March 17, 2008

QUICK NEWS (Mobility and The Industry- News and Interests) 03/17/08

Solar Paint
Scientists work to develop photo-voltaic paint. This in effect is a type of solar cell paint, which would complement and in many ways, revolutionize our current concept of solar power generation- namely, big, expensive panels! (Link: http://www.techotic.com/paint-yourself-a-solar-panel.html) Interesting direction to take as I assume it requires a smaller up front investment and holds a greater possibility of being used mainstream in developing countries, where political will may not be particularly strong. Just how much energy can be stored in this manner remains to be seen, but like the saying goes: every little bit helps.

Interestingly enough, I just read in the latest Technology Review that scientists are working on a more advanced version. This dye-sensitized cells are a light-absorbing dye. Unlike the "paint application" abovem, these dyes can be absorbed into just about anything. Clothing, windows, tents, etc. The production of these dyes would also be cheap. Much cheaper than photo-voltaic applications.

Not too bright for Beijing Olympics
"Whether intentionally or unintentionally, some kind of cultural genocide is taking place." broadcast by the Dalai Lama from his home in India. There is an non-confirmed number of 80 people dead floating in the air. The situation is being handled in a strongly Chinese fashion, aka: fly swatting. Beijing has a long history of tolerance with dissidents...(Taiwan, Tiananmen) and this controversy is fueling unrest with the Muslims in the Xinjiang region of China. I would say that things are looking more and more prickly for Beijing.

$1,500,000,000 Digital Advertising Boost
GM is planning on spending half of its 3 billion budget into digital marketing. This basically means online, mobile and gaming advertisements. Interesting to watch more and more companies head in this direction. GM is an industry giant and one whose actions are closely monitored by plenty of American companies. We can expect more of this sort in the coming months.

2 comments:

IzzySquishy said...

On digital advertising boost - yeah, like GM, big advertisers have joined the bandwagon because the potential of capturing their respective target demogs is high! No wonder, digital's share of revenue is higher than digital's estimated share of worldwide media spending. According to Ad Age Data Center,worldwide revenue for digital services in 2007 for advertising's Big Four - Omnicom, WPP, Interpublic and Publicis - was estimated at $3 billion. Instead, it accounted for 12.3% or $ 4.7 billion!

The Jolly Jetsetter said...

Exactly, the statistics do not lie!