Smart Takes

Archive: 01-2011

• Wolfram|Alpha vs. IBM’s Watson: How they think

  Wolfram Alpha creator Stephen Wolfram compared his answer engine to the IBM’s Watson Jeopardy supercomputer. The subject? Artificial intelligence.

  January 26, 2011, 11:57 AM PST | By Larry Dignan

• China plans megacity with 42 million people

  Urban planners in southern China are evaluating how to merge nine cities — and their systems, from transportation to energy — that lie in the area around the Pearl River Delta.

  January 26, 2011, 10:54 AM PST | By Andrew Nusca

• Mid-size cities rediscover downtown to regain mojo

  Mid-size cities are working to reinvent themselves from being faceless residential suburbs to having a distinct downtown district with retail, restaurants and entertainment.

  January 26, 2011, 10:30 AM PST | By Andrew Nusca

• Top 10 countries for innovation: U.S. leads; Germany, Japan follow

  GE’s new Global Innovation Barometer indicates that global executives believe the U.S. leads the world in innovation. Behind it? Germany, Japan and China.

  January 26, 2011, 7:15 AM PST | By Andrew Nusca

• Your telecom carrier: The enabler of your connected home?

  Telecom carriers—Verizon, AT&T and Sprint—are scrambling to be the hub of your digital life and the center of the connected home.

  January 26, 2011, 6:53 AM PST | By Larry Dignan

• Will America’s latest ‘Sputnik moment’ fuel a cleantech boom?

  President Obama said the cleantech surge in India and China represent a Sputnik moment for the U.S. Obama put out a goal to derive 80 percent of America’s electricity from clean energy...

  January 26, 2011, 2:00 AM PST | By Larry Dignan

• Obama offers call to arms on innovation; says ‘the rules have changed’

  In a State of the Union speech, U.S. president Barack Obama underscored the need to make large investments in innovation, education and infrastructure.

  January 25, 2011, 5:42 PM PST | By Andrew Nusca

• Intel leads funding for Sulfurcell thin-film solar tech

  German solar module manufacturer Sulfurcell has secured $25.6 million in equity funding for its thin-film photovoltaic technology to market. Intel Capital led the charge.

  January 25, 2011, 9:05 AM PST | By Andrew Nusca

• New imaging technique visualizes deep brain

  Stanford researchers have developed a new technique that allows them to monitor neurons in a live brain for months at a time.

  January 25, 2011, 8:35 AM PST | By Andrew Nusca

• Mazda to launch electric car; aims for city commuters

  Japanese automaker Mazda says it is developing an electric vehicle for city commuters in Japan with a target date of 2012.

  January 25, 2011, 8:12 AM PST | By Andrew Nusca