Laser Folds Tiny Origami for US Army

Lasers could help fire weapons or set off explosive warheads for the U.S. Army in the near future. That possibility comes from a lab demonstration of how a simple, handheld laser can fold tiny metallic structures in a style that mimics Japanese origami.

The demonstration suggests that similar systems could produce tiny grippers and switches that would act as mechanical components in small devices. The components could be used to detonate explosive or propellant material, attach identification transponder tags to clothing, or even enable a new generation of extremely tiny robots or electronic devices.

"We are enabling true microsystems, where all of the energy and functions are self-contained in a millimeter- or smaller-sized package," said Christopher Morris, a researcher focused on micro-materials and devices at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory.

Army researchers became interested in the concept after seeing work that Johns Hopkins University had done in making micro devices for performing surgery. But the Army took the method a step farther by creating millimeter-sized structures that could be triggered by low-power lasers or even LED lighting.

The tiny structures act as mechanical hinges capable of folding along certain "stress" lines built into the layered metal. When a laser shines onto the structure, its energy softens a polymer "trigger" that normally prevents the hinges from folding.

A handheld laser operating on "eye-safe" levels could trigger the folding action from up to 3 feet away during testing detailed in the journal Applied Physics Letters and highlighted in the journal Nature Photonics.

Folding time ranged from 67 milliseconds to 21 seconds, depending on the wavelength and intensity of laser light, but larger structures required several minutes. The Army Research Laboratory takes about 20 hours to make a sheet of the millimeter-sized folding structures.

"Our hope is that new uses will spur from this basic scientific exploration of novel fabrication and self- assembly of materials, and will help future soldiers in ways they may not even see," Morris said.

This story was provided by TechNewsDaily, sister site to LiveScience. Follow TechNewsDaily on Twitter @TechNewsDaily, or on Facebook.

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/laser-folds-tiny-origami-us-army-174334560.html

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Fishy Business | The Alcalde

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Walk into almost any pet store in the United States, and you?ll find a kaleidoscope of colorful fish. Among the most eye-catching are GloFish: small zebrafish and tetras in neon hues like Sunburst Orange and Galactic Purple. Under UV light, the fish emit a captivating fluorescent glow.

You?d never guess it, but they?re also tiny revolutionaries. The world?s first genetically modified pets, GloFish made front-page news when they hit stores in 2003. Naysayers called them unnatural, enthusiasts rushed to buy them, and California banned them. Today, they?re ubiquitous. Behind it all is GloFish CEO and co-founder Alan Blake, BBA ?01, who started the company just months after earning a bachelor?s in finance from UT.

?We?re at the intersection of biotechnology, aquarium fish, and politics,? Blake says. ?It?s been interesting.? That would be an understatement.

?We?re at the intersection of biotechnology, aquarium fish, and politics. It?s been interesting.?

Soft-spoken and slight, Blake seems much younger than his 35 years. He?s just gotten married?to a kindergarten teacher who uses GloFish in her classroom?and fidgets with his ring as he tells the company?s story.

Blake?s entrepreneurial bent is what brought him to UT in the first place. A native of Yorktown, New York, he followed a friend to Arlington, Texas, at age 18 in hopes of starting a landscaping business together. When that didn?t pan out (?We had exactly one customer,? he laughs), Blake took classes at UT-Arlington and found a job selling insurance. He was so good at it that the company asked him to open an office in Austin?so he transferred to UT-Austin and juggled school and work.

It was 1997, the height of the dot-com bubble, and startups were everywhere.? ?You could drive down South Congress, toss your r?sum? out the window, and have five messages waiting from employers when you got home,? Blake says. ?It was an incredible time to be in Austin.?

After his junior year, Blake took time off to start ClassMap, a Blackboard-like classroom software competitor. The company grew to 50 employees, $4 million in venture capital, and customers at 75 colleges. After two years, it went under.

Blake wasn?t dismayed. He returned to school, finding himself in the odd position of taking classes like Marketing 101 after having already been a CEO. Then he got a call from an old friend, Richard Crockett.

A Yale biology grad, Crockett told Blake about some fascinating research. Scientists at the National University of Singapore had engineered fluorescent zebrafish by splicing a bit of jellyfish or sea anemone DNA into fish embryos. Their eventual goal was to create fish that would glow in the presence of toxins, signaling a polluted river, but Crockett and Blake saw a commercial use: glow-in-the-dark pets. So the duo got to work licensing the technology, securing funding, and wading through legal red tape. ?I was too na?ve to know how hard it would be, and too stubborn to quit,? Blake says.

UT?s John Butler, now director of the University?s entrepreneur-focused IC2 Institute, and former UT chancellor Bill Cunningham were the company?s first investors.? After two years of preparation, GloFish sales began in 2003.

