There are few things I enjoy and appreciate more than people who figure out how to make a living doing what they love to do. That’s what’s so appealing about indie game developers. And that’s what’s equally appealing about the scrappy Portland organization that supports them, PIGSquad, Portland Indie Game Squad. But making ends meet for an organization can be challenging. And that’s why PIGSquad has taken to Patreon to raise funds. Read More
Month: April 2016
Coming into its own: Over the past five years Portland's TechFestNW has grown into a destination tech event
It’s hard to believe that it’s been five years since we held the first TechFestNW. Back then, we called it the Portland Digital eXperience or PDX, and it hosted a small contingent of tech faithful at both the Leftbank and Ziba Design, late in the summer of 2012. This week, a bigger, better—and independent of MusicFestNW—TFNW filled the Armory in Portland with activity, energy, and a view into our tech future. Read More
REMINDER: Act now if you want to get in on ACT-W Portland
We all know that if you want to build products that are useful to a wide variety of people, it’s incredibly important that you have a wide variety of people building those products. It just makes sense. That’s why I’m always happy to see events that help get more and more diverse groups feeling welcomed and comfortable within the Portland tech community. Like ACT-W Portland. Read More
Spring fever musings from the world of science startups
In my first post, I made a mild dig at my former hometown (Silicon Valley) for perhaps becoming a bit soft(ware) and distant from the science and tech base it started from. That’s not the whole story, of course, and in any event the home of Apple and Google (great software companies that ended up doing their own great hardware) doesn’t need my help to philosophize on this topic. Read More
We may not actually have Google Fiber, but at least you've got a shot at a Google Fiber Digital Inclusion Fellowship
Portland’s never-ending dance with Google around Google Fiber continues with no end—positive or negative—in sight. But that’s not stopping Google from applying needed resources to the Portland community. Like their Google Fiber Digital Inclusion Fellowship. Read More
Rethinking reselling: Portland's Rezella streamlines the whole person-to-person, buying and selling thing
It happens all of the time. As more and more people start using a service, it begins to shift away from the reasons we were attracted to the service in the first place. It’s a natural sort of entropy. But it doesn’t make it any less frustrating. But sometimes that frustration turns into inspiration. And maybe it’s just me, but here in Portland? It seems like Craigslist is often the source of that frustration and inspiration. Read More
Get going faster on GoPro development thanks to local Internet of Things startup Rigado
It’s always interesting when companies move from single solution thinking to platform thinking. GoPro is in the midst of that very transition as it rethinks and retools its business. And local startup Rigado is right in the thick of it. Read More
Toward more engaging learning: OpenSesame wants to rethink organizational development through a Training Jam
We’ve all sat through them—or at least seen them made fun of—the dreaded corporate on-boarding, training, and organizational development curricula. But what if those learning experiences were more, well, fun? What if we actually enjoyed them? I mean, without the snark. Call them optimistic, but Portland startup OpenSesame thinks that there’s an opportunity there. To reinvent the medium. That’s why they’re throwing a Training Jam. Read More
It's no flying car, but it can carry us into the future: Meet the Beaverton School District mobile maker space #FutureBus
The day and age of schools having shop class are, sadly, a thing of the past. So what is the next generation of would-be makers to do when they need space to muck around with tech or production equipment? The Beaverton School District is proposing one solution. It’s a mobile maker space housed within an old school bus. Meet the #FutureBus. Read More
You've got some meetin' to do: Design Week Portland, ACT-W Portland, TechFestNW imminent
We’re barely into Spring and those crazy Portland event planners are already overloading us with awesome events. And trust me, there’s even more in store for us as the year progresses. So you might as well get used to that feeling of being overbooked and overcommitted, right now. Maybe just think of this as Spring Training for your Summer event season. In the immediate future, we’ve got Design Week Portland, ACT-W Portland, and TechFestNW all happening in rapid succession. So get registered and get ready to attend. Read More