first 50 and then choose the next best one. (The assumption also is that if you don’t choose the first 99, you have to choose number 100, which, again, seems rather realistic to me. I know so many people who have chosen the last resort out of perceived necessity rather than, say, happiness.)

May I go down on one knee and admit how wrong I was?

Naturally, scientific laws have certain suppositions. And at first glance, I considered the idea of having a mere 100 choices a little unrealistic.

However, then along came John Gilbert and Frederick Mosteller of Harvard University. I do not believe they were married. However, they came upon the idea that the magic number is, in fact, 37. Yes, you should stop after 37 candidates and choose the next best one. This number was apparently derived by taking the number 100 and dividing by e, the base of the natural logarithms (around 2.72). And it apparently increases your chances of the best choice to 37 percent.

We need a little more stability in this world. We need more happiness. And we need just a little more good judgment. It seems that only math can save us.

(Credit: CC Simon Shaw/Flickr)

Perhaps I have been unnecessarily haunted since research revealed that Facebook destroys romantic relationships. Still, it was quite odd that a man whom I have chosen to follow on Twitter for his remarkable erudition in social psychology (oh, alright, his name is Dominic Johnson) passed along a quite extraordinary article from New Scientist, one that has made me ponder more deeply than I usually care to.

Oh, we have some supposed criteria in our heads about what makes a “yay”- body type, nose shape, or some such nonsense. But commitment is a very hairy creature, one that barks at us more often than it sings.

Mathematicians have racked their brains and abacuses, for the good of society, in order to help us all choose wisely the person who shares our king-size. According to New Scientist, the law of diminishing returns has long been thought to be a marvelous indicator of when to stick, rather than turn another card.

While the article begins by discussing the mathematical ways in which you can improve your chances in Vegas (or, if your taste and eyes have deserted you, Atlantic City), it goes on to discuss the marriage problem. Apparently, mathematicians have tortured themselves over marriage for some years. I did not know this. I figured that perhaps mathematicians only ever had one girlfriend, whom they married very soon after sex.

There is a small word of warning, however. Some psychologists, such as JoNell Strough at West Virginia University, believe that the more we invest (in a gambling and, one supposes, marriage context), the more likely our decision will be attached to disaster.

Now, I know it is sometimes hard to know exactly how many potential partners are in your firmament. But it is surely not beyond some calculation.

The company kicked up the rhetoric a notch since changing lawyers in July. Psystar is now being represented by Houston-based Camara & Sibley, which is also defending convicted music-pirate Jammie Thomas-Rasset.

Surprisingly, it seems that Psystar executives are actually enjoying themselves.
In a Thursday post on its Web site called “A taste of their own medicine,” Psystar seems to gloat over the fact it is now deposing several Apple executives. “For the past week and for the following ten days we will be doing depositions of some of Apple’s highest level people. After numerous depositions of Psystar employees and associates the shoe is finally on the other foot, oh the joy!”

Aug. 07 — John Wright — OS X — Senior Software Manager Aug. 12 — Kevin Van Vechten — OS X — Software Engineering Manager Aug. 13 — Phil Schiller — Marketing — Senior VP Worldwide Product Marketing Aug. 14 — Mike Culbert — Mac Hardware — Senior Director Aug. 18 — Gary Thomas — TBD Aug. 19 — Simon Patience — OS X — Head of Core OS Aug. 21 — Mark Donnelly — Apple — VP Finance and Worldwide Business management Aug. 21 — Greg Christie — TBD Aug. 21 — Bob Mansfield — Mac Hardware — Senior VP Mac Hardware Engineering

According to the blog post, Apple executives being deposed are:

Psystar said these executives were chosen because they are the most knowledgeable in their field.

Apple accused Psystar of copyright infringement after it began making Mac clone computers and selling them with Mac OS X installed. Apple’s license agreement clearly states that the operating system can only be installed on an Apple-labeled computer.

Psystar lawyers have begun deposing Apple executives in the copyright infringement lawsuit brought by Apple last year, the Mac clone maker announced.

Psystar filed for bankruptcy protection in May, which normally could shield a company from its legal woes. But Apple asked the court to lift the automatic stay of proceedings in the copyright case. Apple won its argument, and a new trial date has been set for January 11, 2010.

Psystar is even allowing its customers to submit questions to ask the Apple executives, according to a report on AppleInsider. The company said it will take the top 10 questions to each executive deposition.

Tuesday’s achievement still awaits official confirmation from the certifying agency, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile.

Photos: Steam Car team eyes record

The Stanley Steamer may have finally been dethroned.

