[droithomme]

"we’re not exactly chomping at the bit to see New York squander its funding on students who spend their time building Star Wars simulations"

So, a New York based venture capitalist booster says that Stanford engineering students are "not tapped into the current tech scene", and ridicules that they know how to built robots.

Fascinating.

[kenjackson]

Is that in the story? I can't find it.

[citadrianne]

It's in this story, http://www.betabeat.com/2011/07/18/stanford-students-dont-wa..., which was linked.

[droithomme]

Oops, thanks, sorry about attributing to the wrong story, I must have just fluidly slipped into that other one.

[leot]

It wasn't said by a VC booster though. It was said by one of betabeat's writers.

[droithomme]

Maybe I'm wrong, my understanding is that betabeat is a NY tech advocacy site, their about page pretty much says that and admits they engage in boosterism. And it kind of follows that NY tech advocacy is pretty much all about the financing angle, hence my seeing their NY tech boosterism as fundamentally NY VC boosterism.

Anyway, I found the quote interesting and kind of highlights that there is something of an irreconcilable major cultural mismatch between the scenes on each coast, which may have been an issue with Stanford pulling out. I thing west coast entrepreneurs often don't realize the extent to which east coast people don't think the same at all about tech and business. As the author pointed out, he didn't see much value in Stanford seeding their point of view regarding technology and entrepreneurship to the east, he thought the greater value was in Stanford learning their perspectives about fashion and high finance instead. Those are things he sees as more valuable than using star wars metaphors for designing robots, not seeing that there is utility in research and research can sometimes be made fun. Star Wars is not the only influence on the west coast, there is also the very major influence of Star Trek devices on Apple's entire current business model since we've been seeing iPads on west coast produced TV programs since the 1980s and Siri since the 1960s. New Yorkers, as is evidenced by the comments, see that stuff as a bunch of stupid childish geek stupidity which they have contempt and disdain for. Getting bailouts, buying jet airplanes, and having servants are what proper adults should be interested in. Hah, I guess you can tell which coast I favor, I'm biased as well.

[listerhome]

A little over the top, no? You're quoting one dude.

MIT, not exactly a bastion of west coastism, also declined to bid for a campus in New York City. John Hennessy's Ph.D. is from SUNY for heaven's sake. I'm sure many people in California also enjoy "Seinfeld" and the New York Times without feeling like traitors, and nobody can doubt that NYC is sincere in wanting to emulate Silicon Valley's success in high tech.

In any event, a true east coaster from the right sort of family would know how to spell "champing at the bit."

[sbisker]

I suspect the insinuation was that said betabeat writer is a New York based VC booster. From his own bio:

Brooklyn born and bred. My writing on technology has appeared in the NY Times, Slate, Atlantic and Fast Company. Currently editor of this here BetaBeat.

[leot]

I think I misinterpreted the original parent. 'VC booster' might mean a VC who is a booster. It might also be a booster for VC money to NYC. Mine was the erroneous first interpretation.

[RockyMcNuts]

read it as a light-hearted dig, with a funny video of light saber fighting robots... touchy touchy