NASA contractor Honeybee Robotics of New York has asked General Plasma, Inc (GPI) of Tucson, AZ to design an Annular Plasma Source capable of treating dust in a vacuum environment that simulates the conditions the material would be exposed to in extraterrestrial environment. The plasma source will clean organic compounds from the surface of the dust particles and mimic the solar wind. The plasma applied to the dust will also create surface defects on the dust particles similar to those found on the moon.

For more information:

http://generalplasma.com/2010/03/10/general-plasma-selected-for-nasa-lunar-project/

Everyone hates sitting through long meetings and wasting money, fortunately the Bring TIM time management clock/calculator will solve all your companies problems for only $24.95.

“It’s the first ever portable time management cost calculator designed to provide a constant reminder for employees to stay on topic and keep business meetings efficient and effective. Bring TIM! is a sleek and easy to use meeting cost calculator and clock that shows the cost of a meeting in progress.”

That’s right, now there’s a clock that tells your boss how much of the company’s money he’s flushing away.

“The message set forth is that when a company BRINGS this creative clock to a meeting, they can help bring any painfully long business meetings to a succinct and successful close. “

Bring TIM also sets an additional message forth: I have to rely on a $24.95 calculator to let everyone know I don’t know how to run a meeting.

Brad Johnson, President & Founder of Bring TIM! LLC “created Bring TIM! out of his own experience with business meetings that frequently ran four hours or more. As Johnson sat through each meeting, he couldn’t help but think of the work piling on his desk and how much the meetings were costing the company. He knew there had to be a solution.”

Employee’s wasting too much company time and money? Here’s a better solution (NSFW language):

Enter YakAboutIt.com: the site that “allows CONSUMERS to become active participants in the success of new products being launched, NOT by big companies, but EXCLUSIVELY small businesses, and individual entrepreneurs and inventors.”

That’s right, instead of some big corporation infomercial telling you that you need a Snuggie; now its the people who would buy a Snuggie in the first place that are telling you of your need for a recyclable rubber duckie or a window decal calendar (two actual products featured on YakAboutIt.com). In fact these two products are going head-to-head to poll users on how useful they are (A Window of Time is way ahead of Mr Green – Rubber Ducky Remix).

“YAK ABOUT IT will not carry products from companies other than independent inventors or start-up entrepreneurs. Larger companies already have successfully gained national distribution; furthermore, they have huge marketing budgets to build awareness. Big companies are big because the roadblocks have already been removed for them. Our goal is to help the underdog.”

That’s right, tons of would-be Edisons are out there right now, trying to find new ways to hold your coffee cup.

After stumbling across this site, I’ll never have read another press release again.

• El Charro Café leased 4,500 square feet of restaurant space within Rancho Sahuarita Marketplace, at the northeast corner of Interstate 19 and Sahuarita Road, from Rancho Sahuarita Commercial Ventures LLC. Aaron LaPrise and Brian Harpel of the Harpel Company handled the transaction.

• Wayland Baptist University leased 4,352 square feet at 6235 E. Broadway. Rajan Lal, of Picor Commercial Real Estate Services, represented the tenant. Dave Montijo, Bourn Partners, represented the landlord, Tucson Broadway Office Plaza.

• Geosystems Analysis leased the 3,264 square feet at 2015 N. Forbes Blvd., Suite 110, from Forbes Tucson LLC. Rob Glaser, Picor Commercial Real Estate Services, handled the transaction.

• Agility Physical Therapy leased 2,400 square feet within Rancho Sahuarita Marketplace, at I-19 and Sahuarita Road, from Rancho Sahuarita Commercial Ventures LLC. Aaron LaPrise and Brian Harpel of the Harpel Company represented the landlord.

• Stewart Title & Trust leased from A & P Investments, 2,200 square feet at 3865 E. 34th St., Suite 108. Rob Glaser, Picor Commercial Real Estate Services, handled the transaction.

• Center for Employment Dispute Resolutions leased the 1,920 square feet at 2015 N. Forbes Blvd., Suite 110 from Forbes Tucson LLC. Rob Glaser, Picor Commercial Real Estate Services, handled the transaction.

• 5 Dollar Store leased 1,380 square feet at Northgate Plaza, on the northeast corner of East Grant Road and North Alvernon Way. Debbie Heslop, Volk Company, represented the landlord.

