=============================================================
Thank you for subscribing to the SRIC-BI News mailing list.

This is a read-only mailing list alerting you to recent
news at SRI Consulting Business Intelligence (SRIC-BI).
To unsubscribe, please visit http://www.sric-bi.com/unsubscribe.shtml
=============================================================


In this issue:

  * The Revolutionary Potential of Cognitive Computing
  * A Major Setback for Digital-Rights Management
  * Early Applications of Swarm Intelligence
  * Magnetic Memory
  * The Expanding Industrial Biotech Market
  * Dramatic Changes in Consumers' Financial Behaviors
  * Promise for Solid-State Lighting
  * Organizational IQ and Business Success
  * New MacroMonitor Proposal
  * Open Source eLearning
  * The Battle for Consumers' Attention
  * Signals of Change
  * Market Prospects for MEMS
  * Presentations by SRIC-BI Staff


----------------------------------------------------------
(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.)
----------------------------------------------------------


---------------------
 Recent Publications
---------------------

The Revolutionary Potential of Cognitive Computing

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) 
recently awarded funds for research and integration efforts 
in cognitive computing. The "cognitive system" that DARPA 
envisions would reason in a variety of ways, learn from 
experience, and provide suggestions for time-sensitive 
problems. Though DARPA's work aims to provide tools for 
military commanders, the same sort of tools could well 
benefit civilians in academia and business. (August 2003 
Knowledge-Based Systems Viewpoints)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Explorer/KBS.shtml


A Major Setback for Digital-Rights Management

With the Apple iTunes Music Store (in the United States) 
and OD2 (in Europe), music fans can fairly easily create 
unencrypted MP3 versions of the songs they buy. These 
technologies could spell doom for businesses like Musicnet 
and Pressplay that place greater restrictions on music use. 
Ultimately, the emergence of pay-per-song downloading with 
minimal restrictions may require music and movie companies 
to transform themselves into efficient rights-licensing 
organizations. (Digital Futures Scan #2)
http://www.sric-bi.com/DF/DFscanSums/DFscanSum02.shtml


Early Applications of Swarm Intelligence

Swarm intelligence, the modeling of processes after the 
behavior of social insects, is evolving into a viable 
application for companies and government agencies. In early 
uses of the technology in telecommunications, logistics, 
labor allocation, and other fields, organizations have 
quickly reduced costs and improved efficiencies. Moreover, 
decision makers have been able to consider many more 
variables than they could otherwise. (Opportunities in 
Swarm Intelligence)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Scan/ScanMonthly/SM006.shtml#D03-2438


Magnetic Memory

IBM and Infineon are moving forward with work in magnetic 
random-access memory (MRAM), one of the leading candidates 
to replace flash memory in handheld devices. The developers 
hope to ready designs for commercial production by 2005. 
MRAM combines technological principles of magnetic and 
silicon manufacturing, seeking to use less power and 
capture data faster than current flash memory does. (August 
2003 Storage Technologies Viewpoints)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Explorer/ST.shtml


The Expanding Industrial Biotech Market

The industrial biotech market--the use of enzymes, 
proteins, or whole-cell systems in traditional 
manufacturing or synthesis--is growing at a healthy 
pace, defying the current difficult financial 
environment. Among the fastest-growing emerging markets 
are industrial enzymes for ethanol fuel, animal feed, 
and food production. (August 2003 Biocatalysis Viewpoints)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Explorer/BC.shtml


Dramatic Changes in Consumers' Financial Behaviors

The economic cycles, market uncertainties, regulatory 
activities, and tax changes of recent years will ripple 
into consumers' financial decisions in dramatic ways. 
Financial providers can anticipate and understand these 
changes by analyzing the attitudinal changes already at 
work among consumers and by looking at how consumers have 
reacted to similar events in the past. (2004: A New Order)
http://www.sric-bi.com/CFD/2004public/MR.VI-04.shtml


Promise for Solid-State Lighting

High-brightness light-emitting diodes (HB LEDs) are 
entering the $12 billion global lighting market as 
replacements for conventional technologies, such as 
incandescent and fluorescent lamps. As the price/
performance index of HB LEDs improves in the next five 
years, current niche applications for solid-state 
lighting are likely to expand. (August 2003 Conductive 
Polymers Viewpoints)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Explorer/CP.shtml


