.

Up for some unconferencing this weekend? You’re in luck

Rick Turoczy on February 20, 2009

You know me. I’m always looking for any opportunity to throw out the “Portland has more x per capita than anywhere else in the United States.”

Here’s my latest: Portland has more unconferences per capita than anywhere else in the United States.

What’s an “unconference” you ask? Well, let’s let Dawn Foster, the queen of Portland unconferences answer that one:

Unconferences are usually free and are often local. The unconference is an adhoc gathering shaped by those who attend with the sessions and agenda being driven by the participants. The framework is defined in advance, but the sessions are organized and produced by the attendees. In other words, instead of a full agenda with sessions and speakers clearly determined in advance, you start with a blank grid containing times on one axis and rooms / locations on the other axis; lunches and any other common activities are often added to the grid in advance to provide some basic infrastructure for the event. You never what discussions, demos, and other interactions to expect before the event, but you can count on it being an interesting time!

Now that you know, are you looking for some unconference-y goodness?

Look no further, my friend.

Recent Changes Camp: February 20-22, University Place Hotel, Portland State University

The premier wiki unconference, Recent Changes Camp, is already happening:

Recent Changes Camp was born from the intersection of wiki and Open Space. Since 2006, participants from all over North America and the globe have gathered together for a common purpose: discussing the past, present, and future of the technology and collaborative method that is wiki. RCC is a chance for everyone in the wiki community, something we like to call Wiki Ohana, to meet and have a fun, productive conversation about our passion for wikis of all stripes.

Going far beyond technology, we’re interested in wiki culture and other networks/groups/etc. that share many of the values implicit in it — from cultural creatives, to public participation and free culture advocates. If you use a wiki or you value open collaboration, Recent Changes Camp is created for you. RCC is about openness and inclusion, collaboration and community, creativity and flow. Further down this page you can check out a sampling of sessions we’ve enjoyed in the past, along with pictures and videos from previous events.

For more information, see RecentChangesCamp on Calagator.

BarCamp NewsInnovation Portland: February 21, Portland State University Smith Memorial Student Union Room

More interested in the impact of technology on modern media? BarCamp NewsInnovation Portland might be more your speed:

What happens when a group of technologists, programmers, web developers, designers, hackers and information architects meet up with journalists, entrepreneurs, students, professors and others with interest in news and information?

Amazing new ideas for how we collect, disseminate and consume news, hopefully.

Join us for a one-day un-conference to not only talk about how technology is influencing journalism, but brainstorm some ideas and hack them out by the end of the afternoon.

For more information, see BarCamp NewsInnovation Portland.

[HTML1]

Silicon Florist’s links arrangement for February 20

Rick Turoczy on February 20, 2009

Puppet PDX will meet on 2/27/09

Selena Deckelmann writes “Inspired by Puppet and the Reductive Labs team, we’re gathering people interested in all things related to configuration management. (Not sock puppet-making, sorry!) Cfengine user? Thinking about trying AutomateIt? Just have a pile of obsessively managed scripts? Come on down! We’ll discuss tools, best practices, and generally how to make your systems run so well you can get to the pub by 4 o’clock.”

(tags: usergroups portland oregon puppet configuration management events)

Submit Your Ideas – Ignite Portland 6 on July 16

Via Ignite Portland “Is your head still spinning from the great ideas you saw and heard at Ignite Portland 5? Did you have so much fun that you can’t wait to do it again? Were you inspired to Share a Burning Idea at the next Ignite Portland? If you answered “yes” to any of those questions, we have good news for you. Ignite Portland 6 is scheduled for July 16, 2009. And our talk idea submission form is open for you to let that burning idea out of your head and into the world. “

(tags: portland oregon ignite igniteportland events)

Portland Has The Perfect Climate For Content

David Burn writes “Since moving to Portland last August, I’ve taken note of how many craftsmen and women are at work here. Many. In every conceivable field. To stay with content creators for now, I’d like to present my list of Portland’s top producers.”

(tags: portland oregon bloggers blogs)

Aliza Earnshaw: Bye Bye Portland Business Journal, Hello AboutUs

Rick Turoczy on February 19, 2009

When you name business publications in the Portland area, the Portland Business Journal is likely right up there at the top. It tends to be the go-to resource for small businesses here in town. And, for the past 8 years, Aliza Earnshaw has been working the local beat, writing about what’s happening in Portland.

