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Month: December 2008

Silicon Florist’s links arrangement for December 09

Rick Turoczy on December 10, 2008

KGW Live @7 Hot Box: Silicon Florist Rick Turoczy

I totally took more time than I was supposed to. I hope @stephstricklen and @thesquare are still speaking to me.

The Current State of Me « Dyepot, Teapot

Audrey Eschright writes “I’m going to try to start a meme. I don’t know whether it’ll work, but let’s try. Using the community success questions I posed in my last post, I’ll tell you how I did this year. You do the same. Maybe we can get a better idea of where people are struggling and succeeding.”

KGW Live @7: Break takes

My favorite part of the show. These guys are willing to leave the mics open and the cameras rolling during the breaks. It’s incredibly interesting to watch.

View all my bookmarks on Ma.gnolia

KGW Live @7: Must be a slow news day

Rick Turoczy on December 9, 2008

KGW Live @7It’s no secret that I’ve been a fan of local NBC-affiliate KGW’s Live @7 show. I don’t even watch broadcast TV and I’m a fan. Why?

Because they’re approaching broadcast journalism in a way that I understand. They leave mics and cameras open during breaks. Both Stephanie Stricklen, the show’s anchor, and Aaron Weiss, the senior producer, use Twitter—and they use it very well. They swing by Beer and Blog….

In short, they get it.

Unfortunately, I may have been a tad too overt in my fanboi worship of their efforts. Because now, I’m going to be on the show.

That’s right, gentle reader. Tonight, you can tune in for my three minutes and 45 seconds of fame. I should be on around 7:10 PM for the “Hot Box” segment.

And while there’s no telling how it will go, it wouldn’t be the same without you.

So please feel free to jump on Twitter as you watch the live stream online (so you can see the behind the scenes stuff, too) and, of course, ridicule my stumbling delivery, predilection for the word “amazing,” and other foibles which will become all too evident on camera. Or catch it online later.

Either way, I’ll thank you in advance for letting me into your living room or laptop or whatever.

Silicon Florist’s links arrangement for December 08

Rick Turoczy on December 9, 2008

WordPress Release Party and Blogger Food Drive | Our PDX Network

Aaron Hockley writes “In addition to bloggy goodness, we’re also holding a Blogger Food Drive. The Oregon Food Bank is currently handing out more food than they’re bringing in, so any contributions would be appreciated. Bring your non-perishable food donations to the WordPress party, or drop them off anytime this week at CubeSpace (622 SE Grand Avenue).”

Why Free Geek means so much to me and why it’s more important than ever!

Marie Deatherage writes “You all know how much I love Free Geek. I’ve seen quite a lot of nonprofits, and I have to say it’s the most amazing one I’ve ever encountered. Why? Well, here are a few of the reasons…”

Portland startup lands two Oregon tech vets for board – Silicon Forest

Mike Rogoway writes “Ontier, a downtown Portland startup launched earlier this year, said this afternoon that Oregon tech vets Les Fahey and Paul Gulick are joining the company’s board and investing in the business.”

The Great Portland Interview Experiment: Lawduck Edition

Dawn Foster writes “I had the pleasure of interviewing J-P Voilleque aka @lawduck for the Great Portland Interview Experiment. In this version, I asked the questions, and JPV provided the answers. I was also interviewed for this experiment by Grant Kruger if you are interested.”

Have feedback on ThrivePDX?

Interested in providing more feedback to the ThrivePDX gang? Here’s your chance.

View all my bookmarks on Ma.gnolia

iPhone-based Fieldrunners named one of Time’s top 10 video games of 2008

Rick Turoczy on December 8, 2008

FieldrunnersPortland’s mobile development chops continue to gain attention. This time it’s an addictive iPhone app built by Portland-based Subatomic Studios.

It seems that almost everyone who plays Fieldrunners—a strategic tower defense game—gets a little bit addicted to it. Even the writers at Time Magazine. So much so, in fact, that—even though the app was only released a little over two months ago—it has been named one of Time’s top 10 video games for 2008.

Not iPhone games, mind you. Video games. Period.

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Why do they like it?

With the opening of the App Store and the release of development tools, third-party developers have converted the iPhone and the iPod Touch into handheld gaming devices that will soon be serious competition for the Nintendo DS and Sony’s PSP. The pick of the first litter is Fieldrunners, a fast and furious tower defense game that looks great on those super-bright, super-crisp screens and seamlessly integrates the famous touchscreen as a game controller.

