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WebVisions 2009 gets BoingBoinged! Oh wait, that’s “Boing Boing Ed.” Mark Frauenfelder

Rick Turoczy on January 20, 2009

WebVisions, the premiere Web design and development gathering that calls Portland, Oregon, home, has continued to draw a number of influential Web types to the Rose City, year after year.

This year promises to be no different.

So who did the WebVisions team convince to come speak here this May? None other than Mark Frauenfelder, the founder of Boing Boing, which—in addition to being a constant source of strange and wonderful things—remains one of the most popular sites on the Web.

Boing Boing

How popular? The substantial and dedicated reader base of Boing Boing always carries with it the potential of being “BoingBoinged“—akin to being “slashdotted” or hitting the Digg front page—where a simple link from the popular blog can send a server-crushing load of traffic to even the most prepared site.

This is a big win for WebVisions—and for Portland in general. Aside from thousands of local fans, Mark’s keynote is sure to draw attendees—and attention—from across the US.

And Mark’s not the only noteworthy speaker. WebVisions always manages to gather an impressive roster of interesting people.

So what are you waiting for? May 20 is only four months away. Get moving. To RSVP and see who else is attending, head on over to WebVisions on Upcoming. To register for the event, visit WebVisions.

Silicon Florist’s links arrangement for January 19

Rick Turoczy on January 20, 2009

 

Portland’s burgeoning tech scene

Garett Croft Stenson writes “Want to get acquainted with Portland’s under/above ground tech scene? Want to start a tech business in Portland? Maybe network a bit more? Things you might look into/research below.”

ReadWriteWeb on New Zealand’s TV3

Given that ReadWriteWeb has such an established Portland presence, it seems only fitting to share a recent piece on the blog. (If you’re not interested in the other news, feel free to fast forward to about the 12:00 mark.)

TweetDeck’s Funding Shows Good Ideas Can Still Attract Good Money

Take heed Portland. Louis Gray makes a very good point. “The popular Twitter application, which has only been around for just six months’ time, spent very little time in obscurity, jumping out of the gate and racing to the top of the charts, alongside Thwirl and Twitterific. While most of the headlines in the financial space of late have been filled with doom and gloom, Dodsworth’s strike of fortune displays the best apps showing serious momentum can still attract forward-thinking investors.”

Open Source Bridge: Hitting the ground running in 2009

Via the Open Source Bridge blog “Maybe it’s just me, but today seems an especially appropriate day to talk about dreams. While Selena’s and Audrey’s dream might not be as far-reaching as the dreams of Dr. King, it is a significant dream, nonetheless. It’s a dream of an Open Source conference for developers, by developers. An Open Source conference that focuses on being a good Open Source citizen, rather than focusing on the languages in which those citizens choose to code. An Open Source conference where the Open Source culture permeates the entire event—from the composition of the tracks to the volunteer-based management of the event. “

Three Useful Research Tactics I Learned Last Week

Marshall Kirkpatrick writes “I’m always trying to figure out how to get more out of the tools I find online. I spend a lot of time figuring out new ways to discover good sources of information on a wide variety of topics; setting up systems for our writing staff at ReadWriteWeb and for consulting clients through my personal blog. Some of the things I’ve discovered lately I can’t disclose publicly, but here are three I can share. I hope you find them useful.”

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Somebody get this on the calendar: Calagator’s birthday is today

Rick Turoczy on January 19, 2009

CalagatorOn January 19, 2008, a group of folks got together for a codefest.

Today several of us met during the Code Sprint gathering at CubeSpace to talk and work on the calendar.
Participants: Audrey Eschright, Selena Deckelmann, Igal Koshevoy, Reid Beels, Paige Saez, Daniel Etra, Anselm Hook, and Bill Burcham.

I was a little slow on the uptake. But a few days later, I managed to crank out a post about the “Portland Tech Calendar” project, highlighting:

Last Saturday, the Portland Tech Calendar group dove headlong into a code sprint around the problem of aggregating all of the tech calendars for Portland, Oregon, and the surrounding areas. The result? Calagator.

The group made a great deal of progress during the code sprint. A full recap is available via Google Groups. Highlights are available on the Calagator blog. (That’s right, they have the beginnings of code and a blog. These guys have accomplished more in a weekend than I’ve accomplished in the last six months.)

