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REMINDER: Communit.as launch party, tonight

Rick Turoczy on February 26, 2009

Communit.asIt’s always good to see new Silicon Forest based products being launched—especially when there’s a launch party involved. So, don’t forget that Communit.as will be unveiling their product, tonight.

What’s Communit.as? According to the founders, it’s an “open source web application that provides a foundation for building custom community and social network sites.”

That’s about all I’ve got, because I haven’t seen it yet, either.

Oh okay. Here are some other details:

There are certain core features any community or social network site needs: user accounts, access control, database abstraction, template rendering and a few other essentials. While you could certainly build these things from scratch every time you build a site, this seems like kind of a waste of effort to us. With that in mind we set out to create a reusable, upgradeable foundation that can shave the first few weeks of development off of any custom community site.

“Custom” is really the operative word there. Communit.as is generally intended for building sites with lots of custom functionality. Instead starting with the functionality we think you want and forcing you to hack the crap out of it, we take care of the tedious stuff and give you a great set of tools for adding your own features. If you want a generic blog or a social network that does everything out of the box, there are better solutions for those things.

This isn’t to say you don’t get a running application out of the box. You do. We provide a simple and robust installer that will have you up and running in minutes.

So if you’re intrigued, make sure to show up at CubeSpace, this evening from 6-8. There will be drinks, snacks, and demos galore.

For more information, visit the Communit.as launch party on Upcoming or Calagator.

Silicon Florist’s links arrangement for February 26

Rick Turoczy on February 26, 2009

Startups in 13 Sentences

Paul Graham writes “One of the things I always tell startups is a principle I learned from Paul Buchheit: it’s better to make a few people really happy than to make a lot of people semi-happy. I was saying recently to a reporter that if I could only tell startups 10 things, this would be one of them. Then I thought: what would the other 9 be? When I made the list there turned out to be 13”

(tags: startups advice entrepreneurship paulgraham tips)

iterasiLite, updated browser support and Web-based Import Bookmarks

Via Iterasi “Today we are releasing a new product – iterasiLite for Firefox – as well as updates for our clients to the latest browser releases, and a Web-based Import Bookmarks tool.”

(tags: portland oregon iterasi firefox iterasilite)

Social Media Club PDX Event Recap

Via Social Media Club PDX “Wow. What an amazing turnout for our very first event. We had nearly 100 people crammed into a room that was certainly not meant to hold that many. It was great to see so many people interested in learning and sharing ideas about social media. Despite some technical difficulties we experienced, there was some interesting debate and great conversation.”

(tags: portland pdx socialmediaclub social media events)

Versionista offers public revision history of DrudgeReport.com

Via Versionista “To help document the role of online news stories in the election, and beyond, Versionista now lets users sift through edit histories of the Drudge Report for the past several months. Users can view side-by-side comparisons, visually transformed to show what has been added and deleted from one revision to the next.”

(tags: portland oregon versionista news)

Harvey Mathews leaves Software Association of Oregon (SAO) [UPDATED]

Rick Turoczy on February 25, 2009

[UPDATE 2]

Mike Rogoway at The Oregonian‘s Silicon Forest blog has posted on the news as well:

My understanding then was that Mathews was looking for a more involved, engaged board — and that he got it. He’s since recruited new board members, boosted membership and sponsorship, started a health care plan for SAO member companies, and helped create interest groups and social networks within the organization.

I haven’t heard back from Mathews himself, so for the moment at least the reasons for his sudden departure will remain a little mysterious.

[UPDATE]

Harvey’s departure has been confirmed. Here’s the press release:

SOFTWARE ASSOCIATION OF OREGON PRESIDENT STEPS DOWN

Portland, Ore. – February 25, 2009 – The Software Association of Oregon (SAO), the primary trade organization for Oregon industry driven by software, announced today that its president, Harvey Mathews, has resigned. The organization’s board and Mathews are working together to identify potential candidates to fill the role.

Over the past decade, the software industry has evolved dramatically. Once a minor tool for many businesses and consumers, software now drives both much of our economy and personal lives from financial services and environmental sustainability to online social networking and mobile communications. Differing views of the SAO’s role in the continuing evolution of the software industry between Mr. Mathews and the Board have resulted in Mathews’ decision to step down.

