Editor’s Note: Reprinted with permission from "After The Software Wars," a new book in which former Microsoft employee Keith Curtis explores the intersection between the worlds of proprietary and free software. The full book is available for purchase and download.

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and Microsoft links up with NBC Universal in TV ad deal  

Microsoft is expanding its relationship with NBC Universal into a major advertising alliance. The entertainment giant will use Microsoft’s Admira software to sell chunks of advertising on its national broadcast and cable TV networks. Admira analyzes demographic data on viewers to generate more targeted TV ads and also adds automation to the buying process.

Here’s more from the joint release from the two companies:

By aggregating multiple sources of anonymous viewership data from across satellite and cable systems and overlaying that with purchase and geo-demographic data, Admira creates a unique national panel that it uses to help advertisers reach their desired audience composition. As a result, advertisers and agencies can buy audiences that might have otherwise been overlooked by other television advertising platforms and measurement technologies. Admira continuously optimizes ad placements in response to near-real-time viewership data to help ensure advertisers get the right messages in front of the right audiences.

The companies are already linked through their MSNBC joint venture. The NBC Local Media group tested the Admira system in Los Angeles this spring. The full ad partnership starts in the fourth quarter of this year. Financial terms were not disclosed.

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and Next event: TechFlash Summer BBQ and Ping-Pong Tourney  

OK, Seattle techies, it’s time to settle the score once and for all. Who is going to rule the Seattle ping-pong universe?

We’ll be crowning the king of pong — or perhaps the queen — at the first annual TechFlash Summer BBQ & Ping-Pong Tournament on Thursday, July 23. This is our big bash of the summer, and we’ll be rolling in some kegs, soft drinks and sweet and spicy barbeque for the occasion.

So even if ping-pong ain’t your thing, it’s a great chance to hang out and network with some of Seattle’s brightest tech minds. The event will start promptly at 4 p.m. at the wonderful Georgetown Ballroom in Seattle’s eclectic Georgetown neighborhood. Sign up here.

We have a limited number of slots for the tournament, so if you’ve been dying to show off that wicked top-spin or slicing serve, now’s your chance. We’re encouraging players to represent their companies. Corporate t-shirts, baseball caps and other flashy displays of self-promotion are not only tolerated, but encouraged.

But anyone can enter. If you’re a lone ranger who thinks you’ve got what it takes, by all means come on out. Competitors are also encouraged to bring their own cheering sections of co-workers and friends by getting the boss to sign up for the special group rate.

Prizes will be awarded for the champ and runner-up. We’ll also give out a "spirit award" for the player who shows — how should we say this? — the most colorful display of corporate pride.

Deadline to register for the ping-pong tournament is Wednesday, July 1. The tournament entry is $65, which includes a slot in the bracket, barbeque dinner and event admission. General admission for the event and barbeque is $45. The discounted group rate (for six people) is $225. 

Thanks to our event sponsors, Solutions IQ and Seattle University’s Master of Software Engineering program. We have some additional, unique sponsorship opportunities for this event. For more information, please contact Joe Heslet, jheslet@bizjournals.com or 206-876-5447.

It’s gonna be a fun time, so make sure you sign up now.

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Imperium cheers Boeing report on biofuel test flights  

Troubled biodiesel firm Imperium Renewables got a rare piece of positive news today as Boeing issued a glowing report about its recent test flights with biofuel-powered jets.The test flights with airlines including Japan Airlines, Air New Zealand and Continental showed that biofuels made from plants performed "as well or better" than petroleum-based fuel, Forbes reports. Imperium founder CEO John Plaza was quick to seize on the report’s implications for his industry.

More from Forbes:

"This is a huge, huge validation of where biofuels can go," says John Plaza, the chief executive of Imperium Renewables, a Seattle biodiesel company that supplied fuel for a Virgin Atlantic test flight last year. (That flight wasn’t included in Boeing’s tests.) Plaza stressed, however, that jet biofuels are created with more sophisticated processing techniques than traditional biodiesel, which is also derived from plants but powers cars, trucks and ships.

Still, "this is technology we’re interested in pursuing," Plaza said in an interview with Forbes. Imperium’s main plant in Washington state is not producing any biodiesel now but hopes to start up again if demand picks up and the credit market thaws.

Imperium laid off a chunk of staff earlier this year and its massive, 100-million gallon biodiesel plant in Grays Harbor County reportedly sits idle. The company suffered a series of setbacks, including a canceled IPO, over the past couple years as the biodiesel and credit markets went into a tailspin.

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