Well, you write about enough small tech businesses and startups long enough and suddenly you want to join them.

Which is exactly what happened with Aliza. She’s announced that she is joining AboutUs as the Editor-in-Chief for the burgeoning “Wikipedia of Web sites.”

I’ve had the opportunity to work with Aliza over the years in my various corporate communications roles—like MedicaLogic and ProSight. I’m looking forward to seeing how she leverages her impressive journalistic chops in this new role.

Aliza’s last day at PBJ will be tomorrow. She begins at AboutUs, next month.

Your first writing job at the new gig, Aliza? Building out your AboutUs page, of course.

[HTML1]

Ignite Portland 5: Tips and tricks or what to know before you go

Rick Turoczy on February 19, 2009

Ignite Portland

Sometimes this content is so easy, it practically writes itself. Especially when I’m just repeating stuff I’ve written before.

But it bears repeating.

So, if you’re one of the lucky ticket holders for Ignite Portland 5, tonight, here are some tips to make sure you get the most out of Ignite.

As always, I want your Ignite experience to be as fun and rewarding as possible. So whether this is your 23rd Ignite event or your first, here are some tips and tricks for getting the most out of Ignite Portland 5.

First, the venue info:

Bagdad Theater
3702 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd.
Portland, OR 97214
7:00 – 9:00 PM

Ticketholders get in at 5:30 PM
General Admission at 6:15 PM
Admission is always FREE

Here are some “Do”s and “Don’t”s that will help you get the most out of your first, second, third, or fourth Ignite Portland experience:

  • DO bring your camera, your phone, your sketchpad, or any other way of capturing the event.
  • DO tag anything and everything #ip5 and/or igniteportland. That way, we can find it.
  • DON’T forget your ticket or a device that will allow you to show your ticket electronically.
  • DO get there early. Really early. I’m serious. Early. Did I say “Early”?
  • DO be prepared to give everyone and anyone your Twitter name. (Don’t use Twitter? Get on it.)
  • Now that you’re on Twitter, DO try to tweet about the event and hashtag it #ip5. That way, we can see what you’re saying.
  • DO be nice to all the Legion of Tech folks and volunteers. (They’re all volunteers, actually. And they’re doing this in their free time.)
  • DO be especially nice to the Adam DuVander Chris Pitzer who has been the lead organizer on the event. (I think this was still true this time.) It wasn’t! But still be nice to Adam.
  • Still DON’T be the assholes who were heckling presenters that one time.
  • DON’T be a wallflower. Talk to people in line while you’re waiting to get into the venue. Talk to people while you’re waiting in the food line. The Bagdad is a great venue for presenting, but talking to folks at breaks will take some doing.
  • DO try to get in front of Aaron Hockley and his camera (after he presents). I swear, that guy even makes me look good. If not him, Kveton will make you look good too. And, of course, you’ll want to get yourself in a few snaps from Mark “kram” Colman, who is the official photographer this time around.
  • DO take the chance to introduce yourself to me and tell me about the cool side projects you’re pursuing.

Need more tips? Right this way, my friend. The Legion of Tech has a list as well.

Luck, luck, break a leg, and luck

Best of luck to tonight’s presenters:

NEW! Tips for presenters

No no no. I’m not writing new content, silly. It’s all thanks to Jeff Hardison, who presented during Ignite Portland 4.

Jeff Hardison tips for Ignite Portland presenters

Last but not least: Party Party Afterparty

What’s a huge event without an afterparty? Well, it’s Ignite Portland 1 and 2, I think. But now, the afterparty is part of the fun.

This time around, the party is wiki-licious thanks to the folks from RecentChangesCamp, the premier wiki conference being held in Portland, this weekend.