“The SAO’s board is tremendously thankful for Harvey’s vision and leadership,” said Michael Phillips, chairman of the SAO board and partner of David Wright Tremaine LLP. “He has increased significantly membership and sponsors in the past year alone, created new special interest groups such as the Clean Tech Alliance, and developed a new health care program for members. His contributions have been invaluable.”

“I’ve really enjoyed my experience working with the Oregon technology community, from large software companies to impassioned entrepreneur-developers,” said Mathews. “It is my belief that the next great period of innovation and economic development will be powered by software, and the SAO is the organization to lead the effort in the Northwest.”

[ORIGINAL POST]

I’m hearing a number of reports that Harvey Mathews has resigned his role as president at the Software Association of Oregon (SAO). As of this posting, he’s still listed on the SAO staff page. But given what has happened before, I’m inclined to believe it.

Harvey Mathews leaves SAO

I’ve been a big fan of what Harvey’s been trying to do at SAO, especially as it applies to the small and micro startups that I try to cover here on Silicon Florist.

If this rumor is true, I’m sad to see him go. But I remain hopeful that he’ll resurface in another role.

I have a call into Harvey about this. I’ll let you know when I find out more or when other information surfaces.

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Silicon Florist’s links arrangement for February 25

Rick Turoczy on February 25, 2009

iPhorest plants trees virtually and physically : Super Eco

Sarah Gilbert writes “The team at iPhactory is making that happen with its new iPhorest app, announced (but not yet launched) at TED. A joint venture between Raven Zachary, iPhactory and the Conservation Fund, iPhorest will plant a tree on your iPhone as the Conservation Fund plants a honest-to-gosh real tree in one of its renewal projects, beginning with a vulnerable wildlife habitat along the Gulf Coast. As your tree grows on your phone, you can send seeds to other phones and begin a forest, err, phorest.”

(tags: portland oregon iphorest iphone sarahgilbert ravenme ravenzachary)

Zapproved Add-in for Microsoft® Outlook® 2007 Now Available!

Via Zapproved “Since the launch of our beta, Outlook integration has been one of the most requested features from our users. They have wanted to have the ability to create proposals without leaving their email client since they would often begin an email and realize that they were actually meaning to send a proposal.”

(tags: portland oregon zapproved news)

Digital Divide: The Future of Communications and Work

Via KBOO Community Radio “This month, The Digital Divide looks at ways people are putting communications back in the hands of the community and how technology is shaping the future of how we work.”

(tags: portland oregon radio brampitoyo ambercase caseorganic kboo)

GadgetTrak Awarded Patent

Via the GadgetTrak blog “GadgetTrak Inc. the leading innovator of theft recovery and data protection technology for mobile devices, today announced it has been awarded a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) entitled Portable Host-Pluggable Appliance Tracking System, U.S. Patent No. 7,496,201. The subject of the patent deals with tracking stolen portable electronic devices such as external hard drives, MP3 players, flash drives, digital cameras and others when connected to a PC.”

(tags: portland oregon gadgettrak patent news)

Show and Tell PDX – March 3rd at Substance World HQ

Via Substance “Substance and Pinch, along with the Flash PDX User Group, invite you to an evening of show and tell. We know that you have been working diligently on the next big thing, so we want to give you the opportunity to brag about it a bit. So on Tuesday, March 3rd at 6:30 pm, at Substance, we will be hosting an event where you can come and share what you’ve been working on.”

(tags: portland oregon events showandtell substance pinch)

PDX Pre-SXSW Party Part Two: The Unofficial Version

Dawn Foster writes “We had a great pre-sxsw party here in Portland on January 19 organized by the official staff of the sxsw interactive event. We had such a great time, that we decided to do a community organized, unofficial party exactly one week before the big event in Austin.”

(tags: portland oregon sxsw dawnfoster geekygirldawn events beerandblog)

GadgetTrak and WeoGeo make OEN Angel Oregon final round

Rick Turoczy on February 24, 2009

I’m happy to report that GadgetTrak and WeoGeo have been selected for the final round of OEN Angel Oregon 2009 competition, “the nation’s premier investor/entrepreneur matchmaking event.”

