Portland startups, open source, and tech news, jobs, and events #pdx
[Editor: This is a guest post by Audrey Eschright, the co-maintainer of the Calagator project, Portland’s collaborative tech calendar. tl;dr Calagator is turning 10. There’s a party.]
Next week we’ll be celebrating the 10th birthday of Calagator, Portland’s technology calendar. As time passes, you might not know who created it, who maintains it, or how it came to be. I admit we haven’t always done the best at communicating that—so read on.
We seem to be a complete enigma to the media. No one can quite to put their finger on why young creatives continue to flock to Portland even though the Oregon unemployment rate continues to soar.
We seem to be a complete enigma to the media. No one can quite to put their finger on why young creatives continue to flock to Portland even though the Oregon unemployment rate continues to soar.
Still, journalist are exercising a fair amount of schadenfreude while covering the inexorable influx—by focusing on the downside of our current environment. Like the unemployment. And the hiccups and black eyes of Portland startups. Read More
Come join David, Eva, and the CubeSpace staff to say goodbye to the Portland coworking space that has launched a thousand Camps.
Obviously, I’ve been following the whole CubeSpace story—from the efforts to save it to the final decision to close—with morose interest. And now, it’s time to say the final farewell. Since it’s still not clear what’s happening with the rumored resurrection of CubeSpace, today marks the farewell party for the beloved hub of the Portland startup tech scene.
Come join David, Eva, and the CubeSpace staff to say goodbye to the coworking space that has launched a thousand Camps. Read More
While it’s not exactly clear what’s happening, CubeSpace—the local co-working space that has served as the communal campfire for the Portland tech community—is hinting at a potential last minute rescue. “Not dead yet,” said the CubeSpace folks via their Twitter account. “Having serious conversations re:@CubeSpacePDX return!” Read More
Communities need campfires around which to gather. Whether they be meeting places to tell stories, warm safe places to meet friends, or roaring bonfires to celebrate our victories. Or even—at times—simply a place to Camp. CubeSpace was the campfire of the Portland tech community. And now its flame is out.
I was dreading writing this post. But somehow, given the state of things, it seemed—barring a miracle—that it was inevitable. And so it was, this evening, that the story we’ve all be following and anxiously awaiting, finally came to its unfortunate conclusion: CubeSpace is no more.
Communities need campfires around which to gather. Whether they be meeting places to tell stories, warm safe places to meet friends, or roaring bonfires to celebrate our victories. Or even—at times—simply a place to Camp.
CubeSpace was the campfire of the Portland tech community. And now its flame is out. Read More
As last week drew to a close, the Portland tech community was rallying to help the de facto hub of our community, CubeSpace.
The fervent out-welling of emotion and support continued throughout the weekend—even resulting in coverage from traditional mainstream media.
While there isn’t a great to deal more to report at this point—and Eva and David are understandably choosing to remain silent until a decision has been made—I’ve been getting a number of emails, IMs, and tweets about the issue. So I thought I’d round up what I could. Read More
Well, this is the last thing I expected on this Frenetic Friday. But it seems that arguably the de facto hub of the Portland startup tech scene, CubeSpace, is unfortunately in dire straits.
While we’re still not clear on the specifics dollar amounts involved in the situation, it is clear that the folks at CubeSpace are facing eviction. Read More
It’s no secret that I started Silicon Florist to highlight some of the “under the RADAR” stories that might not garner coverage from traditional local publications.
So, when the mainstream pubs around town cover the stories I’d like to cover—and cover them before I do—it makes me ridiculously happy.
Today’s case in point: coworking spaces in Portland:
Several vintage Portland buildings have been renovated recently, blurring the line between co-working and traditional offices. Small creative entrepreneurs have office doors, but they share common areas and, sometimes, business.
Among the folks mentioned are some of our favorite coworking spaces in town.
Like who?
Well, CubeSpace, for one:
CubeSpace hosts evening events, including tech clubs and Beer & Blog gatherings. Schweber and Kominsky sometimes sweep through at 9:15 — quarter-past quitting time — and urge the crowd to move to a bar.
Souk for another:
When Julie Duryea opened Souk 2 1/2 years ago, cafes were the only choice for most freelancing Portlanders. She couldn’t find many co-working spaces beyond New York and London.
