Agreed Austin is cool, and I suggest it's a great model for what Duluth could become and, I suggest, a place that our city fathers should seek partnership (bookends of I-35). Inside dirt on an Austin bid for the fiber is that Google is looking for a place where they can change the landscape. Austin already has cyber culture coming out it's ears.

On the Homegrown side, I've advocated for a "conference" part of Homegrown for many years -- A daytime boothy, breakouty, geeky, schwa-filled conference with lanyards and elite parties and meaningful panel discussions. I know I should organize it and not just bitch about it not happening but I can only have too many irons in the fire at once and that would be suuuper extra right now for me. So ... hells yeah ... Duluth, the air conditioned and wetter Austin. I'm all for it! (Can I get a job at a game company ... oh, ok ... I'll make my own!)

No, Get Duluth Wired!

Duluth, Weird, Wet and Wired!

I love the idea of a schwa-filled conference.

Here are Duluth's ideas:

1: The mayor jumps in the lake when it's cold.

Getting scooped up by a major label when your a band would totally suck.

Was in Austin last week for business. Massive hipster and Californicator overload, man.

hold your horses there, Bob. most of these folks ain't spent too much time hanging around the southern end of I-35.

can't fault them for it, and swan ain't one to get your boxers in a bunch over. he's a right tough buzzard you don't want to be messin with.

If the question is who can out fornicate whom - there is just one answer: Enron.
Additional info: Houston this year elected an openly out lesbian as mayor.  Duluth could not even manage to elect a city councilor - due mostly to the relentless dykophobia of ex-city councilors and our daily paper.

I feel a similar vibe in Austin and Minneapolis. Modern, sprawling, prosperous river cities; with a good dose of art and culture.

I think our natural Texas rival might be... Galveston?  OK, not many cities aspire to be the next Galveston. However, consider: historic port town, touristy, industrial, quirky, climatically vulnerable. Jean Lafitte vs Daniel Greysolon. Texas natives, feel free to correct me.

Duluth is a lot like seattle, only seattle is a lot larger, faces the opposite direction and smells funny.