.

Category: Events

OSCON: Concrete5 demo tonight

Rick Turoczy on July 21, 2008

I just received word that Portland’s Concrete5, one of our favorite content management systems, will be presenting tonight at OSCON.

What’s that? You thought Concrete5 was commercial software…? Yeah, well it was. Until recently.

Concrete CMS was first developed in 2003 as commercial enterprise software. Headquartered in Portland, OR, the Concrete team had always been proponents and enthusiastic users of open source, but until this year had only released full source code to their clients for a fee. Now at O’Reilly OSCON 2008, concrete5 will be released to the public under the MIT License, a popular and nonrestrictive open source license.

The session will be held tonight (Monday, July 21) at the Oregon Convention Center, E143/144, at 7:00PM.

What’s Concrete5?

 

concrete5 is a PHP/MySQL based CMS that is easy for site owners to use, flexible for developers to work with, and is simply the new version of our enterprise level solution that powers such sites as Lemonade.com, Indie911.com, and LewisAndClark200.org to just name a few. After years of being evil software guys, we’ve seen the light and have gone fully open source.

We’ll give a tour of why and how c5 was put together and what it’s doing well today. We’ll quickly install and build out a small site, and then we’ll get into some geeky stuff and do questions.

For more information, see the OSCON listing for the Concrete5 demo.

OSCON 2008: Sourceforge offers free Open Source tattoos

Rick Turoczy on July 18, 2008

Open Source tattoosInterested in placing a penguin on your posterior? Or maybe the Debian swirl? Or the Ubuntu circle thingee? Or maybe—just maybe—putting your OpenID somewhere you’re sure to never, ever forget it?

Well, next week at OSCON here in Portland, you may be able to make that dream come true. Because it seems that the nice—or is that sadistic?—folks at Sourceforge are offering to ink you up with your favorite open source icon—for free.

That’s right. Ten lucky winners will get the opportunity to go under the needle to make their ass officially open source. Well, or their arm or leg or what have you:

We are looking for people that are willing to sign up for a tattoo and show it off at the CCA party later on in the week. Only requirements – participants have to be able to meet with Ross Turk, Sourceforge’s Community Manager, at the beginning of the week to get the gift certificate, they have to sign a couple waivers (one for the tattoo parlor and one for Sourceforge), the tattoo has to be open source themed or techy in nature, and they have to show up at the CCA party Thursday night.

I’m not sure exactly which tattoo studio is going to be doing the work, but given that it’s going to be one near the Jupiter Hotel, I’m going to assume that it’s Colorbomb Tattoo with the drawing honors.

Is your interest piqued? You willing to take the pain all for love of open source? Maybe you should contact Ross at Sourceforge and let him know: rturk at corp.sourceforge.com.

And please, oh please, if you’re crazy enough to do this—and (and!) you happen to get picked—do let me know.

What’s that? Tats not your pot of ink? That’s okay, kiddo. There are still plenty of cool things to do in Portland while you’re at OSCON.

Photo credit vonguard used under Creative Commons

Psst! Beer and Blog will be about secrets. Past it on.

Rick Turoczy on July 18, 2008

Beer and BlogIt’s Friday. And that means, it’s time for our favorite Portland wrap-up for the week: Beer and Blog.

So what’s the topic?

Well, I’d like to tell you, but it’s a secret.

Most of us have more than a few cards up our sleeves that give us a competitive advantage. I know I’ve got a whole bag of tricks that I’ve built up over the years. Today, we’re going to share some of those sweet secrets with the group. The idea here is not to spill your guts and tell all, rather that if we all share a little somethin’ then we will all learn a lot.

For more information or to RSVP, visit Beer and Blog on Upcoming.

WordCamp Portland begins drafting plans for September 27

Rick Turoczy on July 16, 2008

Hard to believe, but WordCamp Portland is only a few months away. So now, it’s the time for planning. And getting folks ready to lead sessions.

That’s why Aaron Hockley has scheduled a WordCamp Portland planning session this Thursday, July 17, at the Green Dragon starting at 6:00 PM. What’s on the agenda?

We’re going to nail down some details on registration, scheduling, speakers, and facilities/logistics. All are welcome; volunteers are needed….

We’re actively seeking those who want to lead a discussion. If you have an idea for a session, please contact Aaron Hockley with your idea. Any topic related to WordPress could be a potential WordCamp session.

WordCamp is a grassroots event centered around using and hacking WordPress, a popular blogging engine and content management system. In fact, you’re soaking in it. Silicon Florist runs on WordPress.

WordCamp Portland will be held on September 27th, 2008 at CubeSpace. For more information or to stay up-to-date on the latest happenings, visit WordCamp Portland.