It wasn?t long before the press caught wind of the story?a ready-made headline for its mix of entrepreneurial flair, innovative technology, and playing-God controversy. ?The genetically modified pet appears to have arrived,? proclaimed the New York Times. The debate over genetic modification, previously focused on food, had reached the fishtank. ?For me it?s a question of values,? then-California Food and Game Commissioner Sam Schuchat told the Associated Press. ?I think selling genetically modified fish as pets is wrong.? GloFish are still banned in California, where critics fear the fish could breed in nature, affecting wild populations.

Blake says the tropical fish can?t live in the wild, and he calls the controversy manufactured. ?I like to say that there were more reports of Elvis flying a UFO over Los Angeles than there are negative comments we got in a year,? he says. ?The press created the debate.?

With Crockett busy in medical school, Blake was working overtime to manage the company. He did hundreds of interviews from his North Austin apartment, ?just trying to keep up,? he says. But eventually the frenzy died down, and sales kept growing. GloFish now come in three species and five colors. There are also more than 40 GloFish products, including aquarium plants and gravel.

Today, Blake visits UT business classes to speak with aspiring entrepreneurs. His advice? ?Don?t do it for the money,? he urges. ?It?s a lot easier to succeed by working for someone else than for yourself. But if you are willing to make the sacrifices, you can do great things.?

Photos from top: Electric Green GloFish; Alan Blake (courtesy Alan Blake).

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Tags: Alan Blake, aquariums, commercialization, entrepreneurship, fish, genetics, GloFish, mccombs school of business, pets, Richard Crockett, Yorktown

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Source: http://alcalde.texasexes.org/2013/01/fishy-business/

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Missoni scion on plane missing in Venezuela

In this photo taken on March 30, 2005 Vittorio Missoni, right, and his wife Maurizia Castiglioni smile in Milan, Italy. The search resumed Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013 for a small plane that has disappeared off the Venezuelan coast with six people aboard, including Vittorio Missoni, a top executive in Italy's Missoni fashion house, officials said. Vittorio Missoni, 58, is the director general of the iconic brand and the eldest son of the company's founder. Flying with him on Friday's flight from Venezuela's Los Roques resort archipelago to Caracas, was Missoni's wife, Maurizia Castiglioni, two Italian friends of the couple, and a crew of two Venezuelans. (AP Photo/Livio Valerio, Lapresse)

In this photo taken on March 30, 2005 Vittorio Missoni, right, and his wife Maurizia Castiglioni smile in Milan, Italy. The search resumed Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013 for a small plane that has disappeared off the Venezuelan coast with six people aboard, including Vittorio Missoni, a top executive in Italy's Missoni fashion house, officials said. Vittorio Missoni, 58, is the director general of the iconic brand and the eldest son of the company's founder. Flying with him on Friday's flight from Venezuela's Los Roques resort archipelago to Caracas, was Missoni's wife, Maurizia Castiglioni, two Italian friends of the couple, and a crew of two Venezuelans. (AP Photo/Livio Valerio, Lapresse)

In this undated photo provided by Venezuela's Ministry of the Interior and Justice Press Office, a plane that went missing sits on the tarmac of the airport in Los Roques, Venezuela. Venezuela's Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said the plane was declared missing hours after taking off Friday, Jan. 5, 2013 from Los Roques, a string of islands, cays and islets that is popular for scuba diving, white beaches and coral reefs. He said the plane was expected at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Caracas but didn't arrive and that the four Italian tourists aboard had spent their Christmas and New Year at the resort. The plane had two Venezuelan crew members. (AP Photo/Ministry of the Interior and Justice Press Office)

In this photo taken on Nov. 23, 2004 Vittorio Missoni, left, and his father Ottavio smile in Milan, Italy. The search resumed Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013 for a small plane that has disappeared off the Venezuelan coast with six people aboard, including Vittorio Missoni, a top executive in Italy's Missoni fashion house, officials said. Vittorio Missoni, 58, is the director general of the iconic brand and the eldest son of the company's founder. Flying with him on Friday's flight from Venezuela's Los Roques resort archipelago to Caracas, was Missoni's wife, Maurizia Castiglioni, two Italian friends of the couple, and a crew of two Venezuelans. (AP Photo/Livio Valerio, Lapresse)

In this photo taken on Feb. 23, 2010, Vittorio Missoni poses for photographers in Milan, Italy. The search resumed Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013 for a small plane that has disappeared off the Venezuelan coast with six people aboard, including Vittorio Missoni, a top executive in Italy's Missoni fashion house, officials said. Vittorio Missoni, 58, is the director general of the iconic brand and the eldest son of the company's founder. Flying with him on Friday's flight from Venezuela's Los Roques resort archipelago to Caracas, was Missoni's wife, Maurizia Castiglioni, two Italian friends of the couple, and a crew of two Venezuelans. (AP Photo/Gian Mattia d'Alberto, Lapresse)

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) ? Rescue crews used boats and aircraft on Saturday to search for a small plane that disappeared off Venezuela carrying the CEO of Italy's iconic Missoni fashion house and five other people.