Like the Ignite folks, I’ll encourage you to “head over to the Eagle Lodge (4905 SE Hawthorne, near 50th Ave) whether you came to Ignite or not, and party until the cows come home.”

http://blip.tv/scripts/pokkariPlayer.js?ver=2008010901 http://blip.tv/syndication/write_player?skin=js&posts_id=1787697&source=3&autoplay=true&file_type=flv&player_width=400&player_height=266

Video thumbnail. Click to play
Click to play

But wait, there’s more

A late breaking bonus here. O’Reilly has launched a new feature called “Ignite Show.” A lo and behold, none other than our own beloved Jason Grigsby and Cup Noodle are leading off the new feature:

Today are launching the first episode of the Ignite Show. The Ignite Show will feature a different speaker each week. This week’s speaker is Jason Grigsby doing a talk that was originally performed at Ignite Portland. Jason takes fun look at how Cup Noodle was created and how the team had to embrace constraints and new ideas to create this new food.

This also seemed like a good time to remind you that Brady “Mr. Ignite” Forrest will be on hand, tonight, to deliver the “What is Ignite” talk. Can’t wait to see what jacket he’s wearing this time.

Phew

That’s a lot of info to digest, I realize. But hopefully, you feel all prepped now.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

[HTML1]

Silicon Florist’s links arrangement for February 19

Rick Turoczy on February 19, 2009

Open Source Citizenship « Dyepot, Teapot

Audrey Eschright writes “When we started working on Open Source Bridge, Selena and I came up with the term “open source citizenship” to describe what we hoped to explore. We’re planning a conference that will connect developers across projects, across languages, across backgrounds to learn from each other. We want people to experience something beyond “how to use tool X” or “why databases keel over when you do Y” (even though those topics are important, making up our tools and trade, and will be a central part of the conference content). We’d like to share what open source means to us, what it offers, where we struggle, and why we do this day in and day out, even when we’re not paid for it.”

(tags: audreyeschright spinnerin opensourcebridge bridge events)

Online Community Expert Interview: Dawn Foster, Fast Wonder Consulting

Via Online Community Report “This month’s Expert Interview is with Dawn Foster, Online Community & Social Media Consultant at Fast Wonder Consulting in Portland, Oregon.”

(tags: dawnfoster geekygirldawn interview community portland oregon fastwonder)

‘Oregon Fail’ and the state’s economic outlook – Silicon Forest

Mike Rogoway writes “Writing for Forbes.com today, in an article titled ‘Oregon Fail,’ Joel Kotkin blames Oregon’s left-leaning policies for the state’s miserable economy and for the outflow of high-tech manufacturing jobs.”

(tags: oregon rogoway oregonian fail siliconforest)

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.

Tagalus: Hashing through Twitter hashtags… and testing OAuth too

Rick Turoczy on February 17, 2009

It’s no secret that Portland is into Twitter in a big way.

For many of the folks in the Web and mobile tech scene, it’s the way we stay in contact, spread news, and organize events. As such, we’re always trying to convince new folks to try it.

“I realize it looks stupid, but just try it,” we say. “Trust me.”

And once we get folks to try it, one of the first questions that always comes up is “What’s with all the #whatever stuff?”

This question used to be immediately followed by a deep sigh as we gathered our strength to explain the peculiar method and science surrounding the selection of #hashtags. How those pound-sign assisted acronyms and compounds provide a semblance of a taxonomy for a largely unclassifiable stream of blob files. How arduous the careful selection of canonical tags that reduce typing complexity while enforcing a unique and traceable presence can be.

Yes, it really was that difficult.

Enter tagalus

That was then. Now, thanks to Portland-based tagalus, we have a simple answer: “Go to tagal.us and look it up.”

How? Let’s take an example, shall we? Yes, we shall.

You see the following tweet come across your tweet stream: “When I was a kid, we had to guess as to what those cryptic hashtags meant. And we liked it. #getoffmylawn”

“#getoffmylawn?” you say. “I wonder what that means.”

So you head over to tagal.us and search for #getoffmylawn. Where you’ll see my definition.

Maybe it helps you. Maybe you disagree. Or maybe you want to clarify. Have at it. Tagalus was made to share those opinions and clarifications.

Or maybe you have a hashtag you’d like to define for someone else? No problem. Head over to tagal.us and submit it—or send @tagalus a tweet from Twitter to define a hashtag without leaving the comfort of your tweet stream. For example, “@tagalus define ip4 as Ignite Portland 4 – a hipster event according to KGW.” (You also have the option of using “def” instead of “define,” since I know you’re always worried about your character count.)

