Meanwhile, Medis Technologies (Nasdaq: MDTL) is slowly sinking. The share has lost 11% since the beginning of the month, but is still hanging on at prices that aren't far from its peak. The big question about Medis is whether its technologies really work, and I only wish I had a clear answer. It looks like many others are also perplexed, but the sweet dream of alternative energy continues to support the share.

As I've said before, you can see this dream in the difference between the behavior of the Medis share and that of Arotech (Nasdaq: ARTX). Arotech's share has lost 12% of its value, and more than 40% since the beginning of the year, even though Arotech is at least selling something: military equipment, not fuel alternatives. I searched, and found no significant reports about the Electric Fuel group, which has three companies: Dimona-based Epsilor Electronic Industries; Atlanta-based Electric Fuel Batteries, which specializes in zinc batteries; and Beit Shemesh-based Electric Fuel, which specializes in car batteries. No news has been forthcoming from the company's partnership with Mercedes-Benz, and it appears to me that investors aren't including this part of the operation in their decisions about whether to invest in the company. When you look at Arotech's military business, including armored cars, there is a problem in deciding whether to invest in this share, or in a selection of large US companies, such as Armor Holdings (NYSE: AH), which investors prefer.

As far as transmitting information on power linesis concerned, the important development is that members of the HomePlug Powerline Alliance are pushing hard for approval of the standards that they have proposed to the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), with the support of several industry giants, like Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) and Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSCO). Companies like Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE), Sharp Corporation (TSE: 6753), and even retail electronics chain Radioshack (NYSE: RSH) have recently joined the Alliance. The HomePlug Powerline Alliance has approved several special chips that were produced for this purpose, and its goal now is to obtain the necessary approvals and start trying to sell this method. If successful, it will constitute an extremely tough competitor for all the existing means of information transmission, because it is easy to use.

Intel technology initiative manager for Homeplug Matt Theall was recently chosen as president of the Alliance. What does Intel have in common with the lobby for transmitting information on power lines? The operating chips, of course. Intel is moving in two directions: energy saving and production of a chip suitable for power line wire transmission.

I have already written about Ambient Corp. (Nasdaq: ABTG.OB) more than once. Ambient is still struggling for business success, which it has not yet achieved, but several giants have also entered the power lines field, among which German company Siemens (NYSE: SI; XETRA: SIE) stands out.

Data Systems and Software (OTCBB: DSSI) dos not offer an alternative energy source, but its subsidiary, Comverge, which is actually its only remaining asset, makes energy service companies more efficient. According to what I hear, Comverge is developing into a big success story, because the company really does help energy service companies cut costs. Besides Data Systems, other investors in Comverge include companies like Royal Dutch and the EON investment fund. Data Systems, which was once among the owners of Tower Semiconductor (Nasdaq: TSEM; TASE: TSEM), sold its stake in time, but failed to invest in a single successful company, other than Comverge.

The question arises whether Data Systems, after its market cap fell all the way to $12 million, is becoming more interesting. The problem with this company is that its management has been hanging on for years, without the shareholders deriving any benefit from that whatsoever.