Buzz

Medical devices and diagnostics companies have historically been "the Rodney Dangerfields" of the life science industry, never getting the same respect and buzz as their biotech and pharmaceutical cousins, niche pub Life Science Leader writes in its November issue.

New innovations in software and nanotechnology may be changing that perception, though, according to Medtronic's senior vice president for medicine and technology, Stephen Oesterle. In a Q&A with the magazine, Oesterle explains the shift in thinking he's observing:

"I believe many people previously viewed medical devices as appliances, not innovative medical products. I think the notion that devices are not innovative is beginning to change. This is because devices offer a unique opportunity to incorporate nanotechnology, information technology, biotechnology, or the controlled delivery of drugs and biologics into a single product. People are beginning to realize this, and that is why interest in devices has exploded in recent years. Good examples of innovation taking place in the devices industry include targeted, controlled delivery of monoclonal antibodies and stem cells, MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) implants, and drug-coated stents."

Read the full Q&A over at Life Science Leader.

Tech.mn reports that Minnesota won both the Internet and software categories at a Midwest startup competition last weekend.

The companies, Adaptiveportal and Gimigo, won five minutes of pitch time at the the TiEcon 2010 Midwest event in Detroit. Adaptiveportal is a web-application platform and Gimigo is a service for managing personal information.

The Walker Art Center in October began a policy of free admission for everyone age 18 and younger, Minnesota Public Radio reports:

"Walker Public Relations manager Ryan French said teens have long been an important part of the Walker audience, and he hopes the new policy will encourage even more young visitors.

"'So this is really meant to target the teen audience that really is critical to the Walker,' French said. 'In fact it's 14 percent of our overall audience, or about 84,000 teens visit annually.'"

TECH.mn's Lauren Melcher spoke with the Minnesota High Tech Association's incoming president and CEO, Margaret Anderson Kelliher. The onetime candidate for governor will finish her term as Speaker of the House in December and officially begin her job with the association in January.

"We have a great history of innovation in this state, as well as the ability to sell that creative environment," Kelliher tells Tech.mn. "We also have quite strong link to the beginning of the computer industry, and we have the opportunity to both build off of that and go farther than we have in the past."

Other topics covered in the Q&A interview: startups, the digital divide, STEM education, and the gender imbalance in those career fields.

The One Percent Club, a group of wealthy Minnesotans who pledge one percent of their net worth to charity each year, is looking to connect with the next generation of philanthropic leaders.

The Star Tribune's Jean Hopfensperger reports that the club, which began in 1997, recently entered a partnership with Social Venture Partners and is seeking younger, more tech-savvy board members and partners.

"Minnesota has been a national leader in so many categories--the arts, education, health--in large part because of philanthropy," said Peter Heegard, a club member and retired Wells Fargo exec. "If we don't keep trying to expand philanthropy, that could change."

The nation's capital has the most expensive office space in the land, but Minneapolis-St. Paul has experienced the steepest increase, according a Cassidy Turnley report cited by Inc.com:

"Rents in D.C. rose 3.9 percent compared to a year ago, while New York rents were down 5.6 percent in the same period. Rents rose in 21 of the 80 markets tracked, with Minneapolis rising the most, up 6 percent, reaching $24.09 per square foot."

The Minneapolis riverfront will lead the way in a coming revival of the condo market, say some observers in the Star Tribune:

"While condo sellers are offering huge discounts and sale prices are falling, supplies of new and existing condos are the lowest they've been in several years, leading some, such as Stanton, to believe that the time is right to build new units."

City Pages has the story of how the proprietors of a local music studio saw the writing on the wall and decided to embrace new technology rather than hope it went away.

Or in their words:

"We just put our big-boy pants on and moved on to something else, instead of sitting in the corner muttering under our breaths about these youngsters with their flying machines."

Matthew Foust and Evan Olcott co-founded Integral Studio in 2000. Soon after that they started developing recording and other music-related software and founded Audiofile Engineering.

Those development skills have since become in demand, as City Pages explains.

Not all innovation involves high-tech solutions.

A Minneapolis nonprofit has developed a donkey ambulance that's helping to reduce deaths during childbirth in rural Tanzania.

The Downtown Journal reports that WellShare (formerly Minnesota International Health Volunteers) came up with the cart "as a sustainable and affordable solution to this crisis of emergency transport."

The cart is pulled by one or two donkeys and uses an animal-friendly design that places weight on the animals' back muscles instead of neck.

A woman dies during childbirth in rural Tanzania every 21 minutes, often because they give birth alone or with untrained attendants.

Oddee.com takes a break from cataloging the odd and bizarre to make a list of the world's 10 most breathtaking gardens. Of only three in the Western Hemisphere, one is the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden:

"The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is one of Minnesota's crown jewels and its centerpiece, the Spoonbridge and Cherry, has become a Minnesota icon. Claes Oldenburg best known for his ingenious, oversized renditions of ordinary objects, and Coosje van Bruggen, his wife and collaborator, had already created a number of large-scale public sculptures, including the Batcolumn in Chicago, when they were asked to design a fountain-sculpture for the planned Minneapolis Sculpture Garden....Van Bruggen contributed the cherry as a playful reference to the Garden's formal geometry, which reminded her of Versailles and the exaggerated dining etiquette Louis XIV imposed there."

