Roundup: Cloud computing stays free, big wind in SoCal, open source business and more

Dell doesn’t get cloud computing — A bid by computer maker Dell to trademark the term “cloud computing”, a broad term generally used to describe services and software that live on the Internet, has been preliminarily rejected by the US Patent Office.

SoCal Edison signs for 900MW of wind — Following close on the heels of PG&E’s announcement of an enormous 800 megawatt solar power plant, Southern California Edison, which serves the other half of the state, has made a deal for up to 909MW of wind. But wind, unlike solar, is a well-proven strategy, and plans for much bigger wind farms are already in the works.

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Is open source a real business model? — Taking a look at several large open source vendors and support services, including Red Hat, Novell and SpikeSource, BusinessWeek concludes that open source is not defensible, and not a good business for many companies. A broader view, however, suggests that while companies like Red Hat have had some execution challenges, the growth of the sector as a whole has been staggering.

Verizon’s fiber optic bets paying off — Expensive fiber optic cables being installed by Verizon in urban areas have proven profitable, contrary to the expectation of many, the New York Times reports. Users like them for the ultra high-speed Internet and bundled services, including TV and phone. However, the article also notes that Verizon’s investment is still costly, and has years before it truly proves wise (or not).

Chinese company exporting hydrogen scooters — For $2,600, you too can have a hydrogen-powered scooter with a 60 mile range. Hydrogen not included.

Apple gives 60 day extension for MobileMe users — In order to make up for a rocky start to its online MobileMe service, Apple is giving users two more months for free.

Mint gets a facelift — The fast-growing personal finance website has revamped its service with a new look, and started a new how-to series for financial decisions.

IBM makes memory chips smaller, faster — Futuristic RAM memory made with a 22 nanometer process (vs. today’s 45 nm chips) has been demonstrated by IBM. The SRAM memory is also faster, which will help multi-core computers perform well.

How to scam your way through life — While not a Silicon Valley story, the saga of the German man calling himself Clark Rockefeller is instructive for local investors. The Boston Globe reports on how Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, who kidnapped his own daughter and was subsequently caught by police, passed himself off as a wealthy investment professional despite a complete lack of knowledge or ability in the field. The article also notes studies that show entrepreneurs pitching for money become more or less likely to win an investment based not on the merit of their ideas, but on voice tone, posture and other factors.