What came out of that initial meeting was more than code, and more than an app. Much more.

Calagator remains one of my favorite examples of Portland ingenuity, Open-Source teamwork, and the underlying culture of Portland’s Web tech community. And I sincerely hope that they continue doing the same kinds of things they’ve managed to do over the past year.

Happy Birthday, Calagator. And thank you. Not only for aggregating the Portland tech calendar, but for providing a shining example of that which this community is capable.

OpenID curious? Portland contingent on RWW Live can help

Rick Turoczy on January 19, 2009

OpenIDI like to proffer that Portland, Oregon, is the hub of OpenID (whether it’s true or not). That’s why I love days like today that only add credence to my assertion.

Today, RWW Live—the podcast for ReadWriteWeb—will be focused on OpenID. As such, it will be pulling in a whole bunch of Portland connections to participate.

But just how much Portland-associated influence will there be on the show? Well, we’re lucky to have some of the heavy hitters from the world of OpenID—and Portland—in attendance. Brian Kissel of Portland-based JanRain, Scott Kveton of Portland-based Vidoop, Chris “@factoryjoe” Messina of Vidoop (who doesn’t live in Portland, but thankfully, travels up here on a regular basis), and David Recordon of Six Apart (who is originally from Portland). And, of course, Marshall Kirkpatrick, who heads up ReadWriteWeb content development, is a Portland resident, as well.

That’s a lot of Portland. And a lot of OpenID knowledge.

Today, the group will be discussing ideas for increasing adoption of OpenID, plans for the OpenID Foundation, and opinions on Google Friend Connect and Facebook Connect. If there’s a topic you’d like to propose, visit the RWW Live post to offer it as potential discussion point or throw it out in the chat room during the call.

Speaking of chat rooms… it would probably be wise to tell you how to participate:

The show will be broadcast LIVE at 3.30pm PST Monday (6.30pm EST). We invite you to tune in and interact with us via the chat, by clicking here. You can also use the Calliflower Facebook app to listen and participate.

Can’t make the show? No worries. RWW Live is a podcast, after all. You can always listen to the discussion by heading over to ReadWriteTalk, the archive of all ReadWriteWeb podcasts.

So whether you’re saying “Open wha…?”, a staunch OpenID proponent, or an OpenID opponent, it would be well worth your time to swing by the podcast and hear these knowledgeable folks talk about the future of managing your identity on the Web.

REMINDER: Portland SXSW Interactive meetup tonight

Rick Turoczy on January 19, 2009

SXSW InteractiveJust a quick reminder that if you’re from the Portland area and you’re going to SXSW Interactive 2009, thinking about going to SXSW, or should be going to SXSW (you know who you are), then tonight would be a great opportunity to meet up with some folks of a similar ilk.

That’s right. I said “ilk.”

Surely, we can eclipse San Francisco’s paltry attendance of 250 people, can’t we?

What’s that? Oh. I see.

Well, in any case, come on out tonight! The get-together will be held at the Fez Ballroom, starting at 6. For more information, see Calagator. To RSVP, send an email to interpress@sxsw.com with “Portland” in the subject. As in “Portland is awesome,” “Portland r0xx0rs,” or “RSVP Portland meetup.”

Still on the fence? Maybe this will help:

Also, one lucky attendee at the Portland party will win a FREE registration to the 2009 SXSW Interactive Festival. Bring your business card so you can enter the drawing!

It will be great to see what kind of Portland contingent is headed down to the event. And it’s never too early for us to strategize about who’s going to save seats at Iron Works and Las Manitas.

Looking forward to seeing you tonight.

Silicon Florist’s links arrangement for January 18

Rick Turoczy on January 19, 2009

It’s Hip to be The Square

Via Strange Love Live “Friday night we were joined in studio by Stephanie Stricklen and Aaron Weiss, the host and Senior Producer (respectively) of KGW’s The Square. It was a full house as fans of both The Square and SLL settled into our little studio audience to see what happens when Newscasters and Podcasters collide.”

New user group checklist

As Audrey Eschright accurately predicted, 2009 is shaping up to be the “Year of the User Group” in Portland. If you’re thinking about starting a user group, Igal Koshevoy has provided some invaluable tips to help you get the group going.