After holding onto its land speed record for 103 years, the homegrown Stanley automobile from the early days of motoring has been overtaken by a late-model import. The British Steam Car team said Tuesday that, earlier in the day, in the two runs required to be considered for the record, the Steam Car averaged 139.843 mph over a measured mile.

(Credit:
The British Steam Car Challenge)

The British Steam Car, a project 10 years in the making, is no jet, but it does have its share of modern trappings, including carbon-fiber construction. The 3-ton, 25-foot-long vehicle has 12 boilers, and its steam gets superheated to 400 degrees Celsius before being injected into the turbine.

The British Steam Car spouts off as it gets ready to make a run at a 103-year-old land speed record.

Charles Burnett III behind the wheel of the Steam Car.

(Credit:
The British Steam Car Challenge)

In each of its runs, the Steam Car, driven by Charles Burnett III, actually traveled more than 6 miles on a dry lake bed at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. On either side of the measured mile, it requires a 2.5-mile stretch for acceleration and deceleration. In going for the record, the vehicle had to make the second run within an hour of the first–the steam team says it made the turnaround Tuesday in 52 minutes.

The steam-powered mark to beat was 127 mph, set in 1906 by Fred Marriott, driving that Stanley Steamer at Daytona Beach, Fla. (According to the FIA, the overall World Land Speed Record is 763 mph, a supersonic speed reached in 1997 by a jet-powered car, the ThrustSSC.)

The vehicle’s peak speed in the first run was 136.103 mph, and in the second, 151.085 mph.

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I’ll feel a lot better, however, when we hear less about vendors writing open-source software and more about enterprise IT releasing open-source code.

While some governments (the U.K. most notable among them, as Glyn Moody highlights) fear coloring outside the lines of proprietary software, others, like the Mongolian government, which has moved all of its Web sites to open-source Joomla, have embraced open source as a way to lower costs and increase vendor independence.

Take The New York Times, for example, which is releasing its Document Viewer under an open-source license within the next few weeks. According to BayNewser, Aron Pilhofer, the Times’ editor for interactive newsroom technologies, said this is:

If I needed a clear sign that commercial open source is alive and well, reading Roberto Galoppini’s remarks on the five Open Innovation Awards winners provided that and more. I used to be able to count every open-source company on two hands. Galoppini mentioned four of which I’ve never heard.

For such organizations, it’s time to start contributing back. No, not because doing so is somehow morally superior to using but not writing open-source software, but rather because there are tangible business benefits to contributing open-source code.

You have nothing to lose…

Red Hat CEO Jim Whitehurst has been calling on enterprise IT to contribute back to open-source projects. His is not a plea for charity. It’s a call to recognize and fuel self-interest.

[T]he Times expects that other organizations that use the tool will build new functionality on top the Times’ code and then, in true open source spirit, share their enhancements back so that all organizations using of the Document Viewer will benefit.

“a recognition that news organizations are slowly but gradually becoming more and more like technology companies.” The shift toward open source software will strengthen journalism and transparency, Pilhofer said, because it enables news companies to leverage the smarts of large communities of software developers and technologically skilled journalists outside of the Times to continually improve the software…

There’s no question that enterprise IT is adopting open source in droves. Gartner speculates that 85 percent of enterprises already use open source. (The other 15 percent are, too, I suspect, but the CIOs at those companies simply don’t know about the Mule, JBoss, Postgres, etc. that is running rampant through their halls.)

The companies and governments that get the most from open source, however, are those that view technology as a competitive differentiator and look to open source to deliver “high productivity, flexibility, robustness and considerably lower costs,” like the London Stock Exchange recently discovered in its move to Linux.

This is precisely the sort of thinking that could lead the media industry out of its current struggles and into a more productive, collaborative future. Open source is no panacea for struggling newspapers, but it does offer a compelling way to increase outside contributions, improve user interaction, and help make its future a communal effort.

But if the likely biggest book release of the year sells better on Amazon’s Kindle than in hardcover in the massive online bookstore, that’s undoubtedly big news for the publishing business. Companies that were suspect of Amazon’s potential dominance in the space might realize the value of offering e-books on its device.

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Amazon)

The subject of much debate.

Random House’s aversion to releasing a version for the Kindle e-reader was apparently rooted in its worries over “security and logistical issues.” This underscored what has become a battle between publishers and Amazon’s Kindle that mimics the battles Apple was forced to deal with when iTunes and iPods were under attack from the music industry.

In Amazon’s overall sales listing, Brown’s book is listed as the best-selling title on the site. But that listing includes both the book’s hardcover version and the Kindle version.

Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment and exact sales figures.

Amazon itself hasn’t confirmed that more Kindle copies of “The Lost Symbol” have sold and it’s possible that the Kindle version is only leading the pack for now, but it’s still a significant event that could send shock waves through the publishing business.

Blog site The Kindle Nation noticed the phenomenon early Wednesday morning.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

As of late morning, the Kindle version is still atop the list. That said, it’s important to note that this is one store. The hardcover version is still tops at rival Barnes and Noble, which also sells a digital version.

On Amazon’s Mystery and Thrillers page, the two versions are independently listed. At the top of that list is the Kindle version for $9.99. In the No. 2 slot is the hardcover version offered for $16.17. That list is updated hourly.

Best-selling author Dan Brown’s latest novel, “The Lost Symbol,” is apparently selling better on the Kindle than in hardcover on Amazon.com.

The Kindle version is leading the way on Amazon.

The possibility that the Kindle version of “The Lost Symbol”–which follows Brown’s wildly popular “Da Vinci Code” and “Angels & Demons”–is outselling hard copies on Amazon could be a monumental moment in the e-book industry. Prior to the release of the book, its publisher, Random House, was mulling the possibility of not even releasing a Kindle version. Eventually, the company relented.

Dubbed myKite, the BlackBerry app, which was created by developer Chris Hallgren, locates the user through the BlackBerry’s built-in GPS. It then finds other Brightkite users nearby in real time. When other people are found, myKite allows users to browse profiles, check status updates, post photos, and write notes on different establishments around town.

myKite is available now for free in the BlackBerry App World. BlackBerry owners can download the app by either accessing it from their devices or by following this link.

Prior to the release of myKite, BlackBerry users had to access the company’s mobile site from their phones. According to Hallgren, he used Brightkite’s API to develop myKite because he “wanted a native app for the BlackBerry.”

Location-based social network Brightkite announced its first native BlackBerry application on Thursday. It was created by a third-party developer using the company’s application programming interface. Brightkite already offers native applications to iPhone and Android users.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

My top 3

Focus If you’re looking for answers to important business decisions, Focus is the social network for you.

You might be using LinkedIn to stay connected with your business contacts, but there are alternatives on the Web that will help you network and enjoy some extra features while you’re at it. Whether you want to hang out at some professional parties or you’re more interested in sharing best practices, there are some really neat business-centric social networks on the Web you’ll want to visit.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

Focus will give you some insight on important business topics.

Netparty connects young professionals in local hot spots.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

After you sign up for Xing, you’ll find that it’s big on features. You can fill out your profile with in-depth information about yourself. Once complete, you can start connecting with colleagues at companies all over the world. You can send them messages, meet up with them at events that can be publicized on the Xing site, or just search for them.

2. Talkbiznow: With so many great features, Talkbiznow is worth checking out.

Talkbiznow is the social network for those who want more than connections.

Netparty’s goal is to connect young professionals in a party atmosphere. The site arranges networking events for young professionals in several cities across the U.S., Canada, Europe, and even South America. It sets up parties at different places around the city you live in, charges an admission fee, and even gives you directions on getting there. From the site, you can buy tickets and get on the V.I.P. list, so you don’t need to wait in line. It’s a great service. More young professionals should be using it.

Although there are still some U.S.-based members, there are far more people from Europe and Asia on the site. That might discourage some from joining,louis vuitton handbags, since the majority of their U.S.-based colleagues are on other social networks, but if you’re doing business internationally, Xing is the social network for you.

Xing Xing is a professional social network that competes well against LinkedIn.

Plaxo Although Plaxo isn’t designed specifically for business professionals, the social site’s My Career option is a fine LinkedIn alternative.

Netparty If you’re a young professional, networking is one of the most important elements of your career. If you don’t know colleagues, you might lose a competitive advantage over others vying for the same job. That’s where Netparty comes in.

Xing is the place to go if you',prada bags;re running an international business.

After signing up for Focus, you can immediately start researching topics that have some relevance to your business. From finance to customer service, the site is filled with professionals both asking and answering questions on topics that impact business. To push its social element, Focus allows you to write a blog, connect with others in groups, or simply post comments to discussion boards. If you’re looking to learn more about your industry and you want peers to help you do it, Focus is for you.

1. Netparty: Business is about who you know just as much as what you know. Netparty helps you meet other important people.

After you sign up for Ryze, you’ll be able to create a full profile that includes your company’s address, where you live, and more. After that, you need to decide if you want to use the Basic,replica handbags, free version of Ryze or paid versions that cost $10 or $20 per month for a Gold or Platinum membership, respectively. The paid versions allow you to create your own groups on the site.

