the learning company ( tlc , known briefly as mattel interactive ) is an american educational software company , currently owned by houghton mifflin harcourt .

it produced a grade-based system of learning software and tools to improve productivity .

products for preschoolers through second graders include reader rabbit , and software for more advanced students include the cluefinders .

the company is also known for publishing licensed educational titles featuring characters such as arthur , scooby-doo , zoboomafoo , and caillou .

the learning company

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note : when the learning company purchased brøderbund software , they gained the rights to the carmen sandiego series . only the carmen sandiego games created by the learning company are included here . note that some original brøderbund games are now sold under the learning company name .
agreed to acquire the learning company in a stock - for - stock merger valuing the company at approximately $ 4 . 2 billion . in 1999 , the company name was changed to
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in the fall of 1998 , mattel agreed to acquire the learning company in a stock - for - stock merger valuing the company at approximately $ 4 . 2 billion .
the learning company is a collaboration between the alamo colleges district , and local business leaders to train the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators .
kaplan blog | kaplan early learning company | kaplan early learning co . offers innovative products , cutting - edge curricula / assessments , resources and information for educators , caregivers and parents .
shareholders sued mattel over the learning company deal , naming o ' leary and perik , along with other members of the toy company ' s management , as defendants . in the complaint , the shareholders alleged that under o ' leary and perik the learning company used
accounting manipulations
to gain market share and drive up the company ' s stock price . according to the suit , a sales manager at the learning company at the time of the mattel merger told employees that he
suspected the ' learning company is broke ' and is ' cooking the books . '
mattel paid shareholders $ 122 million to settle the suit . o ' leary and perik settled as well . o ' leary did not return multiple calls for comment . in the past , o ' leary has blamed the problems at the learning company on the technology meltdown and a culture clash between the management of his company and mattel .
the learning company is the current owner of the main carmen sandiego franchise as it purchased the orginal brøderbund software company in 1998 and thus acquired all of the previous titles before then . the learning company has only added two orginal games to the series with carmen sandiego ' s thinkquick challenge and where in the world is carmen sandiego : treasures of knowledge ' ' .
in prosperous times , broderbund did the acquiring . it bought pc globe , an electronic atlas publisher , in 1992 . it even put in a bid to acquire the learning company in 1995 , but the deal fell apart when a company called softkey international outbid it . after the acquisition was completed , softkey changed its name to the learning company .
this is the installation process of the learning company edition of logical journey of the zoombinis . the updated version of the game was published under the name zoombinis : logical journey .
continuity : both series have this with other learning company series . at least one early reader rabbit game featured the characters climbing treasure mountain .
mattel ' s acquisition of the learning company has been referred to as
one of the worst acquisitions of all time
by several prominent business journals .
the north west’s “go - to” provider for apprenticeships , training & learning at work .
home of america ' s premier e - learning services provider , the distance learning company makes e - learning easy and affordable to organizations of almost any size , from dozens of people to thousands . effectively delivering e - learning is much more involved than just offering content over the internet , and every organization faces unique challenges . by working collaboratively with clients , dlc crafts solutions that precisely meet both schedule and budget . the results are effective and convenient e - learning experiences .
broderbund software ( brod ) , the publisher of games like myst and riven , will be acquired by the learning company for us $ 420 million in stock .
the $ 3 . 6 billion acquisition of the learning company , an educational software firm , by mattel took its place yesterday as one of the worst takeovers in recent history when the toymaker sold on the company for less than one - tenth of the purchase price .
the learning company , based in cambridge , massachusetts , expects the broderbund merger to close by the end of september and to increase fiscal 1999 earnings by 10 cents per share .
1980 ( as the learning co . ) palo alto , california , u . s .
this game teaches multiple subjects for kids ages 9–12 . it was also the first title in the carmen sandiego series to be released by the learning company . the game features chase devineaux .
bill dinsmore , the learning company ' s president and chief executive , said in a telephone interview that softkey ' s offer represented a 73 percent premium over what the company ' s shares had traded for before the broderbund deal was announced in the summer .
softkey agreed to pay $ 67 . 50 a share , up from $ 65 , or $ 558 million , in cash for 8 . 28 million shares of the learning company ' s outstanding common stock , and is to exchange softkey shares worth about $ 48 million for unvested learning company employee stock options .
five weeks after initiating a hostile bid , softkey international inc . said today that it had reached an agreement to acquire the learning company for a combination of cash and stock valued at about $ 606 million . learning company said it had terminated its previous merger agreement with broderbund software inc . , its preferred suitor .
in the fall of 1998 , mattel agreed to acquire the learning company in a stock - for - stock merger valuing the company at approximately $ 4 . 2 billion . in 1999 , the company name was changed to mattel interactive , which published not only educational games , but licensed titles from brands like barbie . [ 2 ]
the learning company , based in fremont , calif . , had previously rejected the softkey offer and agreed to merge with broderbund software inc . of novato , calif . , in a stock swap worth more than $ 530 million . learning company officials said today that they were reviewing the new offer and could not comment . broderbund officials said they would not revise their offer , which was sweetened last month . they said that they still expected to prevail when learning company shareholders vote next monday .
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mattel shares rose 43 . 75 cents , to $ 10 . 9375 , on the new york stock exchange . the wall street journal reported yesterday that the learning company had been put on the block .
the learning company , which specializes in educational software such as reader rabbit , will issue 0 . 80 shares of its common shares for each share of broderbund common stock . based on friday ' s closing stock price , the learning company would be paying $ 20 a share , a 21 percent premium over broderbund ' s friday closing price .
learning co . to be bought by softkey for $ 606 million : computers : friendly suitor broderbund is outbid . deal would make softkey largest educational software company .
the learning company that mattel bought was actually a collection of once - leading producers of software for children amassed in an acquisition spree by kevin o ' leary and michael perik , founders of a canadian software company called softkey international inc . softkey , previously known primarily for publishing a cd - rom version of the sports illustrated swimsuit calendar , acquired the original learning company in a hostile takeover in 1995 , and adopted its name .
it ' s not the first bit of unpleasantness for o ' leary . for most of the 1990s , he was the president of educational - software company softkey , which he co - founded with fellow canadian entrepreneur michael perik . o ' leary and perik sold the firm , which they renamed the learning company , to mattel in 1999 for $ 3 . 6 billion . but almost immediately the deal turned sour . the learning company lost $ 200 million in the second half of 1999 alone . o ' leary and perik , who joined mattel after the merger , left the toy company six months later in a management shake - up . in 2001 , mattel disposed of the learning company by giving away most of the division to a private - equity firm for free .
mattel ' s acquisition of the learning company has been referred to as
one of the worst acquisitions of all time
by several prominent business journals . [ 3 ] [ 4 ]
mattel sold the learning company in 2000 at a loss to gores technology group . the total financial losses to mattel have been estimated to be as high as $ 3 . 6 billion .
no , the alamo colleges does not own any part of your idea and company .
