Startup Roundup: Blow up Jamestown

Technically Philly’s Startup Roundup parses out the small pieces that make our greater Startup ecosystem thrive. We want to keep you in touch with the innovations that we can’t quite get to covering, but that deserve highlight. Follow along with the Startup Roundup’s dedicated newsletter or RSS feed. If you’ve got news to share, get in touch.

MUST READS

Final Form Games has posted the trailer for Jamestown, the company’s old-school pixel pusher. Uhm, watch it.

A report from the Wall Street Journal says that Visa is planning on allowing customers to send money to other cardholders by entering in the 16-digit Visa account number, a notably valuable service which could hurt third-party payment services like PayPal, and Philly’s SMS payment service Venmo.

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Canadian federal government releases its own open data portal

Canadian federal government releases its own open data portal:

The Open Data Pilot is part of the Government of Canada’s commitment to open government, which is being pursued along three streams: open data, open information and open dialogue, and aims to drive innovation and economic opportunities for all Canadians. The Open Data Pilot seeks to improve the ability of the public to find, download and use Government of Canada data. You are invited to search the catalogue, download datasets and explore the possibilities of Open Data.

[Press Release] and [Developer's perspective]

Jim Kenney: expanded college internships could move forward city priorities, like open gov

City data initiatives should be packaged with greater university collaboration, says City Councilman Jim Kenney, and the framework for such work has already been established.

“If I was the mayor of the city — and we’ve started this process with Temple — I would partner with every university in the area to develop a work study component so that higher-level students would work in the government and get credit for that toward their degree,” Kenney told Technically Philly last month.

An expansive internship-style program would work well for important but less immediately timely city priorities, like releasing city data, which Kenney says is ‘maybe a five’ on a scale of 10 in priorities, when compared with crime prevention, education, job creation and the like.

The Division of Technology, which, according to City CTO Tommy Jones is stretched thin in capacity, could work with university computer and information science programs to develop strategies and move forward projects, Kenney says. That would make the release, organization and actioning of city data more possible, said the at-large councilman. The release of city data and information is a major part of the Digital Philadelphia plan put forth by the DOT.

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Help inform the city’s comprehensive plan with our Broadband2035 project

It was in the first days of publishing Technically Philly two years ago that we came to understand that the city’s broadband infrastructure played a crucial role in our technology community.

Wireless Philadelphia, an effort to provide free, wireless access to city dwellers, had ended a failure. Verizon had only recently been allowed to expand its internet connectivity services to residents here, and Comcast had staked a much bigger claim over the city by altering its skyline with its tallest building.

So it was with much bewilderment that when we browsed through the Planning Commission’s comprehensive Philadelphia2035 plan, the first undertaken in more than 60 years, there was little mention of the copper, cable and fiber-optic lines that run deep beneath the city, helping connect it with a global economy. Though the plan is incomplete, summaries of the plan have under-represented what we believe is vital to the city’s economic growth: broadband connectivity. Without more detailed plans to implement next-generation connectivity, the city risks missing an important opportunity.

A few weeks ago, the Commission released the first draft of the plan [PDF], seeking comments from city residents.

That’s where you come in.

Today, we’re asking for some input that we can provide immediately to the Planning Commission on your vision of this city’s needs to support and expand broadband access. What needs are unmet for your individual or business purposes? What problems have you witnessed regarding broadband infrastructure that you’d like to see changed? What are other cities doing that are a benchmark for success? Respond in the comments below, or send an email directly to info@technicallyphilly.com before Monday, March 28, and we’ll make sure your comments are heard. Now’s your chance to help shape the future of Philadelphia’s broadband access.

And after the jump, more details on the Broadband2035 project, the editorial series that we’re officially announcing today, which will take a deep look at this city’s broadband infrastructure.

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Philly Homegrown: GPTMC unveils new look food site and campaign by Maskar Design

You, the proud and savvy Philadelphian, might get more out of the new food site from the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp. than, well, you know, tourists. And that would make for one hell of a strategy.

The updated VisitPhilly.com/food, unveiled this month, is now caught up to last year’s overall GPTMC rebranding campaign that was heavy in big photos, colorful serif fonts and a deluge of deep Philly strains. Understand, this new food site focuses on GPTMC’s new Philly Homegrown campaign, one the celebrates a rich food world and, seriously, doesn’t feel the necessity to use the c-word (cheesesteak).

Built and themed by Rittenhouse design shop Maskar Design, whom we highlighted this month, the Philly Homegrown initiative has a food-driven blog, a content-heavy Facebook page and a monthly newsletter (email phillyhomegrown@visitphilly.com).

In truth, there may be just too many directions here for an average tourist to not feel overwhelmed and come short of action. But, Technically Philly might suggest, if more proud and savvy Philadelphians were exposed to more of our rich and culturally significant food culture, then they may be the best messengers to go out in the world and celebrate our food, without ever needing to use the c-word.