But more than a day after the BN-2 Islander aircraft disappeared from radar screens on its short flight from the Venezuelan resort islands of Los Roques to Caracas, no sign of the plane had been found, officials said.

"We have no other news" about the plane carrying 58-year-old Vittorio Missoni, the head of the company; his wife, Maurizia Castiglioni; two of their Italian friends; and two Venezuelan crew members, said Paolo Marchetti, a Missoni SpA official. He spoke briefly to reporters as he left company headquarters in the northern Italian town of Sumirago on Saturday afternoon.

Missoni's younger brother, Luca, who is active in the family-run business, was reportedly traveling to Venezuela on Saturday to monitor search efforts.

"We're holding onto a glimmer of hope," said Oswaldo Scalvenzi , a relative of Elda Scalvenzi, one of the Missoni friends aboard the flight. "Until we can see the wreckage" hope will remain, Scalvenzi told Italian state TV on Saturday night.

Search teams were using a plane and a helicopter, working together with the Venezuelan coast guard, Venezuela's National Civil Aviation Institute said in a statement Saturday.

The twin-engine plane had enough fuel on board for a three-hour flight, said Francisco Paz Fleitas, president of the civil aviation agency. Paz said the plane took off at 11:39 a.m. on Friday and had been expected to arrive at Caracas' Simon Bolivar International Airport 42 minutes later.

The civil aviation agency said the authorities declared an alert after the plane didn't make contact with the control tower at the Caracas airport or with the tower in Los Roques.

"The last position registered in radar data and those supplied by a system on board the aircraft" was about 11 miles (18 kilometers) south of Los Roques, the agency said in the statement.

The Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported that Venezuelan aircraft, boats and helicopters took off at dawn Saturday to resume the search for the missing plane, which had been suspended on Friday night.

Venezuelan Interior Minister Nestor Reverol announced that the plane was missing hours after it took off from Los Roques, a string of islands popular for scuba diving, white beaches and coral reefs, and where the Missonis and their friends were on vacation.

Reverol said on Friday that two navy patrol boats were involved in the search and that a specialized oceanographic ship, the Guaicamacuto, also had been deployed.

Vittorio Missoni is the eldest son of the company's founder, Ottavio, who at 91 still follows the business.

The Corriere della Sera newspaper reported that Ottavio and his wife Rosita were at their home in Italy, along with their daughter Angela, waiting for information about the search. Rosita Missoni designs housewares for the company, and Angela is the company's creative director.

The Missoni fashion house, with its trademark zigzag and other geometric patterns in sweaters, scarves and other knitwear, is one of Italy's most famous fashion brands abroad. It is scheduled to display its latest menswear creations at a fashion show in Milan later this month.

Vittorio Missoni played a key role in marketing the Missoni family creations in Asia, especially in Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea as general director of marketing for Missoni SpA. He also spearheaded a push for the company's products in the United States and France. His efforts to expand the brand abroad led Missoni to be dubbed the company's "ambassador."

Vittorio Missoni has been described as an active sportsman and lover of the outdoors. He and his wife and their friends from northern Italy were scheduled to fly back from Caracas to Italy on Friday after spending the Christmas and New Year's holidays in the islands.

The plane disappeared shortly after takeoff on a flight of about 95 miles (150 kilometers) from the islands to the Caracas airport.

Other small planes have gone down or vanished on flights between the archipelago and the mainland.

On Jan. 4, 2008, a plane on a flight from Caracas to Los Roques disappeared after crashing with 14 people aboard, including eight Italians, a Swiss man and five Venezuelans. The pilot had radioed to controllers that he was having engine trouble before the plane went down as it approached the islands. The body of the Venezuelan co-pilot later washed ashore, but no wreckage was found and most of those on board remain missing.

In 2009, a small plane returning from Los Roques with nine people aboard plunged into the Caribbean Sea, but all survived.

____

Associated Press writer Frances D'Emilio contributed reporting from Rome. Ian James reported in Caracas.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-01-05-Italy-Venezuela-Missing%20Plane/id-b192f3d20ded4a60a9dae7c9206a8ac1

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Turn an SNES Gamepad into a USB Game Controller You can Use with Your PC, XBox 360, or PS3

Turn a SNES Gamepad into a USB Game Controller You Can Use with Your PC, XBox 360, or PS3 The SNES (or Super Famicom, depending on where you're from) controller is probably my favorite console controller. Unfortunately, the proprietary connector makes it difficult to use with newer devices. Thanks to the Teensy USB dev board, you can get the best of both worlds: A great and sturdy game controller and USB connectivity so you can use it with modern consoles or with your PC.

