Joel Kotkin:

During tough economic times, technology is often seen as the one bright spot. In the U.S. this past year technology jobs outpaced the overall rate of new employment nearly four times. But if you’re looking for a tech job, you may want to consider searching outside of Silicon Valley. Though the Valley may still be the big enchilada in terms of venture capital and innovation, it hasn’t consistently generated new tech employment.

Take, for example, Seattle. Out of the 51 largest metro areas in the U.S., the Valley’s longtime tech rival has emerged as our No. 1 region for high-tech growth, based on long- and short-term job numbers. Built on a base of such tech powerhouses as Microsoft, Amazon and Boeing, Seattle has enjoyed the steadiest and most sustained tech growth over the past decade. It is followed by Baltimore (No. 2), Columbus, Ohio (No. 3), Raleigh, N.C. (No. 4) and Salt Lake City, Utah (No. 5).

Ron Lieber:

If you have any doubt about the impact of the Bank of America debit card fee episode, consider a couple of things.

First, it’s now been lampooned in the form of a video on the Funny or Die site. In that clip, a fake Bank of America ad quotes customers thanking the bank for not burning down their houses or torturing their families in a dungeon.

Second, it has induced a new wariness among companies in entirely different industries.

“We have the Bank of America fee top of mind,” said Bill Kula, a spokesman for Verizon. “Part of my role is to get in front of executives and say ‘Do you want your head chopped off if you do this?’ ”