Pretty high praise—and definitely mainstream exposure—for some great development happening here in Portland. Now, if we can just get them to look up from the game long enough to see the other cool stuff that’s happening here.

To download the app for your iPhone or iPod Touch, go to Fieldrunners in the App Store.

(Hat tip to Steven Osborn)

Silicon Florist’s links arrangement for December 06

Rick Turoczy on December 7, 2008

A Little Historical Perspective on Portland Tech | Our PDX Network

Geoff K writes “Since I truly believe that ‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it’ I believe it’s important to share some of the conclusions which came out of hours and hours of discussions, often heated debates and candid comments from reporters about the tech scene from Web 1.0.”

View all my bookmarks on Ma.gnolia

Silicon Florist’s links arrangement for December 04

Rick Turoczy on December 5, 2008

Facebook Connect vs. OpenID: Who Will Emerge Victorious? – ReadWriteWeb

Marshall Kirkpatrick writes “Thanks to the Vidoop crew for the conversation this morning that inspired this post.”

Layoff watch: Iterasi – Silicon Forest

Mike Rogoway writes “In the long run, though, Pete’s still optimistic. His company, founded in May ’07, helps users capture Web pages as a snapshot in time — preserving an archive of the way a site looked at a given moment. Customers remain enthusiastic about Iterasi, Pete said, and his advisers and investors forecast better times in about a year.”

Panic – Coda 1.6.1

Via Panic ” Coda 1.6.1 is now available for download from our web site. Full release notes for this version are also available. This is a free upgrade for all Coda owners. We encourage all Coda users to upgrade to this latest version. “

State of Portland Tech | PDX Web Innovators

Adam DuVander writes “It’s been quite a year for the Portland tech scene. Web Innovators itself has gone from cozy gatherings around a table to much larger events. Last night we had more than 40 people together at CubeSpace to talk about 2008 and look ahead to what we need to do in 2009.”

Looking Forward: Hillsboro, Instantiations, OpenID, more – Silicon Forest

Mike Rogoway writes “‘Whatever happened to OpenID?’ Here are two takes, from CNET and Wired, on the future of OpenID, a platform developed by Aloha High’s own Brad Fitzpatrick (who now works at Google). OpenID remains a big deal in Oregon, where JanRain and Vidoop are building their companies around it.”

Recommended follow: Mike Rogoway of The Oregonian

Mike Rogoway of The Oregonian and the Silicon Forest blog is now on Twitter. Follow him, won’t you?

WordCamp Vegas Agenda Announced (Hotel Discount Ends Soon) » Another Blogger

Portland WordPress types and OurPDX writers Aaron Hockley and Geoff Kleinman will be speaking at WordCamp Vegas. Hockley writes “I’m excited to see that VegasGeek has announced the agenda for WordCamp: Las Vegas. It’ll be great to have blogging ‘celebrities’ such as Matt, Lorelle, and Liz together in one place. Lorelle’s energy at WordCamp Portland was amazing. It’ll be great to meet the woman who called me an SOB in July 2006. And that Matt guy? I’m a big fan of his work.”

JanRain’s RPX in Action

Peat Bakke writes “This morning I converted the OpenID Foundation’s membership website to use RPX, and ditched the old plugin I hacked up to support the OpenID 2.0 features. If you’re interested in seeing it in action head on over to their site: https://openid.net/foundation/members”

Twitter / Stephanie Stricklen: if the boss says yes…

Yet another reason to attend Beer and Blog tomorrow. KGW folks may be swinging by. All thanks to the Blazers game giving them the night off.

Does Your Company Have Friends? It Should. | Positively Glorious!

John Metta writes “Now, I know exactly why this hit me the way it did, but it’s important to discuss. Here’s a company that I have no financial stake in and have never visited. I’m a marginal- at best- user of their product, and I don’t even know anyone who was laid off. For this company that is tangentially related to my life- however brief the emotion was- I would actually shed a tear? Yes. Why? Because sometimes a company is not just a company. Sometimes, it’s a friend.”

View all my bookmarks on Ma.gnolia

Beer and Blog & Open Source Bridge: Two great tastes that taste great together

Rick Turoczy on December 4, 2008

Beer and BlogLast night at the Portland Web Innovators presentation, I got the chance to laud compliments on Beer and Blog, an event that has really helped solidify the Web and Open Source startup community in Portland—and now Corvallis. A little later, I got the chance to share some of the early thinking on what will be the biggest volunteer event for Portland in 2009, Open Source Bridge.

