The best comments, quotes, and random zingers we heard this week …
“I think there are great investors and great people here (in Seattle). But if you accept the premise that we are a lesser satellite of the sun, the only way to get the sun to feel like you are a smaller sun or like a red dwarf — or whatever the analogy is — is to get some money from that market up here.”–Seattle angel investor Chris DeVore at the TiE angel investment panel discussing why they try to attract Silicon Valley investors to Seattle deals.
“These numbers show that our economy is gaining strength, and that’s great news to start … the new year.”–Employment Security Commissioner Paul Trause on Washington state’s unemployment rate dipping to 8.3 percent in January.
“To be fair they could give shoppers earphones. But still, any crowded store would resemble a huge bumper-car ride at the amusement park.”–A GeekWire reader responding to Microsoft’s “shopping cart of the future” which uses a Kinect sensor to follow shoppers throughout the store.
“One thing about Microsoft is we compete with everybody these days, it seems. There’s good news and bad news. Integrating these ecosystems together and making sense out of it, that’s going to be an asset. But to do that, you can’t leave a huge gap in any one area. And that’s why we fell in a hole in terms of the phone stuff a couple years ago.”–Microsoft research and strategy chief Craig Mundie at a press event in Redmond. Full comments here.
“This meme that MS will catch up and surpass over the long term is worn out. We’ve been hearing those promises from Ballmer, Mundie and others for more than a decade. Instead, every year the company’s competitive situation becomes more precarious and its growth slows.”–A GeekWire reader responding to the comments from Mundie.
“And it’s been this hidden tragedy of this dropout level that I think only in the last five years or so are we even looking at. I was stunned when I first found out about it. It kind of blew my mind.”–Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates speaking with author Thomas Friedman about the high dropout rate among people seeking degrees for highly skilled careers.
“I guess what cracks ME up is that Gates himself is a college dropout.”–GeekWire reader Marie Mckinsey responding to the comment.
“Google+ is getting to be a bit like a friend who thinks it’s very, very important that you attend his church.” — Technology journalist Harry McCracken on Twitter.
“And that friend slips hundreds of flyers under your door and signs on your lawn.” — Rurik Bradbury in response.
