I had some good laughs at the linked article, which had some "insights" on my favorite whipping boy, digg. Quoting Kevin Rose, - '"Things change in the shower in the morning," he says.'
Business week seems generally shoddy to me. This article seems a classic example - throw some random punditry together (aim for big, publicly identifiable names though settle for companies with big PR budgets) that's semi-relevant to current news, add some overdramatic narrative, and don't forget the obligatory call for new tax incentives to further advance innovation. It's a big mishmash of junk.
Watch out for the auto-starting video that further proves my point.
'the U.S. ceded the market for computer batteries to Japan in the 1970s. Now it's way behind in the
race to invent improved batteries for electric vehicles'
Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't A123 Systems a leader in this field?
There has always been a "get rich quick" vein to the Bay Area, ever since the gold rush. I think that's one of the reasons that it's not the most pleasant place to live. When everyone's thinking "ok, get in, make money, get out", no one's thinking much about stuff like schools, parks, infrastructure.
I guess I'm a bit biased - I moved there the first time from Portland, Oregon, which at least in terms of parks and infrastructure, is definitely better. Where are you getting the school information from?
I live in SV with two young children. In the right area, the schools are superb. The problem is that you need to be able to afford to live in los gatos, saratoga, cupertino, or palo alto.
Other districts have good elementary schools, but poor middle/high schools. Or they are far enough away from the core areas that you pay a pretty huge price in commute time.
In summary, SV offers great public schools for affluent parents.
"These Web 2.0 companies are surfing on the old wave. They're not creating the next one," says analyst Navi Radjou of Forrester Research
I'm not old enough to know either way, but I wonder if attitudes are always similar to this during a recession.