A long time ago, I used to use an old SNES controller connected to an adapter that connected to the old serial port on one of my ancient PCs?it was perfect for emulated games. Now, the Teensy USB board can do something similar, but it requires a little more hand-on time. You'll need some soldering skills for this project though: You'll have to strip some wires and reconnect the controller's guts to the Teensy before you can use it.

The whole process isn't too difficult, but it does involve opening up the controller and rewiring the inputs to the Teensy. Instructables user johnberkert walks us through the process from start to finish at the link below. Sure you could just go out and buy a USB gamepad, but if you want a really great?and cheap?controller for your retro gaming PC or your iPhone or Android, check it out.

SNES + Teensy = USB/PS3 Gamepad | Instructables

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/BK9ofXTnNkI/turn-an-snes-gamepad-into-a-usb-game-controller-you-can-use-with-your-pc-xbox-360-or-ps3

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Download Me Maybe: U.S. Music Market Up By 3.1%, Fuelled By 1.3B Digital Track Sales In 2012, Says Nielsen

itunes logoToday news broke that Spotify was halting its music download service in favor of pushing more of its streaming services -- raising some questions about how well downloads are doing compared to streaming music. But whatever way you cut it, digital music, and digital music purveyors, now dominate the music business, according to new research out from Nielsen (embedded below).

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/FHyTIzI-UEM/

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"Cliff" concerns give way to earnings focus

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Investors' "fiscal cliff" worries are likely to give way to more fundamental concerns, like earnings, as fourth-quarter reports get under way next week.

Financial results, which begin after the market closes on Tuesday with aluminum company Alcoa , are expected to be only slightly better than the third-quarter's lackluster results. As a warning sign, analyst current estimates are down sharply from what they were in October.

That could set stocks up for more volatility following a week of sharp gains that put the Standard & Poor's 500 index on Friday at the highest close since December 31, 2007. The index also registered its biggest weekly percentage gain in more than a year.

Based on a Reuters analysis, Europe ranks among the chief concerns cited by companies that warned on fourth-quarter results. Uncertainty about the region and its weak economic outlook were cited by more than half of the 25 largest S&P 500 companies that issued warnings.

In the most recent earnings conference calls, macroeconomic worries were cited by 10 companies while the U.S. "fiscal cliff" was cited by at least nine as reasons for their earnings warnings.

"The number of things that could go wrong isn't so high, but the magnitude of how wrong they could go is what's worrisome," said Kurt Winters, senior portfolio manager for Whitebox Mutual Funds in Minneapolis.

Negative-to-positive guidance by S&P 500 companies for the fourth quarter was 3.6 to 1, the second worst since the third quarter of 2001, according to Thomson Reuters data.

U.S. lawmakers narrowly averted the "fiscal cliff" by coming to a last-minute agreement on a bill to avoid steep tax hikes this weeks -- driving the rally in stocks -- but the battle over further spending cuts is expected to resume in two months.

Investors also have seen a revival of worries about Europe's sovereign debt problems, with Moody's in November downgrading France's credit rating and debt crises looming for Spain and other countries.

"You have a recession in Europe as a base case. Europe is still the biggest trading partner with a lot of U.S. companies, and it's still a big chunk of global capital spending," said Adam Parker, chief U.S. equity strategist at Morgan Stanley in New York.

Among companies citing worries about Europe was eBay , whose chief financial officer, Bob Swan, spoke of "macro pressures from Europe" in the company's October earnings conference call.

REVENUE WORRIES

One of the biggest worries voiced about earnings has been whether companies will be able to continue to boost profit growth despite relatively weak revenue growth.

S&P 500 revenue fell 0.8 percent in the third quarter for the first decline since the third quarter of 2009, Thomson Reuters data showed. Earnings growth for the quarter was a paltry 0.1 percent after briefly dipping into negative territory.

On top of that, just 40 percent of S&P 500 companies beat revenue expectations in the third quarter, while 64.2 percent beat earnings estimates, the Thomson Reuters data showed.

For the fourth quarter, estimates are slightly better but are well off estimates for the quarter from just a few months earlier. S&P 500 earnings are expected to have risen 2.8 percent while revenue is expected to have gone up 1.9 percent.

Back in October, earnings growth for the fourth quarter was forecast up 9.9 percent.

In spite of the cautious outlooks, some analysts still see a good chance for earnings beats this reporting period.

"The thinking is you need top line growth for earnings to continue to expand, and we've seen the market defy that," said Mike Jackson, founder of Denver-based investment firm T3 Equity Labs.