Oregon VC funding held up OK in ’08 – Silicon Forest

Mike Rogoway writes “Given Oregon’s small base of venture activity, neither a single quarter nor a single year can point to a coming trend. But at the least, the state held up OK as the venture markets froze up late in ’08.”

Tweaks of the Week: RSS, Staying Connected, Beta API and More

Via Shizzow “It’s been a long time since our last Tweaks of the ‘Week’ post. With all of the refactoring happening in preparation for the Shizzow API, we held off on deploying anything new on the old code. While the API beta stole most of the thunder during our update this weekend, you might have noticed that we also snuck in a few cool improvements. Again, this is just more proof that we actually read all of the stuff you send us through Get Satisfaction.”

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Did someone say bacon? Bacn.com launches as premium bacon shop

Rick Turoczy on January 17, 2009

Bacn your online source for premium baconSure. Sure. You’ve heard the bacon meme. You’ve seen the bacon shirts. You’ve even been known to giggle at a “#bacon” on Twitter, once or twice.

But where, in your world of daily Web life, are you to go for the slivers of salty goodness from the magical meat animal?

Portland-based Bacn—a side project launched today by Scott Kveton, Jason Glaspey, and Michael Richardson at Masterbacon—aims to answer that very question.

Bacn.com is your new source for high-quality bacon products, wrapped in butcher paper and delivered to your door all with the click of a mouse. We’ll have customer reviews and of course a few howtos to help you in your quest to fulfill that “bacon passion.”

Given that few things go as well together as the Web and bacon, it’s surprising that it has taken someone this long to stumble upon this brilliant idea. But when Kveton’s Bacon Geek site took off in popularity and he began working to find the world’s best bacon, he saw an opportunity—albeit a strangely Web 1.0 opportunity for someone so awash in the world of the Open Web.

And that’s likely why this will work.

Bacn is about as straightforward as you can get, offering up the best bacon products you can find. Initial suppliers include Beeler’s, Broadbent Hams, Burgers’ Smokehouse, and Fletcher’s. And with Bacn’s straightforward ordering system, those products will be on the way to your doorstep with a few clicks.

For those with discerning bacon palates, the site provides insightful details about each offering, including videos on the products.

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Not enough bacon for you? Bacn also offers bacon-oriented paraphernalia for those who are forthright with their passion about the salty little pieces of pork.

To check out the selection, visit the Bacn products page. Or simply hit the home page and spend some time checking out all Bacn has to offer.

I told you that this idea had potential.

Silicon Florist’s links arrangement for January 16

Rick Turoczy on January 17, 2009

Want Proof OpenID Can Succeed? Just Scroll Down

Via Wired “Whatever hurdles OpenID has to clear to become a widely-adopted de facto standard, its blueprint for success lies at the bottom of millions of blog posts.”

Looking forward: GreenPrint, Jive & more – Silicon Forest

Mike Rogoway writes “Here’s another week of forward looking developments in the Silicon Forest.”

Enterprise RSS – The End or the Beginning?

Via the Attensa blog “Marshall Kirkpatrick has stirred things up for RSS followers with his post R.I.P Enterprise RSS on Read Write Web. As I write this, there have been 70 comments covering a range of viewpoints. Marshall’s post is one of several recent perspectives relating to what is commonly called ‘enterprise RSS.’ The crux of Marshall’s observation is that RSS has not been widely adopted by large organizations despite expectations a couple of years ago that RSS would be come a key enterprise tool.”

You’re Invited to RecentChangesCamp

Via the AboutUs blog “RCC is about openness and inclusion, collaboration and community, creativity and flow and is open to anyone of any skill set that’s interested in wiki, open collaboration, public participation and free culture. You’re welcome to come for any or all of the three days. Notable wiki enthusiasts as well as other OpenTechnology and OpenCulture people will be in attendance.”

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KGW gets strange: Stephanie Stricklen and Aaron Weiss (@TheSquare) on Strange Love Live, tonight

Rick Turoczy on January 16, 2009

Strange Love LiveAsk me about my favorite podcast and I will respond without hesitation. “Strange Love Live,” I will say.

