Silicon Florist’s links arrangement for January 23

The News Hour with Jim Lehrer featured a number of Portland, Oregon, companies in a segment on the tech industry’s trials and tribulations, including Ambric, Elemental, and TriQuint.

From the ORBlogs 2.0 team “I feel like we have been stalling a bit, so I have done a few things recently to try to make the development process more transparent, as well as easier for anyone who wants to just jump in and do what they can, but may have been stymied by not knowing where to start.”

Mike Rogoway digs for some positive news on a less than positive week.

Via Daily Journal of Commerce “Also altering The Reserve is a new, 13,000-square-foot penthouse that was built on top of the original building. Taking advantage of the building’s view of the city, Hennebery Eddy designed the penthouse with floor-ceiling windows and a wrap-around porch with a continuous overhang to provide shade and block intense sunlight. Once it’s completed this week, the $5 million penthouse will belong to tenant Jive Software, which has occupied the building’s third and fourth floors since May 2008.”

Via the Symfony Project “Looking for something to do with all that brain power? We’re happy to announce an upcoming community event that will harness the power of the symfony community toward a variety of social causes. Help us get the word out! This event will take on the basic structure of other 48 hour web application development competitions, such as Rails Rumble, but with a special twist unique to symfony. The applications we create during the course of the competition will be gifted to different socially-minded organizations around the world. Once the fun is over, our work will live on and hopefully do a lot of good.”

Amber Case writes “There’s just one little problem. You live in a house. You work at an office or coffeeshop. There’s no really large space with tons of powertools, saws, and electronic equipment nearby. Your garage is lacking a 9′ wood lathe, and the basement has no more room for electronics. Enter Open Tech Space.”

Via the JanRain blog “We’ve been building a portfolio of OpenID case studies and just finished one that is pretty exciting, so wanted to share it with the community. AFI is a leading rock band with an exciting approach to fan engagement – a competition for six fans to perform on their next album.”

Tim Sears writes “Despite this dark news we keep seeing in companies across the tech industry, I keep asking myself if things are really as bad as they seem. Microsoft is actually still hiring a large number of Software Development Engineers – over 150, in fact – to help grow and support a variety of their different product platforms. Some positions were posted as recently as today. Intel, on the other hand, does not have anywhere near as many position openings, but there is no clear evidence of a hiring freeze.”

Jason Grigsby writes “Don’t get me wrong. There are a lot of good applications being built based on solid business plans. And after evangelizing mobile for so long, I’m pleased that people are excited about the possibilities. It’s just important to recognize that it is a gold rush. During a gold rush, there is a lot of money to be made. But the part that makes it a rush is the irrational exuberance of the chase.”

Amber Case writes “Need help with your software project? Looking for a logo or WordPress hack? Interested in some of the brightest minds in Portland Tech? Whether you’re looking for community, coffee, or Wifi, Portland Tech hangouts abound. I’ve compiled a list of the top ten Portland Tech hangouts and what they’re like. If you’re in the area, make sure to stop by, or follow me on Twitter @caseorganic and I’ll give you tips on where we’re going to be next. “

Via NTEN “This meeting will be talking overall tech strategy. Do you have a technology plan in place? What types of things should you be thinking of? We’re going to take a look at the big picture and help you see what ways you can be using technology to make your nonprofit’s work more efficient. This will be a joint meetup with the Nonprofit Technology Network’s, Portland 501 Tech Club. Speaker details are still being finalized but be sure it will be some great local tech talent!” (Don’t be so sure. It’s me.)