Chris Pirillo » iowa

Twitter / Geek Meetup in Des Moines, Iowa?

Chris Pirillo — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 07:33:11 +0000

Twitter / Geek Meetup in Des Moines, Iowa?

I’m still planning to return to Des Moines in May, so that meetup is still “on” for those of you who are interested in gathering informally.

But we can meetup in Des Moines even SOONER than that, given that my plans have shifted such that I’ll be traveling there tomorrow and staying through Wednesday (early) morning. I sent out a couple of tweets – and consensus may point me to being somewhere specific on Sunday evening, but if you have any interest or inclination to do something over the next few days, please either leave a comment or continue to follow my Twitter stream.

As it stands, I’m planning on being at East Village Books from 1:00pm to 5:00pm (and then likely grabbing dinner nearby afterwards). You can RSVP by signing up on the registration page. Yes, they know we’re coming. :)

Twitter / Geek Meetup in Des Moines, Iowa?

Technology Jobs in Smaller Communities

Chris Pirillo — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 07:31:16 +0000

Technology Jobs in Smaller Communities

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I grew up in Iowa, and I was a big Evangelist in Iowa as far as helping to bring small businesses to Iowa. Mike sent me an email, asking what I thought about Iowa enticing Microsoft into building a DataCenter in DesMoines … especially in light of the recent Class Action Lawsuit against Microsoft.

I think it’s a great idea for any business to go into a location that is stateside which doesn’t necessarily have… well. Maybe DesMoines isn’t as “sexy” as San Fransisco, LA or Chicago. However, that weakness is also the strength. The costs are much lower for nearly everything. The people are more down-to-earth in general. This makes it easier to attract and keep good employees for the long-term.

Microsoft has said it must have a good supply of energy, water, workers and certain fiber optics. So the location would have to be near a power plant, have an available network of “dark fiber,” have a substantial water supply, and be along an interstate. Iowa lawmakers are trying to fast-track a set of tax breaks for Microsoft through the Iowa House this week. The legislation would offer a state sales and use tax exemptions on purchases of computers, equipment and electricity necessary for use in a Web portal business with an investment of at least $200 million in Iowa. And the technology equipment inside the building would be exempt from property taxes. The tax breaks are the same as the ones lawmakers passed last year to lure high-tech giant Google.

Overall, I think ANY big business would benefit greatly by opening up off-shoots in smaller communities.

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Technology Jobs in Smaller Communities

Microsoft Iowa Class Action Lawsuit Settlement Verdict

Chris Pirillo — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 22:38:49 +0000

Microsoft Iowa Class Action Lawsuit Settlement Verdict

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I grew up in Iowa. In fact, I spent most of my life there. Today, I received in the mail a claim form for the Iowa vs. Microsoft law suit that was settled. Let’s take a closer look at this, shall we?

Apparently, as long as I kept good records and still have my original CD keys from wayyyyy back then, I can receive money! This applies to people who lived in Iowa and bought these products from May, 1994 up until June of 2006. I could get $16.00 for Windows or DOS, $29.00 for Office, another $25.00 for Excel itself and $10.00 for Word and HomeEssentials. Wow. I can submit up to 29 claims. However, I have to provide not only the cd keys, but also date purchased, place of purchase, and more.

This is what I think of this settlement. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiip. That’s right. I ripped up my claim form. I feel that this whole lawsuit was ludicrous from the get-go, and should never have been filed. Those are just my personal feelings. Microsoft is a good company. Their practices… well, some people don’t like them, but others do. I just don’t think it’s right for any state to go after Microsoft the way they did. The market itself will ultimately decide what way things should go.

What do you think? Do you agree with me? Do you disagree? Leave me a follow up comment to this video, or shoot me an email to chris@pirillo.com.

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Microsoft Iowa Class Action Lawsuit Settlement Verdict