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WSJ: Portland continues to attract talent, despite stumbling economy

Rick Turoczy on May 17, 2009

As if we needed another sign of the opportunity and potential we have within our grasp here in the Silicon Forest, the Wall Street Journal has just published a piece on Portland and its ability to attract young educated people—even though they might not have jobs waiting for them.

What will come as little shock to any of us—but seems to be confounding the WSJ—is that any number of people are attracted to Portland for way of life, first and foremost. Even though joining the ranks of those in Portland may also mean joining the ranks of the under-employed or completely unemployed. Read More

Open Source Bridge announces final schedule

Rick Turoczy on May 15, 2009

[Full disclosure: I’m volunteering to help the Open Source Bridge team with marketing efforts.]

Open Source Bridge—a gathering of open source citizens and open source curious taking place in Portland, June 17-19—has been a labor of love for a number of members of our community. And for that reason, it’s really great to see the final pieces of the event begin to fall into place.

Today, the Open Source Bridge team released the final schedule for the structured portion of the event. (The final day will be in an unconference format.) Read More

REMINDER: Your side project or startup effing rocks

Rick Turoczy on May 14, 2009

So, there are you are. Sitting there banging away on some code. Or working out your strategy for how you’re going to move that side project along just a little bit more. Or just trying to tweak that one blog post a little more.

And everyone’s bitching about the economy. Or how this is a bad time to do anything “risky.” Or about the time you’re wasting. Or how you should be doing something else.

But you know this is the right thing to do. And you know what? You’re right. And you will get there. Read More

Tell the Software Association of Oregon (SAO) where to go. Please.

Rick Turoczy on May 14, 2009

[HTML2]Usually when you get the infamous “customer satisfaction” survey asking for your input, it’s abundantly clear that what the survey is really designed to do is cover someone’s ass. They don’t want your feedback. They want you to give them five stars across the board and tell them you wouldn’t change a thing.

But this latest survey from the Software Association of Oregon is different. I think—nay I believe—they truly want to hear your feedback. Not just the feedback of existing members. They want feedback from everyone in the Silicon Forest tech scene. Long story short, they want your feedback.

And I believe they want you to be blunt.

Why do I believe this? Any number of reasons. Read More

Portland’s JanRain instrumental in latest Google OpenID API rollout

Rick Turoczy on May 14, 2009

I’m quite fond of saying that Portland is the de facto hub of OpenID development. And it’s days like today that make me sound like I actually know what I’m talking about.

Google (maybe you’ve heard of them?) has just announced two new enhancements to the Google OpenID API. And it just so happens that Portland-based JanRain and their RPX solution have come to play a critical role in the announcement: they’re one of the first examples of the new features in use. Read More

There’s no such thing as a free… Wait. Shoot. Free WebVisions and a free lunch?

Rick Turoczy on May 14, 2009

We’re getting awfully close to WebVisions, the premier Web conference that has graced Portland, Oregon, for nearly a decade by bringing incredible Web thinkers, designers, and developers to discuss their craft. It’s such an amazing show, I can’t imagine not paying for it.

But that’s me. I’m not lucky like these folks: the winners of the Silicon Florist WebVisions raffle. Read More

Procrastination warning: Ignite Portland 6 submission deadline is looming

Rick Turoczy on May 13, 2009

I know, I know. You have so many good ideas. So many potential presentations. Tell you what, pick a few of the best ones and get them submitted for Ignite Portland 6 because your time is running out.

That’s right. This Sunday is the final submission deadline for proposals. And then the Legion of Tech is going to meet at E-San and… hold a tick. There’s something new happening here. Read More

Portland’s Sabrix takes on Quicken, E*Trade, and Dow Jones (for the Stevie Awards People’s Choice)

Rick Turoczy on May 13, 2009

Given that even I have grown weary of bitching about the latest Twitter kerfuffle, I thought I might try and post something positive.

And what could be more positive than giving a local startup a little oomph as it competes with some heavyweights for a prestigious award? Well, nothing of which I can think, at the moment.

And while sales and tax management software startups aren’t the usual ilk of what I cover around here, I do love a good David and Goliath story. So here it goes… Read More

Unfortunate news: Vidoop reports another layoff [Updated]

Rick Turoczy on May 12, 2009

I hate reporting this stuff, but I just caught wind of another layoff at Portland-based Vidoop.

According to a post on the Vidoop blog:

The reality of the current economic climate and its impact on our target market (Financial Services) has unfortunately required a reduction in staff. Saying goodbye to loyal members of the Vidoop family has been one of the toughest decisions for myself and our management team, particularly following the announcement we made last November. The impact of the economic downturn has drastically lengthened the sales cycle for new technology, so we are proactively reshaping our cost and channel structure to ensure we can continue to deliver services to clients and ride out this more hostile environment.

Read More

Portland startups: Get a paid intern for free, help some kids at the same time

Rick Turoczy on May 12, 2009

“If I only had more time to do [x].” It’s a phrase the confounds many a startup. And truly, every once in a while, that confounding problem is something terribly technical that requires a specific level of expertise. But most of the time, it’s simply something that needs to get done. Yet something for which it is impossible to find the time. And that makes it all the more aggravating.

All it would take is someone to help you do it. But that—especially for bootstrapped companies and side projects—can make the problem even more insurmountable. The idea of paying someone to do the job? Usually, not an option.

You know what would be perfect for completing these tasks? An intern. Even better? A paid intern. Someone who was getting reimbursed to help you with your project. And someone who had some skin in the game to perform at a level that would help your startup improve. Read More

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