Background on emerging european
from the World-Watch dept.
While thereís little said in it about nanotech per se, an article in the London-based Financial Times ("'Valley' in the Alps", by Jo Johnson, 26 February 2002) provides some interesting background on the history and current climate of the region around Grenoble, France as a long-standing technology center and incubator. Previous coverage of French high-tech center appeared here on Nanodot on 28 January 2002.
March 28th, 2002 at 7:36 AM
Silicon Valley
Every other citiy/area in the world wanted to be the next Silicon Valley (until the Tech Pop of course). the SV has little risk of losing its position in the wold of innovation: unlike other industries that tend to stagnate because of business leaders refusing to accept new paradigms, there tends to be a constant push for New Things here. Besides, I like being able to get Pho` just about everywhere I go =]
March 28th, 2002 at 8:34 AM
Re:Silicon Valley
Historically I think you find that most major cities and regions have their days in the sun and quiescent periods. It tends to be cyclical or generational. Freud's Vienna, Johnny Rotten's London, The Blues of Chicago, Bezo's and Allen's Seattle (The bottom just dropped out of that one recently. A good thing, in the opinion of those who can still remember Ivar's and Boeing's Seattle.), etc. etc.
I don't think the Valley is so special that it will be unrivaled forever. Smart, creative people tend to go wherever the factors and mood are right. It's hard to work out in advance what these are. Mayors and city councils engage in all kinds of promotional activity to bring business in while totally ignoring that it is an emergent process. It just happens; you can't force it. Well, you can force it some–things need to be economically favorable and so on but, it's mostly emergent.
I do agree that cities shouldn't try to copy each other. You can get Vietnamese anywhere these days–hasn't been the hip food here in King County for at least five years. Ethiopian on the other hand, now that's something!