That puts the two companies in the running for a first place prize of $150,000 or a second prize of $75,000.

For those of you who haven’t yet encountered these two cool Portland companies, GadgetTrak is “the company that turns your stolen electronic devices into a sentient Neighborhood Watch for nabbing thieves.” While WeoGeo “supplies surveyors, engineers, cartographers, and scientists with the ability to conveniently store, search, and exchange global mapping and geo-content.”

So who is the competition? The Biotech/CleanTech track features DesignMedix and Tau Science Corporation and the Consumer track features Glide Cycle (I could not stop watching their demo video… something strangely mesmerizing about it) and Wicked Quick.

There are also 20 other companies who get to fly through a one minute elevator pitch—but unfortunately I don’t have their names, yet.

Now, I’m hoping the tech folks can do us proud. We’re still trying to recover from 2008, when Angel Oregon selected an apparel company as the winner.

The Angel Oregon 2009 event will be held March 12 at the Governor Hotel. For more information, see OEN Angel Oregon 2009 on Upcoming or Calagator.

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OTBC: So, you start up here often?

Rick Turoczy on February 24, 2009

OTBCFor many “side project” entrepreneurs, the most difficult part of getting an idea off the ground—and out of the garage or basement—is finding that business partner that complements their skillset.

Business people with good ideas can write all the business plans they want, but they’ll eventually need a developer. And developers can crank all the code they want, but eventually they’ll need some way of approaching the market or getting more funding. But how are they supposed to find one another?

Enter OTBC startup speed dating.

After some networking time, we’ll have each idea person looking for a team give 2 or 3 minute elevator pitch, have each of them head to their own corner of the room, and let people circulate around to check out the startups that sound interesting to them.

The first speed dating event will be held Saturday, February 28 from 1 – 4PM at the OTBC (located in The Round in Beaverton, right on the MAX line). Best of all? It’s all free.

If you’d like to give folks a little pre-briefing on your startup turn-ons and turn-offs, give them some more details your idea. Word around the campfire is that at least 10 startups will be participating. Details on those startups will be listed this week.

For more information, see the OTBC post, Upcoming, or Meetup. And of course, I will mention that OTBC speed dating is on Calagator, too. (Because I heart Calagator.)

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Silicon Florist’s links arrangement for February 24

Rick Turoczy on February 24, 2009

Strange Love Live: Raven Zachary and James Keller join us

Cami Kaos writes “After a big week in the social tech scene of our fair city it was nice to get back to normal and hole up in the studio for a couple of hours with some great minds. This week we were joined by Raven Zachary and James Keller. We talked about the present and future of iPhone apps and got a peek into Raven’s new venture (which is as yet unnamed and still shrouded in secrecy) and James’ part in it. It was an easy show for Doc Normal and I. We learned at some point that when you have guests as smart as they are you can ask a question and sit back soaking up knowledge like a sponge.”

(tags: sll strangelovelive podcasts portland oregon ravenme ravenzachary jameskeller semaphoria iphone)

Cyborg Anthropology at Portland’s Webvisions on May 22nd, 2009

Amber Case writes “I am excited to announce that I will be speaking at Portland’s WebVisions Conference 2009. After missing the event last year to a scheduling conflict, I am honored to be able to not only attend, but present as well. I have quite a bit of time to present, so I am already writing my speech. If it is not a 100% completely useful speech, then at the very least it will contain some interesting images.”

(tags: ambercase events webvisions 2009 cyborg anthropology portland oregon speakers)

Studio on the Square | Beer and Blog

Beer and Blog got some air time on KGW The Square recently, thanks to Brian Westbrook and some quick Skyping.

(tags: beerandblog portland oregon kgw thesquare bmw beer blog)

Peeking at the proposals: Cooking – Open Source Bridge

Via Open Source Bridge “We’ve had the Open Source Bridge call for proposals open for a few weeks now, and we’re already starting to see some great concepts rolling in. But we can’t keep all this goodness to ourselves. That’s why the proposal system is open—so that you can read about what’s being submitted and comment on which proposals you’d like to see.”

