.

Category: OSU

Facebook in Oregon: Sure there’s Prineville, but did you know there’s the OSU Open Source Lab too?

Facebook is still very interested and supportive of the open source community. A significant contribution to the Oregon State University Open Source Lab just goes to prove that. Introducing Supercell.

Rick Turoczy on January 21, 2011

[HTML1]When it comes to Facebook and Oregon, the data center in Prineville gets an awful lot of attention. As well it should. Based on reports, it’s changing the town—and potentially the state—for the better.

But where else is Facebook having an effect in Oregon? You might be surprised to learn that for an organization that gets continual press about its market valuation, the Facebook crew is still very interested and supportive of the open source community. (I mean, it is a gigantic PHP app, after all.) And the latest effort—a significant contribution to the Oregon State University Open Source Lab—just goes to prove that. Introducing Supercell. Read More

Open Source for America: OSU Open Source Lab’s Deb Bryant named to steering committee

How much of a hub is it? Well so much so that Deb Bryant Public Sector Communities Manager at the OSU OSL has just been named to the Open Source for America steering committee.

Rick Turoczy on July 22, 2009

While I like to wax on about Portland being the de facto hub of open source, truth of the matter is that—just to the south of us—there’s a literal hub for open source: the Oregon State University Open Source Lab.

How much of a hub is it? Well so much so that Deb Bryant, Public Sector Communities Manager at the OSU OSL, has just been named to the Open Source for America steering committee. Read More

OSU Open Source Lab gets a big ol’ chunk of bandwidth

I’m a huge fan of the OSU Open Source Lab down in Corvallis. Not only do they provide an incredibly important resource for the open source community, but their folks are always nice enough to make the trek up to Portland on a regular basis. And it’s always great to have them involved in events like BarCamp Portland and Open Source Bridge.

Rick Turoczy on May 28, 2009

I’m a huge fan of the OSU Open Source Lab down in Corvallis. Not only do they provide an incredibly important resource for the open source community, but their folks are always nice enough to make the trek up to Portland on a regular basis. And it’s always great to have them involved in events like BarCamp Portland and Open Source Bridge.

So when they get good news, I want people to know about it. Today is one of those days.

Today, Wisconsin-based TDS Telecommunications announced that they have donated $1.4 million in bandwidth to OSU OSL. Read More

REMINDER: OSU Open Source Lab and POSSE host Open Source Digital Voting Foundation tonight

Rick Turoczy on February 18, 2009

While we’re still basking in the afterglow of activity surrounding the last election, it’s never too early to start thinking about the next election—and how technology can help ensure that the voters’ collective voice is heard.

That’s what makes the Open Source Digital Voting Foundation and their TrustTheVote project so interesting.

The Open Source Digital Voting Foundation (“OSDV”) is tackling the greatest problem with today’s voting technology: the lack of truly trustworthy digital voting machines. This Silicon Valley based project is actually building next generation devices that will serve as a draft standard for how e-voting must work. This can be characterized as a digital “public works” project – producing actual voting machines the public can see, touch, and try. Success of this project can restore trust in how America votes.

TrustTheVote brings together the best and brightest in information technology into a synergistic, meritocratic community focused on developing trustworthy digital voting specifications and technology to be held in the public trust.

And now the OSU Open Source Lab and Portland Open Source Software Entrepreneurs (POSSE) are hosting an event featuring the OSDV Foundation at CubeSpace, 6PM tonight (Wednesday, February 18).

Here’s what they’ll be covering:

  • Introduce the project, its motivation, founding, and development efforts to date
  • Walk through the TrustTheVote technology road map and review major projects underway
  • Discuss development philosophies and approaches including experience-driven design and test-driven agile development
  • Review opportunities for systems architects, software developers, SDQA/test specialists, and user experience designers
  • Cover plans to expand the volunteer developer teams, future opportunities for senior members of technical staff, and opportunities for you to get involved.

For more information, visit the Open Source Digital Voting Foundation event on Upcoming or Calagator.

Happy 150th Birthday, Oregon! OSU and Flickr got you a gift

Rick Turoczy on February 14, 2009

Today, February 14, 2009, marks the 150th birthday of Oregon, the sesquicentennial of the fair state that the Silicon Forest calls home.

I didn’t really get you anything, Oregon. But OSU and Flickr did.

Like this photo of Beer and Blog, circa 1933.

Beer and Blog circa 1933

Well, okay. Maybe that’s more of a codefest. And it’s taking place in Virginia. But let’s not quibble.

In honor of Oregon’s birthday, Oregon State University has become the first university to contribute to the Flickr Commons.

This initial offering focuses on the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a New Deal program, focused on the conservation of natural resources, that targeted unemployed young men, veterans and American Indians who were hard hit by the Great Depression. The Oregon State University Archives’s photostream shows various CCC projects, which included firefighting, farm land improvements, infrastructure projects and even the building of ski areas on Mt. Hood.

The photos are just a peek into OSU’s photographic collections pertaining to the history of forestry and natural resources in the Pacific Northwest, with a focus on Oregon. Expect more uploads from the OSU Archives illustrating culture, natural resources, and history in the coming months. In the meantime, enjoy the collection!

What is the Flickr Commons? It’s a huge collection of photography shared by the world’s photography archives designed to give the public a glimpse into these valuable resources—as well as stimulate discussion among the Flickr community.

I don’t know about you, but I just added the OSU Commons as a friend on Flickr.