links for 2011-01-04

"'Living pigments' is a metaphorical device to refer to the fact that the pigments of the original paint have been replaced by pigmented micro-organisms,"

My question: were the fungi actually the paints used – the painters knew fungi would colonize and provide long-lasting colour?

"Decades after launching a $50 mlllion composting business, Paul Sellew is still in startup mode."

Go figure. A world-class composting company right in Waltham.

Waste Management, one of the largest in the country, betting big on Harvest Power's power composting tech. Composting still has legs and folks can still stand to make big buck with it. [And did I mention composting is indeed a practical use of microbes?]

Yep. 2011 will be about serendipity and discover.

"Shouldn’t your table scraps be helping to produce clean energy? Harvest Power Inc., a Waltham company, may announce a project in Massachusetts to build a plant that turns food waste and yard trimmings into both compost and natural gas equivalents, using a bacteria-assisted process called anaerobic digestion. The company has had discussions with Lexington and other towns, but CEO Paul Sellew will only say that news about a facility in the Northeast could come in the second quarter. Harvest has more than 150 employees."