• Aveda Institute leased 1,309 square feet at Main Gate Square, 845 E. University Blvd., from the Marshall Foundation. Bourn Partners’ Tamra Williamson represented the tenant and landlord.

• Glass Illusions Gallery leased 1,256 square feet at 5605 E. River Road, Suite 131, in River Center. Andy Seleznov, of Larsen Baker, represented the landlord.

• Tucson Optronics leased 1,240 square feet at 1684 S. Research Loop, Suite 524, from Foothills Business Ventures.  Gary Emerson and Ron Zimmerman of Bourn Partners represented the landlord and the tenant.

• Beit & Burrows LLC leased 1,234 square feet at 3275 W. Ina Road from CALDOR Investments of Arizona LLC. Thomas Nieman, Picor Commercial Real Estate Services, handled the transaction.

• Ituso One leased 1,161 square feet at 5775 E. Broadway from Wave One Properties for a Krispy Kreme Doughnuts drive-through. John Oberg of TucsonBizForSale.com represented the landlord.

• Belton Hearing Center leased 1,111 square feet at La Toscana Village, at the southeast corner of Oracle and Ina roads. Shannon Murphy of CB Richard Ellis represented the landlord, JT La Toscana. Nancy Gnasline, of Oxford Realty Advisors, represented the tenants.

• Headliners Barber Shop leased 1,080 square feet at 3921 E. 29th St. Rob Glaser and Paul Hooker, of Picor Commercial Real Estate Services, handled the transaction for landlord Presson Midpoint.

• Cell Phone City leased 1,050 square feet at Rita Ranch Shopping Center, 9040 E. Valencia Road, Suite 106, from CNA Enterprises. David Dutson of Bourn Partners represented the landlord and tenant.

• Nancy and Ben Craney leased 900 square feet at Gold Canyon Plaza, at the northeast corner of Ina and Thornydale roads, to relocate their State Farm Insurance office. Shannon Murphy, of CB Richard Ellis, represented the landlord, Donahue Schriber Realty Group, Costa Mesa, Calif. Ben Craney, with Bourn Partners, represented himself and his wife in the transaction.

• Don’s Bayou leased 900 square feet at 8991 E. Tanque Verde Road in Bear Canyon Shopping Center from NWC Bear Canyon LLC. David Dutson of Bourn Partners represented the landlord and tenant.

• Workmen’s Boots & Shoes Inc. leased 900 square feet at 1835 S. Alvernon Way, Suite 213, in Midpoint Business Plaza from Presson Midpoint LLC. Rob Glaser and Paul Hooker with Picor Commercial Real Estate Services handled the transaction.

• Washington Inventory Service relocated into 900 square feet at Gold Canyon Plaza at the northeast corner of Ina and Thornydale roads. Shannon Murphy, of CB Richard Ellis, represented the landlord, Donahue Schriber Realty Group. Jon Luisi of Commercial Alliance Realty represented the tenant.

• The Arthritis Foundation leased 789 square feet at 310 S. Williams Blvd., Suite 150, from DHS Property Investments.  Rajan Lal of Picor Commercial Real Estate Services represented the landlord. Dean Cotlow, of the Cotlow Company, represented the tenant.

• Ted Gadigan leased 787 square feet at 3275 W. Ina Road from CALDOR Investments of Arizona LLC. Thomas Nieman, Picor Commercial Real Estate Services, handled the transaction.

• CGreen LLC leased 764 square feet at 6360 N. Campbell Ave., Suite 170, in Paloma Village. David Hammack and Brenna Lacey, Volk Company, handled the transaction.

• All Things Stylish leased 461 square feet at Main Gate Square, 800 E. University Blvd., from the Marshall Foundation. Tamra Williamson, Bourn Partners, represented the landlord and tenant.

To understand what sort of effect this can have on a news website, someone at Harvard’s Nieman Journalism Lab created a web came called Paywall!, which allows you to adjust the parameters on a news site to try and turn a profit without turning away your readers. Check out the link below.

http://www.niemanlab.org/2010/01/play-paywall-the-new-web-game-sweeping-the-newspaper-industry/

Interestingly, though Tucson is the nation’s 32 largest city, the entire metro area ranks 52nd in the country.