the rsc is a registered charity ( no . 212481 ) © 2018 royal shakespeare company
the dayton company establishes the practice of giving 5 percent of pretax profits back to the community . in doing so , it becomes the second american company to establish a preset amount of annual giving .
it was the third acquisition for the learning company in the past four months . earlier this month , the firm bought pf magic , the maker of the
virtual pet
software . in march , it acquired education software maker mindscape .
learning co . to be bought by softkey for $ 606 million : computers : friendly suitor broderbund is outbid . deal would make softkey largest educational software company . - latimes
mattel acquisition and rapid devaluation [ edit ] in the fall of 1998 , mattel agreed to acquire the learning company in a stock - for - stock merger valuing the company at approximately $ 4 . 2 billion . in 1999 , the company name was changed to mattel interactive , which published not only educational games , but licensed titles from brands like barbie . [ 2 ] mattel sold the learning company in 2000 at a loss to gores technology group . the total financial losses to mattel have been estimated to be as high as $ 3 . 6 billion . [ 3 ] mattel ' s acquisition of the learning company has been referred to as
one of the worst acquisitions of all time
by several prominent business journals . [ 3 ] [ 4 ]
the whole point of learning a language is to speak with people . babbel gets you there .
the distance learning company hosts and delivers educational and training content to e - learners around the world . we use our proprietary online technology platform and software to simplify the creation , delivery and tracking of effective e - learning experiences and solutions that provide low - cost alternatives to traditional educational and training experiences .
three traits of the founder ' s mentality that can determine how a company will age .
although it is paying a premium for learning co . - - the purchase price is 63 times the company ' s profits for its most recent fiscal year - - softkey believes it can make the investment pay off quickly by slashing prices and expanding the market for learning co . products such as its reader rabbit series .
mattel sold the learning company in 2000 at a loss to gores technology group . the total financial losses to mattel have been estimated to be as high as $ 3 . 6 billion . [ 3 ]
softkey executives have said they will increase the learning company ' s business by carving multiple titles at lower prices out of its existing line .
the learning company has missed a massive opportunity by not making its software affordable ,
kevin o ' leary , softkey ' s president , said in a statement .
softkey will not make the same mistake . we will dramatically expand the educational software market .
from wikipedia : operation neptune is an educational computer game produced in 1991 by the learning company . the goal of the game is to guide a small submarine through a variety of undersea caverns , collecting pieces of a ruined space capsule . like other games by the learning company , operation neptune is educational and was intended for players age nine to fourteen . it was released as part of the super solvers series for a time .
writedowns of the book value of learning company will result in an after - tax loss of $ 430m . learning company lost nearly $ 300m last year and is currently losing $ 1m a day . analysts said that the price achieved in its re - sale means the may 1999 acquisition was even more disastrous than quaker oats ' $ 1 . 7 billion purchase of snapple , the soft drinks group , in 1994 .
even assuming softkey wins learning company , some analysts question how it will make a return on the investment . softkey plans to spend about $ 1 billion to buy m . e . c . c . and the learning company , which is more than twice the total revenue of the entire educational software industry , said leonard brecken , an analyst with oppenheimer & company . to recover that investment from earnings assumes a growth rate for the industry and market share gains for softkey that are not realistic , he said .
learning a language can be intimidating , but babbel has made it so easy for me .
a series of educational computer games released by the learning company in the late 80 ' s and throughout the 90 ' s . the first and most popular game in this franchise was ,
midnight rescue !
released in 1989 .
but dan lavin , an analyst with dataquest , said softkey really needed the learning company to compete with the makers of premium - priced programs that have cut prices , as the market for its lower - priced programs declines .
goodstart was founded on a vision of giving children the best possible start in life through access to quality early learning .
micro - battles can help a company transform its behavior and become a scale insurgent .
the software sold in retail chains and in direct mail channels across europe , and in the oem channels as well as creating one of the first online imaging models in the market . in 1996 , softkey changed its name to
the learning company
.
wild kratts® © 2015 kratt brothers company ltd . / 9 story media group inc . wild kratts® and creature power® and associated characters , trademarks , and design elements are owned by kratt brothers company ltd . licensed by kratt brothers company ltd . all rights reserved .
in 2014 , houghton mifflin harcourt acquired the learning company brand and ip . they released several book sets under the brand umbrella , including oregon trail adventures , the little box of love , and the little box of laughs . [ 5 ] the company is currently offering the super solvers , mindpower , and starflyers brands as licensing opportunities on its website . [ 6 ]
nervous investors have sold softkey shares as the company embarked on an aggressive acquisition binge , including the $ 370 million friendly offer for the minnesota educational computing corporation , or m . e . c . c . , also on oct . 30 , and last week ' s agreement to acquire compton ' s new media inc . from the tribune company for $ 106 . 5 million . the tribune company also agreed to invest $ 150 million in softkey , which is based in cambridge , mass . , if learning company was acquired .
young pioneers and nostalgic adults can still enjoy learning geography and history with the new the oregon trail card game , apps , and more .
mattel sold the learning company as well as mattel interactive in 2000 at a loss to gores technology group . the total financial losses to mattel have been estimated to be as high as $ 3 . 6 billion . [ 3 ]
mattel inc . said yesterday that it would seek a buyer for the learning company , its educational software unit , which is expected to fetch only a fraction of the $ 3 . 6 billion mattel paid for it in may .
this continuous adaptation requires an ability to learn deeply . learning is not optional ; it is the lifeblood of complex systems , including modern companies . and yet , we often default to the comfortable but shallow learning that is undermined by blame and biases .
broderbund , which upped its initial offer once , said it would not make a new offer for learning co .
softkey’s most prominent takeover was of san francisco - based the learning company ( tlc ) . prior to the sale , tlc hired the center for financial research and analysis ( cfra ) , a forensic accounting firm , to examine its suitor’s financials .
founded in 1980 , the learning company was one of the first personal computer software companies of any kind , and among the early providers of educational programs for the apple ii , then a leading machine . with its mainstay title , reader rabbit , it created a lasting franchise that was unusual in crossing over from home use to in - school , curriculum - based learning .
following the death of his father , george n . dayton , donald c . dayton , grandson of the company founder , becomes president of the dayton company , thus ushering in a new generation of leadership . eventually , all of the founder ' s grandsons—wallace , george ii , kenneth , donald , bruce and douglas—take leadership positions within the company .
but softkey president kevin o ' leary said learning co . will be treated differently from many of the companies it purchased previously .
no main stream media has ever reported that romney , bain cap . , and associated parties are the ones who owned learning .
it ' s the job of the board of directors to do what ' s in the best interests of the shareholders ,
learning co . chief executive william dinsmore said .
it became clear that softkey had the superior offer .
indeed , for learning co . shareholders the deal is a big win : as recently as the end of last year , the company ' s stock was trading at $ 24 . 50 .
our associate schools programme builds on the success of the learning and performance network ( lpn ) which celebrated its ten year anniversary in july 2016 .
broderbund shares jumped $ 2 . 25 , or 13 percent , to close at $ 18 . 75 on nasdaq . learning company ( tlc ) fell 11 cents to $ 24 . 89 on the new york stock exchange .
