The biggest news in OakTech is the continuing surge in commercial real estate - and residential rentals - in San Francisco. Commercial real estate is hitting new highs in the city by the Bay and Curbed SF says rental rates have almost doubled since last year. 

What does this mean? That the Facebook IPO isn't the only thing sending people who haven't got the start-up lottery payouts across the Bay to Oakland.

So, with that as the backdrop, some recent East Bay tech news:

Forbes: Average price of Oakland home: $340,000; Palo Alto home $1.3 million

"Get a job at the right startup, work like a maniac, and maybe you too can afford a down payment on a home in Palo Alto, Calif., where the median listing price for a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, home is a $1.3 million. By contrast, a comparable home just 25 miles away in Oakland, California will cost $340,000. "

Mobiledia: Berkeley labs development virus-sized chargers to power your phone

"The stamp-sized generator, created in Berkeley Labs, relies on the piezoelectric M13 virus to produce electrical charge when pressed. Fitted to shoe soles, it may one day allow users to power mobile electronics as they walk."

Kottke: How Pixar almost deleted Toy Story 2

"Taken from the Studio Stories series included on the Blu-ray versions of Toy Story 1 and 2, here's a short story about how Toy Story 2 was almost erased before the film could be rendered for theaters."

Asian One Science Tech: Google, LinkedIn call on dorm-room whiz

"Derek Low - the University of California, Berkeley, student who made waves with his automated dorm room - will soon be meeting people from Google and LinkedIn. Over 20 technology firms have sought to meet the 21-year-old and 10 are offering him summer internships.The Singaporean student shot to fame after a video of his self-made automated room went viral online."

Cool Hunting: Oaklander Roy Denim's specialized machines make amazing clothes

“Roy Denim is actually just one man, Roy Slaper, whose obsession with making jeans has driven his small business into the conciseness of denim heads everywhere. In our video we learn about Roy’s machine driven approach in creating his jeans, the birth of his business and how his obsessive attention to detail results in some of the toughest, nicest looking denim around.”

To follow our OakTech coverage, check the page "oaklandlocal.com/topics/oaktech;" all our stories will update there. We'll also use the hashtag "#oaktech" on our social media coverage - and invite you to do so as well.