R2D2 Projector

Via Technology Evangelist, a projector that looks like R2D2. $3000. Wouldn't this look amazing in some tech company's office?

Promoting Minnesota-based software development

Dan Grigsby's got a plan to support more Minnesota-based software development by encouraging established software companies to open branch offices here. This would help in two ways. First of all, there would be more software jobs (REAL software jobs: product development, where software is the business, not just an expense). Secondly, the people working there would be more likely than, say, Target employees to spin off startups.

The second point has a lot of promise, I think. Just look at all the companies that spun off of Control Data in Minnesota's tech heyday.

As a software developer it's in my interest for there to be more software jobs here, so obviously I support this idea, but I think it'd be great for the economy here as well. These are well-paid, non-polluting jobs.

I think this idea has merit. I would combine it with a few other initiatives.

• U of M support for IT startups on the level of their biomedical startup support. Some great software companies have come out of the U, and more could be done. A collaboration between the Carlson School of Management and the Institute of Technology would be interesting.
• Governmental support for software startup incubation spaces aka CoWorking. MaRS in Toronto is the most impressive example of this sort of thing. As a city, I would look at this like artist lofts. Subsidize office space for companies with under n employees to give startups a leg up. (Dan has been working on this with the city of St. Paul, as well.)

By encouraging startups on the small end as well as trying to bring more established companies to the state, both ends of the spectrum are covered.

I guess my only question is how to actually get these ideas into motion.