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Dow's POWERHOUSE solar shingles get along with non-solar siblings, your HOA
Oh sure, massive photovoltaic installations on rooftops are nothing terribly new, but by and large, the ones we've seen are stuck on massive warehouses or elaborate stadiums in foreign lands. Dow Chemical is doing its darnedest to change all that with the introduction of the POWERHOUSE line of solar shingles. As you'd expect, these solar shingles are aimed at roofers looking to tip their hats to Ma Earth while providing shelter for well-endowed homeowners, and unlike most of the futuristic alternatives, these actually look somewhat similar to traditional shingles. Dow claims that "affordability" will be a feature when they become widely available in 2011, but we're understandably skeptical of such a claim given just how pricey solar roofs currently are (and you know, considering the company's for-profit standing).[Via Jetson Green]
More scientific black magic promises to double Li-ion battery capacity
Go on and file this one away in the folder of "awesome things that could, but won't ever happen." As the brilliant minds around the world figure out how to solve vicious diseases, move motorcars with peanut oil and send engineers to fix a telescope in outer space, we still can't buy a pack of AA cells that last longer than a month or two in our favorite toy. Some call it a limit of physics, some deem it a conspiracy. Whatever the case, we've no doubt whatsoever that a new silicon-containing carbon material -- designed by Dow Corning Toray to double the capacity of existing Li-ion batteries -- won't ever have a real impact in our lives. Of course, it's not like any consumer would actually benefit from having a netbook battery good for 16 hours, nor would wedding photographers enjoy being able to shoot 1,000 indoor shots without cracking the battery door open on their SB-600. No -- that's just absurd. C'mon Dow, prove us wrong here.
AAPL up nearly 14% among broad market gains
Shares of Apple stock closed higher today, among a widespread buying spree that pushed the Dow Industrials up a record-breaking 936 points. AAPL closed at $110.26 per share, an increase of $13.46. Nearly 55 million shares changed hands. Microsoft, Dell, Google, HP, Sun, and AT&T also posted double-digit percentage gains for the day. Analyst firm Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Apple stock to "outperform" this morning, saying the company's short-term prognosis looks good, despite the dip in the market. Bernstein did, however, cut its price target by $50 to $135. AAPL was up slightly in after-hours trading.
