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In this issue:

* Lessons from Early Adopters of Audio/Video Streaming
* A Hard Fall for Venture Capitalists
* The Next Steps in Genomics Technology...
* ...And the All-Important Genomics Infrastructure
* Friendlier Computer Interfaces
* Plants as Factories
* New Players for Digital-Music Fans
* Electricity from Space
* Questions about the Clout of Web Ads
* Financial Services for Hispanic Households
* The Road to EVs


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Lessons from Early Adopters of Audio/Video Streaming

Some 90% of U.S. Fortune 1000 companies now stream audio and
video earnings announcements to any interested party with a
PC and Internet connection. More important, a dozen or so
pioneering enterprises are experimenting with
mission-critical applications such as product launches and
sales training. (Enterprise Streaming: Lessons from Early
Adopters [Business Intelligence Program] and Streaming
Audio/Video for the Enterprise [Digital Futures])
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B298.shtml#2342
http://www.sric-bi.com/DF/summaries/StreamingAV0801.shtml


A Hard Fall for Venture Capitalists

Venture capitalists, once smitten with technology companies,
are now among the victims of recent drops in the stock
market. As a result, the venture-capital industry has begun
to look inward, reevaluating past practices and seeking a
return to more disciplined processes. New applicants can
expect to undergo a thorough vetting before funding.
(Venture Capital in the Not-So-New Economy)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B298.shtml#2338


The Next Steps in Genomics Technology. . .

Determining the role that genes play in health and disease
will be manageable only if researchers have automated,
high-throughput technologies that are up to the massive
computational task. Life scientists await further advances
in bioinformatics, biochips, protein synthesis, systems
biology, drug discovery and development, and proteomics.
Moreover, end users will want to see clear cost-performance
relationships before adopting new genomics technologies.
(Genomics: Technology Update 2001)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B298.shtml#2339


. . .And the All-Important Genomics Infrastructure

As researchers begin the long trek to commercial application
of genomic information, the genomics infrastructure is
embryonic at best. Among the many missing components of
commercial progress are improved computational techniques
and analytical tools, standards, regulatory guidelines, and
public understanding and acceptance of the new field of
genomics and its implications. (The Emergence of a Genomics
Infrastructure)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B298.shtml#2341


Friendlier Computer Interfaces

Multimodal user interfaces (MMUIs) that make computing
devices easier to use will eventually replace desktop
graphical user interfaces and browsers. At first, MMUIs will
find a place in controlled environments such as medical
venues, 3-D product design, drug development, and customer
service. But other futuristic applications, such as virtual
sports or control of artificial limbs, are likely to follow.
(The Interface Evolution)
http://www.sric-bi.com/BIP/Bulletin/B298.shtml#2340


Plants as Factories

Plants produce a wealth of chemicals that scientists are
just beginning to evaluate for the production of polymers
and as feedstocks for chemical processing. If public support
holds for further work in agricultural genetic engineering,
scientists may be able to produce high-value complex
molecules, such as vaccines, in common crop plants. (August
2001 Biopolymers Viewpoints)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Explorer/BP.shtml


New Players for Digital-Music Fans

Despite recent court judgments against Napster, MP3 fans
will still enjoy abundant free or low-cost audio via PC
compact-disc burners and Internet connections. However,
people lack a convenient way to enjoy MP3 music on their
home stereos or in home theaters, so demand will grow for
non-PC platforms that provide MP3 playback. (MP3 Player
Hardware)
http://www.sric-bi.com/DF/summaries/MP3player0901.shtml


Electricity from Space

Japan is exploring the possibility of launching a
solar-power station in orbit by 2040. Japanese 
scientists believe that the station will create no
pollution, gather more sunlight than earthbound stations do,
and generate as much energy as a nuclear plant. The likely
cost of generating power in space--more than twice that of
generating thermal or nuclear power--is a major hurdle.
(August 2001 Photovoltaics Viewpoints)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Explorer/PV.shtml


Questions about the Clout of Web Ads

Though Internet advertising revenues continue to grow,
advertisers are more than a little disappointed in
click-through rates as low as 0.3%. However, these and other
direct-response metrics don't tell the full story. Recent
research suggests that Web ads can strengthen branding and
encourage customers to visit a Web site later. (August 2001
Internet Commerce Viewpoints)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Explorer/IC.shtml


Financial Services for Hispanic Households

As the 35 million Hispanic households in the United States
see their incomes grow, they will increasingly need financial 
products such as credit cards, home mortgages, and life 
insurance. Financial institutions should be establishing 
relationships with the Hispanic community now, when competition 
is still wide open. (Servicing the Hispanic Market: The Stakes 
Go Up)
http://www.sric-bi.com/CFD/MRsummaries/MR.V-5.shtml


The Road to EVs

Fuel-cell-powered electric vehicles will not crowd the roads
until scientists can find an economical way to deliver
hydrogen to the cells. The storage methods that are
currently in the running--compression or liquefaction, use
of metal hydrides, and gas-on-solid adsorption--all have
advantages, but none satisfy all the requirements for use
in transportation. (August 2001 Fuel Cells Viewpoints)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Explorer/FC.shtml


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Copyright 2001 by SRI Consulting Business Intelligence.