After you sign up for Talkbiznow, I think you’ll be impressed by the site’s profile-creation tool. From adding a simple biography to populating your profile with a career history and contacts, your colleagues should be happy with what they find.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

Talkbiznow Talkbiznow is a fine social network that will give you the chance to discuss important topics with colleagues in a social setting.

3. Focus: Being a professional is about continuing to learn. Focus helps you in that endeavor.

Ryze Ryze is a social network that helps you communicate with others in your industry.

Ryze has a slew of great events.

Plaxo's My Career page might help you in your professional networking.

If you don’t want to create your own, Ryze gives you the option to join groups. You can also communicate with others via message boards and direct messages. The site’s events page is a great way to network with other professionals. That said, the site is poorly designed and its paid memberships do detract from the service.

Go pro with these social networks

(Credit:
Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

Perhaps the best feature Talkbiznow offers is its Services pane, which lists several options for you to enhance your Talkbiznow standing. You can host a Webinar, upload documents to your profile, hold a video conference call, or manage your calendar. Those four features make Talkbiznow a unique service that stands apart from some of its competition. With a bigger community, Talkbiznow could easily compete with LinkedIn.

Plaxo’s My Career feature allows you to fill out your professional history. You can input your past and current employers, where you went to college, and more. Once that information is populated, Plaxo helps you find colleagues at all those firms, as well as old classmates. It’s similar to LinkedIn, but since there aren’t as many users, you won’t find as many colleagues. Regardless, you can communicate with those people through direct messages or by joining groups. It’s not the best social career service, but Plaxo’s My Career isn’t bad either.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

If you can accomplish this with singles, rather than the burden of an album, why not go that route? This is particularly intriguing given the continued pace of piracy, as a new study finds, because it requires a band to invest less in album creation and more time in monetizing the music through concerts and other “services.”

Follow me on Twitter @mjasay.

“The music business is upside down,” said alt-country singer-songwriter Robert Earl Keen. “You don’t tour to support your record. You put out a record to support a tour.”

Ditto for software. Google has already showed one way to get beyond the “album mentality” by providing its code on a perpetual beta basis. There is no big, once-and-for-all unveiling of Google’s software,gucci bags, but rather a steady release of updates.

(Credit: Serjao Carvalho)

In music and in software, we’re moving to a services-based economy that relies less on DRM (digital rights management) and more on service-based connections between consumer and creator. The two blend ever more frequently in this digital age through the collaborative interplay between producer and audience.

Now that would rock.

Thom Yorke of Radiohead

None of us want to go into that creative hoo-ha of a long-play record again. Not straight off. I mean, it’s just become a real drag. It worked with “In Rainbows” because we had a real fixed idea about where we were going. But we’ve all said that we can’t possibly dive into that again. It’ll kill us.

Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke has declared, in an interview with The Believer, that the band has no plans to record another full-length album, preferring instead to focus on singles. A one-off from a band that can afford to call the shots, or a sign of things to come in entertainment, not to mention software?

“Do you see people going record shopping? No,louis vuitton handbags,” said Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction. “Downloading free music. Yes. Going out for live music. Yes. I love recorded music, but the best bang for my buck is the night I go out.”

To make it work, however, Radiohead went to great lengths to market the album, far less than it had to invest in distributing its latest gem, “Harry Patch.” Regardless, while some music arguably makes more creative sense as part of an album, many songs stand alone and better fit the way music is being defined, distributed, and monetized.

Yorke cites the creative burden of recording an album, but I have to think the decision is as much about marketing an album as it is recording it. As Yorke relates:

“In Rainbows” worked on two or three different levels. The first level is just sort of getting a point across that we wanted to get across about music being valuable. It also worked as a way of using the Internet to promote your record, without having to use iTunes or Google or whatever…and it also worked financially.

This is perhaps best exemplified by comments, cited in a Wall Street Journal story, from singers Robert Earl Keen and Perry Farrell in the wake of the Lollapalooza festival:

Open source is the same. Customers subscribe to a series of improvements and services around the software, rather than buying into a big licensing event. The emphasis is on what comes after the initial adoption of the software, not a bunch of marketing and hype to get people to use the software in the first place. The software largely sells itself.

For my part, I hope that Radiohead will release new singles early and often,prada bags, with an emphasis on getting them out quickly to test their appeal, then fine-tuning them over time. The same holds true for software. My only question is if at some point in the future we’ll see Linus Torvalds and Thom Yorke jamming together on stage.