Chris Morrison

Chris Morrison writes about cleantech and environmental issues for VentureBeat, with occasional forays into gaming and semantic technology. He got his start writing about tech for Business 2.0 magazine, but quickly realized new media was the ticket when that institution closed its doors in 2007. Chris has also covered public equities and regulatory issues. He originally hails from southern Virginia, graduated from Evergreen State College in Washington, and now lives in San Francisco.

Recent Posts

Evernote raises $4.5M more for memory software

Evernote, the online productivity application that uses pictures, notes and other memory aids to ease information overload, has raised $4.5 million more for development and marketing of its product.

Although it began as a computer application, Evernote has been steadily expanding its support for other devices…. Continue Reading

The termite’s blessing: ZeaChem finds more support

The termite’s blessing: ZeaChem finds more support

Poor termites. They’ll have no part in the ZeaChem facilities that may someday pump out millions of gallons of cellulosic ethanol, even though it’s the humble bug’s legacy that allowed it all to happen. Lakewood, Colo.-based ZeaChem has raised $34 million more for its process,… Continue Reading

If the New York Times dies, does the news die?

If the New York Times dies, does the news die?

The death of an institution isn’t far off, writes the Atlantic in an article titled End Times, and with it an entire industry may be preparing to slip underwater. Low on cash, high in debt, the legendary New York Times is reeling from the recession…. Continue Reading

Is network management growing? SolarWinds picks up Kiwi Enterprises

Is network management growing? SolarWinds picks up Kiwi Enterprises

SolarWinds, an Austin, Tex. network management company that claims to be rapidly growing at the expense of larger rivals, has picked up the assets of a smaller company in the same business, New Zealand-based Kiwi Enterprises, for an undisclosed sum.

Despite a ten-year history, SolarWinds, which… Continue Reading

Roundup: Dell underperformance, Tesla’s tough times, FCC blues and more

Roundup: Dell underperformance, Tesla’s tough times, FCC blues and more

Here’s a roundup of some of the last stories of the year:

Is it penance? Carbon-positive Dell fires execs — Yesterday the WSJ pointed out that Dell’s ballyhooed carbon neutrality is based more on creative accounting than reality. Today the company has announced a management shakeup outing… Continue Reading

China is the biggest: Plans set for a gigawatt of solar panels

China is the biggest: Plans set for a gigawatt of solar panels

China gets a lot of flack for all the coal plants it builds. However, there’s been some evidence that the country could step out as a leader not just in pollution, but in renewable energy too. Two companies have unveiled a plan to build a… Continue Reading

BARD raises $40M for Philadelphia biodiesel plant

Biodiesel Advanced Research and Development has raised $40 million toward construction of an algal biodiesel plant in Philadelphia, Penn., according to Clean Technology Insight.

The company needs about double that amount of money to complete construction of the 60 million gallon per year facility.

BARD has chosen… Continue Reading

Suntulit adds intelligence to the home to bump up efficiency

Suntulit adds intelligence to the home to bump up efficiency

Home heating and cooling has always been done by brute force. Vents blow regulated air throughout a house, and somewhere, a thermometer tells the entire system when to stop or start. But houses should be able to make smart decisions on when and how to… Continue Reading

Xunlight gets $7M loan to work on rooftop thin-film lines

Xunlight gets $7M loan to work on rooftop thin-film lines

Commercial rooftops sporting solar panels are becoming a familiar sight. But the technology used is still changing, with companies like thin-film panel maker Xunlight working to change the way big box retailers and others get their solar energy.

Xunlight has just received an additional $7 million… Continue Reading

Motion Computing picks up $6M for tablet PCs

Just a day after the long-suffering smartphone and handheld maker Palm picked up a $100 million investment from Elevation Partners, mobile computing startup Motion Computing is announcing a smaller, $6 million investment of its own.

Motion Computing makes slate tablet PCs that are used within industries,… Continue Reading

Virgin Galactic gets one flight closer to spaceflight success

Virgin Galactic gets one flight closer to spaceflight success

Looking more like a bizarre Siamese twin (or beer-goggle double) than a real plane, the WhiteKnightTwo launch “mothership” took its maiden flight yesterday, and moved the world a little closer to a future in which the wealthy can soar far, far away from our little… Continue Reading

KaloBios tacks on $12M more for engineered antibodies

South San Francisco, Calif.-based KaloBios, a biotech company that raised $20 million just five months ago, has added another $12 million in a second close of its fourth round of venture capital.

KaloBios has three antibody products in development, each of which targets a specific set… Continue Reading

Latest undersea cable cuts affecting billions

Latest undersea cable cuts affecting billions

Three undersea data cables linking parts of the Middle East and Indian subcontinent to Europe have been damaged or entirely cut, a problem that will cause serious connectivity issues for several countries, and sporadic problems for a handful of others, for a week or more.

The… Continue Reading

Interconnectivity developer Oxford Semiconductor acquired

Oxford Semiconductor, a fabless developer of connectivity devices, has been acquired by PLX Technology, a similar company that specializes in PCI Express, an expansion card standard commercialized by Intel.

OxSemi was working with several interconnect standards to make devices for the home and small office storage… Continue Reading

Roundup: Yahoo cuts data retention, Sprint pushing WiMax and more

Roundup: Yahoo cuts data retention, Sprint pushing WiMax and more

Here’s the latest action:

Yahoo cuts data retention to 90 days — The search company’s new policy will likely push Google and Microsoft toward similar reductions in the amount of time they keep user data.

Sprint plans first WiMax device for Dec. 21 — The first device that will… Continue Reading

Solar Red hopes to put solar installation through another transformation

Solar Red hopes to put solar installation through another transformation

A few short years ago, most solar installers just sold their panels and plunked them onto the roofs in fairly standard configurations. The market has since blossomed to include a number of different, highly successful business models. A company called Solar Red hopes wants to… Continue Reading

For governments, no easy energy choices ahead

For governments, no easy energy choices ahead

A developing situation in South Africa may hint at what lies ahead for the world’s nations, a future holding no easy choices when it comes to making and using electricity.

State-owned utility Eskom has abandoned a plan for an $11.5 billion nuclear generator that would have… Continue Reading

Strengthened by partnerships, cellulosic ethanol maker Coskata raises more money

Strengthened by partnerships, cellulosic ethanol maker Coskata raises more money

The cellulosic ethanol company Coskata has managed to pull in a $40 million third investment round despite the recession. The amount is a significant boost for the company, which last took money early this year.

Coskata is becoming something of a standout among the newest generation… Continue Reading

The Water Initiative offers a business plan to help the world’s poor

The Water Initiative offers a business plan to help the world’s poor

Finding clean water has always been difficult in remote areas and developing countries. Yet despite a long-standing knowledge of the problems, progress has been slow for many years. A new venture called The Water Initiative hopes to try a new approach that could be helpful… Continue Reading

Africa joining the electric car craze, with Optimal Energy’s Joule

Africa joining the electric car craze, with Optimal Energy’s Joule

The entire world hopes to start driving electric cars soon, and Africa, despite its reputation for poor economies, is no exception. Luckily, a South African company called Optimal Energy is working to release a vehicle in 2010.

And unlike the many attempts to make electric cars… Continue Reading