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I'm interested to see where this might lead and whether it'll have any implications for education.

Emerging technology has had a strong geographical component. With Google Fiber up and running in Kansas City and tech start-ups burgeoning in Des Moines, we may see yet another wellspring of innovation in the Midwest. This could have significant implications on rural education and agtech.

There were numerous communities in Colorado that tried to lure Google Fiber; it looks like it's paying off for KC. It would be interesting to see the tech start-up numbers in comparison to other US locales. I would like more details as to why only two regions increased their share of angel investors.

My guess is that insufficient momentum or critical mass exists in other regions, Danna. The article mentions the Southwest and Great Plains as two regions with an increase in angel investors. The Southwest probably represents spillover from Silicon Valley, while the Great Plains benefits from large metropolitan areas, good universities, and a concentration of young professional residents. I also think that tech start-ups and VC firm naturally promote the growth of one another.

What do Kansas City, Chicago, and Seattle have in common? Extremely fast internet paving the way for ubiquitous computing.

Interesting example from a few years ago of infrastructure development coming about in unexpected ways. Here, the 2010 World Cup (and more specifically the need to broadcast matches to Europe and the rest of the world) presented an opportunity to develop the infrastructure of a region in need of development.