dpr celebrates 25 years of building great things ! the company also surpasses $ 3 billion in revenue for the first time .
after a decade of rapid growth , dayton dry goods company is renamed the dayton company to better reflect its wide assortment of goods and services . it becomes commonly known as dayton ' s department store .
we have believed that the learning co . has marketing and brand - management that is superior to softkey ' s . we want to bring that to our company . that ' s what ' s different this time around .
on the path of learning , there are challenges and triumphs . each is a moment to learn , grow , and reach higher .
micro - battles can provide quick wins on difficult strategic challenges while starting to transform the company’s broader operating model .
mattel said that it had retained credit suisse first boston to sell learning company . control of any mattel brands will not be part of any deal , it added . the software business will be treated as a discontinued operation in mattel ' s financial statements effective march 31 , which means that its losses will not affect the company ' s bottom line .
following george d . dayton ' s death , son george n . dayton is named president of the dayton company .
to paraphrase david kirkpatrick’s insight on a world being consumed by software , regardless of industry your company is now a learning company , and pretending that it’s not spells serious peril . given this , we cannot continue to construct comfortable stories—essentially fairy tales , complete with villains we blame and punish , and simple conclusions we quickly jump to—because these simplistic stories short circuit our ability to learn . instead , we can choose to build richer , more realistic narratives for the sake of learning .
the learning company was founded in 1980 by ann mccormick , leslie grimm , teri perl , and warren robinett , a former atari employee who had programmed the popular game adventure . they saw the apple ii as an opportunity to teach young children concepts of math , reading , science , problem - solving , and thinking skills . part of the original funding for the company came from a national science foundation grant .
leaders are never done learning and always seek to improve themselves . they are curious about new possibilities and act to explore them .
a learning adventure that fits in your pocket and translates to useful , real - life language skills . your superpowers , unlocked .
spent a fantastic day with big learning company at tramshed tech . very impressed with the quality of work for both pupils and teachers . organisation of the day ensured everyone went home excited and motivated for the challenges set and the learning experiences ahead of us . louise & lisa are professional , enthusiastic and friendly ; they listen and offer advice with an insight into education . looking forward to long relationship , encouraging young stem investigators together .
three qualities can help any company restart its growth engine by removing gunk and complexity that has built up over the years .
have a formed company we’ll help you overcome any obstacle as you look to grow and scale your business .
zoombini island odyssey is one more great program by the learning company . it continues the story of the zoombinis that my whole family enjoys . from the 4 year old to grandma , we all have fun with the logic puzzles and laugh at the wonderful graphics of this program . it is great for developing logical thinking in young children .
the game takes place in a magical realm called treasure mountain . as the game opens , the master of mischief , a common antagonist of the learning company ' s super solvers series and treasure series , steals the kingdom ' s crown and hides all of the castle ' s treasures . the player takes on the roll of the super seeker , whose job is to find the treasures and remove the master of mischief from the throne .
continual learning is crucial for success . we are passionate about providing our clients with the essential skills for maximum performance , flourishing in life and work .
learning ' s revenue growth had already slowed before mattel closed its acquisition . and in august , mr . perik and mr . o ' leary sold a majority of their mattel stock for $ 5 . 9 million each . they left the company in november , after learning reported a third - quarter loss of $ 100 million ; they each received $ 5 . 2 million in severance pay .
welcome to the learning company . one of my secondary school teachers had a motto , “if you don’t aim for gold , you won’t even achieve bronze” . if you are aiming for gold , you have come to the right place . we look forward to partnering with you .
the dayton company becomes a founding member of the retail research association , a cooperative of leading retailers . in 1918 , the association expands and is renamed the associated merchandising corporation .
to set up a private limited company you need to register with companies house . this is known as ‘incorporation’ .
the core of the program is a 6 week training boot camp that trains multidisciplinary startup teams to take ideas and develop them into business models . each startup team consists of multiple students with one faculty member . startup teams are then put through a series of training modules including ideation , business model canvas , and human centered design . teams will have a professor / coach from the innovation department helping them as well as mentor from the learning company board . upon completion of the program , teams will then be able to pitch their work to the learning company board for suggestions as well as access to funding .
or , other tidbits like sankaty is solely owned by mitt , in bermuda ( where billions are buried ) . or - like the
worst corporate merger of all times
where mattel investors lost billions , in 1999 , as soon as mattel merged with ' the learning company ' .
like new maths learning game . my kids loved it and both went to university for science subjects . really good educational maths learning game . ran on win 95 so run in compatability mode on your later / latest computers . hoping this helps your kids / grandkids . thanks for looking
the team led the sale of software in well - known retail chains such as best buy , office depot , staples and wal - mart , in direct mail channels across europe , and in the oem channels as well as creating one of the first online imaging models in the market . in 1996 , softkey changed its name to
the learning company
.
the price proved too high for broderbund , but the company is looking at other possible acquisitions , a spokesman , eric winkler , said .
we looked at the total market , and the stakes for this one company , and decided it was beyond the risk we wanted to accrue for our shareholders ,
he said .
george d . dayton , a banker and real estate investor , becomes a partner in goodfellow ' s dry goods company , the fourth largest department store in minneapolis , minn . the following year , desiring greater involvement , dayton takes sole ownership of the store and becomes the first president of the newly named dayton dry goods company .
as the dayton company looks for new ways to strengthen relationships with guests , company leadership recognizes an opportunity to develop and introduce a new kind of mass - market discount store that caters to value - oriented shoppers seeking a higher - quality experience . at the time , the move toward mass - market retail is considered risky by some industry experts as it moves away from the company ' s dominant position as a department store retailer . by demonstrating visionary leadership , the company takes the first step toward transforming the organization from a family - run department - store chain into one of the nation ' s largest discount - store chains .
softkey international inc . shifted its hostile bid for the learning company today to a cash offer of $ 65 a share , or about $ 606 million . softkey had previously offered a combination of cash and shares , which had declined in value as softkey shares fell by 24 percent in the last few weeks .
free fall is a crisis of obsolescence and decline that can happen at any point in a company ' s life cycle .
o’leary has an impressive track record . he started software publishing firm softkey out of his basement , grew it phenomenally , acquired the learning company ( tlc ) in 1995 for over $ 600 million , then sold it to mattel in 1999 in a stock deal worth over $ 3 . 5 billion .
snapple , which is now being bought by cadbury schweppes , was sold three years later for $ 300m . the learning company fiasco is a huge embarrassment for jill barad , the former mattel chief executive ousted in february with compensation of $ 50m . she masterminded the acquisition with the aim of transforming mattel in one swoop into the second - largest maker of consumer software behind microsoft .
bruce b . dayton and kenneth n . dayton retire from the dayton - hudson corporation board of directors , ending 80 years of direct family involvement with the company .
i have no intention of changing the prices of any of the learning company ' s products ,
mr . o ' leary said in a telephone interview .
i do want to work with their developers to produce products to service that 40 percent of the market that hasn ' t bought educational software because of pricing issues .
