That’s why Intel-GE Care Innovations recently launched Care Innovations Connect, an easy-to-use, tablet-based digital platform that aims to combat social isolation among seniors. Care Innovations is a company formed from a combination of GE Healthcare’s Home Health Division and Intel’s Digital Health Group.

The Connect software acts as both an in-home digital device for seniors, and a customized portal that can be used by professional caregivers. The platform includes wellness surveys, wellness data, a community calendar and other tools–like a webcam and social network–making it sort of like a Facebook for seniors, in tablet form.

The first site to use Connect is Evangelical Homes of Michigan, which has been using the software as an early adopter since 2010 in two of their senior living community subsidiaries in southeast Michigan.

So far, the feedback has been extremely positive. “It lets our clients feel engaged and cared for on a daily basis,” said Evangelical Homes president Denise Rabidoux. Other senior living programs are interested in testing out the program, too.

Even seniors that would be considered technology-averse have taken to using Connect.

“We created this product out of years of in-depth research and user-testing,” Jim Pursley, General Manager of Independent Living at Intel-GE Care Innovations. “We’ve found that when seniors understand the value of a new technology, they are excited about learning to use it, and we made sure that our solution is both easy-to-use and engaging. Connect was designed for seniors, by seniors.”

The project is part of GE and Intel’s larger vision–to enable people to live independently and stay engaged in a healthy life.

“As a company, we’re fundamentally committed to solving the world’s biggest challenges in healthcare, independent living, and aging,” Pursley said. “Social isolation, connectedness, and cognitive health are all enormous issues for seniors, senior service providers, and families, and Connect is at the heart of creating innovative solutions to meet these challenges.”

* Check out the Connect website
* Watch a quick video showing how Connect works
* See what users from Evangelical Homes of Michigan have to say about Connect
* Public Library of Science Medicine

Local heroes: The new appliances will be made at Appliance Park, seen above in this file photo, thanks to a partnership between GE — which is focusing on reinvigorating manufacturing in the U.S. — and the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development and the Metro Louisville government. The package of incentives that resulted is designed to increase employment and economic development in the region.

The smart-grid enabled GE Profile appliances — which can communicate with home energy management software and utility smart meters to reduce demand during peak usage times — will meet proposed new 2014 Energy Star standards. The washing machine would go into production in the third quarter of 2012 and the new dryer in the third quarter of 2013. Currently, 90 percent of GE’s front-load washers dryers are manufactured outside the U.S. In addition to new jobs, GE’s plans call for an investment of more than $80 million on the new programs announced today.

The GE hybrid water heater, which is GE’s first commercially available smart-grid enabled product, is currently made by a supplier and is available for sale. However it will go into production in mid-2011 in Louisville.

“We are making big investments in new products and in energy-efficient technologies that are creating American jobs,” said GE Consumer & Industrial President and CEO Jim Campbell. “We can’t make these products in the U.S. competitively without everyone coming to the table — unions, the Company, employees, local/state/federal officials. We are grateful to the state and the city for their continued support in bringing these new products and jobs to Appliance Park.”

Bright outlook: “This new washer and dryer line not only brings new jobs to Louisville, it brings green and energy-efficient appliances to our city,” said Jerry Abramson, the mayor of Louisville, which is pictured above, “The future of GE in Louisville, which once was in jeopardy, is now very bright.”

* Read today’s announcement
* Read more about recent hiring at Appliance Park

Learn more in these GE Reports stories:
* “Renewing American Leadership: Immelt at West Point”
* “American Renewal: Immelt addresses Detroit Econ Club”
* “GE’s new KY deal marks a great time to be in hot water”
* “HD Supply deal pumps new hybrid water heater rollout”
* “Getting smarter about the smart grid”
* “Introducing the zero energy home”
* Watch GE Reports’ videos about our smart grid research labs

Is Facebook’s “25 Random Things About Me” a dazzling web phenomenon or the internet’s version of nails on a chalkboard? Depends on whom you talk to, but according to Facebook, last week alone another 5 million people jumped on the viral idea that exploded online, seemingly from out of nowhere. In a nutshell, it involves writing 25 unconnected facts about yourself and then proudly sharing (or over-sharing) the post with the world via a chain-letter note to all of your web friends. Are we late to the party? Maybe, but it’s such a good idea, we just couldn’t resist.

