Life and finding work in South Dakota- No. 2

Just before I went outside to shovel the “April showers” off the sidewalks, Dakota News Network reported a bit more about the I-29 technology corridor, mentioning “the South Dakota equivalent of California’s Silicon Valley.” The manufacturing and technology corridor development is to stretch from Yankton north to Aberdeen. In addition to the corridor, this eastern area of the state also has some of the best wind power of the nation- classes 4/5/6.

Whether wind development will be done to complement hydropower and power from the coal-fired Big Stone electricity plant has not been mentioned in the media, so one has to assume it hasn't been discussed by the ad hoc working group.

After shoveling and a bit of lunch I did a Google search which found about 291,000 URLs for “silicon valley economic development.” One defined the organization of development we now take for granted as “Silicon Valley” One of the pages had “An industry cluster is a symbiotic, living entity that grows best when nurtured in hothouses of like-minded companies.

"[These] leading clusters call Silicon Valley home
>> Semiconductors
>> Computer & Communications Hardware
>> Electronic Components
>> Software
>> Biomedical
>> Creative & Innovation and
>> Nano-Bio-Info Technology Convergence.”

For an I-29 technology corridor to flourish, it can use this as a proven business model and development structure. The development can adopt and modify the SV industry clusters concept with respect to our region's assets.

An overview of an industry cluster has this information
>> Industry name
>> Profile
>> Changes driving opportunities
>> Where the opportunities are
>> Major labor market trends
>> Silicon Valley Firms
>> Venture Capital Investments
>> Cluster Infrastructure and
>> Detailed Industry Components.

What industry or industries can we seed and grow much like Silicon Valley grew microelec-tronics, computers, and software? What need (actual or latent) can the I-29 technology corridor satisfy as SV meets needs?

This is food for action, not just thought in these times of triple-digit oil prices and $3 billion dollar farm bill programs. There has to be positive cash flow somewhere out there.

A focus on agri-energy in the I-29 corridor would be much like the focus on transistors and other electronic components that served as the foundation for Silicon Valley's successes. Both are regional "fits;" both are "spheres of economic activity" that satisfy needs. In SV's case the needs became "all things digital." I-29 can address energy availability in parallel with meeting needs for foods and fibers.

Life and finding work in South Dakota- No. 1

Yep, it's definitely spring in South Dakota. The snow is wetter. During the night of 10 April 08 nearly 6" of snow fell; people who owned four-wheel drive pickups and SUVs had one more reason to drive like maniacs, so they did. Robins, which I have seen around here for a week or so, must be wondering WTH is going on, where's the "global warming?"

With temperatures in the low-30s Farenheit, the streets and avenues of Watertown are deep with slush, the ruts of which keep a compact car like mine going that way when I need to turn this way. 'Tis not a problem if indeed you want to go "that way," but can be a struggle to get out of the slush rut. As you try to angle through the stuff the car slides somewhat in the direction it was initially going. The worst-case is sliding into an on-coming car or one parked at the curb; the car could slide into the curb or just get stuck. Lotta details to keep in mind whilst driving here.

Wagon trains heading west faced ruts and individual wagoneers struggled, too, when they wanted, say, to go to St. Loius rather than stay on the Oregon Trail. (Oh sure, that's a "reach" to compare a 21st century city-driver with 19th century pioneers since our situations are only marginally similar, but we both bumped and jolted across ruts to get where we want to be.

They wanted to start new lives "out West," and I need to start a new job, being unemployed now since the end of November 2007. I have applied for work at a number of companies here, in Sioux Falls, Aberdeen, and outside South Dakota. Even with all of the rejections and shaken (not stirred) self-confidence, I know I'm only hosed if I stop slinging applications and "beating the bushes" by writing "food for thought, if not action" letters. I am an information researcher / writer to support customer service and /or business development. I'm never without "something to do" with this as my "work title."

At this point I am skilled in researching information and have a talent for organizing the results of my research into written ... abstracts? summaries? tracts? screeds? missives? monologues? blatherings? Yeah, something like that.

"That" is what I do well (think I do well) and enjoy doing. The Watertown Regional Library is the best place on the planet; every library is the best place on the planet. I've been a patron at King County Library, Salt Lake County Library, Tucson Public Library, Murray Library, and others. In them I can find an answer to nearly every question and a solution to nearly every question. (Religious strife, political logic, clean coal, effective schools, and other oxymorons are in the "nearly" categories.)

Don't let what you don't have prevent doing what you can do." Lou Holtz.

Always follow your passion. Rush Limbaugh.

Keep on chasing that dream; even though you're right behind it, you might not find it. The band they named a city after, Boston.