Symphony tries out texting
Sean Newhouse, associate conductor of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, invited concert goers to send a text message to vote for their finale favorite.
Technology
Articles
Computers may be sensible, but consumers manipulate them in weird ways
Computers are sensible, but humans using computers are anything but.
ChaCha trims employees, modifies biz plan
Search engine ChaCha lays off employees, cuts perks, begins limiting its free answers to clients
Indiana CEOs are cautious during financial mayhem
CEOs with Simon Property, Duke Realty Corp. and Interactive Intelligence Inc. report that their companies are taking an uncharacteristically
cautious approach to acquisitions and investments, given the faltering economy.
Expensive ink cartridges for computer printers signal they’re empty when not
Ink cartridges signal that they’re empty when they’re not, but consumers can take steps to judiciously use all the ink in any computer printer cartridge.
Local startup offers ‘virtual’ resume management
In September, Jeff Bockelman launched CareerScribe LLC, a local Web forum where users can "virtually" manage their
resumes.
Fitbrains.com offers games to keep your memory sharp
Vivity Labs has developed a Web
site called
Fit Brains (www.fitbrains.com), which features engaging games and activities that exercise the five key cognitive
areas of the brain: memory, language, concentration, executive functions, and visual and spatial skills.
BEHIND THE NEWS: Plunge takes bloom off investing stars-at least for now
You think the recent stock-market gyrations have been g u t – w r e n c h i n g ? Imagine if you’re responsible not just for your own money, but for millions of dollars others have entrusted to you. That’s the reality for Indiana’s professional money managers, who collectively oversee billions of dollars. In good times, top-performing managers of mutual funds and individual accounts are treated like heroes, heralded with features in Barron’s or appearances on CNBC….
RETURN ON TECHNOLOGY: Web conferences have come a long way, baby
I can change my mind. It’s painful, like yanking off my right arm for a slightly upgraded replacement. But it happens. For a long time, I resisted holding Web conferences. As the name implies, Web conferences are held over the Web, rather than in person. For years, most of the ones I’d been in were videoconferences with grainy, slowly updated images of talking heads where it was difficult even to know who was speaking. I didn’t like the document-centric online…
As politics finds new mediums, local firms are along for the ride
In this year’s election cycle, the policy watchword is "change." But amid the partisan debate, another type of
change is revolutionizing the way candidates track voters and spread messages. Communication tools like
text messaging, social networking and YouTube are increasingly integral to successful politics.
A renewed call for renewable energy mandate: State bucks trend by not forcing utilities to diversify
Indiana has become the lone state in the upper Midwest not requiring that utilities supply a certain percentage of their electricity from renewable resources, such as wind turbines and landfill gas. Last month, Michigan’s legislature mandated that at least 10 percent of electricity supplied in that state be generated from renewable sources by 2015. Indiana’s conspicuous lack of a standard, along with growing environmental concerns over coal, could improve prospects for passing a standard during the 2009 session of the…
New airport terminal throws spotlight on art: Foundation to raise more money to finish major work
A group of professionals wearing hard hats walks into the climate-controlled pedestrian bridge that links a parking garage to the new terminal at Indianapolis International Airport. Circular ceiling fixtures light up in a pattern of red and blue, and a chorus of electronic-sounding sighs greets them: “Ahhh.” The playful, interactive installation by Los Angeles-based Electroland is called “Connections,” and it’s expected to become a favorite of the traveling public. The Indianapolis Airport Authority dedicated $3.89 million of the $1.1 billion…
VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Starting from scratch best hope for health care system
A person’s DNA may someday determine how doctors diagnose illness and prescribe affordable treatment. That same genetic makeup also might help doctors determine whether a person suffering from cancer might be predisposed to respond or not respond to chemotherapy or another type of innovative or experimental treatment. That future picture of health care delivery, however, is missing a key piece. It doesn’t address what those advancements might mean for health insurance and other related questions about medical coverage. Our current…
Ex-Lilly executives open ‘trials’ clinic: Centurion expects high demand from drug firms
A new clinic that is on the cusp of conducting human trials in Indianapolis could distinguish itself as a key player in drug development, not only within the state, but nationally as well. Centurion Clinical Research LLC serves pharmaceutical companies and medical-device makers that need to test their products before they can be approved for widespread use. That first phase, in which healthy people are paid to participate in the overnight studies, is critical in determining the safety and success…
IP law illuminates growing field for women: Increase mirrors rising number of Internet companies and inventions
But more than a century later, women are protecting more than their own assets-they’re increasingly looking out for the intellectual property of business owners large and small. One of the hottest practice groups within law firms today, intellectual property law falls into four basic areas: copyrights, trademarks, patents and publicity rights. With the exception of patent law, which requires a background in science or engineering, no specialized undergraduate degree is required. Gary Roberts, dean and the Gerald L. Bepko professor…
RETURN ON TECHNOLOGY: Should you put your head into ‘cloud computing’?
Sometimes just the name of a technology is enough to make me hate it. An example is the new hot thing, “cloud computing.” For one thing, the name has given marketers everywhere a new meme to exploit with puns, clever ad copy and pictures, speeches and slogans. There is even a cloud computing expo, where reportedly cloudy references were so numerous that it stormed inside the hall. Cloud computing is already here, and it’s only going to get deeper and…
Purdue professor cooks up healthier way to ‘fry’ food: Invention could make microwaves seem like crock pots
A new cooking technology under development at Purdue University could please both dieters looking for lowercalorie meals and food retailers seeking lower costs. It has the potential to produce “fried” foods using vastly less oil, and to cook them at speeds that make microwave ovens seem as slow as crock pots. A Purdue professor is working with Anderson Tool and Engineering Co. in Madison County to create advanced prototypes of the device, called a “radiant fryer.” The first off the…
Firm off to a FAST start: Investors backing company’s kidney assessment technology
FAST Diagnostics quickly is becoming one of the more promising companies in Indiana University’s efforts to commercialize its discoveries. Incorporated in November 2006, it is developing a method to measure kidney function faster and more accurately than existing techniques can. While FAST represents speed, the name actually stands for functional assessment and surveillance technology. The fledgling firm so far has attracted more than $4 million from investors, including $2 million from the state’s 21st Century Fund. BioCrossroads, Rose Hulman Ventures…
EDITORIAL: Signs of hope as many retreat: Some shrug off economic fears
Signs of hope as many retreat Some shrug off economic fears The front page of this week’s IBJ tells of companies that are in dire straits-or out of business-after banks, jittery about a financial collapse, called their loans or canceled their credit line. Stories like these put a local face on the economic crisis that has gripped the American psyche in the last two weeks unlike anything since the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Anyone who didn’t realize credit’s vital role…
IU makes plans to hatch more businesses: Incubator in Bloomington hopes to duplicate success of local Emerging Technologies Center
Ground should be broken late this month or in early November, with completion expected by summer. Cost of the 40,000-square-foot facility-4,000 square feet smaller than the one here-is estimated in the $8 million to $10 million range. While it may be a bit smaller in size, the scope is broader. The new incubator will promote both life sciences companies and information technology firms. That goal differs from the mission of the existing IU Emerging Technologies Center on 10th Street, which…