1. We’re really into wind: We’re the #1 manufacturer of wind turbines in the United States with more than 10,000 wind turbines installed globally.
2. In 2008, GE filed over 2,500 patents worldwide.
3. Every day, GE Evolution locomotives save so much fuel it’s like taking 43,000 cars off U.S. roads.
4. Aircraft engines from GE and its partners carry 3.5 million commercial passengers every day.
5. Hulu, the web video joint venture of NBC Universal and Fox, is part of an evil plot by invading aliens to make you watch more TV. Really.
6. We were founded by Thomas Edison, and he once said: “I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait ‘til oil and coal run out before we tackle that.”

   

7. GE built the largest desalination plant in Africa, providing fresh water to as many as 2 million residents of Algiers.
8. When Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic used jet biofuel for the first time ever in-flight, GE was there. Our CF6 engine used a biofuel based on coconut and babassu oil.
9. Just one GE Energy 1.5MW wind turbine can power 500 U.S. homes.
10. GE Energy Financial Services invests in 30,000 miles of natural gas pipelines in North America.
11. Every day, GE Healthcare technology will help doctors save nearly 3,000 lives.
12. GE Security secures the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty.
13. GE power generation equipment creates a quarter of the world’s electricity daily.
14. Everyday, NBC Universal entertains and informs more than 100 million people.
15. GE water technologies purify enough water to satisfy the daily needs of 39 million people around the world.

    

16. While we’re obviously super-proud of GE, some of us actually resisted jumping on the Facebook “25 Things” trend.
17. Small enough to fit in a physician’s backpack, the GE MAC 400 is the first compact electrocardiogram (ECG) device to be designed, developed and manufactured in India for India, giving more people in more areas access to better healthcare.
18. GE’s state-of-the-art gas turbines and reverse-osmosis plants will form the heart of the world’s largest integrated water and power plant in Marafiq, Saudi Arabia.
19. Using garnet gemstones, GE engineers developed the world’s first High-Definition CT scanner, providing high-definition images at 100 times the speed of previous medical scanners — another big step forward in the early detection of cancer.
20. GE’s new nano coatings, developed by studying the leaves of lotus plants, can repel water, which reduces ice on a wind turbine blade, or helps parts of a gas turbine to reject grime, resulting in better efficiency.
21. Using a process similar to that for printing newspapers, GE unveiled the world’s first demonstration of “roll-to-roll” processed OLEDs, organic light-emitting diodes – essentially flexible sheets of lighting.
22. GE Energy Financial Services holds equity investments in power projects with the capacity to produce 26 gigawatts — equivalent to the installed generating capacity of Thailand.
23. FINCA International, a non-profit microfinance institution, and GE Money are bringing financial services to more than 8,400 women in Jordan through their Banking on Women program.
24. GE’s hybrid vehicle team of scientists figured out how to capture the energy created when massive mining operation trucks put on the brakes. The vehicles can now brake, store the energy and then re-use it – saving fuel and increasing efficiency.
25. We actually like it when Alec Baldwin skewers us on “30 Rock.”

If you made it to the bottom of our random list, thanks — and see you on Tuesday. Happy President’s Day!

As the world looks toward more energy efficient technologies, the Energy Services team at GE has been focused on helping our customers make their existing power-generation equipment as efficient and as environmentally friendly as possible. As part of our Environmental Services team, I am especially excited about the opportunity to help solve our customers’ unique challenges through a services lens, particularly under challenging circumstances such as stricter emission limits, limited outage times for the upgrades to take place, and restricted layouts of existing equipment.
John Bartle, Business Segment Leader, Dry Low NOx Systems

As the world looks toward more energy efficient technologies, the Energy Services team at GE has been focused on helping our customers make their existing power-generation equipment as efficient and as environmentally friendly as possible. As part of our Environmental Services team, I am especially excited about the opportunity to help solve our customers’ unique challenges through a services lens, particularly under challenging circumstances such as stricter emission limits, limited outage times for the upgrades to take place, and restricted layouts of existing equipment.

