E-Commerce Blog

What a difference a few years make. Back when Al Gore ran for president in 2000, experts and laypeople alike engaged in lively debates about whether climate change was real or imagined. Two elections later — after a mammoth public education effort by that same Al Gore — most people believe that the globe is indeed warming up. The problem remains what to do about it. Are we entering an era in which a product’s green credentials will be as important as its reliability or ease of use? Not exactly.

Investing in a Greener Future: Consumers’ True Colors

The new film “Flash of Genius” may be based on a 1960s case of patent infringement, but its David-vs.-Goliath story involving independent inventors going up against monolithic corporations continues to spin off sequels well into the 21st Century, says a Minneapolis-based patent attorney. And while the movie uses the automotive industry to tell its tale of innovation, obsession and redemption, the new dramas are being played out on the e-commerce and Internet search stages.

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Patent Law: Juicy Enough for the Silver Screen

For public utilities, the world seems to be taking on a green hue. Their customers are the beneficiaries of an effort to preserve resources — and save a bit of cash in the process — as they move toward electronic bill payment, have their lights dimmed automatically, and place orders online. For example, Richmond, Va.-based Dominion Virginia Power has launched an initiative that encourages customers to participate in the company’s electronic billing and payment plan by benefiting a community effort to educate children, plant trees and improve the environment.

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Pay Your Electric Bill Online and Plant a Tree

Even though there is much debate raging over the impact of human activities on our environment, a diverse group of industry leaders, government agencies, environmental groups and others do agree on one thing — that energy efficiency is the most significant issue facing technology providers and their customers today. This is due to exponential increases in power and cooling costs over the past few years, and to customer demand for concentrated computing that is outpacing the availability of clean, reliable power in numerous locations worldwide.

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Greening Data Center App Delivery

While the communications industry waits for the FCC to fill in the blanks on a white spaces policy, the commissioners are going forward with another plan that would provide free wireless Internet access throughout the U.S. Late last Friday, the commission released a report showing test results on claims that opening up a narrow part of the spectrum dedicated to free wireless broadband access would interfere with existing carriers’ nearby frequencies. The tests showed that didn’t happen, shooting down technical arguments made by T-Mobile USA.

FCC Tosses Technical Objections to National Wireless Broadband Plan