Based on his analysis, energy, industrials and consumer discretionary are the S&P sectors most likely to beat earnings expectations in the upcoming season, while consumer staples, materials and utilities are the least likely to beat, Jackson said.

Sounding a positive note on Friday, drugmaker Eli Lilly and Co said it expects profit in 2013 to increase by more than Wall Street had been forecasting, primarily due to cost controls and improved productivity.

(Reporting By Caroline Valetkevitch; Editing by Kenneth Barry)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wall-street-week-ahead-cliff-concerns-way-earnings-102236899--sector.html

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6 Russians die in snowmobile crash in Italy

ROME (AP) ? Six Russians were killed and two others were injured when their snowmobile slammed into a fence and flipped over into a ditch during a night run down an Italian ski slope.

RAI state radio reported early Saturday that the crash occurred on an unlit slope late Friday on Mount Cermis in northeast Italy.

The Russian consul general in Milan, Alexei Parmonov, said on Russian state television that he was in contact with Italian investigators, who he said suspect the crash was caused by excessive speed. They also were checking the possibility of a mechanical malfunction.

Parmonov identified the four men and two women who died in the crash. Five of them and also one of the injured men were tourists from Krasnodar, a region in southern Russia near Sochi, which is preparing to hold the 2014 Winter Olympics.

One of the dead women and the other injured man worked in Italy in the tourist industry.

The Russian diplomat gave the names of the dead: Denis Kravchenko, Irina Kravchenko, Vyacheslav Sleptsov, Yulia Yudina, Lyudmila Yudina and Rafilya Pshenichnaya. The injured, he said, were Boris Yudin and Azat Agafarov. All except Pshenichnaya and Agafarov were tourists from Krasnodar.

Yudin's 17-year-old son, who stayed behind in the hotel, lost his mother and sister in the accident, while his father was hospitalized with multiple fractures, Parmonov said.

In 1998, a U.S. Marine jet, flying low on a training run from a nearby air base, accidently sliced a ski gondola's cable on Mount Cermis, sending the cable car crashing to the ground and claiming 20 lives.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/6-russians-die-snowmobile-crash-italy-092114328.html

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WordPress - Bbq Restaurant Theme | ThemeForest

BBQ, the perfect WordPress theme for any cafe, pub, bar, restaurant or local business.

With a unique and minimalistic look, you can easily customise it by uploading your logo and setting your accent color using the color picker in the amazing options panel.

BBQ features:

  • Fully responsive design.
  • Color picker for easy accent customization. (Unlimited color schemes)
  • Responsive slider for home page and food menu items.
  • Two nice menu card templates.
  • Stunning contact template design.
  • Several widgetized areas.
  • Custom post types for food menu, home info boxes and feedback.
  • Nice Blog layout.
  • Custom widgets: Opening hours, Feedback (testimonials), Twitter, Flickr and more.
  • Theme options for full theme control.
  • Built-in contact form in contact template.

Unlimited Color Schemes

This time we?ve decided that you?ll decide which color scheme best fits your site. That?s why we?ve developed this theme with an accent colour selection. This means that, by using a color picker, you?ll be able to choose your style.

Food Menus

BBQ offers an excellent system for administration of menu cards. Powered by a specially developed custom post type and a custom taxonomy you can easily organize your food and drink menu. For those curious customers you can set gluten free items, calories per serving, vegetarian and spiciness. BBQ comes packed with two different menu card templates. First, a stunning grid based menu card template. Second, an amazingly distributed list based menu card template that includes a floating selector.

Opening Hours

Whether your website is for a restaurant or any other type of business, you can easily set your Opening Hours in the blink of an eye. If you change these by season, there?s no problem. Modifying them is a really easy job. Plus, you can show them wherever you want by using the built-in Opening Hours widget. Your site visitors will certainly know when they should visit or call you.

Gallery

We have incorporated the gallery template for this theme. It?s amazingly neat, powered by the famous script fancyBox.

Contact Template

Thinking of local businesses, restaurants, pubs, bars, etc we came to the conclusion that there?s no good business if website visitors/customers don?t know where you?re located. That?s why we specially focused on this template when developing the theme. We think we?ve done a remarkable job. This template shows your location map in an elegant way; it also includes your address, opening hours and a specially developed contact form.

Testimonials

Show what your customers are saying. Use the built-in custom template or set the widget wherever you like, so others can read how amazing you are.

Responsive Design

BBQ is a 100% responsive WordPress theme. This means that it looks great on every device: a really important thing having in mind that, these days, most users look for restaurants/bars from their mobile phones.

If you need an awesome theme to represent your business, BBQ is the right choice for you.

Purchasing any theme you take advantage of free support, we take care about our customers and their sites because we build products for you. All verified buyers have full access to documentation and support.

