Comments on: Signs of the Places http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/11/24/signs-of-the-places/ Same old blog, brand new place Fri, 04 Dec 2009 01:24:25 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: blog.twidox.com » Blog Archive » TechCrunch reports about Y Combinator’s AngelConf http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/11/24/signs-of-the-places/comment-page-1/#comment-130067 blog.twidox.com » Blog Archive » TechCrunch reports about Y Combinator’s AngelConf Fri, 13 Feb 2009 10:19:48 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/11/24/signs-of-the-places/#comment-130067 [...] Signs of the Places (blogs.law.harvard.edu) The TechCrunch reports about Y Combinator’s AngelConf by blog.twidox.com, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Germany License. [...] [...] Signs of the Places  blogs.law.harvard.edu) The TechCrunch reports about Y Combinator’s AngelConf by blog.twidox.com, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Germany License. [...]

]]> By: Pauly http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/11/24/signs-of-the-places/comment-page-1/#comment-108673 Pauly Tue, 25 Nov 2008 18:21:20 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/11/24/signs-of-the-places/#comment-108673 As a Chicagoan (didn't know you were too Mike), what resonated was the lack of pretension and the strength of the melting pot, which to me is the strength of the US in general. But to me Chicago disappoints and underachieves to some extent (and maybe that's subjective and what drives us). There is a sense of NYC-lite in the "make money uber alles" ethos (doubt me? why is the big remaining wealth generator here largely trading and options?). And even more disappointing for someone like myself in the technology/software space, I think Chicago is easily outranked in per capita technology jobs (and possibly not just per capita but even in absolute terms with other smaller cities). When I go to the Bay Area or Boston or Austin I can feel the tech-driven difference. And this is what IMHO makes it difficult to recruit technologists here: lack of critical mass. But as a midwesterner I love it here and feel compelled to mention another NYC strength which is also a Chicago one (NYC lite again alas): as a center for the arts... As a Chicagoan (didn’t know you were too Mike), what resonated was the lack of pretension and the strength of the melting pot, which to me is the strength of the US in general. But to me Chicago disappoints and underachieves to some extent (and maybe that’s subjective and what drives us). There is a sense of NYC-lite in the “make money uber alles” ethos (doubt me? why is the big remaining wealth generator here largely trading and options?). And even more disappointing for someone like myself in the technology/software space, I think Chicago is easily outranked in per capita technology jobs (and possibly not just per capita but even in absolute terms with other smaller cities). When I go to the Bay Area or Boston or Austin I can feel the tech-driven difference. And this is what IMHO makes it difficult to recruit technologists here: lack of critical mass. But as a midwesterner I love it here and feel compelled to mention another NYC strength which is also a Chicago one (NYC lite again alas): as a center for the arts…

]]> By: Doc Searls http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/11/24/signs-of-the-places/comment-page-1/#comment-108615 Doc Searls Tue, 25 Nov 2008 14:44:59 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/11/24/signs-of-the-places/#comment-108615 Mike, I used to work with Zenith Data Systems when they were out in Schaumberg. Or, I should say, when they existed. Anyway, they used to tell me that the second hardest recruiting job was getting people from elsewhere to come to Chicago -- and the hardest job was getting them to leave. It's a great city. Mike,

I used to work with Zenith Data Systems when they were out in Schaumberg. Or, I should say, when they existed. Anyway, they used to tell me that the second hardest recruiting job was getting people from elsewhere to come to Chicago — and the hardest job was getting them to leave. It’s a great city.

]]> By: Chip http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/11/24/signs-of-the-places/comment-page-1/#comment-108576 Chip Tue, 25 Nov 2008 11:59:34 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/11/24/signs-of-the-places/#comment-108576 Doc Good piece With family in both Boston/Cambridge and now Los Altos/Palo Alto I enjoyed it very much. Also family splitting time between Chicago/London Grew up in a college town, once I had keys to family car "lived" in the stacks at the University Library All pre-internet, but same idea of being able to roam and chase ideas Ciao Doc
Good piece
With family in both Boston/Cambridge and now Los Altos/Palo Alto I enjoyed it very much.

Also family splitting time between Chicago/London

Grew up in a college town, once I had keys to family car “lived” in the stacks at the University Library
All pre-internet, but same idea of being able to roam and chase ideas

Ciao

]]> By: Mike Warot http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/11/24/signs-of-the-places/comment-page-1/#comment-108432 Mike Warot Tue, 25 Nov 2008 02:55:30 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/11/24/signs-of-the-places/#comment-108432 Chicago: "You should be more interesting"? I found <a href="http://thewhereblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/chicago-creative-capital.html" rel="nofollow">this essay</a> about Chicago... and it's about the only one that a few pages of Google got me that made any sense. The winters in Chicago give you time to work on projects that would otherwise be put off enjoying the weather in more hospitable climes. For example, the worlds first BBS system was invented because a snow storm left Ward Christensen and Randy Suess with time on their hands. We're not pretentious because we've always got work to do, and then it's time to play. Chicago: “You should be more interesting”?

