In the News

Social clipper: Philly's SnipSnap 2.0 app gets a rebuild

TechCrunch Thursday, December 20, 2012

TechCrunch reports on the big update for SnipSnap's coupon clipping app, which has been rebuilt from the groun up.

But first, the biggest change. SnipSnap 2.0 takes what social elements were present in the original and expands on them greatly — unlike before, new users are asked to create accounts and can link them with Facebook or Twitter to connect with other coupon-conscious friends. From there, those users can also select their interests from a list so SnipSnap can provide them with some starter coupons — apparently, new users of SnipSnap wouldn’t know what do once they installed the app, and the starter coupons were intended to help them a get a feel for using it. Smart.

Original source: TechCrunch
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Unicorns and forests: Pittsburgh's underground art scene

Boing Boing Thursday, December 20, 2012

Boing Boing ventures into the Pittsburgh underground art scene at artist collective Unicorn Mountain to get a glimpse of its third anthology of local art, comics, music and literature.

The collection covers a broad range of styles, and is packed with more than twenty different artists' work. Some parts are creepy and scribbly. Others are intricate and mysterious.

Original source: Boing Boing
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Did Marcellus Shale save Pittsburgh's U.S. Steel?

The New York Times Thursday, December 20, 2012

The New York Times takes us on a ride through U.S. Steel's bumpy history and suddenly bright future that should benefit greatly from increased natural gas production.

U.S. Steel, which is based in Pittsburgh, also happens to be right on top of the Marcellus Shale, the oil-rich formation that stretches from New York to Ohio. No one knows exactly how much gas is down there, but modest estimates suggest it’s at least 100 trillion cubic feet. Given this bounty, U.S. Steel recently spent $100 million on a facility whose entire purpose is to make “tubular product” for gas companies.

Original source: The New York Times
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Pennsylvania-driven research uses HIV to fight leukemia

The New York TImes Tuesday, December 11, 2012

An experimental treatment developed by University of Pennsylvania scientists and administered at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia uses a disabled form of the HIV virus to reprogram cancer cells, reports the New York Times.

The treatment very nearly killed her. But she emerged from it cancer-free, and about seven months later is still in complete remission. She is the first child and one of the first humans ever in whom new techniques have achieved a long-sought goal — giving a patient’s own immune system the lasting ability to fight cancer.

Emma had been ill with acute lymphoblastic leukemia since 2010, when she was 5, said her parents, Kari and Tom. She is their only child.

Original source: The New York Times

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A return to Reading reveals an entrepreneurial ecosystem that is working

Forbes Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Hamburg native Patti Greene writes for Forbes about her Thanksgiving trip to Reading to speak about economic development and what she found in her old city.

Local stakeholders are partnering to support entrepreneurial growth. For instance, the Berks County Community Foundation building serves as a convening place for a number of organizations working on entrepreneurial development – including the fairly new Jumpstart incubator. This incubator is one where the tenants mix regularly and the environment seems to be one of encouragement and support. The businesses are in a variety of industries, including, Boxaroo, product and system for moving, RB Legal Council, growing a business to help others grow, and HighBeta, a casual gaming studio (check out their new Apple release – TreadRunner). The Foundation building that houses Jumpstart is fascinating for a number of reasons, one of them being it’s LEED certification. The stairway is made from wood salvaged from the old Coney Island boardwalk. There is something quite appealing about that in an incubator, maybe it has to do with perceived energy.

Original source: Forbes

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Beating Rust Belt poverty in New Castle

Washington Post Tuesday, December 11, 2012

The Washington Post unleashes a lenghty opus about a teenager's efforts to break free from poverty in New Castle, Lawrence County.

Tabi heard stories about the olden days. She came from welders and ceramic production workers. But, to Tabi, the sprawling Shenango China factory where her grandfather and great-grandfather worked was just a boarded-up place on the way to Wal-Mart.

Her New Castle was the one that existed now: white, working class, with poverty that had deepened into the second and third generations. Nearly three-fourths of the students in Tabi’s school qualified for free or reduced-price lunches, and one-third of New Castle families with children younger than 18 had incomes beneath the poverty level.

Original source: Washington Post

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Making modernity inside 125 year-old UPenn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

The New York Times Tuesday, December 11, 2012

The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Philadelphia is marking its 125th anniversary with an accessibility initiative that appeals to a wider audience.

“We want to harness the incredible intellectual wattage, and to find ways to translate it to a much wider appeal,” said its new director, Julian Siggers, in an interview. “I don’t think that first-rate research is incompatible with a wide public mandate.”

Dr. Siggers, who until July was vice president for programs, education and content communication at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, said he aims to triple the Penn Museum’s current number of visitors, about 250,000 a year, within 10 years, and to raise the appeal of its contents by highlighting their relevance to modern life.

Original source: The New York Times

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DreamIt partnership with IBC and Penn Medicine to create digital health accelerator

TechCrunch Thursday, December 06, 2012

TechCrunch reports that DreamIt Ventures in Philadelphia is launching a four-month program with Independence Blue Cross and Penn Medicine to create Philly's first healthcare accelerator, seeding selected companies with up to $50,000 in capital.