To access our Support Forum:

Source: http://themeforest.net/item/bbq-restaurant-theme/3716749

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CoStar's People of Note (Dec. 30-Jan. 5) - CoStar Group

It's time to update those contact managers with CoStar's People of Note, reporting news on significant new CRE hires and promotions. This week, the following companies announced personnel moves: USAA Real Estate Co., Colliers International, Transwestern, BGC Partners, Prudential Financial and Baum Realty.

This week's People of Note includes the following markets: Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, New York City, Northern New Jersey, Orlando, Philadelphia, Southwest Florida and Tampa Bay.

NEW YORK CITY
Bermingham Joins USAA Real Estate's NY Regional Office
By Laurie Forbes

USAA Real Estate Co. hired Thomas V. Bermingham as managing director of investments. He is based in the firm?s new northeast regional branch in New York City. Bermingham will supervise the office?s acquisition, development and joint venture opportunities.

The industry veteran has more than three decades of commercial real estate experience. Bermingham previously worked as a senior vice president at Patrinely Group, an affiliate of Crimson Real Estate Fund LP (CREF), which USAA Real Estate is an investor. He led its acquisition team and supervised development in the Northeast.

Bermingham also spent 11 years as a senior executive for Insignia Financial Group, later purchased by CBRE, managing the company?s New Jersey office before overseeing all international corporate services between the U.S. and Europe from London.


Editor's Note: CoStar's People of Note is published each Friday covering the latest commercial real estate executive level promotions and new hires. Click on the headline of each article to jump to full coverage. Follow the news on Twitter [at] LaurieForbes and [at] TheCoStarGroup.
ORLANDO, SOUTHWEST FLORIDA, TAMPA BAY
Colliers Promotes Kratz, Scott
By Justin Sumner

Colliers International Tampa Bay, Central and Southwest Florida has named Ryan Kratz (left) as president and John K. Scott (right) as senior executive managing director.

Kratz formerly served as executive managing director of brokerage, marketing and operations. Scott formerly held the title of executive vice president of property management. The duo has worked with Lee Arnold, the company's Chairman and CEO, to realize 21 percent revenue growth at the company over the past two years while adding 21 employees including 11 brokers and 6 marketing specialists during the same time period, according to a company release.

Kratz joined the firm in 2010 from NorthMarq. In his new role he will be responsible for strategic and day-to-day operations, building on his ability to lead a wide range of projects and initiatives. Kratz received his MBA with honors from the Harvard Business School.

Scott joined Colliers from Cushman & Wakefield a year ago, and is now responsible for more than 8 million square feet of property under management. Additionally, Scott is a leading expert on sustainability in commercial management, having served as Chair of the BOMA International Sustainability and Market Initiative Task Force.


DENVER, PHILADELPHIA
BGC Partners Acquires Newmark Affiliates in Denver, Philadelphia
By Randyl Drummer

BGC Partners Inc., parent of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank (NGKF), beefed up its presence in Denver and Philadelphia, acquiring separate commercial real estate companies that have operated as Newmark Knight Frank affiliates for several years.

The company acquired Smith Mack, a prominent commercial real estate services company in the greater Philadelphia area that became a Newmark affiliate in 2009. It also bought Frederick Ross Co., the oldest full-service CRE firm in Denver and a Newmark partner since 2010. Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed.

NGKF CEO Barry M. Gosin noted that the pair of acquisitions further bolster Newmark Grubb's national expansion and confirms that its extended platform "offers clients the best real estate solutions in the industry."

Smith Mack founding partners Sidney (Sid) Smith, Jeff Mack and Reid Blynn have been named executive managing directors of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank. The team will be joined by most of Smith Mack's existing brokerage and advisory professionals, who will occupy offices with NGKF professionals in downtown Philadelphia; Wayne, PA; Wilmington, DE; and Marlton, NJ.

In Denver, Jack Box, who has served as president and chief executive officer of Frederick Ross for 24 years, will assume the title of chairman for this NGKF region. Kevin McCabe, credited with growing the Denver office brokerage division by 45 percent since his arrival in 2011, has been appointed executive vice president and managing director for Colorado.


ATLANTA
Jackson Joins Transwestern
By Ben Paul

Bo Jackson (left) joined Transwestern's Atlanta office as managing director and partner.

Jackson will co-manage the firm?s service lines, expand the company's development and investment businesses, as well as recruit brokers and business development. He will report to Bruce Ford (right), Transwestern's president in the southeast region. Jackson previously served as executive vice president at Colonial Properties Trust for six years and has worked at Beacon Properties, Hines, Vantage, and other real estate companies.

The veteran broker has more than three decades of commercial real estate experience. Jackson?s specialty is leasing and sales brokerage, advisory, valuation, asset management, investment services, real estate development and project management.


