Michigan | Bach Seat

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RB | October 21, 2011

Michigan Adds Most Tech Jobs In US

Michigan added the highest number of technology-related jobs of any state in the country in 2010 according to TechAmerica. The state ranked 15th among cyberstates, employing over 155,000 tech industry workers.

Michigan added 2,700 tech workers last year, according to the survey, Michigan now boasts 155,100 technology employees. The only other gainers were:

Washington D.C. (up 1,400)
West Virginia and Utah (up 400)
South Carolina (up 300)

The study showed research and development and testing labs added 3,100 jobs, Internet and software publishers added 900 jobs and computer systems and design-related services added 600 positions.

According to MLive organizations like Spectrum Health, Amway, GE Aviation and a variety of automotive components makers like Gentex and LG Chem led the tech job growth. National heavyweights reliant on tech workers including Ford Motor Company (F), General Motors (GM), Chrysler, Dow Chemicals (DOW) and Stryker (SYK) also have ramped up tech sector hiring.

Michigan U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, who joined TechAmerica for the announcement, said tech jobs play an important part in Michigan’s ongoing economic turn around.

“It focuses on all the work we’ve been doing on advanced battery technologies, the research and development into new clean energy alternatives and electric vehicles,” she said. ”The great news is we are developing and growing an industry that can cut across many different kinds of businesses … being a high-tech hub.”

“I think it’s significant to layer on this also that we are the number one state in new clean energy patents. In other words, new ideas being developed and being patented,” Ms. Stabenow said.

Representing approximately 1,000 member companies of all sizes from the public and commercial sectors of the economy, TechAmerica an industry advocacy organization “dedicated to helping members’ top and bottom lines.”

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I first noted the up-surge in Michigan tech jobs here. I have hired 6 new staff in the last six months, 3 of which were unemployed when I brought them on. So maybe there is something to there reports.

Cheers and Jeers: National Surveys Find Southeast Michigan Sad, Booming, Smart (xconomy.com)

Category: Business, Michigan | Tags: Business, Debbie Stabenow, Ford Motor Company, GE, GE Aviation, General Electric, General Motors, High tech, Michigan, Sustainable energy, TechAmerica

RB | September 29, 2011

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Detroiters Vulnerable to Online Threats

Detroit Internet users rank seventh among 35 U.S. cities for being most at risk for online threats and being “digitally duped,” according to an AVG Technologies survey of online behavior.

Of the more than 8,000 Americans with home Internet, AVG says many consumers are unknowingly putting themselves at risk of falling victim to identity thieves, viruses and malware with bad PC habits and a lack of comprehensive protection. :

75% don’t back-up their phone’s data – many rely on their provider to restore their contacts should an accident occur.
67% don’t use an identity monitoring service.
41% never run a manual antivirus scan to make sure computer is virus free
40% don’t use a password on their mobile device and of those that do, another 34% have not changed the password in the past year.
38% admit to sharing online passwords with at least one other person
23% don’t back up the data on their PC

AVG says that the top 10 U.S. cities at highest risk are:

1. San Antonio
2. Tampa, Fla.
3. Atlanta
4. Dallas
5. Oklahoma City
6. Charlotte, N.C.
7. Detroit
8. Denver
9. Washington D.C.
10. Sacramento, CA

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The rules of the road still apply to online activities:

Patch your system
Use current anti-malware software
Change passwords regularly, use variations for each online account, and never, ever share them with others
Use one credit card with a low spending limit for all online purchases. Monitor this account regularly, and flag any inappropriate activity to the bank.
Back up your data
Don’t share your personal data on Facebook
Be wary of phishing scams. Never click on links in emails

5 Essential Mobile Security Tips (informationweek.com)

Category: Michigan, Security | Tags: Anti-Virus, AVG Technologies, Detroit, Facebook, Identity Theft, Michigan

RB | August 30, 2011

One comment

VZW Upgrades Michigan Service to 4G – Almost

I was going to let this press release from Verizon Wireless slide without comment until I got to the end and then i had to jump right out of my Bach Seat and crank out this post.

Verizon Wireless (VZ) told MiTechNews they are investing $850,000 in Michigan to upgrade 450 antennas on all of its cell sites between the Saginaw Bay north to the Mackinaw Bridge and east of Interstate 75 to Lake Huron. The company reports the new antenna equipment has resulted in incremental network coverage gains of up to one mile, improving overall reliability for customers.

