‘Green’ Computers Become Popular

Rapidly growing interest in environmentally friendly “green” computers has resulted in more than 300 computers being registered with EPEAT, the new green computer standard released in July. Nine manufacturers currently participate in the program.

According to Jeff Omelchuck, EPEAT’s executive director, “Buying green computer equipment is no longer just a desirable thing to do. Many organizations now require it.” As a result, the number of EPEAT registered products and participating manufacturers is expected to continue to grow.

Compared to traditional computer equipment, all EPEAT-registered computers have reduced levels of cadmium, lead and mercury to better protect human health and the environment. They are more energy efficient, which reduces emissions of climate changing greenhouse gases. They are also easier to upgrade and recycle. In fact, manufacturers must offer safe recycling options for EPEAT registered products.

EPEAT products are identified as EPEAT-Bronze, EPEAT-Silver, or EPEAT-Gold depending on the number of environmental features incorporated in the product. For a list of all EPEAT registered products see www.epeat.net.

Student Launches OneYearForSale.com

College student Peter Sauer has devised a new way to earn money to pay his college expenses. Sauer has created a promotional website named www.OneYearForSale.com, which offers exactly what it says: A year’s worth of web time at the price of $1 per minute. Buyers can display their messages on the site’s home page for as many minutes as they choose.

The 19-year-old sophomore, a business major at Grand Valley State University in Michigan, USA, came up with the idea after a dull summer of house painting. “Time is money,” Sauer said, “so why not sell it?”

Buyers can purchase as many or as few minutes as they like. In return the buyers get to create a message, which is then displayed on the site for each minute they purchased. While messages can be almost anything, Sauer encourages people to make their messages funny, unusual and/or interesting. The message can include a link to any website the customer desires. Sauer believes that possible uses of the site include:

• Promoting a business at an affordable ad rate.

• Wishing a loved one a Happy Birthday the new-fashioned way.

• Promoting oneself to potential employers.

$5m Internet Sweepstakes

Web2Corp’s ByIndia.com is offering a free entry to a $5 million sweepstakes to new registrants to any of its properties. Starting on Jan. 25, 2007, Indian citizens living in India or the United Kingdom who sign up for a free account with ByIndia.com will receive an e-mail with a virtual sweepstakes ticket. Registering at ByIndia.com will allow users to post auctions, videos, classifieds, blogs and personal web pages in an India-specific web portal.

Although each registration is limited to one free entry, users will be able to refer up to five friends to ByIndia.com. If a referred friend signs up, the user gets an additional entry for each of those friends who register. Each month for one year (unless a winner is drawn earlier), ByIndia.com will host a drawing for those with virtual tickets to check if their numbers won them $5 million.

For more information visit www.ByIndia.com. Sweepstakes rules and registration instructions will be available after Jan. 24, 2007.

Wipro Technologies Wins ITV Deal

Wipro Technologies has announced a strategic engagement with ITV, the largest company in the UK commercial television sector and one of Europe’s largest program producers. ITV has engaged Wipro to develop the platform for automating the slotting of advertisements through an optimization engine.

“The optimization of ITV’s channel inventory and the placement of our commercial air time are key to the success of our business. The matching of demand and supply maximizes both ITV’s revenue and the effectiveness our of clients’ promotional messages,” said Ian Whitfield, director of Broadcast Technology, ITV. “ITV operates in a dynamic and complex business environment and the new system will not only resolve the existing limitations, but will position ITV to rapidly accommodate further business changes.”