Joachim Schmidt, global head of sales and marketing for Mercedes, says until batteries get cheaper and lighter, Mercedes will respond to demand for exhaust-free cars (and California clean-car mandates) with small vehicles such as the tiny electric Smart and the compact B-Class, and offer plug-in hybrid versions of its larger models, including the S-class sedan.

WSJ: Five Cars and the Quest to Please All Buyers

But B, it's a very, very smart thing to do.

NPR: Karl Rove is Out

But buybacks have a more mixed assessment in practice ( here, here) and are typically only a smart if a company is (a) under-valued and (b) has no better uses of capital.

FORBES: Connect

The system would need smart reconciliation that (a) values all these items in standardized terms and (b) automatically matches what we have with what the payee seeks and accepts.

FORBES: From Future-of-Money To Social Poly-Reconciliation

The advent of GPS-guided smart bombs has made all of the bombers in the fleet, even the venerable B-52, more lethal than earlier generations of aviators could have imagined.

FORBES: Air Force Wants A Bomber That Balances Cost With Capability