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Month: March 2010

Now every Portland block is on EveryBlock

If I’ve said it once, I’ve… well I’ve said it once. But it doesn’t make it any less true. Fact of the matter is, when you open up your data, good things happen. So when the City of Portland decided to join the ranks of cities with open data policies, good things started to happen.

Like what? Well, like EveryBlock having the resources they needed to finally add Portland to their list of cities. Read More

You can’t play Foursquare without a Kickball (well, you can but it’s not the same)

Portland-based Gorlochs thinks so. And that’s why they’ve taken the Foursquare API and worked to your iPhone Foursquare experience even better

Now you all know that Portland has been enamored of the geolocation and geogeeking stuff for quite a while. We’re kind of like that. But now, we’re starting to see the idea of location-based services and games really take off all over the place. And if there’s one service that is the current darling of that space, it’s Foursquare.

But can the Foursquare experience be improved? Portland-based Gorlochs thinks so. And that’s why they’ve taken the Foursquare API and worked to your iPhone Foursquare experience even better—much like Tweetie and TweetDeck did for Twitter. Introducing Kickball, an iPhone client for Foursquare. Read More

Portland Development Commission Hosting Lunch 2.0 May 19

I’m exited to announce that the Portland Development Commission (@pdxdevelopment) will be our host for Lunch 2.0 on May 19.

Granted, I’m always excited about announcing Lunch 2.0s, but this one will be another event that commingles our beloved tech community with other Portland communities, like March’s Lunch 2.0 was.

Plus, how great is it to have the City recognize that geeks matter? Read More

memePDX 029: Second Porch funding, Urban Airship AirMail, Google Fiber, PRTLND, Google and China, Nexus One, and @ MoMA

This week, Cami Kaos and I cover Second Porch securing $1 million in funding, Urban Airship launching AirMail, City of Portland wooing Google Fiber, PRTLND, Google and China, Nexus One, and the Museum of Modern Art acquiring the @ symbol.

Well well well, it’s Thursday again. And after a little technical difficulty and then a SXSW-induced hiatus, we’re all back in the studio to bring you another piping hot and fresh episode of memePDX, with all of the hottest tech stories in Portland and beyond.

This week, Cami Kaos and I cover Second Porch securing $1 million in funding, Urban Airship launching AirMail, City of Portland wooing Google Fiber, PRTLND, Google and China, Nexus One, and the Museum of Modern Art acquiring the “@” symbol. Read More

TechStars Seattle: Mentorship could be as close as a train ride for Portland startups

Now, this could be your chance to get that expert TechStars advice and the chance to pitch VCs to boot. How? Well, TechStars Seattle just opened applications for the class of 2010.

As you may have heard, TechStars—the mentor-heavy startup helper founded in Boulder, Colorado—recently opened up a Seattle branch. But what you may not have heard or realized is that they see it as very much a TechStars “Northwest.” As such, they’re interested in getting some Portland people up to Seattle to participate. And mentorship? That’s something any number of Portland types could use.

Now, this could be your chance to get that expert TechStars advice and the chance to pitch VCs to boot. How? Well, TechStars Seattle just opened applications for the class of 2010. Read More

REMINDER: Open Source Bridge call for proposals closes March 25

The premier open source conference in Portland—Open Source Bridge—is looking for speakers. And the call for proposals is almost closed. You’ve only got until March 25 to get your proposal in the door.

So you like the open source stuff? Think you know a little about it? Maybe enough to talk to other people about it? Well then don’t just sit there, my friend. You’ve only got a few more hours to complete your proposal—a proposal that could have you presenting to hundreds of very interested open source citizens.

That’s right. The premier open source conference in Portland—Open Source Bridge—is looking for speakers. And the call for proposals is almost closed. You’ve only got until March 25 to get your proposal in the door. Read More

PRTLND: Simply a beautiful way to find Portland Web developers, designers, illustrators, and photographers

Most of the time, the simple things get to me. Like really get to me. And today was no different.

Today, I was introduced to the latest project from local Web designer Chris Kalani, an incredibly simple and beautiful site that seems to have pared finding Portland Web developers, designers, illustrators, and photographers down to just the bare essentials. And the only difficult thing about using it, is spelling it. Introducing PRTLND. Read More

Urban Airship launches AirMail: Your iPhone push notifications just got a lot more interesting

Now, Portland-based Urban Airship has introduced a better option: AirMail, a new service that allows app developers to deliver rich push notifications to their users, simply and easily.

[HTML2]Apple Push Notification Service has changed the way that iPhone app developers communicate with their users—by enabling developers to remain in contact by sending messages directly from their applications. Not only does it keep the application in the user’s mind, it provides yet another way of improving the user experience.

But there’s one little problem with the whole push setup. You see, for all the beauty of the iPhone interface and the apps therein, push notifications are still simple text messages. And that might not always deliver the user experience developers want. Read More

WebVisions Hosting Lunch 2.0 on April 14

Did you know WebVisions is celebrating its 10th year this year?

I wonder what the sessions were in 2000, maybe “Looking ahead to Internet Explorer 6”? We’ve come a long way since then, and Brad Smith (@webvisions) and his great team have continued to produce a great conference, mixing design with technology and trends.

Anyway, WebVisions will be hosting Lunch 2.0 on April 14, about a month before the conference, which is May 19-21 at the Oregon Convention Center.

If you’re not familiar with WebVisions, this will be a great opportunity to learn more about a gem of a conference held in our backyard firectly from the organizers and past attendees. Read More

Second Porch finds a home for a $1 million investment led by Oregon Angel Fund

This week, Second Porch announced that they have secured $1 million in investment led by the Oregon Angel Fund.

During a SXSW panel on startups in smaller metropolitan areas, I spent some time talking about how venture capital was a bit more difficult to come by in towns like Portland. But I’ll be darned if some awesome Portland startups—like Urban Airship, ShopIgniter, and ActiveTrak—aren’t working to prove me wrong. And now? Another Portland startup has joined the list.

This week, Second Porch announced that they have secured $1 million in investment led by the Oregon Angel Fund. Read More