Not all vehicles have the space and design that allow this process to happen easily. Luckily, it is the most gasoline-hungry cars that do. Pickups, SUVs, vans, and the like represent about 80 million vehicles, with mileage of perhaps 13 to 16 miles per gallon. Converting these should be our first priority. The instincts of conservationists have been to improve what is already pretty good—compact cars with decent fuel efficiency. Our national priority to decrease the amount of oil-based energy dictates that we go after the low-mileage part of the fleet first.

Estimates show that converting these vehicles to dual-fuel operation, even with electricity providing no more than 50 miles of driving range between daily recharging, could cut petroleum imports by 50 to 60 percent—a stunning opportunity.

Our Electric Future

Howard Aiken said "Don't worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you'll have to ram them down people's throats." I have a similar feeling when I'm trying to convince VCs to invest in startups Y Combinator has funded. They're terrified of really novel ideas, unless the founders are good enough salesmen to compensate.

But it's the bold ideas that generate the biggest returns. Any really good new idea will seem bad to most people; otherwise someone would already be doing it. And yet most VCs are driven by consensus, not just within their firms, but within the VC community. The biggest factor determining how a VC will feel about your startup is how other VCs feel about it. I doubt they realize it, but this algorithm guarantees they'll miss all the very best ideas. The more people who have to like a new idea, the more outliers you lose.

Why There Aren't More Googles

EMI, the world’s third largest music company, said today that it was making its music available online without a key anti-piracy measure in a deal with Apple Inc. to boost sales of digital music.

!!!

EMI Dropping Copy Limits on Online Music - New York Times

Securities regulators suspended trading in 35 over-the-counter penny stocks on Thursday that have been the subject of repeated "spam" e-mail campaigns enticing would-be buyers with advertisements like "Ride the Bull," "Ready to Explode" and "Fast Money."

Note to self: don't send stock spam to the chairman of the SEC.

SEC suspends trading in 35 penny stocks over 'spam' - MarketWatch

During December, Sony in particular turned in surprisingly strong sales — but not for its new PlayStation 3.

In a development that industry analysts said speaks to the strength of the video-game market and the lure of low prices, the nation’s best-selling console during the holiday season was Sony’s PlayStation 2, a six-year-old system.

Americans bought 1.4 million PlayStation 2s during the period. That was more than the Xbox 360, which sold 1.1 million units; the Nintendo Wii, which sold 604,000; and the PlayStation 3, which sold 491,000.

Demand Outpaced Supply for New Game Consoles - New York Times

LG Electronics plans to shortly put on sale a high-definition video disc player compatible with both the HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc standards, it said Thursday.

Finally!

LG to show dual HD DVD/Blu-ray player - Yahoo! News

Vanguard has filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to offer a new international equity index fund: Vanguard® FTSE All-World ex USA Index Fund.

Vanguard − Vanguard to broaden international offerings

The median price of a previously owned home fell for the first time in 11 years last month, and inventories of unsold homes swelled to levels not seen in more than a decade.

Home Prices Drop After 11-Year Ascent

Intel Corp., facing slowing demand for personal computers and stiffer competition, is selling its division that makes processors for handheld devices in a $600 million deal announced Tuesday with Marvell Technology Group Ltd.

Intel is selling off XScale aka ARM.

Marvell to Pay $600 Million for Intel Unit - New York Times

AS the frenzied pace of downtown residential development slows in major cities like New York and Chicago, some second- and third-tier markets are just now experiencing an upswing. Especially in cities, like Nashville, where no residential population had existed, people are suddenly hungry for an urban lifestyle and are willing to pay for it.

Creating Demand for City Living in Nashville - New York Times