PHILADELPHIA
Ballard Spahr Names Mellits Chair, Real Estate Department
By Laurie Forbes

Ballard Spahr appointed Bart I. Mellits as chair of its real estate department on Jan. 1, 2013. Mellits, a real estate leasing, acquisition, development and financing specialist, will oversee a staff of 110 attorneys in 11 of the firm?s 13 branches. He is based in Philadelphia.

He succeeds Michael Sklaroff who built the department from the ground up 25 years ago. Sklaroff will continue his practice in real estate development, land use and eminent domain.

Mellits is a partner in firm. He is a member of Ballard Spahr?s elected and expanded boards and formerly served as vice chair of the real estate department. His practice includes working with commercial landlords and tenants on retail, office, industrial and other types of leases. Most of Mellits' development practice involves biotech parks, R&D facilities and medical buildings.


NORTHERN NEW JERSEY
Durning To Lead Prudential's Commercial Mortgage Company
By Timothy Stuart

Prudential Financial Inc., the second largest life insurance firm in the United States, named David Durning president of its commercial mortgage business. Durning will replace David Twardock when he retires in April. Twardock had held the post since 1999.

The $73 billion investment firm is currently targeting the commercial real estate industry to boost investment income. In the past month, Hal Collet was promoted to president of Prudential Asset Resources to oversee commercial mortgage servicing.

Durning currently serves as a senior managing director and joined Prudential in 1988 as an investment analyst. He previously held positions at Shearson Lehman and Chemical Bank.


CHICAGO
Baum Realty Names Demetriou COO
By Bryce Meyers

Mike Demetriou has been named the new chief operating officer of Baum Realty Group LLC in Chicago. Demetriou will oversee Baum?s national real estate services division, which serves national retailers and franchisors to help streamline their operations.

He previously served as a senior real estate associate at both Sidley Austin and SNR Denton in Chicago where he focused on the financing, acquisition, disposition and leasing of commercial real estate throughout the country.

Source: http://www.costar.com/News/Article/CoStars-People-of-Note-Dec-30-Jan-5/144447?ref=/News/Article/CoStars-People-of-Note-Dec-30-Jan-5/144447&src=rss

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From Praise To Outrage: Reactions To Google's Antitrust Settlement

The post-mortem analysis of Google?s antitrust settlement happened very quickly yesterday and this morning with some journalists and analysts concluding that factors other than the law were responsible behind the scenes. For example, Politico asserts?it was largely ?a?calculated and expensive charm offensive? (lobbying) that drove the outcome yesterday.

An even more absurd analysis argues that Google is essential to US foreign policy and thus the FTC let the company off the hook.

While Google lobbying may have had an impact, in reality the the facts and the law weren?t on the FTC?s side on the question of Google?s alleged ?search bias.? There was little or no documented consumer harm. The harm claimed by Google competitors was all speculative: potential harm to their businesses which was supposed to be a proxy for consumer harm. But as?FTC Chair Jon Leibowitz said yesterday,??The law protects competition not competitors.?

The company reactions to yesterday?s settlement announcement came swiftly and ran the gamut from support and approval to anger, even sadness. Below is a sampling of the full spectrum of those reactions.

Microsoft: FTC Result ?Weak and Unusual?

Picking apart each aspect of the settlement, Microsoft VP?& Deputy General Counsel Dave Heiner said the following:

The FTC?s overall resolution of this matter is weak and?frankly?unusual. We are concerned that the FTC may not have obtained adequate relief even on the few subjects that Google has agreed to address . . .

[T]here appears to be no reason, despite the FTC?s optimistic statements this morning, to believe that Google recognizes its responsibilities as an industry leader. That is certainly consistent with the lack of change we continue to witness as we and so many others experience ongoing harm to competition in the marketplace.

The good news is that other antitrust agencies, within the United States and overseas, are still examining Google?s conduct. In Europe Vice President Almunia has made clear that he will close his investigation of Google only with a formal, binding order that addresses search bias and other issues. We remain hopeful that these agencies will stick to their established procedures, ensure transparency, and obtain the additional relief needed to address the serious competition law concerns that remain.

As an aside, the European?Commission said that the FTC decision will have no ?direct implications? for its antitrust investigation or decision. The Commission is currently in settlement negotiations with Google. However the Europeans are expected to be ?tougher? on Mountain View than the FTC was.

Yelp: ?A Missed Opportunity to Protect Innovation?

Here?s Yelp?s official statement, issued yesterday:

Today?s announcements by the?FTC?validate a number of the concerns we have raised about Google?s dominance in the search market and its anti-competitive behavior. The closure of the Commission?s investigation into search bias by Google without action, however, represents a missed opportunity to protect innovation in the Internet economy, and the consumers and businesses that rely upon it. We look for the regulatory bodies continuing their investigation to have greater success.

