Comcast Roundup: Shaq and Ralph Roberts kiss, Warren Buffet and More

Every Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. EST, find all the stories you need to know about your friendly telecommunications giant in the Comcast Roundup. Get an e-mail subscription for our Comcast news updates.

Nothing gets us jacked up to welcome the new year more than keeping a watchful eye on corporate giants.

DEFINITE READS

• Minnesota Public Radio devotes air time to Comcast, NBC and their future for TV. H/T Philly Tech News
• The Canadian Press reports that the Comcast-NBC merger will indeed create a big power in sports, but it will take time.

Below, a Comcast executive joins Warren Buffet’s team, delightful video of Shaq and Comcast’s founder and five more.

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Join us for a Happy Hour networking event next week

We had a ton of fun at our first meetup last month, and we’re ready to get out there again in 2010.

This time, the first drink is on the house.

Next Wednesday, Jan. 6, we’re partnering with event promoter Center City Philadelphia and others to host a free-to-attend technology professionals happy hour at Logan Square’s Public House. It’ll be a chance to mingle with other techies, talk shop and grab and give a few business cards. And yes, there’s one free drink and happy hour specials that should help keep you warm after traveling through that cold January air.

With a new year on the way�and your plans for world domination ever closer�it’s a great time to connect with folks in the industry. And yes, the Technically Philly crew will be in full force, to hear about what you’ve been up to and what your plans are for 2010. We hope you’ll join us!

Ten Philadelphia Web sites then and now

Web designer in 1999

As the first decade of the 21st century closes, the Internet continues to change everything it touches.

Ten years ago, the Web was still working its way into everyday life of everyday people in Philadelphia. Now, it’s finding even more crevices of existence to transform. So, using the Internet Archive, we thought it might be a hoot to look back at the Web sites from ten Philadelphia technology institutions from the end of 1999.

It’s another in our completely irregular Top Ten Tuesday department.

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News Inkubator: a pitch for creating the future of localized news in Philadelphia

Funny thing is that like many of you whom we cover, Technically Philly is a startup.

We launched this great experiment in online targeted news in February. Despite being very pleased with our growth — 15,000 page views last month, more than 800 RSS subscribers and something of a reputation for original reporting, not too bad considering our work here is only part-time — we’ve continually had to focus on developing sustainability through revenue, like many of you, and not simply pushing to better connect with our editorial product.

Others in the news and community reporting realm in Philadelphia are having the same problem, most not even discussing the possibility of creating that profitable sustainability.

So, early last month, we introduced News Inkubator, a business services hub and collaborative newsroom for niche news sites in Philadelphia.

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Submit your logos for the City of Philadelphia

We asked, many of you responded so we now offer up the challenge.

Corporate branding Web site Brand New called a new design for the City of Philadelphia one of the year’s worst.

In the spirit of the new year and because we know you don’t want to do any real work this week, we put an open call out to the designers and developers and tinkerers and artists in our community. Make a designer’s design for the City of Philadelphia.

Submit your ideas for a logo that would better suit the City of Philadelphia — yes, it can be sarcastic or heartfelt. It can even include the Liberty Bell or a cheesesteak if you think they sum Philly up well … and you can endure the taunts of your peers. We’re thinking standard display images, but we won’t begin to limit you, the audience. If it fits in an e-mail or can be linked to, we want to see them.

All submissions need to be sent to info [at] technicallyphilly.com [files or links] by the final whistle of this Sunday’s 4:15 p.m. Eagles last regular season game, against those bastard Cowboys.

The best design — to be decided by an incredibly complex algorithm that combines RTing, commenting and how surly reporter Brian James Kirk feels that morning — will win an incredibly disappointing prize package featuring the following:

• Pride in winning TP’s first hastily thrown together contest (maybe we’ll even design you a button… maybe)
• One cold, tasty local beer purchased and served to you by the TP staff at our next meetup, to be announced shortly
• A promise that we’ll submit your idea to the appropriate persons at City Hall… if they would only take us off hold.

Event Highlights for December 28 – January 3, 2010

The kids are home from school this week, and the events calendar looks like it.

Aside from an open house with a growing institution and a new member lunch with the Indyhall boys and girls, this calendar is as empty as reporter Sean Blanda‘s social calendar or, uhm, last week’s events roundup.

