‘I became a Philadelphian because Philly is not mainstream tech’ [Links]

Why I became a Philadelphian [P’unk Ave blog]: “When I go to a tech meetup I hear about ways people are trying to creatively solve the city’s problems, not create the next billion dollar sell-out app. I can see the impact of my work and the work of those around me. Take a look at codeforphilly.org or check out the work of almost any of the companies based here and you’ll see what I mean. Also, it was this community that led me to the best job I’ve ever had.”

Cool Brigade Apps [Code for America]: Features Jim Smiley‘s Construction Permits Map. Smiley is, full disclosure, our contributing web editor.

InterDigital Announces New Chief Technology Officer  [press release]: “InterDigital, Inc. (Nasdaq:IDCC), a wireless research and development company, today announced that Dr. Byung K. Yi joins the company as chief technology officer and head of InterDigital Labs. In his new role, Dr. Yi will drive InterDigital’s standards research and long-term research and development activities. Dr. Yi joins InterDigital from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), where he was assistant division chief of engineering.”

#YesOnOne: A campaign to get voters to vote “yes” on a ballot question about raising minimum wage for workers for city subcontracts. Their slogan: “Get on board for good jobs at the Philadelphia International Airport.”

UberX enters South Jersey, but ride-sharing holdout Philly must wait [Newsworks]

Angela Ahrendts: Fashioning Experience Design At Apple [Forbes]: Another blog post by SunGard Availability Services UX designer Jason Prunty.