Today in Globe Business

Uneasy times for the Shapiro family

Eleven days ago, while Bernard Madoff was in a Manhattan jail cell awaiting his 150-year sentence, his old friend Carl Shapiro was enjoying a family dinner at the Four Seasons in Boston. He and his wife, Ruth, were celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary with their children and grandchildren at the luxury hotel, where they often dine.

The festive affair belied the uneasy times for the Shapiro family. Three days before attending the party, Shapiro son-in-law Robert Jaffe was accused by federal regulators of delivering $1 billion in client funds to Madoff, reaping $150 million in improper payments in return. Jaffe denies the charges.

Shapiro, who has lost at least $545 million to Madoff, is one of numerous large investors who are under investigation by US authorities.

To read the full story, please click here.
------------------------------------------------------

A refreshing idea for barnyard odor

When Deerfield farmer Peter Melnik heard about a machine that would make energy from cow manure, he was immediately intrigued.

Not only would using it make his dairy farm more environmentally friendly, the technology could bring in extra cash by converting methane, an odorous and potent greenhouse gas, into electricity that could be sold to the regional power grid.

The machine, called a methane digester, has been popular in Europe since the 1970s, but the idea is just catching on in the United States. Six farms in Vermont have digesters that produce electricity, and Melnik is hoping to be the first Massachusetts farmer to install the machinery.

But the crash of wholesale milk prices, to about half of what they were a year ago, may put this green innovation out of the reach of many independent New England farmers.

To read the full story, please click here.
------------------------------------------------------

EMC aims to tap the best brains in computer science

Even though EMC Corp. makes some of the world’s most advanced data-storage gear, the Hopkinton company is going back to school.

Late last month, EMC unveiled an alliance with the Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. EMC will pay $200,000 a year for the next three years for insider access to the lab’s research.

The company has also opened a new research center in Cambridge where EMC engineers will team up with computer scientists from MIT and other Boston-area universities. And EMC is joining with MIT, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Boston University, and Cisco Systems Inc. to build a $100 million advanced data center in Holyoke.

To read the full story, please click here.
------------------------------------------------------

Blog Filter: Need to think? Maybe it’s time to go unplugged
Have we reached the moment when we are spending a little too much time making eye contact with our iPhones and thumbing our BlackBerries? EMC Corp. executive Mark Lewis recently asked whether “all this connectivity [is] actually making us more productive, more innovative, or even making our lives that much better?’’ It’s an appropriate question as when of us tote laptops and mobile phones to favorite summer getaway spots.

What I wonder . . . is how much our “always on’’ connectivity is hurting how we get our most thoughtful work done. I find that I am most productive and/or come up with the best ideas when I am on an airplane or in the shower. The common thread is that those are the only two places where I am awake and not connected to the almost constant stream of interruptions from my BlackBerry. You can see how we have all become slaves to it. When I give speeches and look out at the audience, there will always be a significant number of folks staring at a glowing screen on their lap.

Now, I will admit that I am the last person who would give up my BlackBerry. There is incredible freedom and productivity in not having to be in the office and still remain connected. I believe, however, that it is important for many to have some time “off the grid.’’ I was even going to praise the governor of South Carolina for taking some time off to clear his head, but my example turned out to be a little problematic.

To read the full story, please click here.
------------------------------------------------------