Organizational IQ and Business Success

In a study of the fundamental drivers of success in 
high-technology firms, a Stanford University research 
team found that a company's organizational IQ--its "smarts" 
in management practices and business processes--correlates 
strongly with business success. Companies that assess their 
organizational IQ not only benefit from a mental map of 
good management practices but have a measurable way to 
diagnose problems and monitor the impact of change 
initiatives. (Leveraging Organizational IQ to Improve 
Management Processes)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Scan/ScanMonthly/SM006.shtml#D03-2440


New MacroMonitor Proposal

The proposal for the 2004-05 MacroMonitor--the fourteenth 
installment of the most comprehensive market-research 
program in consumer financial services--is now available. 
To obtain detailed information about U.S. households' 
financial behaviors and attitudes, the MacroMonitor 
program will survey a random sample of nearly 4000 
household decision makers. Financial-services companies 
of all types will be able to use the resulting information 
to answer strategic and tactical questions and to gain 
insights into consumers' financial decisions.
http://www.sric-bi.com/CFD/announcements.shtml


Open Source eLearning

Open source software is attractive to schools and 
universities with limited budgets, and it allows students 
and teachers to leverage already-developed software in 
designing new applications.  To many players in the 
still-young eLearning industry, however, open source 
software and open source eLearning appear to pose threats. 
In fact, a more positive scenario is possible, with 
emerging opportunities for eLearning players. (LoD 
Bulletin, Second Quarter 2003)
http://www.sric-bi.com/LoD/bulletins.shtml


The Battle for Consumers' Attention

Banner ads on the Internet quickly alienated consumers 
and spooked advertisers, illustrating the pitfalls of 
using intrusive ways to attract consumers' attention. 
Attention-grabbing techniques are at an experimental 
stage, with a wide range of media available for 
spreading the word, so companies need to look for 
ever-more-creative ways to create favorable buzz for 
their brands and avoid campaigns that alienate consumers. 
(Engaging Consumers' Attention and Building Brand Awareness)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Scan/ScanMonthly/SM006.shtml#D03-2441


Signals of Change

As major online players like Amazon and eBay seek to 
become the platform of choice for e-commerce, a new 
e-commerce ecosystem is emerging. The August issue of 
Scan Monthly explores the implications of this development 
along with topics such as the future of cognitive 
computing, the downside of deregulation, and the marketing 
implications of ad hoc communities that form around 
products. (Scan Monthly, August 2003)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Scan/ScanMonthly/SM006.shtml#SoCs


Market Prospects for MEMS

So far, the highest-volume applications of 
microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have been in 
disk-drive heads, ink-jet-printer heads, accelerometers, 
and pressure sensors. However, if developers can overcome 
the technology's many challenges, MEMS show great promise 
in several other areas, including bioMEMS for implantable 
medical devices, optical radio-frequency components, 
automotive applications, consumer electronics, defense 
applications, process control, and home appliances. 
(MEMS: Growing Market Applications and Opportunities)
http://www.sric-bi.com/Scan/ScanMonthly/SM006.shtml#D03-2439



--------------------------------
 Presentations by SRIC-BI Staff
--------------------------------

A Promising Government Intelligence Tool

In a recent management briefing, Bill Ralston, vice 
president of SRIC-BI, described SRIC-BI's work with 
SRI International to develop and install intelligence 
tools in the government sector. One such tool, the SRI 
Early Alert System (SEAS), helps intelligence analysts 
sort through widely disparate inputs about the external 
environment. Ralston sees great potential to apply the 
tool in the corporate sector.
http://www.sric-bi.com/consulting/briefings.shtml


Scanning for Signals of Change

In July 2003, Brock Hinzmann, technology navigator, 
described SRIC-BI's approach to scanning at the World 
Future Society Conference in San Francisco, California. 
His presentation cited some of the signals of change 
that scanners have identified in recent months and pointed 
out how SRIC-BI turns these signals into practical insights.
http://www.sric-bi.com/news.shtml


----------------------------------------------------------
Visit the Web site: http://www.sric-bi.com.

Copyright 2003 by SRI Consulting Business Intelligence.

=============================================================
To unsubscribe, please visit http://www.sric-bi.com/unsubscribe.shtml
To subscribe, please visit http://www.sric-bi.com/sricbinews.shtml