For example, when it was announced that beginning in 2009 the region of Lombardy, Italy, would be enacting new standards reducing allowable nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions by 40%, GE was there to help with its ecomagination strategy. Edipower, one of Italy’s leading power-generation companies, turned to GE for help to meet the new environmental requirements. By installing GE’s ecomagination-certified Dry Low NOx (DLN) 2.6+ system, Edipower’s Sermide combined-cycle power plant will meet these new standards (some of the most aggressive in the world!) by the end of this year. The DLN combustion systems will not only help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, they also will improve gas turbine operating flexibility, which translates to better project economics.

In 2008, GE Energy partnered with another large Italian power-generation company, Endesa Italia, to similarly retrofit three gas turbines operating with the advanced DLN 2.6+ combustion systems. Working within Endesa’s limited time frame for the installation of the DLN combustion systems, each project was completed in only 21 days!

Our customers operate in an electricity market with increasingly stricter requirements in terms of environmental impact, operating flexibility and efficiency. I am excited to be a part of this team as we continue to help our customers to do their part in making the world “greener.”

Learn more about GE’s ecomagination-certified combustion technologies in this video with LaTrina Folk of GE Energy.

Learn more about the Oklahoma Gas & Electric project at GE.com.

Have some 3-D smart grid fun on our new Web site, plugintothesmartgrid.com.

Some of our more forward-thinking hybrid technologies include:

• Evolution® Hybrid locomotive (available in 2009)
• Hybrid tugboat in cooperation with the C-MAR Group
• Hybrid off-highway vehicle demonstration, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy
• Zero emissions hybrid fuel cell transit bus in partnership with the Federal Transit Administration

GE Global Research also is engaged in two projects with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to speed up the introduction of plug-in hybrid vehicles to market. The first of the two DOE projects is to develop smaller, lower cost, higher performing hybrid drivetrain motors for hybrid electric vehicles. The second is to develop advanced high temperature, high energy density capacitors. Both technologies are critical in the commercialization of plug-in hybrid vehicles.

* More about GE’s investment in battery technology.

The Dolphins were among the first NFL teams to institute a detailed fan conduct program that empowers fans to text-message security personnel to anonymously report disruptive and potentially dangerous events. With the addition of GE Security’s video cameras and monitoring software, stadium security personnel can promptly confirm that text-message reports are valid, monitor each situation and dispatch appropriate help.

As many gear up for an action-packed day or two of travel, we at GE Reports wanted to share some ways that GE technologies are helping to make your travels a little bit safer and easier this holiday season.

Hate the thought of your checked luggage undergoing hand inspection?
You’ll be happy to hear that GE Security’s CTX series explosives detection systems are in use at more than 200 airports around the world and offer some pretty amazing explosives detection capabilities. How does this help you? Aside from keeping baggage safe, the CTX series reduces the number of false alarm scans and in turn, decreases in the number of bags that airport security personnel need to inspect by hand. Added bonus – fewer bags may miss their flights this holiday travel season.

Wary of thunderstorms?
GE Digital Energy products help protect the airports from damage during power system failures by helping to ensure uninterrupted power. Runway lighting systems, radar, terminal operations will continue to run even if the power fails.

Wonder if your airplane is in the best shape?
Similar to healthcare technology, GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies offers X-ray, ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), and other technologies to collect key flight information and inspect the full aircraft and engines.

Now what type of holiday post would this be without some sort of gift-giving? That said, the folks over at GE Security have put together a great set of travel tips for packing luggage this holiday season.

* More about how GE technologies are helping to make your travels safer this holiday season.

John Krenicki, president and CEO of GE Energy, joined the prime minister at a signing ceremony in Baghdad this morning. “We’re focused order-by-order, customer-by-customer, and trying to win everything’s that out there,” Krenicki told CNBC.

Watch John Krenicki live from Baghdad on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”

Read the complete transcript.

Read the press release.

* Bloomberg: GE Wins $3 Billion Iraq Turbine Order, Largest Ever
* AP: GE unit inks power deal worth nearly $3B with Iraq