Like other DreamIt programs, the health accelerator’s program will end in a Demo Day, at which all companies will present their businesses to an audience of investors and healthcare organizations. The advantage for entrepreneurs in working with DreamIt is that that the accelerator has already launched 80 companies over the last four years across its TechStars-like national network. The accelerator was founded in and runs a general accelerator in Philadelphia, where it’s currently incubating 15 companies.

Original source: TechCrunch

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Lancaster County company among those funded for federal advanced energy research projects

Forbes Thursday, December 06, 2012

Landisville-based Electron Energy, experts in rare earth magnets and magnet design, is cited in a Forbes report on the U.S. Department of Energy's ARPA-E -- or Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy -- program.

Electron Energy in Pennsylvania is due to receive $2.9 million to come up with better magnets that don’t require rare earth materials and perform better than what are being used to make the motors in wind turbines and electric cars today. Rare earth mining isn’t environmentally friendly and is concentrated in China, which has restricted rare earth export in the past. ARPA-E has previously funded projects for developing rare earth-free magnets and motors.

Original source: Forbes

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Study: Pittsburgh among few to see economic recovery

Reuters Thursday, December 06, 2012

Reuters reports that Pittsburgh is joined by Knoxville and Dallas as major U.S. cities cited by a Brookings Institution study that have experienced economic recovery.

The Pittsburgh skyline partly tells the city's economic story, said Mayor Luke Ravenstahl. A major bank just finished building one skyscraper and started construction on another.

"In my mind, it's already recovered. We employ more people in Pittsburgh than we ever have," he said.

Original source: Reuters

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Blackstone LaunchPad unites Temple, Phila U., Science Center for $3M entrepreneurship initiative

Temple University News Thursday, December 06, 2012

The Blackstone Charitable Foundation launched the $3 million Blackstone LaunchPad, establishing a partnership between Temple University, Philadelphia University and the University City Science Center to promote entrepreneurship, reports Temple University News.

The Pennsylvania Blackstone LaunchPad programs are expected to generate some 100 ventures and hundreds of jobs during the next five years.

“We at Temple want each and every student to be exposed to entrepreneurship as part of their personal and professional development and for it to become a central way of thinking throughout their lives,” Englert said.

Blackstone LaunchPad aims to multiply the connections among campuses, business communities and local entrepreneurs. It is open to all 41,000 students — regardless of major — at the two partner universities. Participants in the LaunchPad process establish a personal profile, complete a venture-assessment form, and receive individualized consultation and venture coaching. Jaine Lucas, executive director of the university-wide Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute, based at the Fox School of Business, will serve in the same capacity at the Blackstone LaunchPad at Temple, expected to begin next semester.

Original source: Temple University News

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Top dog: Best fries in U.S. can be found at Pittsburgh's The Original Hot Dog Shop

CNN Wednesday, November 28, 2012

CNN digs into the nation's best French fries and The Original Hot Dog Shop in Pittsburgh is near the top of the list for its decadent spuds.

At this family-run stalwart, the mountain of fries that comes in even a small order borders on the ridiculous -- so no wonder the college kids keep coming back. Located on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh, "The Dirty O" has a reputation for decadent spuds: hand-cut and peeled Idaho potatoes, twice fried in peanut oil, and served golden and crunchy on a cafeteria tray. The Original even has its own dedicated fry station, where you can order them with sides of gravy, cheese, or ketchup. 3901 Forbes Ave.

Original source: CNN

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More than football: Undefeated Clairton High says "town open for business"

The New York Times Wednesday, November 28, 2012

The New York Times looks at the economic and high school football fortunes of undefeated Clairton High School in Allegheny County, where the old mill town seems to be creating a comeback story.

Apart from providing community pride, football serves as a neon advertisement that, despite its troubles, Clairton remains open for business. In fiscal 2011, the city budget finished in the black for the first time in at least a decade. United States Steel has invested more than $500 million to upgrade the nation’s largest coke plant here along the Monongahela River, 12 miles south of Pittsburgh. A grocery store is planned for next year. Real estate is plentiful and cheap.

Original source: The New York Times

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Saxonburg manufacturer II-VI Inc. to purchase Calif. thin-film filter facility in $27M deal

Press-Democrat Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Saxonburg-based optical components manufacturer II-VI Inc. will purchase San Jose, Calif.-based Oclaro's thin-film filter facility in Santa Rosa, reports the Press-Democrat.

Among its products, II—VI manufactures optical components for industrial laser and thermal imaging systems and devices required for high-speed optical networks to increase Internet traffic. The company also makes infrared and visible light products for industrial, scientific, military and medical instruments.

Original source: Press-Democrat

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Running notes: A post-marathon ode to Philadelphia

Salon Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Mary Elizabeth Williams writes in Salon about the Philadelphia Marathon and the city's effort in include as many runners as possible from the New York Marathon, which was cancelled because of Superstorm Sandy.

In retrospect, I should have expected nothing less from a city whose very name means brotherly love. Besides, I knew how much Philly could give. I’d gone to school there; I’d forged some of the best and most enduring relationships of my life there. I had returned, again and again over the years, to see my friends and to eat soft pretzels and to introduce my children to the city’s charms. Yet on Sunday, Philadelphia gave me – and nearly 1,500 other New York marathon runners – something new. It gave us welcome and warmth and refuge after one of the darkest experiences in the Big Apple’s history, just by letting us pound its streets.

Original source: Salon

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