there is a popular line of educational software mystery games based on carmen sandiego . each game of the series has a particular theme and subject , where the player must use his or her knowledge to find carmen or any of her innumerable henchmen . this series was originally produced by brøderbund , but it is now produced by the learning company .
sales of so - called edutainment software on cd - rom have slumped as consumers have shifted their interest to the internet and video games . and learning company ' s core offerings - - like reader rabbit and carmen san diego - - are seen as tired entries in a maturing market , analysts said .
softkey ' s successful bid , combined with its earlier acquisition of minnesota educational computing , makes it the largest company in the fast - growing educational software market . learning co . had entered a friendly merger agreement with broderbund last month , but softkey made a higher offer and then clinched the deal with a sweetened all - cash bid last week .
shares of the learning company , which is based in fremont , calif . , closed today at $ 67 . 125 , up $ 3 . 875 , in nasdaq trading , while softkey shares rose $ 1 . 875 , to $ 31 . 125 . broderbund shares fell $ 1 , to $ 58 .
hayley kissel , an analyst at merrill lynch , said the important point for mattel about the learning company sale was
just getting rid of it .
she said :
we have the benefit of 20 - 20 hindsight here . mattel didn ' t invest in its brands and it was an industry that was poised to decline because of intrusion from the internet .
the company ' s first expansion outside downtown minneapolis takes place in march , when a full - line dayton ' s is established in rochester , minn .
this game is a blast and i play it with my 6 year old grandson and he loves it too . it ' s a great learning tool . enjoy !
the leading families of products were the reader rabbit series for ages 2–8 , the treasure mountain reading - math - science series for ages 5–9 , the super solver series for ages 7–12 , the student writing & publishing center for ages 7–adult and the foreign language learning series for ages 15–adult .
kevin o ' leary , softkey ' s president , said that he would not alter the current products of the learning company or m . e . c . c . and that he hoped to retain those companies ' development staffs . he said previous comments he had made about
carving
their titles into multiple products had been misinterpreted .
learn a language on the go with our ios and android apps . continue learning even without wifi , with an offline mode to keep going in those hard - to - reach places .
treasure cove ! is a side - scrolling educational / adventure game whose objective is to plug pipes that are leaking oil into the ocean . the game takes place in the fictional treasure cove which is being polluted with byproducts from experiments done by the master of mischief , a common antagonist of the learning company ' s super seekers games . the player takes on the role of the super seeker , whose job is to plug the pipes leaking oil and rebuild the destroyed bridge to the island by finding gems in the cove in order to stop the pollution at its source .
in november of 1999 , o’leary was fired , six months into a three - year contract . four months later , mattel’s ceo , jill barad , was forced out too . “there is nothing i can say to gloss over how devastating the learning company’s results have been to mattel’s overall performance , ” barad said as she went out the door .
edutainment game series released by the learning company , mostly during the early 1990s . the games star a nameless , gender - not - given individual in a heavy coat and nice hat who , time and time again , is called to thwart the schemes of morty maxwell , a . k . a . , the master of mischief , a villainous magician / mad scientist . the games featured math , science , logic , and reading exercises .
discovery education offers a broad range of free classroom resources that complement and extend learning beyond the bell . foster deeper engagement and opportunities for students to take charge of their own learning with high quality , engaging , relevant tools designed for today’s busy teachers and parents . explore for grades k - 5 » explore for grades 6 - 8 » explore for grades 9 - 12 »
broderbund , one of the oldest and most storied educational and entertainment software makers , had struggled recently . even a stable of best - selling titles like carmen sandiego failed to make enough money for the company to stay on its own . the novato , california , company also did not have as much distribution clout as market leaders microsoft and electronic arts .
anyone who can pick a corporate pocket for $ 3 . 6 billion is a pretty cool customer , but there are many lingering questions about the business that o ' leary and perik delivered to mattel in return for that money .
it was an ugly mess ,
says bernard stolar , a software - industry veteran who was brought in by mattel to take over the learning company from o ' leary and perik .
there had been an awful lot of mismanagement at the company .
( see the top 10 financial - crisis buzzwords . )
softkey has built a business by acquiring struggling software companies , repackaging and repricing their products . the company is going from almost no presence in the educational software market to a commanding lead , but analysts said there was no assurance these acquisitions would pay off . softkey is investing more than $ 1 billion in m . e . c . c . and the learning company at a time when the entire industry has sales of less than $ 500 million . and though softkey is an aggressive player , competitors like davidson & associates and the microsoft corporation are not likely to cede the market without a fight .
how do we go beyond blame or bias to build true learning organizations ? that is the central question of my book ,
beyond blame : learning from failure and success .
it’s a story of an incident that threatens the very existence of a large financial institution , and the counterintuitive steps its leadership took to stop the downward spiral . their approach relies on complexity science , resilience engineering , human factors , cognitive science , and organizational psychology . this approach allows us to identify more underlying conditions for failure , and make our systems ( and organizations ) safer and more resilient . it also enables us to turn our companies into learning companies .
incorporate the holiday tradition of elf on the shelf into your classroom to encourage both learning and fun ! we ' re going to be unveiling 12 days of elf on the shelf to celebrate the holiday season and help you come up with elf on the shelf ideas for your classroom . [ more ]
talks between the two sides began wednesday and quickly resulted in a deal - - despite fears that softkey , unlike broderbund , would drastically cut jobs at the fremont , calif . - based company .
in august , target board of directors names seasoned retail and consumer products veteran brian cornell as the company’s new chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer . cornell , 55 , joins target with more than 30 years of experience at some of the nation’s leading retail and consumer product companies . as target’s new ceo , cornell’s top priorities will be accelerating the company’s performance and advancing target’s omnichannel evolution .
we were delighted to work with phil and lifethrive [ parent of the learning company ] on a management program designed towards individual development and improving communication within the teams . the individuals involved embraced the program and we have seen some really positive changes within the workplace as a result . we also now use the tti assessments as part of our recruitment process which has proved invaluable in enabling us to focus our discussions and target questions for the interviewees leading to the successful recruitment of individuals who share our values and positively enhance our team .
midnight rescue ! is a side - scrolling educational game whose objective is to stop the master of mischief ( also known as morty maxwell ) , a common antagonist of the learning company ' s super solvers series and treasure series , from using his robots to paint the school invisible by midnight . to do this , the player must deduce which of the robots he is hiding in by comparing photographs taken of robots to clues obtained by reading passages left around the school and answering questions about them .
in the late 1960s , target expands across the country to the metro areas of st . louis , dallas and houston . the bullseye logo design is revamped into a more direct , memorable and poignant symbol of the company — what it stands for and offers to all guests everywhere .
in nasdaq trading today , softkey shares closed at $ 29 . 625 , up 62 . 5 cents ; the learning company advanced $ 3 . 125 , to $ 63 . 50 , and broderbund fell $ 2 . 625 , to $ 62 . 125 . analysts said investors were more likely to accept softkey ' s offer now that it was essentially an all - cash deal .