Long story short, it’s like a little publicly edited dictionary for Twitter hashtags that you help curate. How cool is that? It’s very cool, my friend.

But why stop there?

Tagalus is still in beta—so why not add more features? How about OAuth? Okay!

What’s OAuth you say? It’s a cousin to one of our favorite login methods, OpenID.

This is what OAuth does, it allows the you the User to grant access to your private resources on one site (which is called the Service Provider), to another site (called Consumer, not to be confused with you, the User). While OpenID is all about using a single identity to sign into many sites, OAuth is about giving access to your stuff without sharing your identity at all (or its secret parts).

In other words, it makes sure that you don’t have to share your Twitter password with the applications that you want to use in combination with Twitter. Instead, Twitter brokers the deal for you—confirming you are who you say you are.

tagalus OAuth

If that sounds interesting to you, tagalus is currently testing an OAuth login. Simply visit the tagalus OAuth page and log in. Voila! You just used OAuth.

Get to defining those hashtags

So now you’re ready to join in the fun. Create a new hashtag and define it, clarify the definition of an existing hashtag, or be the first to define an “oldie but a goodie” hashtag. (I was surprised to be the first to define .) I can’t wait to have a better understanding about all those cryptic tweets you’re sending.

For more information or to define your favorite hashtags, visit tagalus.

Mugasha selected for SXSW Accelerator

Rick Turoczy on February 16, 2009

MugashaMugasha—the DJ-set splitting startup founded during Portland Startup Weekend—has been selected to participate in the Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator at SXSW. They are the only Northwest company to make the cut.

SXSW is a big stage for the young company. With the event’s mix of music and technology, it’s sure to give Mugasha access to some noted movers and shakers who will no doubt appreciate the service and its capabilities.

Of course, this isn’t the first time Mugasha has stepped into the limelight. (Akshay Dodeja of Mugasha took the chance to speak with Robert Scoble, last year, and I got the chance to profile them on ReadWriteWeb.) But SXSW marks Mugasha’s first chance to demo their private beta to a large group of people outside the immediate Portland tech scene:

Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator is the newest addition to the SXSW Interactive schedule of activities. Scheduled Monday, March 16 at the Downtown Austin Hilton, the event spotlights some of the web’s most exciting new innovations, enabling the entrepreneurial visionaries behind these new products to demo their creations in front of a live audience of industry professionals and technology trend-setters.

It’s great to see Mugasha—and by association, Portland—getting this sort of recognition.

Even if you’re not going to SXSW, you should give Mugasha a spin—especially if you like electronica. What’s Mugasha do? Basically, it parses DJ set podcasts—usually one long multi-hour track with no song info—into separate song tracks, allowing user to play the songs they want to play and actually know which tunes they’re playing.

For more information or to get an invite to the private beta, visit Mugasha.

Portland one of the top 10 places to start a small business. No, the other one. We’re #11.

Rick Turoczy on February 16, 2009

Portland has been named the 10th best place in the United States to start a small business. Unfortunately for us, that Business Journal ranking is for Portland, Maine. We here in Portland, Oregon, just missed the top 10, landing at #11.

The survey and resulting list is compiled by American City Business Journals—the parent company of all of the regional Business Journals. To arrive at the ranking, the survey compared the number of small businesses in the area to metropolitan population and job growth.

Of course, you can’t read the article, unless you’re a paid subscriber. But here’s a snippet:

Portland [Ore.] had 61,244 businesses with 99 or fewer employees, or 28.7 per 1,000 residents in 2006, according to Census data used in the formulation. The 11th place showing is the best by Portland since the first list arrived in 2005. Back then, with the economy in full swing, Portland ranked 39th.

So what were the top 10?

  1. Raleigh
  2. Charlotte
  3. Seattle
  4. Austin
  5. Boise
  6. Salt Lake City
  7. Orlando
  8. Oklahoma City
  9. Denver
  10. Portland, Maine

All in all, garnering the 11th spot is good news for Portland, Oregon, especially when it comes to those outside of the Silicon Forest looking in. From a “closer to home” perspective, the metrics are likely too broad to provide much insight into the comparisons between the Web and Mobile startups here in town and their peers in other metropolitan areas.

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.

1 … 535 536 537 538 539 … 626