(tags: opensourcebridge opensource events portland oregon cooking bridge)

A Look Behind the Curtain at Techmeme

Marshall Kirkpatrick writes “Earlier this month I interviewed Techmeme’s first hired human editor, Megan McCarthy, over on ReadWriteWeb. I think McCarthy’s job is a fascinating one and a good indicator of some future trends on the internet. For whatever reason the interview didn’t get as much traction as I hoped it would upon first publication, so I’ve decided to republish it here to make sure readers of Marshallk.com get a chance to see it as well.”

(tags: portland oregon marshallk marshallkirkpatrick insight techmeme interview)

How to be a Mobile Software Forty-Niner

Don Park writes “The year 2008 is the beginning of a gold rush of mobile applications. The iPhone app store has over 20,000 apps and there are numerous stories of developers ’striking it rich’ through good timing and luck. My focus is on Google’s Open Source operating system, Android. Launched in October 2008 with the T-Mobile G1, it has sold at least 300,000 units last year.”

(tags: donpdonp android google g1 apps portland oregon)

Business Leader Northwest: Meet leading Portland blogging types at the blogger pavilion

Rick Turoczy on February 23, 2009

Business Leader NWBusiness Leader Northwest—a leadership conference being held February 25 and 26 at the Oregon Convention Center—is pulling in a number of big names for the conference. People like Stephen Covey, Burgerville Chairman Tom Mears, and Umpqua’s Ray Davis.

But did you know that they’re pulling in a ton of big name local bloggers, as well? It’s true. They’ll have an entire “blogger pavilion” on the trade show floor.

The following folks—many of whom you’ll likely recognize—are slated to be around:

Still on the fence about whether or not to attend? Maybe you should read some posts from these bloggers on the Business Leader NW blog.

How about now? Really? Even with all of those cool bloggers and their insights and stuff?

Okay, fine. Here’s another push: $25 of your entry fee goes to the non-profit of your choice.

See? I knew that would get you, you old softie. So why don’t you go register and we’ll see you in the blogger pavilion at some point.

Need more? Visit the site for a schedule of Business Leader NW or keep up-to-date on the latest by following Business Leader NW on Twitter.

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REMINDER: Social Media Club PDX gets social again, tonight

Rick Turoczy on February 23, 2009

Social Media Club PDXOne of the original social media groups in Portland—Social Media Club PDX—was an early leader in gathering like-minded social media types to discuss the potential of social media.

Then, it went into hibernation for awhile. But tonight, it wakes up again:

Join Chris Heuer, co-founder of the Social Media Club, at the re-launch of Social Media Club PDX as he discusses how companies can transform their organization through the use of social media. Chris will discuss the elements and framework for creating a successful social media strategy and how to get your organization and clients behind it. He will also examine how companies need to re-think current advertising methods and their purpose in order to utilize the full potential of social marketing.

The first meeting of the reunited group will be held tonight at The Agency, starting at 6:00 PM. For more information or to RSVP, visit Social Media Club PDX on Upcoming.

Portland’s version of the club is part of the larger Social Media Club family.

To stay up-to-date on all of the latest, follow Social Media Club PDX on Twitter, join the Facebook group, or visit the Social Media Club Portland wiki.

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Portland WordPress User Group transitions leadership

Rick Turoczy on February 23, 2009

Now, now. Don’t worry. There’s nothing scandalous happening.

But there are only so many hours in the day.

Aaron Hockley, the founder of the Portland WordPress User Group, has decided to focus on some other major projects. As such, he is handing off responsibility for the management of the pdxwp group:

Recently I’ve found my time and energies spread thin amongst various projects. In order to focus on a smaller set of projects (and let the remaining projects thrive with the attention they deserve), I’m stepping back from a few things. I’m pleased to announce that Kelly Guimont is assuming the leadership role for our group. Kelly assisted with WordCamp Portland and I look forward to seeing her develop pdxwp further. I’ve turned over information on all pending pdxwp issues to Kelly, please contact her with any questions.

Aaron will continue to lead WordCamp Portland, the second installment of which is slated for fall 2009.

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