Video: Israel Corp Invests $15.5 Million Into Project Better Place

With gas prices reaching record numbers, one company called Project Better Place is racing to help push Israeli commuters off of fossil fuels, and on towards electric cars.

Since creating these vehicles, as well as the electric stations accompianing them is not exactly cheap, Israel Corp has decided to invest an extra $15.5 million to insure that this project is a success.

(Globes Online) Israel Corp. [...] is to inject a further $15.5 million into Project Better Place, the electric car project headed by CEO Shai Agassi. [...]

The company said it would invest up to $100 million in the venture. This follows a presentation to the Israel Corp. board of the Better Place budget, including milestones and a fund-raising plan.

Previously Project Better Place has been experimenting in Tel Aviv, although they hope to expand their project throughout all of Israel (and hopefully the rest of the planet in the future).

The cars are still fairly expensive, with price ranges between $80,000-$100,000 (according to Globes) although $40,000 of that amount is for the cars unique electric battery. Here is a brief video courtesy of Israel 21^st Century that highlights what this green company is all about.







Project better place is rumored to be in talks with Portugal, although hopefully they will be able to roll out their invention nationwide before the upcoming hydrogen cars from Israel make their debut. ;-)

Tennis: Shahar Peer Defeats Safina (Go Israel!)

(Image Credit: Tom Dolev via Ynet News) 

Shahar Peer, one of Israel's biggest stars in tennis, defeated Dinara Safina from Russia in an intense battle on the tennis court.

(Ynet News) Israel's top female tennis player Shahar Peer beat Russia's Dinara Safina 7-5 6-7 8-6 on Saturday to advance to Wimbledon's fourth round for the first time in her career.

Peer came back in dramatic fashion to beat Safina, the French Open finalist, after trailing 3:5 in the third and deciding set. 

Peer is one of several Israeli tennis stars to break the scene, although Shahar is by far getting the most attention (which is probably due to her incredible matches, like the last one she faced).

Hopefully Peer will be able to survive long enough to take on one of the William sisters--although it may take a miracle to defeat either one of them (as they place a fierce game).

Update: Inserted source link, corrected quote layout.

From The Red Sea To The Dead Sea (Jordan And Israel)

Last month, President Shimon Peres and King Abdullah II of Jordan met together to discuss constructing a pipeline that would pump life giving water from the Red Sea, and pour it into the Dead Sea which borders both nations.

(IsraCast) After years of study and evaluation, the current plan, as envisioned by Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority, is to construct a 112-mile (180 km) partially covered pipeline across the Wadi Araba (Arava), a desert region between Israel and Jordan that stretches from the Gulf of Aqaba in the south to the Dead Sea in the north. [...]

Theoretically, enough Red Sea water flowing into the Dead Sea could restore most of its water level over time. Moreover, hydroelectricity generated from the water coursing down the gradient would power a large desalination plant. Potable freshwater could then be delivered to urban areas, such as Jordan’s capital Amman, to relieve existing shortages. In addition, the canal’s supporters argue that construction could spark more joint Israeli-Jordanian-Palestinian tourism and development projects in the Wadi Araba region.

Peres it seems has been promoting cooperation between Jordan and Israel, which has helped ease tensions between the two nations--not to mention help build up dialogue as well as respect.

Despite their past, both Jordan and Israel have been steadily moving closer together (at least economically) which gives hope to the future that Arabs and Jews can live side by side, regardless of their differences.

(Image Credit: IsraCast)

Will Israel's TruMedia Redefine Traditional Advertising?

Online, the internet advertising wars are heating up--especially in Israel with Yahoo! and Walla! declaring war on Google.

But offline, the war between "entities" may be a little bit blurrier to see, which may have to do with the fact that advertisers using billboards, regular signs, television, etc. have a harder time knowing who exactly is seeing their ad.

TruMedia is hoping to change this with some useful technology, without going "big brother" on interested onlookers.

(Israel 21^st Century) Called iCapture, TruMedia is able to tell ad owners how many people their ad stopped on the street, in the subway or in the mall, how long they gazed at it, and the approximate age of the person.

The company now has its technology installed in about 30 sites across America, and in partnership with Adspace Networks is testing its system in shopping malls in Chesterfield, Missouri and Monroeville, Pennsylvania. [...]

"We just provide numbers," Cohen-Doukhan assures. "You can't go to look to see who watched. A company will just get numbers."  [...]

TruMedia's iCapture technology is based on a camera and computer algorithms to measure distances between facial features on a person to determine gender and age. TruMedia says its technology: "provides a true count of impressions with an accuracy that surpasses any other direct or indirect measurement technology.  

Even though companies will probably be a little sad that they will not be able to read the facial expressions of the various onlookers, they will probably be thrilled that TruMdia's iCapture will be able to at least have some way of reporting results, without having to conduct expensive polling which may simply "guestimate" how effective the ad was.

