Friday Tech Links: Glowing report on Ben Franklin Tech Partners called out plus more

In which we link out to the tech news from Philly and elsewhere (when it matters) that slips through the cracks and make it way fun. See others here.
The state budget deadline came and, like every other year of Gov. Ed Rendell’s tenure, it went by without a completed plan.
This year, though, the fight has something to do with the state collecting $3.5 billion less in taxes than it anticipated. So everyone’s feeling the pinch. Even, it seemed, Ben Franklin Technology Partners, the state-funded, startup investment company that we reported could see a $10 million, 60 percent budget cut or more — and then others did too.
But the Inquirer’s Joe DiStefano thoughroghly researched the report, suggesting that the report BFTP pointed to in its defense was less than square — a report from the Pennsylvania Economy League that showed BFTP bringing in $3.50 for every $1 invested in it.
“That’s not real,” DiStefano wrote. “The authors [of the report] estimated, and extrapolated, and multipliered, using what the Economy League’s Rich Stein told me were “quasi-experimental” techniques.
According to his article, the state put $50.7 million into BFTP this year, a total Rendell wants to cut to $35 million the coming fiscal year. The original Senate Republican budget put it nearer to $20 million.
Little question remains whether BFTP has done good, but much debate, DiStefano clearly shows, can be had on if it’s done enough to avoid one of the largest state budget tightenings in recent memory.
After the jump, Michael Nutter is not on Twitter, a biomedical firm brings jobs to Philly and six other tech and innovation links you need in your life right now, including our most read story of the week.
Ordered by an incredibly complex algorithm rendering importance:

• Inquirer City Hall blog Heard in the Hall reports that Philadelphia’s city administration is noticeably absent from the nation’s Twitter obsession. They also add that the Michael Nutter on Twitter ain’t really Mayor Michael Nutter, but an impostor.
• The New York Times BITS blog reports that the government of the 67th ward has invited software developers to develop applications to let Internet users navigate large data collections, like inspections and events. It’s about transparency and innovation. Yo, Allan Frank, why didn’t this happen in Philadelphia first [PING!]?
• ZDNet shares an interview with Navid Safabakhsh, a principal at San Francisco and Center City-based interactive web development agency Freshout, on his firm’s use of open source, collaboration and other technologies to help companies better use the Web to connect to customers.
• The Business Journal reports that biomedical firm EResearch Technology said late Monday it is moving a 30-person customer care team to its new headquarters on Market West, Center City. With a city that may have finally begun to halt its plummeting population, even small job additions are bright spots.
• The Financial Times reports that Microsoft is putting Internet ad agency Razorfish, with Center City offices, up for sale.  via CNET
• The Associated Press reports that the worst may be over — at least for the U.S. tech market.
• The AP also reports on the surprise reversal from the Chinese government on PCs with built-in search filters.

• Our Most Trafficked Story of the Week:SEPTA opens Google Transit data to third-party developers

Every Friday morning we make sure you didn’t miss anything with Friday Tech Links.