intended to broaden mattel ' s reach , the unit has instead contributed to $ 300 million in losses , a $ 7 billion drop in the company ' s market valuation and the resignation of jill e . barad as chief executive .
subsequent to the acquisition , tlc was reformed from the merger of wordstar , spinnaker , and softkey software . prior to that , softkey was a canadian company that was founded by kevin o ' leary and traded on the toronto stock exchange . during the years following the three - way merger , the combined company was led by michael j . perik as ceo , kevin o ' leary as president and r . scott murray as cfo . tlc acquired many leading brands through acquisitions of such companies as broderbund , mindscape and creative wonders . the company held some of the best - known educational , entertainment and home productivity brands in the market . these included reader rabbit , carmen sandiego , the oregon trail , myst , riven , the print shop , and printmaster .
but some childrens ' software experts said they doubted softkey ' s ability to grow its market share by cutting prices without diminishing quality . many of softkey ' s current products sell for about $ 12 . 95 , compared with learning company titles that range from $ 50 to $ 100 ; developers say there is not enough profit at lower prices to support the cost of producing quality programs .
we are digital education experts . our teaching , training and products deliver big learning outcomes for schools , universities and businesses throughout the uk . as an official provider of lego® education products and training , we are helping to change the world of education .
right from birth , children are ready to learn and at goodstart we employ the most up - to - date thinking in early childhood education to create stimulating , age - appropriate learning environments that give children a secure base and the confidence to explore .
my kids love this dvd set . it is great for learning geography , landmarks , and some history . it took longer than anticipated to receive it , at least a week longer than the estimated delivery date , but it was worth the wait .
many wall street analysts had expected broderbund to sell out . the company had reported string of disappointing financial results in the past two years . it also had to fire about 70 employees in march to control costs .
if you liked zoombinis ' logical journey and mountain rescue - - or even if you never heard of either one - - this game will proove a fantastic bit of fun and learning for your children .
buried in the back pages of the financial press last october was a story about the sale of his mutual fund company , o’leary funds , to canoe financial , an investment firm run by former dragons’ den cast member and entrepreneur brett wilson .
even one of o’leary’s success stories is not all what it cracks up to be . wendy johannson and claudia harvey invented a utility glove for women and needed $ 50 , 000 when they went on the show in 2009 for their company , digit apparel inc . on - air o’leary agreed to give them the money in return for three percent of royalties . after the show , they eventually gave him 10 percent of the company .
subsequent to the acquisition , tlc was reformed from the merger of wordstar , spinnaker and softkey software and was relocated from san francisco and toronto to cambridge , ma . prior to that , softkey was a canadian company that was founded by kevin o ' leary and traded on the toronto stock exchange . during the years following the three - way merger , the combined company was led by michael j . perik as ceo , kevin o ' leary as president and r . scott murray as cfo . the trio led the combination of many leading brands through acquisitions of such companies as broderbund , mecc , mindscape , and creative wonders . the company held some of the best - known educational and office productive brands in the market . these included reader rabbit , carmen sandiego , the oregon trail , myst , riven , the print shop and printmaster .
however , learning company began losing money as soon as it was acquired and the resulting 59pc slump in mattel ' s shares has wiped out $ 3 . 1 billion of market capitalisation . yesterday , robert eckert , mattel ' s new chief executive , announced 350 job losses , a $ 250m restructuring charge and a dividend cut from 9 cents a quarter to 5 cents a year with the aim of saving $ 200m a year .
when asked what he considered to be the most successful moment at dpr , doug answered , “we’ve had a lot of great successes , but i can’t think of one defining moment , because we’re not done yet . as the company continues to move forward , new opportunities constantly arise . one way we measure success , however , is by not letting employees down and keeping people within the company challenged and moving up . ”
subsequent to the acquisition , tlc was reformed from the merger of wordstar , spinnaker and softkey software and was relocated from san francisco and toronto to cambridge , ma . prior to that , softkey was a canadian company that was founded by kevin o ' leary and traded on the toronto stock exchange . during the years following the three - way merger , the combined company was led by michael j . perik as ceo , kevin o ' leary as president and r . scott murray as cfo . the trio led the combination of many leading brands through acquisitions of such companies as broderbund , mecc , mindscape , and creative wonders . the company held some of the best - known educational , entertainment and home productivity brands in the market . these included reader rabbit , carmen sandiego , the oregon trail , myst , riven , the print shop and printmaster .
moreover , the company , a general producer of software that is based in cambridge , mass . , is best known in the industry for its tactic of undercutting competitors on pricing . analysts said that its aggressive pricing could lower the profitability of the entire educational - software sector .
now open in 32 states , target partners with chip ganassi to form target chip ganassi racing . in the years to come , the new racing partnership embodies all the best aspects of what the company represents — speed , excitement , a modern flair , trend setting and success .
shortly after mr . dinsmore was hired , reece duca , a founding partner of the investment group of santa barbara ( igsb ) , became a member of the board of directors and purchased shares from several founders and original venture firms . in late 1986 , mr . duca was elected chairman of the board and for the next decade he devoted a significant amount of his time to help tlc develop and refine a successful business model and strategy for this nascent industry . igsb became the learning company ' s largest shareholder .
after a decade of significant growth , dayton ' s transforms itself from a regional department - store company to a national retailer . the company ' s initial public offering ( ipo ) is oct . 18 , 1967 . president donald c . dayton takes the new position of chairman of the board , and bruce b . dayton steps into the president role . the corporation has five autonomous divisions : dayton ' s department stores , target stores , b . dalton bookseller , dayton jewelers and dayton development company . the corporate expansion opens new doors and becomes the first step in bringing dayton ' s foundation of affordable , quality fashion , innovative management , community giving and good corporate governance to a national audience .
in nasdaq trading thursday , learning co . gained $ 3 . 875 to $ 67 . 125 , and softkey added $ 1 . 875 to $ 31 . 125 ; broderbund fell $ 1 to $ 58 .
and although we want to do lower - priced versions of learning co . software , we will leave it to their programmers and product managers to decide what these products will look like ,
he said .
in addition to acquiring learning co . and minnesota educational computing , cambridge , mass . - based softkey is spending $ 106 . 5 million to buy tribune co . ' s compton ' s newmedia inc . and compton ' s learning co . in return , tribune co . is investing $ 150 million in softkey , becoming its biggest shareholder . softkey has grown rapidly through acquisitions , often buying weak companies on the cheap and sharply cutting overhead and prices .
dayton company creates wbah radio , one of only six radio stations in minneapolis and the first radio broadcast station to be operated by a department store in the twin cities . at the time , it is the most powerful in the entire midwest . in less than two months , the station sets an official distance record when the local broadcasting is heard in england .
the first target store credit card , known as the target guest card , launches in 1995 . it ' s followed in 2001 by the target visa® credit card , the first company credit card to be accepted at major retailers nationwide . renamed redcards in 2004 , the portfolio of credit products expands to add the target check card in 2007 .
dayton corporation joins forces with the j . l . hudson company of detroit to create the dayton - hudson corporation . the two companies have similar merchandising philosophies and decades of commitment to outstanding corporate governance . the celebration of this new partnership includes a three - day long flower show on wall street . the merger establishes the corporation as one of the 15 largest non - food retailers in the nation .
there were other miscues for o’leary , too . in 2004 , he was appointed to the board of environmental management solutions inc . ( later called englobe inc . ) , an ontario waste management firm . soon afterwards , the board fired the company’s ceo . but the company’s leadership was unable to arrest a decline in its fortunes brought on by an overambitious acquisition program ; the stock price slid from close to $ 4 to 3 . 5 cents during o’leary’s term of almost five years as a director .
broderbund and the learning company had earlier agreed on a stock swap initially worth about $ 550 million , but that slipped to less than $ 500 million as broderbund ' s share price dropped . when softkey changed a previous cash and stock offer to all cash earlier this week , broderbund elected not to raise its offer , which had already been sweetened once . choosing between $ 67 . 50 in cash and a partial broderbund share worth substantially less than that , the board took the cash .


