StCredZero brings news that scientists have developed sheets of nanotubes that measure up to three feet by six feet, and they promise “slabs 100 square feet in area as soon as this summer.” The developers see uses for the sheets in electromagnetic shields and airplane construction, and according to the Next Big Future blog, the sheets could also impact the development of solar sails. “The sheets, which the company can produce on its single machine at a rate of one per day, are composed of a series of nanotubes each about a millimeter long, overlapping each other randomly to form a thin mat. The tensile strength of the mat ranges from 200 to 500 megapascals–a measure of how tough it is to break. A sheet of aluminum of equivalent thickness, for comparison, has a strength of 500 megapascals. If Nanocomp takes further steps to align the nanotubes, the strength jumps to 1,200 megapascals.”

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Filed under: Housing

Flamboyant licensing brand and fading reality TV star — er … real estate mogul — Donald Trump has made a great name for himself in super-high-end real estate. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been as financially successful as he’d like you to think. For Trump, glitz and glamor have come at a price. But hey, he gets to go on TV and make fun of Rosie, and no price is too high to pay for that.

But other investors — including his dad Fred Trump, by the way — have had far more success investing in lower-end properties. The latest issues of Forbes features a profile of 78-year old Milton Cooper, and his REIT, Kimco (NYSE: KIM). In the 40 years since he co-founded Kimco, Cooper has turned it into a strip-mall behemoth with over $9 billion in assets. Focusing on less than glamorous “neighborhood and community shopping centers,” Kimco has built built an empire anchored by stores like Bed Bath & Beyond, Old Navy, Michael’s, and Home Depot. So Fifth Avenue this isn’t. But Forbes suggests that Kimco’s retailers may be better-poised to weather a recession than more upscale locations.

With a strong shareholder return since going public in 1992, its been a consistent upward march that ended precisely at the beginning of 2007.

If you’re feeling contrarian and are in the market for REITs, check out Forbes’ REIT Gold List.

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Ted.com has a great sneak peek at Microsoft’s new WorldWide Telescope project. In this video, presented by Roy Gould and Curtis Wong, you’re able to see a combined view of satellites and telescopes from all over the planet and nearby space. The compiled image is rendered using Microsoft’s new high-performance “Visual Experience Engine” that allows users to pan and zoom across the night sky seamlessly.

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Public grills Kevin Rudd on housing affordability, health
News.com.au - HOUSING affordability and health were the topics most asked about when Prime Minister Kevin Rudd fronted the public at the second Federal Government community cabinet this day. More than 700 people turned out to Narangba Say High School, north of

Here’s His Story: People Still Read
Times Daily - Riggio spoke after he and his wife, Louise, announced in New Orleans that the Riggio Foundation would donate $20 million for housing for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Wayne vs. Elder
Dayton Daily News - Home prices for the Dayton metropolitan statistical area climbed 0.07 percent during the quarter, according to the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight.

Time is right to start home improvements
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel - Good news if you’re planning home improvements: You’ve your pick of contractors, many of them are willing to deal on price, materials are readily available and the wait for permits is short. The housing slump and shaky economy have led to a

City gets a look at student housing
Gillette News Record - A $7.1 million contribution to Gillette College for a three- building, 98-student on-campus housing project got a preliminary go-ahead Monday from the City Council. The on-campus housing project is expected to cost about $8.5 million, leaving the

Labor Market On The Verge Of Crumbling? []
RTT News - 3/2/2008 4:40:39 AM Consistent with predictions, growth is now almost at standstill. Housing, employment, consumer and manufacturing activities are all signaling a severe downturn. The employment index of the Chicago Purchasing Managers’ survey

Bank of America chief analyzes housing crisis
Times-Argus - FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Bank of America Corp., the second-largest U.S. bank, will become the nation’s biggest home lender when it completes a $4.1 billion acquisition of troubled Countrywide Financial Corp. by the end of the year. “Countrywide

Prepaid tuition turning tense
St. Petersburg Times - The program sold 58,651 tuition and housing contracts in that first year. To date, Florida Prepaid has sold more than 1.2-million plans, making it the nation’s largest prepaid program.

Lawmakers: Raising taxes not an option
Pensacola News Journal - The slumping housing market not only hurts blue-collar employment and buys at the neighborhood hardware store, it also dents consumer confidence and postpones big-ticket purchases like cars, further depressing sales-tax collections.

Buffett has profitable year, faults housing excess
Reuters - NEW YORK (Reuters) - Warren Buffett concluded a highly profitable year for his Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) (BRKb.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) with an admonition for lenders who fueled the housing crisis and words

Armenia declares state of Emergency after violence
Times of India - Earlier, police forcibly broke up a protesters’ tent camp housing hundreds of people. Witnesses said they had seen demonstrators injured in the nighttime police action, but there was no immediate official information on civilian casualties.

Boeing celebration turns into wake
Everett Herald - Everett real estate agent Karen Schweinfurth, last year’s president of the Snohomish County Camano Association of Realtors, knows that Everett’s economy and housing market are tethered to Boeing’s fortunes.

Channahon’s leader details progress of village
Herald News - Like the rest of the nation, the village has seen a drastic decrease in the housing real estate. Housing permits are down by more than a 100 from 2006.

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