Ask me about my favorite local news program (period), and I will respond just as quickly with, “KGW Live @7.” I’ll also mention that it’s going to be called “The Square” once they finish their studio in Pioneer Square.

For what it’s worth, I will also likely punctuate both of those responses above with, “Duh!”

So just imagine my excitement for this evening when—in a Reese’s “you got your peanut butter on my chocolate; you got your chocolate in my peanut butter” moment—Stephanie Stricklen (host) and Aaron Weiss (Senior Producer) from KGW will be on Strange Love Live with Cami Kaos (host) and Dr. Normal (Senior Producer).

KGW Live @7What’s that? You’ve never heard of The Square?

It’s no secret that I’ve been a fan of local NBC-affiliate KGW’s Live @7 show. I don’t even watch broadcast TV and I’m a fan. Why?

Because they’re approaching broadcast journalism in a way that I understand. They leave mics and cameras open during breaks. Both Stephanie Stricklen, the show’s anchor, and Aaron Weiss, the senior producer, use Twitter—and they use it very well. They swing by Beer and Blog….

In short, they get it.

What’s that? You’ve never heard of Strange Love Live? First, you hadn’t heard of KGW Live @7, and now this? I’m growing concerned.

It’s Friday. It’s kind of chilly outside. You’re looking for something to do. Why not spend some time by the warm glow of your monitor learning some interesting stuff from some interesting people?

That’s why there’s Strange Love Live, the weekly podcast hosted by Cami Kaos and Dr. Normal. Dare I say, “the best podcast in Portland”? Indeed, I dare.

They’ve got a guest list that boasts a veritable who’s who of the Portland tech scene—Nate Angell, Josh Bancroft, Bram Pitoyo & Amber Case, Aaron Hockley, [Marshall Kirkpatrick], Scott Kveton, Don Park, Chris O’Rourke, Craig Schwartz, the Shizzow team, and many, many more.

Strange Love Live records every Friday night around 10-ish. And you’re always invited to join the taping via Mogulus.

I hear you. If it’s “recorded,” then why watch live? Chat room, my friend. Chat room.

Tonight promises to be a night to remember. Looking forward to seeing you at Strange Love Live around 10.

Silicon Florist’s links arrangement for January 15

Rick Turoczy on January 16, 2009

Portland Data Plumbing User Group (pdpug) at Oracle (Tuesday January 27, 2009) – Upcoming

Several of us have read Marshall’s How to: Build a Social Media Cheat Sheet for Any Topic http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/how_to_build_a_social_media_cheat_sheet.php where he integrates data from many different sources and uses various plumbing tools to pull it all together. Marshall is a master of tools like Yahoo Pipes and Dapper, and it will be great to have him presenting at our Jan 27th meeting.

Five tips on network building for a successful 2009

David Abramowski writes “Many entrepreneurs find themselves in a strange situation where they have built amazing technology, have all the right marketing materials and then come product launch day nobody pays attention. This can be rather demoralizing and a blow that many young start-ups will find hard to overcome. There is no one size fits all solution, but having a wide network of people who know you and your team will go a long way to breaking the ice. Not only will your network give you support and encouragement, you may also find much needed assistance in the strangest of places.”

OpenID 2008: Momentum

Via the OpenID blog “2008 was an awesome year for OpenID where the community created significant momentum moving toward mainstream adoption. No, not every site on the web is using OpenID nor does every consumer know what OpenID does, but last year alone the number of sites that accept OpenID for sign in more than tripled. Today, there are over thirty-thousand publicly accessible sites supporting OpenID for sign in and well over half a billion OpenID enabled accounts.”

Portland WordPress User Group: Beginnings

Via the brand new Portland WordPress User Group site “Tonight we held our first meeting. Attendance was around 40 people from a variety of backgrounds and skill levels that ranged from one attendee who doesn’t yet have a blog but is interested all the way up through seasoned developers. Here’s a summary of some decisions and directions that were discussed.”

Day On | It’s a day on, not a day off.

Via Day On “Day On connects nonprofit organizations that need advice and assistance with volunteers who are ready to help. Our first project is Geeks Day On, a day of service during MLK Day, Monday, January 19, 2009 where geeks will offer free technology and Internet communications advice and assistance to nonprofit organizations.”

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