We can only assume we don’t have anything for the night of Dec. 31 because our technology and entrepreneurship community versions of New Year’s Eve are just like everyone else’s — and that might not involve getting up at 8 a.m. for the Mummer’s Day Parade, even if Kevin Bacon came to their rescue.

Everyone is sure to rebound for a big, bold 2010. We’re going to share our resolutions with you in January — seriously — so why don’t your tech ones with us? For now, the last week of events in 2009.. and one in 2010.

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Thanks to our weekly sponsors

Technically Philly is made possible by advertisers and sponsors that are important to Philadelphia’s technology community. This week we’d like to thank:

Springboard Media – Springboard Media is a certified Apple Specialist and retailer based in Center City and now, in Exton. They’ve got a ton of accessories and a great trade-in program that can score you up to $1,500 when you’re ready to upgrade.

Nonprofit Technology Resources – Fairmount-based NTR refurbishes used computers and peripherals for families and individuals in Philadelphia who may not otherwise be able to afford to buy a computer. We urge you to donate to this great local cause. Tell ‘em Technically Philly sent you.

Alex Hillman – IndyHall‘s Alex Hillman has signed on as Technically Philly’s first “Philanthropist” sponsor. Be sure to check out his blog, where he’s recently continued writing his Cluetrain-a-day business series.

Interested in joining these organizations and individuals in supporting Technically Philly? Check out our ad packages and contact Ad Sales Manager Tara Levin. Can’t find something that fits? We’ll customize a package for you.

Links: Startup tips from Duck Duck Go, Jay-Z and More

On his personal blog, Duck Duck Go founder Gabe Weinberg continues his Traction video series with Surf Canyon CEO Mark Cramer.

MIGHT BE WORTH YOUR TIME

Tech Crunch reports on the high capital outputs from Russian investment firm Digital Sky Technologies, the CEO of which is a 1992 Wharton grad.

On its corporate blog, New Jersey-based business dashboard company RJMetrics offers five tips for startups as inspired by Jay-Z lyrics.

StartPhilly has a guest post about Runt.ly a service aimed at hosting messages too long for micro-blogging services but too short for the need of a traditional blog.

GIVE A GLANCE

The Inquirer reports that, rather than passing a progressive clean-energy standards bill, the Pennsylvania state legislature ended its 2009 working calendar squabbling over casino table games.

WHYY offers an audio report on plans for the city to buy what remains of the municipal broadband network.

• Our Most Trafficked Story of the Week: TNT: The ballet wants you to take your phone out. No, really.

Every Friday morning, we make sure you didn�t miss anything with Friday Tech Links.

Comcast Roundup: Who saved the NBC deal, enemy of Google and More

Every Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. EST, find all the stories you need to know about your friendly telecommunications giant in the Comcast Roundup. Get an e-mail subscription for our Comcast news updates.

Yo, the Comcast news isn’t going to stop, even for Christmas Eve.

DEFINITE READS

The Inquirer’s Bob Fernandez revives the storyline on how the Comcast-NBC Universal merger happened, beginning at the Four Seasons on the Ben Franklin Parkway and tying to Comcast’s CFO Michael Angelakis.

Reuters reports that Comcast may have shrewdly structured its deal with GE to allow for a cost-effective purchase of the remaining 49 percent of NBC by the middle of next decade.

Below, buying ice from the Spectrum and Google on net neutrality.

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Shop Talk: Image Revolver uses crowdsourcing to curate art

For West Center City-based Image Revolver, an online art retail store that sells prints of international artists, the problem wasn’t getting content. It was making sure it was providing its customers with quality art.

“Getting a ton of content doesnt always serve the end user,” Image Revolver co-founder Yis Tigay says. “You have to figure out how to currate it, so users aren’t browsing through two million things.”

So, Tigay and business partner and Web developer Benjamin Greenberg–who met while working for local software developer Neat Company–decided to borrow an idea. From people-rating hotbed HotOrNot.com.

Though ImageRevolver accepts art from anyone, it is using a “community curation” system that let’s people vote on work. Once an image receives a vote of 80 percent or better on Image Revolver, it becomes available for sale. It’s a new feature, one that Tigay says works. “People have good taste,” he says.

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