Monday, March 19, 2012


Caltech Scientists's Kickstarter Project: Nanoart
Here's an interesting Kickstarter project looking for some (crowd) funding: a Caltech scientist is looking to raise $50,000 to create "nanoart". Kickstarter is an online website which allows users to crowd source funding for their projects, and is now listing a project from Caltech physicist Sameer Walavalkar, to create silicon nanostructures which are pictures, text, and portraits, which are carved directly into silicon. Walavalkar, who is a postdoc at Caltech in physics, says that he wants to (More info...)
posted on Monday, March 19, 2012(Full story)

gen-E Scores Private Equity Investment
San Clemente-based Gen-E, a developer of IT process automation software, said Monday that it has received a private equity investment from Solis Capital Partners. Financial terms of the investment were not disclosed. According to the company, the firm will use the funding to accelerate adoption of its software. gen-E--formerly known as generationE Technologies--explained that the funds will go towards growing its channel partner program. The company said it has grown "exponentially" over the pas (More info...)
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Fandango Wins Yahoo Movies Deal
Los Angeles-based Fandango announced this morning that it has scored an exclusive deal with Yahoo, where it will be the exclusive ticket seller for Yahoo! Movies. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Fandango said the move will give Internet users access to nearly 20,000 screens across the country. Fandango won the deal over rival MovieTickets.com. The firms said the deal includes both Internet and mobile access to Yahoo! Movies.
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SpaceX Sets April ISS Launch Date
Hawthorne-based SpaceX has set a new launch data for its mission to the International Space Station, saying this morning that it will launch on April 30th from Cape Canaveral. The firm's long awaited launch had been delayed in February, as the firm said it needed time to conduct additional testing. The docking with the ISS will be the first for a commercially developed launch vehicle, and will deliver supplies to the ISS.
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TrueCar Names Industry Relations Head
Santa Monica-based TrueCar reported today that it has named Pat Watson as its new Vice President, Industry Relations. Watson was previously Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of the South Carolina Automobile Dealers Association, in Columbia, SC. Watson had been at the association for 39 years. TrueCar said the move will go towards strengthening its relationships with the industry. It's a smart move for the firm, which has been battling some in the auto industry over its service (More info...)
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Aerovironment Installs EV Charging Stations In Oregon
Monrovia-based Aerovironment, which develops both electric charging stations and unmanned aerial vehicles, has scored a big win in Oregon, saying that it has installed the first phase of a project to make it possible to drive electric vehicles (EVs) from Canada to Mexico. Aerovironment said that it installed the first set of charging stations in Southern Oregon, across towns at roughly 25-mile intervals, which makes it possible for EV drivers to "refuel" along the I-5. Aerovironment said it has (More info...)
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Interview with Tim Sae Koo, HypeMarks
Are you the sort of person who relies on your friends to help you figure out the best places to explore on the web? Wish you could lean on your friends to get insights into the great new services you ought to try? That's the idea behind HypeMarks (www.hypemarks.com), a new startup looking to tap into your social graph to guide you to the web. We thought we'd get the pitch from Tim Sae Koo, the founder of the company, on how he took the idea from his business class at USC and turned it into a co (More info...)
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SpaceX Targets Astronaut Delivery
Not content to just deliver satellites to space, and to deliver cargo to the International Space Station, Hawthorn-based SpaceX said Friday that it is continuing to work on preparing its Dragon spacecraft to carry astronauts. The firm said it has just completed a "NASA Crew Trial", which involves working with NASA on building a prototype crew cabin for its Dragon spacecraft for astronauts. SpaceX released several photos of the trial, showing existing NASA astronauts trying out the capsule, which (More info...)
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NetZero Goes 4G
Woodland Hills-based United Online, the parent company of Internet ISP NetZero, announced this morning that it has launched a new, 4G mobile broadband service called NetZero 4G Mobile Broadband. United Online said the new service will provide Internet service for laptops, iPads, and other tablet devices. The service will cover 80 cities nationwide, and will start at $9.95 per month. According to NetZero, all of its plans--including one which includes up to one year of free service--require the p (More info...)
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BeyondTrust Names VP
Carlsbad-based BeyondTrust, the developer of identity management and security software, said today that it has named Subbu Sthanu as Vice President, Product Management. Sthanu joins the firm from Novell, and had also served at NetIQ, Vignette Corp., and Oracle. BeyondTrust said that Sthanu will be responsible for driving the growth of its Server and Infrastructure business.
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Broadcom Wins Permanent Injunction Against Emulex
Irvine-based Broadcom has been granted a permanent injunction against Costa Mesa-based Emulex, in a patent infringement suit, covering a number of Emulex's Fibre Channel switch products, the two firms separately reported this morning. According to Broadcom, certain products of Emulex have been found to infringe upon U.S. Patent Nos. 7,058,150 and 7,471,691. The win means that Emulex will have to redesign a number of its products, including its FIbre Channel Host Bus Adapters and switch products. (More info...)
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QAD Wins French Customer
Santa Barbara-based ERP software manufacturer QAD is reporting a win in France this morning, with the Societe Ardennasie d'Essieux (SAE). SAE is a manufacturer of axles, suspensions, and brake systems for commercial vehicles. Financial impact of the win was not announced. QAD is a maker of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems used in managing manufacturing, finance, and operations of enterprises. QAD said SAE is using its software-as-a-service version of its product.
posted on Monday, March 19, 2012(Full story)