OK, my forebodings of general distress and poverty have come to pass. One reader called them ’somber’, which is as good a word as any. Our clever friends in the alternative energy (PV, organic devices, etc) fields are watching their startups fade away, and those that can, are going back to their academic day jobs. Others are just out of luck, and out of work. A great deal of innovative R&D is hanging fire, and will not last until the wave of stimulus money dribbles down through the traditional channels, and for sure, the venture boys are not taking up the slack.
At Cooke, we have never before had so many dollars of solicited quotations out there, and so few orders. I’m calling people back who were ready to buy two months ago, but who are now just history, erased names in the directory. Our state, Connecticut, is, at least publicly busted, and is essentially forced to squeeze business even more.
So, ms. thin film scientist, where can we go from here? Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Richard Stein 