southwest windpower ( swwp ) is a wind turbine manufacturer established in 1987 based in flagstaff , arizona , united states .

the company specializes in small , reliable battery charging wind generators that complement photovoltaics ( solar energy or pv ) in supplying energy to rural areas .

southwest windpower closed for business in the first quarter of 2013 .

the remaining skystream assets were acquired by xzeres wind in july 2013 .

xzeres ceo frank greco had been the ceo of southwest windpower .

southwest windpower

southwest windpower southwest windpower ' s whisper 200 ( formerly called h80 ) 1000 watt wind generator is designed for areas with low to moderate wind speed averages ( less than 12 mph ) . wind turbine
the small wind certification council ( swcc ) has issued its first two full certifications and consumer labels to the bergey windpower excel 10 and the southwest windpower skystream 3 . 7 .
southwest windpower closed their doors for business on february 20 , 2013 . they were one of the largest manufacturers of small wind turbines in the united states .
xzeres corp . designer , manufacturer and marketer of small ( 2 . 5 – 10kw ) wind powered , distributed energy turbines and other renewable energy products , has acquired the assets of southwest windpower . the assets include southwest windpower’s award - winning skystream product line and next - generation skystream product designs , related ip portfolio , manufacturing assets , and inventory .
southwest windpower began designing and distributing small wind turbines in 1987 and was recognized as a leader in the small wind industry . they built and shipped more than 170 , 000 wind turbines to over 120 countries worldwide and , at one point , were sold in more than 88 countries . besides the manufacturing center in flagstaff , arizona , southwest windpower has offices in colorado and germany . southwest windpower systems have been installed in homes , commercial properties , micro grids , remote cabins , telecom transmitters , offshore platforms , water pumping and sailboats .
southwest windpower abruptly closed their doors for business on february 20 , 2013 . the largest manufacturer of small wind turbines in the united states surprised employees , customers , dealers and competitors alike .
southwest windpower is the manufacturer of the skystream 3 . 7 , designed specifically for businesses and homes . more than 8000 skystreams have been installed around the world since its introduction in 2006 .
southwest windpower’s small wind turbines meet customer’s expectations and are proven within the industry , which established and worked together to write standards to protect its customers from false claims and misleading marketing . so what does certification mean for you ?
wind turbines manufactured by southwest wind power . swwp makes residential turbines like the air30 , air40 , air breeze and the whisper series turbines .
you can trust us . why ? well , because southwest windpower has the most certified products in the industry . we want you to know we live up to every label , certification and compliance we affiliate our products to . no gimmicks here . we go the extra length to validate our claims . skeptical ? don’t listen to us ; listen to what others have to say .
the small wind certification council ( swcc ) issued its first two full certifications and consumer labels to the bergey windpower excel 10 and the southwest windpower skystream 3 . 7 . swcc expects to issue more full certifications in the coming months , as more incentive programs initiate certification requirements . sixteen of the remaining 27 turbine models under contract to pursue swcc certification have either started or completed testing . to be granted full swcc certification , turbines must meet the full requirements of the american wind energy association small wind turbine performance and safety standard and complete the swcc review process . for more information about turbines and certification requirements , visit the swcc website .
established in 1987 , southwest windpower are one of the most respected wind generator manufacturers in the world . they produce the air x series and the whisper series of small wind generators . the air series of wind generators was first launched in 1994 , and became a huge success due to it ' s dramatic shape and excellent value - shipping over 100 , 000 units worldwide . these wind generators are no longer available from www . solar - wind . co . uk . details kept for informational purposes .
you’re a smart shopper . you like a good deal for a quality product that you can invest in and trust for years to come , right ? with tight budgets and tiring research , shopping can be just as frustrating as it can be fun . southwest windpower has tried to help that process become a bit easier for you through our extensive product certifications , which allow you to take comfort in your investment by eliminating out any question of product performance and safety , false marketing claims or bloated sale speak .
southwest wind power estimates that a skystream unit will produce about 100 000 kwh of power during its 20â ' ' year design life . ”divide , say , $ 9000 by 100 000 kilowatthours , and you end up with [ an average energy cost of ] 9 cents per kilowatthour , ” says andrew kruse , southwest wind power’s cofounder and vice president of business development . although , generally speaking , larger turbines are more efficient at turning the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy , skystream outperforms 50 - to 100 - kw machines in terms of average cost of energy . many still come in at 20 cents per kilowatthour or more—far above the doe target of 10 to 15 cents per kilowatthour .
in august , southwest wind power , a start - up located in flagstaff , ariz . , began selling a 1 . 8 - kilowatt residential wind turbine dubbed skystream 3 . 7 [ see photo , ”in my backyard” ] . the tiny power plant sells for us $ 5100 ; total cost including installation runs between $ 8500 and $ 11 000 . by comparison , the installed cost of comparable small wind devices can eclipse $ 30 000 .
”there’s not a device that’s anywhere close to matching [ skystream’s ] target cost in the $ 8000 range , ” says dennis lin , a technical manager overseeing the program at the energy department . the device benefited greatly , he says , from the company’s having secured several million dollars in venture capital . this allowed southwest wind power to do two things that are luxuries most small wind - turbine makers cannot afford : spend a lot of time optimizing the turbine’s design before creating a prototype and create the molds and tools that are staples of high - volume manufacturing . the result , says lin , is that as the market takes off , skystream’s price will likely fall .
policy & regulation are aligning with renewables cost declines to make projects more profitable and portfolios more sustainable .
the grid edge comprises technologies , solutions and business models advancing the transition toward a decentralized , distributed and transactive electric grid .
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power fundamentals are changing faster than ever . stay tuned to gtm for the latest .
go deep on one of our hottest topics : hybrid energy . we curate our best reporting on the emerging trends of solar - plus - storage , wind - plus - storage and more .
