First, New York has become much more interesting in the tech world. I spent just two days hopping from rock to rock, and didn't land on most of them, but wow, there's something going on there.
That was an interesting bit. I'm a New York resident and have always felt the startup/entrepreneur scene here was strong, but I am of course biased. I wonder what it is he's picking up on recently? Is it just the total startup activity in New York or does he see something more fundamental happening?
I think there's been a slight shift in outside perceptions of New York on the strength of a handful of consumer-focused startups (bit.ly, Tumblr, Etsy, Hunch, etc.) and a handful of well-known early-stage firms (Union Square Ventures, First Round Capital, Betaworks, Founder Collective, etc.)
Before the Hunches and Betaworks showed up, New York was still a great place to build a company, but it had more of a reputation for advertising technology (DoubleClick, Right Media, Tacoda, Quigo.) I don't read a lot of Dave Winer, but I suspect ad targeting might not float his boat as much as it floats mine.
That was an interesting bit. I'm a New York resident and have always felt the startup/entrepreneur scene here was strong, but I am of course biased. I wonder what it is he's picking up on recently? Is it just the total startup activity in New York or does he see something more fundamental happening?