Read the entire article here.

An idea born in Minneapolis is growing into a phenomenon in cities around the world, Cool Hunting reports. Artcrank art shows of inexpensive posters that celebrate local bicycle culture have spread to the West Coast and the United Kingdom:

"Started in Minneapolis just three years ago, the Artcrank show was a quick, fun way to publicize local artists by inviting them to create posters about bike culture. Since then, the concept has spread with lightning speed to cities like Portland, San Francisco, Des Moines, and even London. With new cities taking part every year, 'Artcrank is growing roughly 10-15% faster than I can keep up with,' said Charles Youel, Artcrank's director and curator--not a bad problem to have. ...

"Local works on display each sell for an affordable $30 apiece at each venue. 'The more accessible those experiences are, the more diverse and interesting a biking and artistic culture becomes. I see people arriving on bikes, discovering local artists they've never heard of and connecting with causes. If free beer and cheap posters are the catalyst for that, it's cool by me,' continues Youel....

"'We're betting that Artcrank can and will work anywhere that people love bikes and art. So far, it's a bet we've won every single time.'"

Read the entire article here.

Mark Mallman stayed awake for 78 hours, playing music with help from fellow rockers from near and far. The Mark Mallman Marathon III astounded fans at St. Paul's Turf Club and around the world via the Web. City Pages live-bloggers bore witness to an event that blew off any dust that had gathered on the local scene since Mallman's last marathon. Afterward, CP collected quotes from others who can say they were there:

"Some of us may remember when our friend Mark Mallman decided to do his first 'Marathon' in 1999. Knowing Mark, it didn't seem weird that he would attempt such a stunt. The man has far too much energy and tends to be one of those creative juggernauts that fill the Twin Cities music scene....There was a sense of pride in being able to participate and carry the music on stage, while in the club and on the internet the event created a pervasive feeling of unity in the community. On a zombie-filled weekend intent on keeping the Twin Cities weird, Mark Mallman finished his Marathon Sunday night to roaring applause from all walks of life in St. Paul, Minneapolis, and around the world."

Read the entire article here.

Minneapolis-St. Paul is witnessing a proliferation of D.I.Y. organizing around technology and innovation issues, The Line's Dan Haugen writes in this month's Twin Cities Business magazine.

From meetups and happy hours to competitions and unconferences, a new generation of institutions is rising up to support entrepreneurs and innovators in the Twin Cities. Enabled by social networking, these new efforts reflect the sensibilities of a generation that's grown up using the web to share and create. They're informal, usually free or inexpensive, and more about conversation than lectures.

Read the entire story here.

Dwell magazine profiles the South Minneapolis home that local architect Julie Snow designed for Walker Art Center design curator Andrew Blauvelt and his partner, Scott Winter, who directs the Walker's annual fund:

"The deeply collaborative design process that ensued felt more like an architect-to-architect dialogue than an architect-to-client discussion. Snow shared sketches with Blauvelt and he drew designs to send back. Later, the trio would meet, handling chunks of concrete, wood, metal, glass, and other inspirational materials, to get a real sense of their tactility and material relationship. 'Andrew is not trained in architecture, but he knows more about design than many architects,' Snow says. 'His library of design and architecture books is the most extensive of anyone I know. He's compositional--he thinks in composed elements.'

"One game that the couple rejects, however, is the one where a seemingly agoraphobic modernist, flat-roofed home on a large lot carefully camouflages itself behind trees and a large lawn. Rather, the house is exposed to everyone, in a neighborhood largely featuring early 20th-century homes and apartments. 'It is a response to a corner lot at a busy intersection,' says Snow. And although it is unique to the neighborhood, 'it fits the city and the pattern of the neighborhood's older housing stock--front yard, porch, house, yard, and garage--but with an updated design sense,' she says."

Read the entire article here.

The Twin Cities earned only a middling rank in a recent survey of the most active metros on Twitter. But there is a growing community of businesses reaching out to customers via social media, as highlighted by About.com:

"A recent report from NetProspex ranks Minneapolis/St. Paul as the country's 21th most active city for Twitter for professionals, and 23th for businesses.

"With free messages delivered instantly to customers, it's natural that independent businesses in Minneapolis have got behind Twitter in a big way.  And there's advantages to following your favorite businesses--be first to know of events, enter competitions, and get special offers and freebies, just for Twitter followers. ...

"Wondering what time to show up for the show? First Avenue tweets set times, and just before the show starts, win a free upgrade to a VIP table--if you are in the building and following their Twitter feed. The Varsity Theater announces shows and gives away tickets, and when Lady Gaga dropped into the Turf Club after her show here last month, the only way you'd have known about it was from Twitter."

Read the entire article here.