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eric wesoff is editor - at - large at greentech media . prior to joining gtm , eric wesoff founded sage marketing partners in 2000 to provide sales and marketing - consulting services to venture - capital firms and their portfolio companies in the alternative energy and telecommunications sectors . mr . wesoff has become a well - known , respected authority and speaker in these fields . his expertise covers solar power , fuel cells , biofuels and advanced batteries . his strengths are in market research and analysis , business development and due diligence for investors . he frequently consults for energy startups and silicon valley ' s premier venture capitalists .
altaeros energies employs aerospace technologies to lift a small wind turbine to 1 , 000 feet off the ground where the wind is stronger . the power produced by the airborne wind turbine ( awt ) is sent to the ground via conductors with the unit tethered to the earth .
the mit - , harvard - , and air force - trained team at altaeros just completed a test of a power - producing prototype which actually works , and lifted a wind turbine 350 feet off the ground to generate double the power at high altitude than at typical tower height . the test in the video was completely automated , according to co - founder , adam rein - - unpiloted and able to
lift , generate , and land without any active controls .
these tests took place in the middle of winter in northern maine .
the air force still uses tethered helium inflatable technology - - called aerostats , the industrial cousins of blimps - - on project construction . so , the inflatable technology is not entirely new .
rein notes that the company uses an
off - the - shelf
2 . 5 - kilowatt , 3 . 7 - meter , 3 - blade wind turbine merged with helium inflatables that have lifted radar systems for decades . the unit is rated to go to about 1 , 000 feet in the boundary layer . the tallest terrestrial wind turbine is 350 feet high .
altaeros looks to deploy the units in off - grid and hard to reach spots such as military bases , remote villages , oil and gas sites , eventually even off - shore applications . power in those areas is typically diesel gensets with an expensive price tag of getting the diesel delivered and a total cost of $ 0 . 50 to $ 0 . 75 per kilowatt - hour . altaeros claims it cost will be
a third of that .
lending itself to these remote sites , the unit awt is
really easy and cheap to set up ,
according to rein , and
the whole system packs down to smaller than a compact car .
regulatory bodies and the powers that be are beginning to recognize the existence of this new technology . the faa has put out draft regulations for high - altitude tethered wind turbines . rein claims the awt design can overcome some of the challenges of traditional types wind turbines - - making them quieter with less bird and radar impacts . garrad hassan , a leading wind consultancy , has taken a look at the technology as well .
however , technical , regulatory , financing , and environmental risks remain for this alluring technology .
altaeros is funded by private seed investors , the usda , and the cec . other players in this field include makani power , skywind power , magenn , ampyx , kitegen - - also exploring this part of the atmosphere .
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customers report sending in large payments for orders just one week before the closure , and employees at the flagstaff manufacturing facility reportedly were told to leave quickly , without notice , immediately prior to the closing .
dealers selling and installing the skystream 3 . 7 were also left hanging . carlos fernandez , co - founder of potomac wind energy in dickerson , maryland describes what other dealers have experienced : no notice , no information , and no access to turbines or replacement parts . he expressed bewilderment over how a top - notch turbine with significant investment from ge could close without even forwarding phone calls to a bankruptcy lawyer .
without more information , it is impossible to be sure of the reason for the closure . certainly , the u . s . small wind market has weakened in the last few years . it is a fact that government policies and incentives have been inconsistent , undermining the value of the programs designated to help grow the renewables market . at the same time , many customers for small wind turbines are overseas and these markets are enjoying some solid growth . some have speculated that , with more customers overseas and manufacturing costs lower in those same countries , manufacturers have difficulty justifying the costs of staying in the u . s .
phone calls to mike sobolik , the chief financial officer , and michael french , media relations contact , were not returned and email messages bounced back , undelivered .
the small wind certification council certified the skysteam 3 . 7 in january 2012 . according to larry sherwood , executive director of swcc , “turbine certification is valid so long as the certification renewal conditions listed in the swcc small wind turbine certification policy are met . certification must be renewed annually . if ownership of the turbine design changes , a new certification agreement must be signed by the new owner to maintain the validity of the certification . ”
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think wind power and you probably imagine multimegawatt - scale wind farms featuring gigantic turbines producing power for a few thousand homes . but a handful of companies in the united states would prefer to have each home powered by its own wind turbine .
for years , residential wind power has been a niche business , mainly because the turbines designed for this market cost more than many consumers were willing to spend and the units were not efficient enough to match the cost of power from the grid . but now , one company has managed to break the cost barrier with an affordable turbine that matches the efficiency of commercial wind farm turbines and produces power at grid prices .
while the skystream turbine is not meant to wean you from the grid completely , it can trim home electricity bills by 20 to 90 percent , depending on wind velocities , electricity prices , and government incentives in your area .
skystream is the first device to be spun out of the u . s . department of energy’s wind energy program . the program offers small - turbine makers technical assistance and the use of such facilities as the national renewable energy laboratory wind technology center , in boulder , colo . , to help them reduce the life - cycle cost of energy generated by small wind - power systems .
skystream’s designers focused on making the device a self - contained appliance , like a toaster or a tv set . components usually installed at the base of a tower or indoors are squeezed into skystream’s nacelle ( the housing behind the rotors ) . this saves the company a lot of extra costs in ancillary products , such as wiring and cases , and makes installation simpler . and the development of a new curved shape for the turbine’s airfoil blades has improved its efficiency , allowing it to get the most out of whatever wind is present .
”historically , small wind rotors have been 30 to 35 percent efficient , ” says kruse . ”skystream comes in at around 41 percent , which is close to the efficiencies achieved by large wind turbines putting out megawatts . ” the theoretical maximum rate of conversion for airfoils is 59 . 3 percent .
the sales potential of skystream is promising , says the company . ”according to the u . s . census bureau , there are 17 million homes in america that we believe are appropriate for a small wind system , ” says kruse . that number represents the households on a piece of property of a half acre or more in an area that has an average wind speed of 5 . 4 meters per second or greater .
although it’s just a blip in the more than 10 gigawatts of wind power generated in the united states today , residential wind power has been on the rise , according to the american wind energy association . the washington , d . c . , trade group estimates that u . s . sales of small wind systems jumped 62 percent to $ 17 million last year . the association predicts that sales will remain brisk as long as energy prices continue to rise and state and local governments keep small wind - power subsidies in place—incentives that can , depending on where you live , cut the total installed cost of a wind turbine by more than half .
despite the breezy outlook , industry heavyweights—those producing megawatt - class wind turbines—are not necessarily looking to compete in the under - 100 - kw class . for example , a spokesman at general electric’s renewables subsidiary says that the company will focus on the utility market for the foreseeable future .
”tremendous demand for its 1 . 5 - megawatt turbines and a federal production tax credit for makers of large turbines make utility - scale wind a good business to be in right now for ge , ” says the doe’s lin . legislation creating a similar tax credit for residential turbines has been proposed in congress , but it is not yet law .
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in an effort to harness strong high - altitude winds , the company altaeros energies has developed a floating wind turbine that’s a cross between a traditional windmill and a blimp . after some successful tests , the altaeros team is confident that this new levitating wind turbine will be a viable clean energy option for remote villages and military sites .
the design of the altaeros’ airborne wind turbine is pretty simple . an inflatable , helium - filled shell lifts it off the ground to high altitudes , where winds are much stronger than at ground level . the airborne turbines are held steady by strong tethers , which send electricity generated by the turbine back down to the ground .