Knight Survey: Nearly Half of Federal Agencies Lag in Responding to FOIA Information Requests – Knight Foundation

From the Knight Foundation:

Washington DC (March 14, 2011) – The Obama administration is only about halfway toward its promise of improving Freedom of Information responsiveness among federal agencies, according to the new Knight Open Government Survey by the National Security Archive, released today for Sunshine Week.

via Knight Survey: Nearly Half of Federal Agencies Lag in Responding to FOIA Information Requests – Knight Foundation.

Read more on the Knight blog here.

Texting saving lives in Africa, High-speed rail video and other Links

How Texting Is Protecting People in Africa [GSK blog] — GlaxoSmithKline

Valley Forge man takes on Google [NewsWorks] — WHYY gives Gabe Weinberg of Duck Duck Go the love.

DB Schenker moves area operations to Philadelphia [Philadelphia Business Journal] — “DB Schenker, an international transportation and logistics company, has relocated regional operations to Philadelphia, bringing 130 employees”

University City Science Center adds two tenants [Philadelphia Business Journal] — Adaptimmune LLC and Optofluidics

WorldGate CEO and CFO resign amid cash squeeze [Philly Inc: Inquirer] – “Video-phone maker WorldGate Communications Inc. is once again facing a cash crunch and has responded by beginning to cut its workforce by 65 percent.”

Pennsylvania Bio awards Wednesday in Philadelphia [Philadelphia Business Journal]

Philadelphia Soul opener to be a real tweet [Philadelphia Business Journal] — Arena football leveraged league-endorsed social media chatter during the opener

The Regional Planning Association put together a video, seen below, on the importance of investing in high-speed rail, featuring interviews with many different parties including Paul Levy, President and CEO of Center City District.

Why Build High-Speed Rail in the Northeast? from Regional Plan Association on Vimeo.

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:

Empowerkit MLM Software – Empowerkit roots are in Philadelphia where it started as a company. It creates websites for Franchisees through powerful software solutions.

Optimized Cable Company – OCC is a distributor of high end electronic cable products, at a much lower price than most physical storefronts. Pick up some HDMI cables for your upcoming football parties today!

GOPromos Promotional Pens – GOPromos has great promotional items, like custom envelopes, for you to use with your company or for personal use. Get great products to give away!

OpenDesks – OpenDesks.com lets you monetize unused workspaces – a cubicle, a conference room, an office or a seat in the lunchroom – as long as there’s somewhere to sit and work, you can post it. Join OpenDesks.com‘s Founders Circle today for a low-cost lifetime membership.

Caffeine Fish – Caffeine Fish develops the Trainboard iPhone app and offers iPhone development consulting in the Philadelphia area.

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

‘We feel like part of the community:’ two sustainable-minded mobile developers choose Philly over Portland

Another in the Entrance Exam series, as part of the Why I Love Philly campaign from Young Involved Philadelphia and Indy Hall. Tell the world why you love where you live by tweeting #whyilovephilly.

Whether hiking, cooking, or developing mobile apps, Jason Cox and Corey Leigh Latislaw live life with a sustainable, do-it-yourself mentality.

After their recent wedding in Hot Springs, North Carolina, the two jumped in the nearby French Broad River for a no-holds-barred trash the dress/suit session. But rather than toss the dirty garments, they re-used them as Halloween costumes – zombie bride and groom. The dress was then dry cleaned and cut down for use as a cocktail dress.

Jason is a Quality Assurance Engineer in the iPhone group at Oracle, and spends just as much energy trying to keep up with Corey. In addition to developing Android applications (such as the new Xfinity TV app) at Comcast Interactive Media, Corey also sits on the board of the Philadelphia chapter of Women in Cable Telecommunications and is organizing what will be a regular meetup of Android developers in Philadelphia, called the Android Alliance.

While they are planning for a honeymoon trekking through Europe in April, the couple is also in a honeymoon period with Philadelphia.

Coming from Knoxville – which has few options for software developers, the couple has found a home in our tech community. They’ve also wasted no time familiarizing themselves with the local farms and food options.

Below, the couple shares more of their adventures, in technology and out.

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Osage Ventures to partner with research universities like Penn to bolster IP profit

The New York Times profiles the new Osage University Partners fund, which partners venture capitalists and universities to benefit both in high yield research-fed, intellectual property-driven startup businesses:

Investing in start-ups is the business of venture capitalists, some of whom have come up with a new formula for profits. It goes roughly like this: Give a few V.C.’s access to the technology deals. Let them raise some capital and invest it shrewdly. The V.C.’s become rich. And if the deals are done correctly, the schools share handsomely in the riches. As an incidental but significant benefit, it’s at least possible that venture capitalists, working with universities, could help create manufacturing jobs in the United States.