ANN ARBOR ? The Michigan Usability Professional's Association December meeting is marking World Usability Day December 3 with a holiday networking session at Leopold Brothers, a pub in Ann Arbor. The meeting will give members a chance to strengthen local ties the Usability community, or forge new ones. Also will give members a chance to
ANN ARBOR ? The Frankel Commercialization Fund, a student-managed venture capital seed fund at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, has made its first investment, $85,000 in Arbor Photonics an Ann Arbor company commercializing technology that originated in the U-M's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Ann Arbor-based RPM Ventures, which invests
TROY - Automation Alley has received a contract from the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center and the National Automotive Center to provide an analysis of the Small Business Innovation Research program and to propose a strategy for improving the commercialization of SBIR technologies. No dollar figures was provided. The SBIR program is
LANSING ? A greatly expanded telemedicine network throughout the state will allow state residents to rural areas to stay closer to home when in need of medical treatments thanks to a $20.9 million, three-year grant from the Federal Communications Commission. The money will be used to extend high speed Internet connections to 390 public hospitals,
LANSING - On a 20-16 straight party-line vote the Michigan Senate has passed a proposal to replace the expanded sales tax on services with a temporary business tax surcharge, but action on HB 5408 leaves open the dispute on resolving the issue before the tax takes effect on December 1. The Senate changes cuts the
GRAND RAPIDS ? The GLIMA Network, about to undergo a major name change and face lift, has lost one of its founding chapters, the former GLIMAWest, now called AimWest. The separation, begun last August when the GLIMA Network sent internal messages to its eight chapters statewide, culminated with the official split this month. Both sides
ANN ARBOR ? Internet2 is accepting submissions for the 2008 round of the Internet2 IDEA Awards ? for existing or proposed applications that increase the impact of next-generation networks around the world. New this year is the Wave of the Future category for advanced applications that specifically require or make use of a dedicated optical
ANN ARBOR - The Great Lakes Entrepreneur's Quest reported Monday that 44 companies are competing in its Phase I start-up competition, 60 percent more than the 27 that competed in the business-plan contest a year ago. Four in five start-ups hail from southeastern Michigan, with more than half based in Ann Arbor. "Internet technology has
LANSING ? Michigan Lawmakers were told Friday to prepare to meet on Tuesday in anticipation of action on a proposal to replace the expanded sales tax on services, but action on that day is not guaranteed. Discussions continue, and are expected to continue during the weekend over a possible change to the Michigan Business Tax
LANSING - MI Energy Future, a growing coalition of business, environmental, agricultural and manufacturing groups, announced an initiative Thursday of creating a 10 percent renewable energy standard for the state by 2015 and urged people to sign its Online Petition to support that concept. "Clean renewable energy equals Michigan jobs, energy security and a way