“for decades , wind turbines have required cranes and huge towers to lift a few hundred feet off the ground where winds can be slow and gusty , ” said airborne wind turbine inventor ben glass in a release . at higher altitudes , not only are winds more than five times stronger , but they’re also more consistent .
altaeros energies was founded in 2010 by mit and harvard alums . earlier this year , the team completed testing of a 35 - foot scale prototype of the airborne wind turbine in limestone , maine . there , the floating turbine climbed to 350 feet off the ground , generated power , and landed in an automated cycle . according to a press release , the prototype produced more than twice as much power at high altitude than generated at conventional tower height .
there are of course other benefits to having a wind turbine that floats high above the ground . for one , it produces very little noise , and it requires little maintenance ( and what maintenance it does require can be done at ground level ) . additionally , the inflatable shroud covering the wind turbine blocks the spinning blades from being visible to nearby communities .
this is a good idea . now you ' ve eliminated the steel pole and all it takes is the neoprene balloon shroud , the generator motor and blade assembly . there can be no reason why they can ' t dedicate some large factory somewhere to stamp out millions of these in a year . hall them out to sea , anchor them to small barges in vast arrays . now and today ! . . run the electricity back to shore with ocean bottom cables . how really difficult is that as a project compared to the immense construction feats the human race has performed to date . and now you can start counting and wondering from the time i write this until the time you die why you never saw anything more about it until you come back to this link and see this same story hidden on this little web page , unchanged year after year . where can we buy these assembled or in parts ? i ' m going to have to start doing this myself . i ' m sick of reading about it out here year after year .
@ wolf : there are two reasons that there are not solar panels on this one . first , it is a prototype , so they just want to test the turbine part by itself . second , solar panels weigh a good bit . it would require a larger gas bag to hold them up which would lead to extra expense and complications . furthermore , these will not be flying high enough to get them above the clouds , so there is no real advantage to placing panels on them , rather than on the ground below them , if they are in a good area for solar power . as to batteries , if they are tied into the grid , there would not be a battery . if they are being used in a remote area for emergency power , they ' d certainly be on the ground there as well .
seems half thought out to me . why not collect solar energy at the same time with the new flexible solar panels . i hope the battery is on the ground .
don ' t know much about it but i think we can live with it if they make them good - looking and not an eyesore . : p
@ lodhz : the threat to aircraft isn ' t so much to bump into the blimp as to get entangled with its tethers . no wonder this system originates from the state - owned mit , knowing that the us government is seeking by all means to obstruct the forthcoming boom of general aviation likely to be triggered by the recent record performances of electric aircraft - - as witnessed by the latest attempt by president obama to curb airborne individual freedom of movement with a $ 100 tax for each flight of ga aircraft !
@ egalitare thanks . wouldn ' t this then be an obstruction in the airspace for low flying aircraft ? the area has to be a designated one and the potential hazard of an aircraft flying into one of these is something to consider . nevertheless , i like the concept of harnessing high altitude wind power .
@ audigaudi : we are running out as the government sells off its stockpiles at ridiculously low prices . for this project , though , hydrogen would work just fine . even leaving aside our overblown , hindenburg - induced fears , there ' s no reason that an unmanned balloon like this couldn ' t be sent up with it . i can ' t speak to efficiency numbers , but from a kiss standpoint , i like this better than other designs out there which use the entire gas envelope as a rotor . this would likely use more off - the - shelf components and have less stress on the gasbag and thus less wear and leakage than a moving one . frankly , i think this would look pretty cool , rather than be an eyesore , but to each his own .
i love this idea . . . but aren ' t we almost out of helium ?
for military site , also consider the inclusion of istar ( intelligence , surveillance , target acquisition and reconnaissance ) systems .
the shroud might hide the blades . . . but nearby communities can still the shroud . there ' s still an eyesore to be dealt with . but imagine that these things are moved , say every 6 months , so that communities have some free time with uncluttered airspace . much easier than with conventional static wind turbines .
the altitude at which the lower boundary of virtually constant wind flow varies by location . in some places it ' s as low as 600 feet , but when i ' ve read about other variations on airborne wind designs and prototypes , i ' ve seen them planned and designed for above 1500 feet .
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designed for homes and businesses , the skystream 3 . 7 paved the way as the first compact , all - inclusive personal wind generator ( with controls and inverter built in ) designed to work in very low winds . it produces up to 400 kilowatt hours of clean electricity per month * and comes complete with skyview ™ monitoring software , so you can track skystream’s performance right from your computer . what ' s more is that skystream amonst the most highly tested and certified wind turbines in history .
move your mouse over the diagram to see the unique features of the skystream 3 . 7 .
we can tell you a plethora of positive information about our products , but when push comes to shove , you’ll want proof from other individuals or organizations , not just something straight from the horse’s mouth . third - party certification involves an independent assessment , which declares specific requirements that pertain to our wind turbines .
third - party certification ensures that our products are of the highest performance , safety and reliability and in many cases makes our systems eligible for generous government incentive programs that benefit our customers . the importance of every certification and compliance is that the industry is dedicated to giving our customers what they expect with the products they choose to incorporate into their lives .
truth be told , certification and compliance is some pretty complicated stuff . rather than stewing over the semantics and endless explanations , we’ve boiled it down for you to focus in on what you really need to know about the meat of each certification or compliance .
check out our product support pages for our skystream 3 . 7 , air and whisper product lines to read and download their individual certifications :
“the full certification of two turbine models is a major leap forward in establishing consistent consumer ratings and aiding incentive programs with determining eligibility , ” noted swcc executive director larry sherwood . “our labels allow easier comparison shopping and will help small wind turbines gain mainstream acceptance . ”
swcc expects to issue more full certifications in the coming months , as more incentive programs initiate certification requirements . sixteen of the remaining 27 turbine models under contract to pursue swcc certification have either started or completed testing . three turbine models have been granted conditional temporary certification based on certification from the uk’s microgeneration certification scheme ( mcs ) . to be granted full swcc certification , conditional temporary certified turbines must meet the full requirements of the american wind energy association ( awea ) small wind turbine performance and safety standard and complete the swcc review process . download the full press release .
primus wants to thank our air customers for 25 - years of loyalty . repair , upgrade or get a new turbine with discounted pricing . learn more about this amazing new program .
air turbines can be utilized in nearly any off grid system . learn more about the air 30 , air 40 , air breeze and air x marine turbine products and find out which turbine is the best for your wind power needs . start here .
already own an air wind turbine and need to contact us for technical support ? 303 . 242 . 5820 . start here .
wind speeds are highest during the winter months when solar resources are at their minimum .
reliability : 5 - year warranty with over 150 , 000 units installed globally since 1995 .
ease of installation : air is wired directly to battery bank , independent of pv controller and wiring .
nrel is a national laboratory of the u . s . department of energy , office of energy efficiency and renewable energy , operated by the alliance for sustainable energy , llc .
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