Silicon Florist’s links arrangement for October 18

Mike Rogoway writes “In a small state like Oregon, which doesn’t get much venture capital, no single quarter (or even a single year) is enough to draw any conclusions about funding trends. But it’s encouraging that each of the past two years have been strong.”

Garett Croft Stenson writes “I began hand making wallets back in the sticky summer of 1998. I simply made them as a hobby at first and gave them out as novelty gifts to those close to me. I then moved back to Portland, they soon caught on fire, and I immediately found myself asking the question, ‘How do I make these things better and faster?'”

Via The 451 Group “The decline is not exactly unexpected. The overall market was down nearly 6% according to figures from The National Venture Capital Association and Thomson Reuters, while there was bound to be some hangover for open source following the most successful quarter ever in Q1 and solid growth in Q2.”