Charlene Li tweet up Wednesday night at the Governor

Rick Turoczy on July 15, 2008

[Update] Unfortunately, due to a flight delay, Charlene Li will be unable to make it tonight.

The parade of A-listers continues through Portland.

This time, it’s Charlene Li, co-author of Groundswell and (until very recently) a Forrester analyst focusing on social media.

Charlene will be in Portland to speak at the Internet Strategy Forum. And while I highly encourage you to attend the event, I wanted to let you know that you’ve also got the opportunity to meet Charlene in a more casual environment. At the Governor on Wednesday night.

Charlene Li Portland Tweet up

This is one of those rare opportunities to spend time with one of the thought leaders in the industry. And truly one of the leading proponents for the corporate use of social media.

Geek or not, it’s not an opportunity that should be passed up. (Which, as cruel irony would have it, is the very thing that I will be doing.)

If you’re considering meeting up tweeting up with Charlene (and I highly encourage you to take the chance to do so—or wasn’t that obvious?), please RSVP via Upcoming.

I’ll be living vicariously through your tweets, from my hotel room in Chicago.

(Hat tip Justin Kistner)

Ignite Portland 4: Thanksgiving comes two weeks early

Rick Turoczy on July 11, 2008

Ignite Portland 4Seems like it was just yesterday that we were still basking in the afterglow of the last Ignite Portland.

But, as well all know, that Ignite Portland blaze is a hard one to keep under control. So it comes as no surprise that, fast on the heels of the last event, the Legion of Tech has announced the date and location for Ignite Portland 4.

So mark your calendars, kids. It’s two weeks before Thanksgiving, November 13. And as with the past two, the Bagdad Theater will serve as the venue.

Other details? You know the drill.

First, RSVP for Ignite Portland 4 on Upcoming.

Second, start thinking up your presentation ideas. Like now.

And I’ll make sure to give you a heads up as to when it’s time to submit. Because I’m looking forward to seeing your proposal.

OSCON 2008: Prepping for Portland, Oregon

Rick Turoczy on July 9, 2008

Portland skyline at night

We here in Portland, Oregon, like to think of our town as the de facto hub of open source and open web technologies. I mean, Linus Torvalds lives around here, so does Ward Cunningham.

And, that’s not all. We’ve got the OpenID contingent with Vidoop and JanRain, too. What’s more, Portland is home to a bunch of cool open source shops and developers. Oh, and don’t forget, we used to host RailsConf, too.

But there’s one little get-together that causes our collective open source head to swell ever so slightly. And that event is just around the corner.

OSCON 2008, the premiere open source conference, will be again gracing Portland with its presence, beginning July 21. And with it, thousands of open source types will be descending upon town. No doubt, many of them will be wondering, “What the heck am I supposed to do when I’m not in sessions?”

Have no fear, open source aficionado! There are a few activities with which you can keep yourself entertained, a handful of establishments where you can slake your thirst, and a joint or two where you can get your fill of vittles.

As you’re planning your trip to Portland, here are some links that might help:

  • Hacking PDX: A geek’s guide to Portland International Airport
    “We have a great airport with plenty of features that just about any traveler could need. But, despite all its ease-of-use, there are always a few tips-and-tricks that make the experience that much better.”
  • Falling in love with Portland, again and again
    “This is the beginning of a fantastic renaissance period for Portland. It’s such a vibrant, eclectic, talented and diverse city with so many things going on, that it inspires the mind and spirit around every corner you turn.”
  • Amy Winkelman says “Hi Vidoop, Welcome to Portland!” (An extensive primer on the Rose City)
    “As a native Oregonian and fanatic Portlander, I love recommending things to new folks visiting the city.”
  • What to do in Portland while you’re at RailsConf (or OSCON)
    “If you’re attending RailsConf this year and are from out of town, you might be like me when you’re in another city: I don’t really find much outside of the touristy areas, or what’s immediately around where I’m staying. But you’re in luck! I live here in Portland, Oregon and I have a list of places to go and things to do that I think are quintessential Portland.”
  • Portland’s top 30 tech Twitter-ers
    “And that got me thinking. I began to wonder: Who is at the top of the Twitter heap when it comes to Portland startup and tech types? Who has the most ‘influence’? Who is the holder of the mythical ‘Twitter juice’?”

Still feel like you need some help? Drop a comment here, or feel free to ping me on Twitter. Or look for me at OSCON. I’d be happy to answer any Portland questions for you.

Whatever your question, rest assured that Portvangelists are standing by.