Note: I wonder how long it will take before Google snaps up this company? (as it would compliment their print, radio and television ad departments)


Image Credit: TruMedia

How Israel Can Get The iPhone (Work In Progress)

(Image from Bring the iPhone to Israel Facebook group)

Despite the fact that Apple is launching the iPhone in countries like Egypt and Jordan, the holy land has been left out completely, which is unusual seeing how tech savvy Israelis are.

Regardless at who is at fault for why the Jewish state was missed (whether its Apple's fault, or the phone carriers), Israelis--both geeks and normal people non-geeks--need to ban together and talk to Apple (perhaps a second email to Steve Jobs will do) as well as two of the major phone carriers--preferably Cellcom and Orange Israel (note: I'll explain why below).

Also talking to i-Digital (the current Israeli Apple distributor) would be good as well, as Apple would probably want someone representing their brand outside of the telecom industry.

1. First off, Israeli users need to be willing to put their shekels where their mouth is--that is sign a new petition with users saying they are reserving 669 ILS (which is about $199 USD) in order to purchase the iPhone.
   
   Since most companies are always looking for ways to make an extra profit, a petition like this would be sure to grab their attention (if not media headlines) and would "miraculously" spark negotiations with Apple.
   
   Of course, in order to get this to work, you need a lot of people signing up and committing to the iPhone purchase (perhaps at least 10,000) if Apple is willing to sell it in Israel.
   
2. Second, contacting the local Israeli mobile phone companies would help out as well. My advice would be contacting Orange Israel and Cellcom. But why these two?
   
   Orange is already a major carrior of the 3G iPhone, and is already bringing the iPhone to a host of countries including Egypt and Jordan. Israeli's should politely ask the company to consider including Israel to their list as well (note: and do not forget to mention the petition of the many Israeli mobile users ready to purchase the iPhone if available).
   
   Orange can be contacted on their main page over here (Orange Israel can be reached over here) or users can simply email the company over at business.international [at] orange.ftgroup.com.
   
   Cellcom would be a decent alternative as well, mainly because they could actually help bring Hebrew to the iPhone (perhaps by hiring this geek).
   
3. Third, Israeli's should announce that they are willing to accept the iPhone in its current glory in English. Say what?
   
   While having the iPhone in Hebrew would be nice (without jailbreaking it), reality is that Apple may be nervous about releasing a product without it being completely debugged 100% (one of the differences between it and Microsoft).
   
   By accepting it in English, Israeli's could prove to Apple how strong the iPhone is in the holy land, which could inspire the company to develop a version later on in Hebrew (to the joy of millions everywhere).
   
   After all, Apple seems to be releasing the iPhone in English to both Egypt and Jordan (note: I could be wrong about this, so correct me if this is not the case), so Israeli's should accept something similar within their own country.

While this will not bring the iPhone to Israel overnight, hopefully these three steps will at least help the Israelis acquire one before the end of the year is out.

If anybody has any other suggestions, ideas, criticisms or whatever, feel free to leave your opinions in the comment section below.

Good News! A Vaccine For Melanoma! (Thanks To Israeli Scientists)

Professor Tamar Peretz and Dr. Michal Lotem, from the Hadassa Medical Center have come up with a unique vacccine for Melanoma, a skin cancer that can cause death in a patient. 

(Israel National News) Israeli scientists have developed a method of vaccination against melanoma, a type of skin cancer often caused by over-exposure to sunlight.  The vaccine is prepared by removing cells from a melanoma growth. The vaccine is designed to prevent recurrences of the disease amongst previous suffers and to increase chances of survival for current ones.

Even though this may not be considered a major disease (at least against the general population) its good to see Israeli medical scientists taking one more plague off the list.

As far as the other cancerous diseases are concerned, Israeli scientists are hard at work finding new ways to kill these cells in various labs across the country.

Video: Affordable Solar Power Via Bright Source Energy?

(Hat Tip: Israel 21^st Century)

With rising gas prices around the world affecting everything from food costs to transportation, many countries (ranging from the US to South Korea) are looking towards solar energy to help offset their dependence upon foreign oil.

One company in called Luz II (a subsidary of BrightSource Energy) is developing a unique way of harnessing the power of the Sun in the Negav desert of Israel.

If successful, Luz II could enable large scale cities powered by solar fields instead of oil and gas (which often pump pollution into our skies).

Hopefully BrightSolar Energy subsidary will be able to make a break through, as their success (along with others) could enable all of us to enjoy a greener tomorrow.

Israel Gearing Up For 2008 Beijing Olympics

With the 2008 Beijing Olympics quickly approaching this August, it looks like the Jewish state will be sending 38 athletes to represent Israel as it competes against the world.

