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In this issue. . .

* A Challenge to the Ubiquitous Bar Code
* The E-Marketplace
* Factories in Plants
* Finland, Then the World
* Hotbeds of Biotechnology Activity
* Internet Wisdom
* The Missing Link in Home Networks
* Euroscan Alert
* A Booming Business in Flash Memories
* The "Sensitive" Interface and Other Wild Cards
* Cheaper Solar Cells


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(Full text of SRIC-BI publications is available to sponsoring 
clients only.  To find out if your company is a sponsor, please 
visit http://www.sric-bi.com/info.shtml.)
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A Challenge to the Ubiquitous Bar Code

Though bar-code tagging rules the supply chain today,
radio-frequency identification tagging promises entirely new
opportunities in the future. By hooking up with the
Internet, instant data access, and sensors, RFID tagging
will allow supply-chain players to cut costs and wow
customers with smart customization and fast fulfillment.
(RFID, or The Art of Tagging)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B289.shtml#2293


The E-Marketplace

Businesses are vying to find a successful formula for the
business-to-business electronic marketplace. Some companies
are replicating traditional vertical-integration strategies,
but cross-industry, generalist efforts are more likely to
prevail. (Electronic Marketplaces)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B289.shtml#2294


Factories in Plants

Dow Chemical has made a deal with Epicyte to develop and
manufacture monoclonal antibodies in plants. The antibodies
will treat various infections, including herpes virus, and
the plant-based production method will likely be much less
costly than existing methods. (October Biocatalysis Viewpoints)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Explorer/BC.shtml


Finland, Then the World

Few Nordic consumers would leave the house without their
mobile phones. As a result, the early-adopting Nordic
countries make good test markets and advanced laboratories
for emerging eLearning technologies and applications.
(eLearning in Nordic Countries: A Status Report - LoD Bulletin,
Second Quarter, 2000)
http://www.sric-bi.com/LoD/bulletins.shtml


Hotbeds of Biotechnology Activity

California's unique environment nurtured the growth of the
biotechnology industry in its early days. Now other U.S.
regions, such as the Research Triangle Park in North
Carolina and parts of Washington state, also aspire to be
centers of biotechnology excellence. (Bioregions:
Biotechnology Regional Clusters in the United States)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B289.shtml#2295


Internet Wisdom

Chris McKinstry, an independent researcher, has already
recruited more than 23 000 people to help create a database
of "human consensus facts" (facts that most people agree
about). McKinstry, who is now collaborating with a similar
project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, hopes
ultimately to train a neural network to create "artificial
consciousness." (October Neural Networks Viewpoints)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Explorer/NN.shtml


The Missing Link in Home Networks

Today's home networks are idiosyncratic and messy, but
growing digital traffic within homes--and attractive new
features--will continue to push the market forward. How much
are users willing to spend to hook up their homes, and how
speedily will providers find no-hassle ways to link
disparate devices? (Home Networks)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B289.shtml#2296


Euroscan Alert

Video games will soon add interesting smells to realistic
sound effects and eye-popping visuals. The new e-smell was
one of several topics that analysts discussed at a recent
Scan meeting in Europe. Other discussions focused on the
potential of prescription food and the tension between
national and global imperatives in the global business
arena. (Europe Scan: September 2000)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B289.shtml#2297


A Booming Business in Flash Memories

Flash memories, the fastest of all storage technologies,
have found their way into portable devices, mobile phones,
electronic cameras, and miniature music players. Demand has
been so strong, growing by 64% in 1999, that the industry is
currently experiencing a shortage. (October Optical Storage
Technologies Viewpoints)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Explorer/ST.shtml


The "Sensitive" Interface and Other Wild Cards

In the future, context- and content-sensitive computer
interfaces could adapt to meet users' changing needs.
Another wild card that B-I-P analysts discussed at a recent
Scan meeting is the mysterious shrinking Internet: As the
Internet expands exponentially, people actually shrink their
participation to a level they can manage. (Wild Cards,
September 2000)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B289.shtml#2298


Cheaper Solar Cells

Screen-printing techniques for making contacts in solar
cells haven't changed much since the commercialization of
photovoltaics 30 years ago--but solar-cell materials have.
New polycrystalline and thin-film materials are lowering the
cost of today's photovoltaic systems. (October Photovoltaics 
Viewpoints)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Explorer/PV.shtml


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Copyright 2000 by SRI Consulting Business Intelligenc.