Aptera: Electric Gadget Car of the Near Future

I want one of the space-age electric cars. Supported by such groups as Idealab, Google.org and EssenJay Investments the Aptera has moved from R&D and is beginning pre-production. You'll actually be able to own one of these suckers soon. It is being built in California and meets all road/highway driving requirements. It will cost between $25k and $45k depending. And it looks cool. And you can plug your iPhone into it.

Of course, Tesla Motors is rumored to be coming out with their new all-electric sedan soon, too. I guess I'll just need to get one of each.

Adventures in Intellectual Property

As an Internet consultant, I get the opportunity to visit a lot of cool companies. Today I was at Intellectual Ventures, the invention and intellectual property factory in Bellevue, Washington. The company was founded by the legendary former Microsoft CTO, Nathan Myrvold.

Myrvold is an avid collector of weird and wonderful items. In the office we saw vintage movie cameras, dozens of 100-year-old typewriters, rare entomology displays and a giant T-Rex head from the movie Jurassic Park. (above, left)

They have a fascinating business model, a brave new world of intellectual pursuit. They acquire or create patents and inventions and then monetize them. See what Fortune Magazine, The New Yorker and Business Week had to say about the company. Also, check out Myrvold's presentation at TED (below).

Wired Science: Free Video for Geeks

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