Late last month, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) equipment maker CVD Equipment (NSDQ: CVV) gave a presentation to analysts and institutional investors. They were kind enough to share the presentation with me and so I share it with you. I was watching new season of NOVA Science Now on PBS and they did a piece on growing diamonds. And they started talking about the amazing properties diamonds have and how, if you could put some uniformity into the production process they could revolutionize everything from electricity transmission to mobile phones. As they show the process for "growing" diamonds, they noted it was a CVD process where you seed a diamond substrate and bake it with a certain blend of gasses. It got me thinking of CVD Equipment and whether they build any equipment for this process (haven't heard back yet). They did send me this presentation and it's worth a look. And CVD is going to be big in solar--especially thin film--as well as nanotech applications processes.

One of my favorite New Defense and Clean Tech companies, AeroVironment (NSDQ: AVAV) just released that it's received a Phase II contract extension from DARPA for its nano air-vehicle development program. They built a little unmanned aerial vehicle that quite literally hovers using a pair of wings. If only Paul MacCready were alive today.... And the stock's recovering pretty well, too.

This is the heavy-duty industrial truck company, not the kid's clothing company. Oshkosh (NYSE: OSK) has been a fave of mine since last summer. It was decimated by the thought that many of its business divisions were getting hammered by the recession and housing implosion--cement mixers, trash trucks, fire trucks, school buses, etc. But there was one sector where OSK was experience huge double-digit growth--military vehicle sales. And that's what caught my eye. If the company could keep its head above water with its military vehicles, then when the rebound came OSK would soar as strongly as it had plummeted. And that's come to pass, most evident by today's $1 bn deal. It's got the lead contract on MRAP all-terrain vehicles, or MATVs. The stock has gone from 3s to 19 since September. And there's plenty of upside left as infrastructure spending is just beginning.

Considering the overwhelming response to my last post and the lively debate it has caused--note not 1 person has commented in three days!--I thought it would be exciting to keep the war of words alive by stoking everyone's emotions with yet another interesting article, this time regarding carbon capture and coal-fired plants. Have at it! Wear those finger tips to bloody nubs!

This piece from Scientific American certainly poses some interesting weekend reading. I hope to read some comments re its thesis during the next few days. If you're looking for more intense reading on technology and energy, I would heartily suggest you get a hold of a copy of Cientifia's recent Nanotechnologies for the Energy Market 2009. This is a huge, comprehensive report that looks at the macro impacts of various nanotechs on energy sectors as well as specific tech apps at specific companies. It's a one-stop shop for how nanotech is and will effect the energy markets.

Yesterday, the SEC voted unanimously to propose changes to the way money market mutual funds operate and I would say the net effect of the proposals, if enacted, would be negative. Generally speaking, the best case scenario is that the new rules would further limit the yields on the funds. Under the proposals, maturities would be limited to 60- rather than the current 90-days and and credit quality would essentially be restricted to AAA for all funds. Larger percentages of assets would also have to be held in cash or cash-like instruments, though specific cash levels weren't enumerated. All together, those proposals would significantly limit yields. The most worrisome of the proposals though is that money market mutual funds could find themselves required to be able to process purchases and redemptions at prices other than $1. Essentially, NAVs would have to be allowed to float. If that goes through, what would be the point of buying into one of the funds since their most attractive feature would be eliminated, particularly if the yields are pathetic? Hello passbook!