Our Top 20 Stories of the First Quarter: Amazon, Cell Therapeutics, Dendreon, Microsoft, and More

At the pace of today’s news, it can be hard to maintain perspective on what all the important stories are. Sure, the iPad is dominating headlines today, but remember when Google bought Picnik just a month ago? That deal is still resonating in the startup community. What’s more, headlines fly off the page so fast that not everyone can catch them the first time. Luke and I wanted to find a way to help readers discover more of the stuff we’ve been busily producing for the past few months.

The first quarter of 2010 is in the books. So we thought it would be fun and useful to recap our favorite stories of the year so far—everything from Alder to Z2Live, with Amazon, Apple, Cell Therapeutics, Dendreon, and Microsoft in between. These were sometimes our most popular pieces, but not always. In every case, they highlight the kind of in-depth analysis and exclusive reporting that we are bringing to bear on the Seattle-area innovation community. Enjoy.

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Greg’s Top 10 technology stories:

Cowboys Like Us: Investor Nick Hanauer on How to Think About Breakthroughs in Business and Society (Part 1)

Nick Hanauer, a “High-Functioning Contrarian,” on How to Think About Breakthroughs in Business and Society (Part 2)

Bill Gates’s Nuclear Miracle? John Gilleland Says TerraPower Needs Discipline, Not Divine Intervention

Picnik CEO on Getting Bought by Google, and How It Affects Startups and Consumers

How Amazon Innovates: Lessons in Strategy for Microsoft and Others

How to Win the Future of Social Mobile Gaming: The Z2Live Story

The Apple iPad’s Impact on Mobile, Gaming, and E-Books: Local Techies and Startups React

Friend or Foe: How Apple Is Forcing Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and AT&T to Raise Their Game

MIT MBA Students: Amazon, Google, and T-Mobile Are Hiring, Expedia Isn’t; Microsoft “Super Interesting,” Apple Is “Sterile”

Stephen Wolfram Talks Bing Partnership, Software Strategy, and the Future of Knowledge Computing

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Luke’s Top 10 biotech and life sciences stories:

The Dendreon Alumni: Where Are They Now?

Joe Eichinger, Top Medical Device Entrepreneur and UW Volunteer, Dies From Cancer

Cell Therapeutics Offers Bigger Cash Bonuses for 2009 While Stock Languishes

Ekos, Swedish Aim to Shake Up Stroke Treatment with Ultrasound Brain Clot Buster

Geospiza Runs in the Black as Scientists Turn to Software to Help Crunch Genomes

Microsoft Fleshes Out Health-IT Portfolio, Waits (and Waits) for Market to Materialize

Medical Device Entrepreneurs Converge on Wings, a New Angel Investing Network

Dendreon’s New Operations Man, Hans Bishop, Aims to Keep Provenge Trains Running on Time

Halosource Nails Down $10M for Global Expansion of Water Purifying Technology

Alder Rises from Ashes of Layoffs, Overcomes Skeptics to Become Seattle Biotech Force

Author: Gregory T. Huang

Greg is a veteran journalist who has covered a wide range of science, technology, and business. As former editor in chief, he overaw daily news, features, and events across Xconomy's national network. Before joining Xconomy, he was a features editor at New Scientist magazine, where he edited and wrote articles on physics, technology, and neuroscience. Previously he was senior writer at Technology Review, where he reported on emerging technologies, R&D, and advances in computing, robotics, and applied physics. His writing has also appeared in Wired, Nature, and The Atlantic Monthly’s website. He was named a New York Times professional fellow in 2003. Greg is the co-author of Guanxi (Simon & Schuster, 2006), about Microsoft in China and the global competition for talent and technology. Before becoming a journalist, he did research at MIT’s Artificial Intelligence Lab. He has published 20 papers in scientific journals and conferences and spoken on innovation at Adobe, Amazon, eBay, Google, HP, Microsoft, Yahoo, and other organizations. He has a Master’s and Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT, and a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.