Links: Alex Hillman and Kelly Lee spar, the Baltimore tech scene and More

DEFINITE READS

• The Inquirer jumps into the fray of criticism lobbed at Innovation Philadelphia and their Global Creative Economy Convergence Summit by Independents Hall co-working co-founder Alex Hillman, most notably through a lengthy post on his personal blog. Community response was less than enthused. Read our Q&A with Innovation Philadelphia head Kelly Lee.
• The Baltimore Sun’s tech blog has a guest post calling for advancements in their tech scene. Now, Philadelphia is bigger, more historic, cooler and totally owns Edgar Allan Poe’s legacy, but we’re way down with Charm City and totally dig that both of our towns get the short stick even though we’re the realest two in this urbanized eastern corridor we have here, so cheers to them. We hope to see their community grow just like ours has and continues to do. It ain’t Baltimore, my friends, it’s Balti-most.
• The Inquirer reports that Gov. Rendell announced an electric car manufacturer is looking at property along the Delaware River — get this — within city limits. But business columnist Joey DiStefano reports that state legislation that would make street legal the low-speed electric vehicles in question has stalled.

After the jump, a Ben Franklin expansion, Thrillist cats called coolest and eight more tech stories, including our best read piece of the week.

MIGHT BE WORTH YOUR TIME

• The Easton Express-Times reports that $6 million in stimulus money is coming to Bethlehem’s Lehigh University for expanded northeastern Pennsylvania Ben Franklin Technology Partners facilities. H/T Philly Tech News.
  
• The Wall Street Journal calls Analytical Graphics, the Exton-based aerospace and defense-software developer, one of the top small workplaces in the country for 2009 — noting catered meals, which is much better than the chewing gum TP writers are given. One other regional company gets a mention — Hershey-based Railroad Associates.
• Inc.com calls the University of Pennsylvania duo of Adam Rich and Ben Lerer who up and moved to the 67th ward, launched a “dude” e-mail newsletter called Thrillist and got a crap load of funding the fourth and fifth coolest entrepreneurs in the country.
• After multiple delays, Metro reports that the deadline for submissions to partner with SEPTA on a $100 million smart card fare system planned to make an appearance by 2012 has passed with all the excitement of a fart in church. You’ve broken our hearts before, SEPTA.

GIVE A GLANCE

• We reported yesterday that West Conshohocken-based early stage venture capital firm First Round Capital is opening a new office in the 67th ward, but we have to bring your attention to the announcement’s image.
• The Business Journal reports that a Wharton research center is delving into the tricky questions surrounding ratings and rankings of programming online in comparison with TV. H/T PTN
• A company press release boasts the strongest quarter of the year for USA Technologies, the payment-system manufacturer that we profiled earlier this year.

• Our Most Trafficked Story of the Week: Technically Not Tech: South Street�s J1Studios to release first video game

Every Friday morning, we make sure you didn�t miss anything with Friday Tech Links.