The project will be complete when the company can swap equipment on one last tower in Roscommon where a nest of osprey chicks have called home since March.

“Our customers in eastern northern Michigan are able to use their devices in more places, especially in buildings,” explained David MacBeth, executive director–Network, Michigan/Indiana/Kentucky region, Verizon Wireless. “We’re constantly refining our network to ensure our customers have the best experience every time they pick up their wireless device.”

The company’s ongoing network investment in Michigan now totals more than $1.6 billion to increase the coverage and capacity of its network and to add new services.

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Despite what Mr. MacBeth claims, I’ve heard about an organization that moved to VZW from another wireless provider and VZW could not provide the 4G or any G service in the building. When the customer pushed on VZW to provide any G or basic voice service in their building, the sales rep. came back and said “we won’t help you because we spent all of our money.”

Apparently that was the wrong answer, the organization reportedly moved 20 smartphones accounts from VZW back to the previous provider. But hey its a good press release at least because VZW cares about baby birdies.

What do you think?

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Verizon Wireless Expanding Its 4G LTE Market On Thursday, August 18th – Adding 15 More Cities To The Mix (androidpolice.com)
Verizon Will Not Be Getting The Samsung Galaxy S II, Make Ready The Pitchforks And Torches (androidpolice.com)

Category: Michigan, Mobile, Wireless | Tags: Lake Huron, Michigan, Saginaw Bay, Sprint Nextel, Telecommunication, Verizon Wireless, VZ

RB | August 16, 2011

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Motown Not so iPad-Friendly

While having a bagel and coffee at a Panera the other morning, I read an article on my iPad (See I’m as ~~pretentious~~ cool as someone in California) from the fount of tech reporting, Men’s Health that Detroit is full of Luddites because there are not enough Best Buys in Michigan. The article made me put down my iPad and picked up my laptop so I could write this blog.

The Men’s Health article looked at ad impressions from mobile ad network Chitika, the number of Apple (AAPL) and Best Buy (BBY) stores per capita, and the percentage of households that own tablets, notebooks or laptops according to Mediamark Research.

David Zinczenko, Rodale EVP and editor in chief of Men’s Health observed in the article that iPad adoption correlates to proximity to a high-tech center, but also education levels, Mr. Zinczenko gets it right when he suggests that consumer iPad adoption is mostly about income levels.

“Let’s look at who was in line when the iPad 2 went on sale: affluent, well-educated people who had $800 bucks to throw around in the middle of a deep recession,” Mr. Zinczenko told Mashable. “It’s not that [college-educated people are] smarter than the people in Toledo, it’s just that they were fortunate enough to have the dough to attend college. As their educations progressed, their choice of leisure interests migrated toward words, narratives and research-driven pastimes,” all of which the iPad accommodates, he argues.

Most ~~Tech~~ iPad-Friendly

1. Plano, TX
2. San Jose, CA
3. San Francisco, CA
4. Boise, ID
5. Austin, TX

Least ~~Tech~~ iPad-Friendly

96. Cincinnati, OH
97. Baltimore, MD
98. Detroit, MI
99. Fort Wayne, IN
100. Toledo, OH

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In case you did not notice the article started out as a study on consumer iPad adoption which incorrectly morphed into an overall ranking of tech friendliness. This is just more Detroit bashing by Men’s Health. In the past they have called Detroit one of “Worst Cities for Men” and “The Angriest City.”

What do you think?

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Insights’ “Top iPad Friendly Cities” Study Picked Up by Men’s Health (insights.chitika.com)
Seattle an iPad hot spot? No way! (bizjournals.com)
No Apple iPad 3 until spring due to Retina Display problems (geek.com)

Category: Michigan | Tags: AAPL, Apple, Detroit, iPad, iPhone, Luddite, Men's Health

RB | August 11, 2011

One comment

Detroit is Growth Leader in Tech Jobs

Most of the things I read in the Bach Seat about Detroit are negative at best, so good news about jobs in Detroit is always welcome.

Detroit has seen a 66% growth in tech jobs which BussinessWeek says second best in the U.S., behind Cleveland. The article says that Detroit employers are looking for technology workers as automakers create cars with increasingly sophisticated Internet services (a trend I wrote about here) and lithium-ion batteries. Skills in needed in the Motor City are project management and experience with Oracle software. The tech top employers in Motown are Computer Sciences and General Electric.