Well, as luck would have it, whether you’re interested in Beer and Blog or Open Source Bridge, you can kill two birds with one stone this week. Because Beer and Blog this week will feature none other than Open Source Bridge:

Hi friends! Rick Turoczy asked me if he and the Open Source Bridge crew could lead some discussion tomorrow @beerandblog. I think what they are up to is valuable to the Portland community and her tech scene, so I said yes. If you’re not yet familiar with Open Source Bridge, they are a group of local techies that want to continue OSCON now that they are not coming back to Portland. But, they’re growing into much more than that.

So why not take some time out of your busy schedule of attending holiday parties to hang out with the Open Source Bridge team at Beer and Blog? Not interested in Open Source Bridge? Come on over anyway. You might find yourself having such a good time that you wind up wending your way over to the CyborgCamp pre-party at Vidoop.

RSVPs abound: Beer and Blog and the CyborgCamp pre-party.

I’m looking forward to seeing you there.

More sad news: Iterasi layoff

Rick Turoczy on December 4, 2008

Ugh. I hate this stuff. But I’d rather that people know what’s happening for the sake of those seeking new gigs.

I’m sad to report that Portland-based Iterasi has had to layoff employees. They fall into the group of angel- and VC-backed companies who are forced to make preventative cuts in an effort to conserve cash.

As many of you know, I’ve had the opportunity to consult with Iterasi on an ongoing basis. Like many Portland startups, they had assembled an amazing team. It’s sad to hear that the team is going to be smaller, now.

To our teammates who are leaving, you will be missed. We were a small team of star performers that made great products in a great company. We are a smaller team now and better off for having had you on our side. I am sure the Portland community will gobble you up quickly. Talent like you guys is hard to find.

For more information, see Iterasi’s post. And, if anyone has gigs for these folks, please by all means, speak up.

Portland Web Innovators: Portland Tech 2008 in a word? Community

Rick Turoczy on December 4, 2008

This evening, I had the honor to take a little walk down memory lane with the folks at Portland Web Innovators as we took a little time to reflect of the cool accomplishments of the Portland Web and Open Source startup community over the last 12 months.

It was kind of like signing yearbooks. A lot of nostalgia and a lot of kind words. And—of course—a lot of tweets.

I wanted to thank everyone who took time out of their schedules to come hang out and chat about our past and our future. And to those who took the opportunity to hang out online.

Here’s a quick round-up of what I’ve got at this point. I’ll add more as it rolls in, and as always, your comments are welcome.

Slides

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Video

Thanks so much to Bram Pitoyo for streaming this video and moderating the chat room. (NOTE: There’s a bit of a hiccup at about 90 seconds into the presentation. If you wait, it comes back. Or you can click into the timeline to kickstart the video again.)

I’m holding a contest. Count how many times I say “amazing” during this presentation and post it in the comments. You could win… um… I don’t know. Something.

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Twitter stream

We managed to accumulate quite a few tweets. You’ll be happy to hear that I managed to resist the urge to tweet during the presentation.

In reverse chronological order: #pdxwi 1, #pdxwi 2, #pdxwi 3, #pdxwi 4, #pdxwi 5, #pdxwi 6, #pdxwi 7, #pdxwi 8, #pdxwi 9, and #pdxwi 10.

Sites I mentioned

Posts

And some folks have already taken the time to post about the event:

  • State of Portland Tech – Web Innovators Live Stream and Event Recap
    “Rick Turoczy (Silicon Florist) lead a discussion about the Portland tech scene heading into 2009. Where are we now, how did we get here and where do we want to go?”
  • Portland Tech Community
    “Over the last year, I’ve written several emails to people moving here describing different events to attend and at those events introduced people new to the area to others in the Portland Tech Community. Despite the fact that I had found myself doing that multiple times, I never really thought about it as a need. I just considered it some ways part of being a good host for the town I grew up in…. But there is a clear need. If someone doesn’t know to ask or whom to ask, they may never find their connection.”
  • The Year in Retrospect, the Year to Come
    “One of the things Rick declined to do was talk much about the ‘why’ – what’s the secret sauce that makes the Portland tech community a community and not some loose aggregation of companies and coders? Why is there such a drive to connect here, while other communities with equal opportunities just don’t work as hard? And most importantly, why is community so important to Portlanders, and what are local companies of all types and from all industries doing to connect and generate a sustainable economics through close attention to community members, the locality, the exigent needs of the people? What does innovation look like in tough circumstances?”
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