(Haaretz.com) Guy Starik yesterday became the 38th athlete who - assuming that nothing untoward happens between now and August 8 - will represent Israel at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

The veteran marksman was awarded an honorary place at the Games by the International Practical Shooting Confederation, thanks to his remarkable achievement at the Grand Prix event in Munich last month - where he scored a world-record 600 points. As a result, Starik was given a ticket to the 2008 Games - which will be his fourth in total.

Athletes who are able to secure the gold medal for Israel will be awarded 500,000 shekels (or $140,000 USD) while silver and bronze will receive $70,000 USD and $47,000 USD respectively.

The full list of athletes can be found over at Haaretz, although unfortunately it looks as if Micky Cobrin did not make the final cut. :-(

Update (6/29): It looks as if athletes who do not win any medals (but come in close, like 4^th place) will be receiving bonuses as well.

More Millionaires Living In Israel?

Even though the higher number does not--or rather should not be an abosolute indicator on the average wealth of the general population, its good to see that some of the more affluent are taking up residency in Israel.

(Haaretz.com) The number of millionaires in Israel grew at twice the average world rate in 2007, according to the World Wealth Report by Merrill Lynch and Capgemini. Moreover, the analysts found more than a subtle taste for "green" developing, if not always for the loftiest of reasons.

The number of millionaires in Israel jumped 13.6% - by 1,000 persons - to a total of 8,200 by the end of last year. The number of multi-millionaires grew by 12%, to 97. The report defines a millionaire as an individual with liquid assets of at least $1 million, excluding primary residence and consumables. The definition of a multimillionaire is a person who has at least $30 million in the bank.

While this may spur a few conspiracy theories regarding Jews, its a healthy sign regarding not only Israel's present economy, but also its future (hint: they are there to stay in business to the dismay of their enemies).

Nicolas Sarkozy (French President) To Visit Israel

It looks as if Nicolas Sarkozy, the President of France will be visiting the Holy Land this coming Sunday.

(Israel National News) French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife are due to arrive in Israel Sunday afternoon for a three-day visit. Sarkozy will visit the Dead Sea, the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and the Knesset. He is expected to meet with Israeli President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Aviva and Noam Shalit, parents of abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.

Relations between Israel and France have been steadily improving over recent months, with the two nations expanding their friendship within the realm of business.

With Europe now aboard the "we love Israel" train, the tiny Jewish state is finding the world to be a lot more friendlier than it was a decade ago.

Non-Geeks Rejoice! Israel's Wix Now Open To The Public

Wix.com, a company whose product allows users lacking "code moneky skills" to build flash webpages (and widgets) is now open to the public!

(TechCrunch) Wix, the browser-based designer that lets users create Flash-based widgets and full-scale webpages, has launched in public beta. The site specializes in creating colorful Flash pages without requiring any coding[.] [...]

One of the common concerns about Flash websites is that they don’t play nice with search engines, leading to lower page traffic. Wix says it can get around this by generating an XML map for each of their sites that is SEO friendly. Since the launch of its private beta, the company says that they’ve seen a surprisingly high number of users using the designer to create full-fledged sites rather than basic widgets, which makes this search optimization especially important.

While many people are using Wix to create widgets for their webpages (mostly on MySpace), one professional company called IDU Biometrics (previously reviewed over here) is using Wix to spice up their webpage to make it more attractive towards investors.

 

Wix seems to be thrilled with the feedback they have received thus far, although what is really impressive is the way the site allows users to easily create a flash website from scratch.

Israeli Tech: Secure Thy Stuff, Via Eye Ball Motion?

Someone once said that "locks only keep the honest people out." While this may be true, it has not stopped companies from developing, new ways to protect information, valuables and buildings away from the hands of thieves and spies.

Despite the fact that most (if not all) security mechanisms have some flaw that allows an individual to break in without authorization, one Israeli company thinks they may have developed a "fool proof system."

(Israel 21^st Century) Unlike passwords, fingerprints, voice ID, or scanning your retinal markings, ID-U [Biometrics] has found a novel way to create an identification platform based on the complex journey your eyes take when they watch a moving object. Using sophisticated algorithms, your web cam and a computer screen, ID-U has developed, in its words, a "fail-safe method" for identifying one person from the next.

The application is based on the fact that the eyes of each person exhibit their own characteristics when moving. Says Daphna Palti-Wasserman, an engineer, to ISRAEL21c: "The science in it is that the eye movement is a complex motion constructed from a number of parameters including anatomy, physiology, eye structure and chemistry."

According to IDU Biometrics, this system would be so secure that not even your twin brother/sister would be able to pass themselves off as you.

The company is currently seeking investors, as well as a future client (according to Israel 21^st Century they are trying to woo PayPal and Ebay).

Note: With millions of people purchasing web cams, why doesn't IDU Biometrics pursue a partnership with Microsoft/Apple in order to help provide greater security with PC/Macs?