Looking Back, Looking Ahead + Battle of the Bands!

Everyone is doing year-end retrospective articles. I'm enjoying getting to know the Xconomy site, and its laser focus on local innovation. Because the site launched mid-year, it is featuring the whimsically titled: "Half-Dozen-Stories-of-the Half-Year Awards."

The awards lead with the "Who Knew? Story of the Half Year," which highlights the rockin' music scene around Boston. The article provided the inspiration for the site's Battle of the Tech Bands, which will be held at the Middle East in Cambridge on the evening of January 22nd. (At least one member of each featured band must be working at a New England tech, life sciences or tech investment firm.) What a fun idea. Audience members will pick their favorite band, and so will the Xconomy editors. More here.

Meanwhile, over at Scott Kirsner's Innovation Economy blog, he's offering suggestions for what we can do to goose the local economy in '08. Amen to this one:

Culture is created by the beliefs and actions of individuals. Can we stop repeating the old trope that the culture here is somehow closed, or unfriendly to new ideas and people, and act in ways that make it feel more open and welcoming?

For a broader view of the tech scene, check out:

The Most Bookmarked TechCrunch Posts of 2007 here
or
Engadget's Top Posts here

And since we know there's life beyond tech, check out Newsweek's 2007's best in "microculture": viral videos, podcasts, blogs, advertisements. If you've somehow missed the YouTubing of poor Miss South Carolina Teen USA explaining why Americans can't find the U.S. on a map (which somehow takes us to South Africa and Iraq), you'll find it leading the article. You know it's a great article because Fake Steve is named as one of just two breakout blogs of the year.

Happy New Year!