I found this essay about Chicago… and it’s about the only one that a few pages of Google got me that made any sense.

The winters in Chicago give you time to work on projects that would otherwise be put off enjoying the weather in more hospitable climes. For example, the worlds first BBS system was invented because a snow storm left Ward Christensen and Randy Suess with time on their hands.

We’re not pretentious because we’ve always got work to do, and then it’s time to play.

]]> By: Andrew Leyden http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/11/24/signs-of-the-places/comment-page-1/#comment-108419 Andrew Leyden Tue, 25 Nov 2008 02:16:01 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/11/24/signs-of-the-places/#comment-108419 College towns are actually being looked at more and more longingly by 'ex-urban' types--folks who have lived in the big city, love what it has to offer, but cannot deal with some of the problems of a big city (namely public education, traffic, crime and cost). College towns, with their compact 'central' areas of a campus town, intellectual and cultural offerings, and, well, for lack of a better world, "life" or "energy" of students walking about, eating here and there, etc. are really starting to offer an alternative to high cost cities. We live outside of Washington (actually in the country) but I sit and say to myself (many times) that I could sell this house even in the down economy, take the profit from it and buy a huge house in a half a dozen midwestern campus towns and send my kids to school for no cost. As more and more jobs become truly portable, i.e. done from the basement or wherever, you really have to start asking 'why am I paying seven figures for three bedrooms and public schools that are a war zone'. Anyway, interesting to hear about Cambridge. I actually mentioned that to the wife the other day as a possible place to live given all the energy and stimulation about, but I understand the cost of housing is pretty crazy and the quality rather so-so for the money. College towns are actually being looked at more and more longingly by ‘ex-urban’ types–folks who have lived in the big city, love what it has to offer, but cannot deal with some of the problems of a big city (namely public education, traffic, crime and cost). College towns, with their compact ‘central’ areas of a campus town, intellectual and cultural offerings, and, well, for lack of a better world, “life” or “energy” of students walking about, eating here and there, etc. are really starting to offer an alternative to high cost cities.

We live outside of Washington (actually in the country) but I sit and say to myself (many times) that I could sell this house even in the down economy, take the profit from it and buy a huge house in a half a dozen midwestern campus towns and send my kids to school for no cost. As more and more jobs become truly portable, i.e. done from the basement or wherever, you really have to start asking ‘why am I paying seven figures for three bedrooms and public schools that are a war zone’.

Anyway, interesting to hear about Cambridge. I actually mentioned that to the wife the other day as a possible place to live given all the energy and stimulation about, but I understand the cost of housing is pretty crazy and the quality rather so-so for the money.

]]> By: Doc Searls http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/11/24/signs-of-the-places/comment-page-1/#comment-108418 Doc Searls Tue, 25 Nov 2008 02:15:33 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/11/24/signs-of-the-places/#comment-108418 Yah, it's a very special place. I love getting lost in it. The "drum" stacks, though a challenge for a slight claustrophobe such as I, has the spicy stink of mature books, which seem to be aging as if in a wine cask. A recent thrill was going through histories of civic decisions made a hundred years ago, in archives from various states. Fun stuff. Yah, it’s a very special place. I love getting lost in it. The “drum” stacks, though a challenge for a slight claustrophobe such as I, has the spicy stink of mature books, which seem to be aging as if in a wine cask.

A recent thrill was going through histories of civic decisions made a hundred years ago, in archives from various states. Fun stuff.

]]> By: vanderleun http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/11/24/signs-of-the-places/comment-page-1/#comment-108394 vanderleun Tue, 25 Nov 2008 00:27:08 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/11/24/signs-of-the-places/#comment-108394 You get to the top floor. Then you get up on the walkway. Then you walk all the way to the nave at the back and pile up the books on the table. You're never coming out. Order Pizza. You get to the top floor. Then you get up on the walkway. Then you walk all the way to the nave at the back and pile up the books on the table.

You’re never coming out. Order Pizza.

]]> By: vanderleun http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/11/24/signs-of-the-places/comment-page-1/#comment-108392 vanderleun Tue, 25 Nov 2008 00:26:15 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2008/11/24/signs-of-the-places/#comment-108392 Ah, yes, the Boston Athenaeum. And those chairs. And the vast room at the top. I loved that place when I worked around the corner at Houghton Mifflin. Really one of the world's great reading spaces. Ah, yes, the Boston Athenaeum. And those chairs. And the vast room at the top. I loved that place when I worked around the corner at Houghton Mifflin.

Really one of the world’s great reading spaces.

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