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All posts by Rick Turoczy

More than mildly obsessed with the Portland startup community. Founder and editor at Silicon Florist. Cofounder and general manager at PIE. Follow me on Twitter: @turoczy

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OpenSourcery has open gigs

Rick Turoczy on December 10, 2008

OpenSourceryOr should that read “OpenSourcery has open open gigs”?

Whatever the case, Portland-based OpenSourcery, an open source development shop that also tries to be as green as it can be, has open positions it’s trying to fill.

At a time when the news is all-too-full of layoffs and dire economic forecasts, it’s incredibly uplifting to see an open source company looking to expand its staff—especially a company that so quintessentially reflects the ideals of the Portland community.

So what’s up for grabs? I’m glad you asked.

Not interested in working there? No problem. You can still come have lunch with us there, next year.

For more information on the company and the available positions, visit OpenSourcery.

SplashCast channels Hulu

Rick Turoczy on December 10, 2008

splashcast.jpgPortland-based SplashCast, the service that makes it easy for anyone to embed entertainment channels practically anywhere on the Web, has just entered a partnership with a little online video company of which you might have heard, called Hulu.

Under the partnership, SplashCast will be building a bunch of custom players for Hulu shows. Anyone can pick their favorite show, take the player, embed it in their Facebook page or MySpace profile, and enjoy piping hot episodes of their favorite show delivered to their channel as they become available on Hulu.

Which shows? Well, a number of popular Hulu titles made the cut:

SplashCast has plans to carry 20 popular Hulu shows from a variety of networks. For NBC, the shows include The Office, Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, Chuck, and Heroes. FOX offerings (which I’m betting will get the most play with the social media crowd) include The Simpsons, Family Guy, Arrested Development, House, Bones, Fringe, and Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles. Additional shows include Battlestar Galactica, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Nip/Tuck, among others.

If users can already embed Hulu videos, why do they need SplashCast? Because SplashCast enables users to embed channels—wrapped with social features—that can carry entire seasons of shows, if not a library of multiple seasons. Plus, it gives Hulu another mechanism to push content to its users, rather than expecting them to swing by Hulu to find the latest and greatest.

This is huge news for SplashCast. Hulu is currently one of the darlings of the Web, because it’s a traditional media play with high production value that understands how to work within the new constructs of the Web. That and they’re on track to make $90 million in their first year.

I’m not seeing a post on the SplashCast blog yet, but you can read the press release, CenterNetworks, or my write-up on the SplashCast Hulu partnership on ReadWriteWeb.

Lunch 2.0 at OpenSourcery

Rick Turoczy on December 10, 2008

Have you sensed something missing in your life this month?

It’s Lunch 2.0.

Usually, this is about the time when I remind you to check out the monthly Lunch 2.0, generously hosted by one of the many great Portland (or suburban) hosts who open their doors for good conversation, networking and free food.

Not so this month, since I’ve decided to take a break. Fine maybe you’re too busy with Holiday stuff or watching Rick on KGW Live @ 7 (w00t!) to notice, but in case you were jonesing for that sweet Lunch 2.0 nectar, here comes another announcement.

Thanks to Amye Scavarda and the good folks at OpenSourcery, you can plan on another Lunch 2.0 in March, the 11th to be exact.

opensourcery.pngHere are the details:

Hosts: OpenSourcery

Where: 1636 NW Lovejoy St, Portland, OR 97209

When: March 11, 2009 from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM

Please RSVP on Upcoming so the hosts can get an idea of how much grub to get. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, drop a comment on the event page for planning, unless you don’t want to eat.

OpenSourcery recently moved into new offices on NW Lovejoy, and they want to have an office-warming, Lunch 2.0. From their About page:

In December of 2008 we moved our offices into the Lovejoy Building at SW Lovejoy and 17th Street. The Lovejoy Building is LEED Gold certified, with a host of design features that reduce OpenSourcery’s impact on the environment. Originally built in 1910, the edifice has since been renovated by Opsis Architecture so that every feature — including lighting, mechanical/electrical systems, heating, cooling, nightly air flushing, and the materials that went into construction — contributes to our commitment to sustainable practices. The ample bike parking and easy access to public transportation don’t hurt, either.

I’m pretty sure it’s NW, not SW. Anyway, the new digs reflect OpenSourcery’s commitment to open and sustainable business. Check them out here if you want to do some research before March.

Upcoming Portland Lunch 2.0s

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

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