Now, her Old Town operation hosts an eclectic crowd: a footwear and apparel consultant, a strategic planner, a retail designer. Plus, Souk has company in the Portland market.
And up-and-coming Nedspace:
They recruit tenants through online networking, word of mouth and a startup event they hosted last month. Early residents are developing iPhone applications, an online rental payment service, board games, interactive music content and more. Some have started companies; others are first-timers.
If you haven’t checked out these coworking spaces, you should. Not only are they do they provide an amazing resource to our startup community, they serve as the warm little hub around which many of us gather.
And their continued willingness to support our events—often pro bono—is without a doubt a key to the burgeoning startup community with which we find ourselves enamoured.
For more, see The Oregonian article “Co-working: a room not of their own” by Laura Oppenheimer.
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Blogs. Everyone has one. Or do they?
Living in the bloggy world that you do, it may come as a shock to you that—are you sitting down?—many intelligent, thoughtful, and opinionated individuals are currently without a blog of any sort today. In fact, some of them don’t even read blogs, let alone publish them.
I know! WTF?
There, there. Wipe away that tear, sunshine. We’re looking to avert this tragedy. In Portland, at least.
Thanks to the good folks at Beer and Blog, we’ve got End Bloglessness, a half-day workshop designed to get even the most neophytic luddite up-and-blogging in no time flat. And as is common in the Portland Web tech scene: it’s all free.
Bloggers and would-be bloggers of all skill sets are welcome. Just show up Saturday, January 10 at CubeSpace. From noon until 5 PM, you’ll be walking through the entire blog setup process, everything from installation through promotion.
We are focusing on launching WordPress blogs for this workshop. We’re also focusing on self-hosted blogs, so you’ll need a hosting plan and your access information with you at the workshop to get assisted help. Owning your own hosting account, and therefore your blog, is important and the reason we want to do this workshop is to expand access to blog ownership to more people.
By the time you leave the workshop, you’ll have a blog that is ready to go and some direction on how to connect with other local bloggers. We are expecting people from all skill levels, including the technically challenged. Everyone will be treated with respect and will be encouraged.
Or, if you’re interested in hearing more, swing by Beer and Blog, this Friday at the Green Dragon.
Remember, only you can prevent bloglessness.
Visit Upcoming to RSVP for End Bloglessness or this Friday’s Beer and Blog.
Whew! We’re drawing near to the finish on an event-filled week. And now, From Side Project to Startup will be leading us into the weekend.
What’s the focus? Selena Deckelmann gives us the lowdown:
If you were at Barcamp Portland, you may have stopped by for the My Other Thing session. (if you weren’t there you can listen to this recording of a great, freewheeling discussion) The session led by Rick Turoczy and Banana Lee Fishbones. After the group separated, people talked about wanting more – more discussions, more connections… maybe even – a conference! Inspired by that session, From Side Project to Startup was born.
Things kick off around 5:30 PM at CubeSpace, with a welcome reception.
Here’s the full agenda:
Friday Evening – September 12, 2008
5:30-6:30 – Reception/Networking
6:30-7:00 – Welcome and setting the stage
7:00-9:00 – Creative Entrepreneurship: Conception to Actualization – Bridget Benton of Eyes Aflame
7:00-9:00 – Unconference SessionsSaturday – September 13, 2008
9:00-10:00 – Coffee, Bagels and Schmoozing
10:00-10:15 – Welcome
10:30-12:00 – What to Do Before You Quit Your Day Job – Mark Paul
10:30-12:00 – Unconference Sessions
12:00-1:30 – Lunch
1:30-3:00 – One Page Startup Marketing Plan – Peter Korchnak of Semiosis Communications
1:30-3:00 – Unconference Sessions
3:00-3:30 – Snack Break
3:30-5:00 – What Kind of Funding are You Eligible For? – Carolynn Duncan
5:00-5:15 – Wrap Up
5:15-??? – After Party
As you can see, the format is fairly open. With lots of time to jump in and out. So, even if you can’t make it to the whole thing, I’m hoping you’ll take the chance to swing by and participate. That is, if the subject matter interests you.
And something tells me that it does.
The event is brought to you by Legion of Tech, an Oregon nonprofit dedicated to helping grow and nurture the local Portland technology community through educational, not-for-profit, community-run events.
For more information on the event, visit From Side Project to Startup. To RSVP, visit Upcoming.
Looking forward to seeing you there.