High-Tech Nova Weekly: Top five trends for 3/12-3/16

These are the industry trends that might have slipped under the radar ...

Google hires DARPA director Regina Dugan

DARPA is losing its director as Regina Dugan was offered an executive position at Google. Although Dr. Dugan’s reputation is dominantly highlighted with national defense executions such as the $50 million “Dog’s Nose Program” she led, which focuses on detecting the explosive contents of landmines, her profound interest in and advocacy for cyber-security will be most advantageous for the nation, as she ventures into the world of Google. Just recently, she gave a speech at the DARPA Cyber Colloquium: she stated, “Today the Internet is commerce. It is a communal mind. It is both vulgar and sublime. Cyberspace is but a vast networked mirror that reflects the human race. In cyberspace, the best and the worst occupy the same time. Wisdom and foolishness are of the same age. Light and darkness are seasons. Joy is sorrow unmasked. Wherever we exist, inseparable, contrasting emotions exist, because otherwise, we feel nothing. These are the timeless words of our existence. It is true in cyberspace too.”

Smart grid technology is on the rise

Smart grids are the future of electrical distribution. The current electrical grid is a bit like water. There's a certain amount of power on the grid and it flows where spouts open -- or where switches flick on, as the case may be. Smart grids, however, offer the promise of a more efficient electrical system. These grids rearrange themselves to put power when and where it is most needed. According to a report released this week, “The Enterprise Smart Grid – a Corporate Buyer’s Guide for Energy Management Software,” some of the companies worth watching in this field are Siemens, EnerNOC, Schneider and Lucid. One not mentioned but just as active is Cisco, who often partners with cities for urban planning.

Carbon continues its ascendancy to one day replace silicon

'Lab on a chip' is a suggestive metaphor for the next step in what has long been among the ultimate goal of electronic technological development: miniaturization. For nearly half a century, the silicon chip has been synonymous with the revolutionary miniaturization offered by silicon-based electronics. Still, silicon is likely to soon be supplanted for two reasons. First, silicon technology could encounter a fundamental limit on the size to which circuits can shrink. Such a limit may well exist, but remains ill-defined as it is one that researchers continue to push. The second reason, exacerbated by the increasing cost of pushing that limit, is that another technology could offer a cheaper and easier road to further miniaturization. Recently, 'lab on a chip' researchers at Oregon State University reported the use of carbon nanotubes as a new form of biosensing technology.

NASA's astrobiology and algae biofuels

The transformation of Earth’s initial rocky and desolate form has come a long way. Its changes are not as much of a mystery thanks to NASA’s astrobiological studies in microbial life to better understand the Earth’s present diverse and life-sustaining state. NASA’s focus on photosynthetic algae is largely geared towards benefits for future human space exploration. One of those benefits includes long-term space flights, which is where the study of photosynthesis in space comes along. It can consume carbon dioxide exhaled by astronauts, produce oxygen and recycle nitrogen-filled wastes. While NASA's advances hold promise for better air to breathe in space, algae advances have many obstacles to overcome before our earthly air becomes healthier to breathe.

Yahoo pulls the trigger on Facebook, but it backfires

Yahoo Inc. alleges that Facebook has infringed ten of its patents related to social networking, advertising and privacy controls. Given Facebook's IPO, the move by Yahoo has been widely decried as an opportunistic cash grab, much like its lawsuit against Google during its IPO. The timing places extra pressure on Facebook to settle quickly in order to avoid a negative impact on IPO, although it remains to be seen whether this tactic will prove fruitful. Facebook issued a statement expressing, "We're disappointed that Yahoo, a longtime business partner of Facebook and a company that has substantially benefited from its association with Facebook, has decided to resort to litigation." An example of one of the patents listed in the complaint is the "Method and system for optimum placement of advertisements on a webpage." This move has not been well-received and has not helped Yahoo's stocks.