Marin Software: ?A Huge Leap Forward?

The advertising platform provider focused on the AdWords/data portability aspect of the settlement and generally praised it in a statement?attributed?to?Matt Lawson, Vice President Marketing and Partnerships:

Providing advertisers with true data portability is a huge leap forward for Google, search marketers, and the ecosystem of tools providers that support them.??This isn?t just a means to provide more efficiency to marketers, it?s a good business decision by Google.??By allowing advertisers to more efficiently manage campaigns across engines, marketers will ultimately be able to spend more time optimizing their programs and less time executing basic operational tasks in spreadsheets.??At the end of the day, improvements that make online advertising more efficient, ultimately result in improved performance and budget growth in digital, making this a win for all parties involved ? including Google.

Kenshoo: ?We Commend Google?

Marin competitor Kenshoo also praised the settlement on the basis of the fact that it would make search advertising more?efficient?across platforms:

Google disclosed that it was making two voluntary product changes to create a better experience. The first change gives websites the ability to remove content from specialized Google results pages. The second change allows third-parties that use the AdWords API, such as?Kenshoo, to mix and copy ad campaign data across search engine networks.

This change will make it easier for marketers to manage their ad campaigns across Google, Bing, Yahoo, and other global search engines through the?Kenshoo?platform. More importantly, this change will improve search advertising performance by enabling marketers to quickly and effectively create optimal campaign structures and reallocate budgets to the keywords and channels that are providing the best financial returns.

?We commend Google for addressing the issue of advertising data portability and recognizing the value that companies like?Kenshoo?bring to the digital marketing ecosystem,? said Yoav Izhar-Prato,?Kenshoo?CEO. ?Today?s announcement will make?Kenshoo?s advanced tools even more attractive to advertisers who want to manage all their search campaigns in one place and optimize overall results.?

App Developers Alliance: ?Good News for Developers?

The trade group App Developers Alliance liked the greater ?clarity? around standards-essential patents and expressed hope that this settlement would reduce patent litigation.

?The agreement reached today is good news for?app?developers. Patent litigation slows innovation and inhibits growth in theapps?ecosystem. The framework agreed to by Google and the FTC could help reduce patent litigation industry-wide if other companies voluntarily make the same commitments.

?This announcement, along with the Patent Assertion Entity Workshop co-hosted by the FTC and the Department of Justice last month, is another step in a much bigger effort to provide?developers?and entrepreneurs the clarity they need to innovate,? said Jon Potter, President of the?Application?Developers?Alliance.

FairSearch.org: ?We Will Continue to Fight?

One of the most vocal critics of Google and driver of considerable anti-Google lobbying and PR, FairSearch.org echoed Microsoft?s remarks but at a more general level (Microsoft?is a member of FairSearch):

?The FTC?s decision to close its investigation with only voluntary commitments from Google is disappointing and premature, coming just weeks before the company is expected to make a formal and detailed proposal to resolve the four abuses of dominance identified by the European Commission, first among them biased display of its own properties in?search?results.

The FTC?s settlement is by no means the last word in this case, leaving the FTC without a major role in the final resolution to the investigations of Google?s anti-competitive practices by state attorneys general and the European Commission. The FTC?s inaction on the core question of?search?bias will only embolden Google to act more aggressively to misuse its monopoly power to harm other innovators.

State attorneys general who reportedly disagreed with today?s announcement by the FTC have an important role to play in ensuring both that Google is not allowed to continue practices that hurt every American business through artificially high advertising costs, and to demand that whatever changes Google is forced to make in Europe also apply for U.S. consumers who risk losing innovation because of Google?s aggressive abuse of its dominance.

FairSearch?and its members will continue work with authorities in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere who are investigating Google. Our members also plan to participate in the European Commission?s market testing of any proposed binding remedies to Google?s harms.FairSearch?will continue to fight to restore truly competitive conditions to the market for?search?and related online services. No less than the future of innovation and small business on the Internet is at stake.?

Yahoo didn?t offer any official reaction and hasn?t responded to our request for one as of the time of this writing. I suspect former Google executive and now Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer would simply rather not take a public position that might alienate search partner Microsoft or sour her relationship with Google and its executives.

There were other reactions but the excerpts above reflect the range of?opinions?and emotions following yesterday?s press conference and settlement announcement. As some of the statements indicate the FTC?s case closure isn?t the final word.

The Europeans must make their decision and the US State Attorneys General are still a wild card in this antitrust poker game.

Related Topics: Google: Antitrust | Google: Critics | Google: Web Search | Legal: Regulation | Top News



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Source: http://searchengineland.com/from-praise-to-outrage-reactions-to-googles-antitrust-settlement-144273

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