Photo courtesy Matt McGee used under Creative Commons.

Portland Lunch 2.0 roadmap

Rick Turoczy on June 27, 2008

Portland Lunch 2.0, admittedly a continually evolving work-in-progress, has quickly taken a firm hold—and sparked some interesting conversations—in the Portland tech community.

And like developing any product, even though the Portland Lunch 2.0 team (read Jake Kuramoto) hasn’t launched the latest version of their product—that version will launch on Monday—the team is already hard at work on the next version.

So, I thought it might be helpful to step into a product manager role, ever so briefly. Just so you can get the milestones and release schedule on your calendar.

Let’s take a glance at the product roadmap:

  • Portland Lunch 2.0 SP4 will be released Monday, June 30, at Wieden + Kennedy
    “On Monday June 30th, the PDX Tech/Tweeple community is cordially invited to join 50-100 W+K employees for a “blind date meets grade school birthday party” ad/tech extravaganza. It’s going to be a fun, it’s going to be quirky, and it’s going to rock RockBand style (literally).”
  • Portland Lunch 2.0 SP5 will be released Wednesday, July 16, at souk
    “The Portland Lunch 2.0 saga continues at flex term office space provider souk, once again in Old Town on July 16, 2008. We won’t stop until we have Lunch 2.0 at every, single business in Old Town.”
  • Portland Lunch 2.0 SP6 will be released…?

For more information or to RSVP, visit Upcoming for the Portland Lunch 2.0 SP4 and Portland Lunch 2.0 SP5 RSVP lists. If you’re interested in hosting SP6 or a later release, please ping Jake Kuramoto.

WordCamp Portland: WordPress geeking slated for Sept 27

Rick Turoczy on June 27, 2008

WordPressEver been to an unconference? We had one here in Portland at the beginning of May called BarCamp Portland. And during that BarCamp, a number of folks had the opportunity to lead and attend a few sessions on hacking WordPress, the popular open-source blogging and content-management system. Those sessions formed, by design, a mini-version of WordCamp, a series of grassroots, locally managed conferences for WordPress developers.

So how was the mini-WordCamp received?

Well. Very well, in fact. Interest was high. And the discussions were good. (One of the more packed sessions I attended was a WordPress session.) And that got Aaron Hockley to thinking: Maybe we should get rid of the “mini” and have a full-fledged WordCamp.

And guess what? That’s exactly what he’s done.

Announcing WordCamp Portland

Hockley has announced that we will, in fact, have the opportunity to attend a full-fledged WordCamp Portland.

Do you use WordPress? Want to get more out of WordPress? Need some WordPress tips? Well then, mark September 27 on your calendar with a big W. Simply WordPress curious? You’re welcome, as well.

I’m excited. And I know some other folks around town are already champing at the bit to attend WordCamp Portland, as well. Among them, Betsy Richter of the newly launched Our PDX—a WordPress blog, itself:

[I’ve] already blocked September 27th off on my calendar and am volunteering my time to help make this happen – I really loved the energy at BarCamp & am a total WordPress idiot savant (brilliant at some things, not so hot at others), so am thrilled to see this coming together.

As with every unconference, there’s a dire need for three things: sponsors, volunteers, and participants. So, if WordCamp Portland sounds even remotely interesting to you, why not take a second to RSVP on Upcoming to help give the organizers an way to better gauge interest?

Internet Strategy Forum Summit: Gaining momentum

Rick Turoczy on June 25, 2008

Internet Strategy Forum Summit 2008The Internet Strategy Forum Summit, the homegrown Portland event that focuses on “a diverse array of important and complementary strategy areas including general digital strategy, social media strategy, personalized marketing, e-commerce, email marketing and customer metrics,” is drawing ever closer. Only a few weeks remain until the fifth incarnation of the event, July 17 and 18.

This year’s Summit promises to draw a wide-range folks from out-of-town. But more importantly, it’s drawing an all-star line up of speakers, including:

But it’s not just the Summit that’s gaining traction. The Internet Strategy Forum (ISF), the group of Internet professionals on the corporate side of the desk for which the Summit serves as an opportune annual meeting, has been growing by leaps and bounds. In fact the ISF is on track to double its membership—doubling since December 2007.

Considering that it took the organization three-and-a-half years to grow to 850 screened members, adding another 850 in six months is impressive, to say the least.

Interested in attending the Internet Strategy Forum Summit and getting a chance to see all the cool folks listed above, firsthand? You’re in luck. Silicon Florist readers are entitled to a 10% discount on their Internet Strategy Forum Summit registration. Simply enter the discount code FLORIST.

1 … 125 126 127 128 129 … 138