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Tag: Events

Open Source Bridge Town Hall this Tuesday: Where we’ve been, where we go from here

Rick Turoczy on April 20, 2009

Open Source BridgeI was originally going to title this post “Open Source Bridge: We’ve only just begun” but I didn’t want you to get that song stuck in your head.

What’s that? Oh. Oopie.

Anyway, the fine folks of Open Source Bridge—the 100% volunteer run open source conference being held in Portland, Oregon, June 17-19—would like to do two things: 1) Bring you up-to-speed on all of the progress they’ve made and 2) Outline the programs, plans, and volunteer opportunities for the next few months.

To make it as interactive as possible, they’re inviting all interested folks to meet tomorrow (Tuesday) night at 7 PM at CubeSpace for a Town Hall discussion:

One of the challenges we’ve recognized in organizing this completely volunteer run conference is that sometimes it is hard to consistently and effectively utilize all of the willing people who have volunteered to help. We are hoping this town hall meeting will make some of this easier with the opportunity to interact face to face.

If you’re interested in volunteering, we hope to see you there. Even if you don’t want to lift a finger for Open Source Bridge, we’d still love to see you there. Or if you’re unable to make it—or simply immune to our charms—please check out the volunteer page or join the discussion groups.

For more information, visit the Open Source Bridge Town Hall on Calagator. To RSVP, visit Upcoming.

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Attend WebVisions for free

Rick Turoczy on April 10, 2009

WebVisionsWho—would you say—are the top three visionaries in terms of the Web?

That’s what Portland’s leading Web event—and honestly one of the leading Web events, period—WebVisions wants to know.

And if you’ve got an answer, it could mean something for you.

Simply submit your answer to that question before May 7, and you could be waltzing into WebVisions, May 20-22, free of charge.

The winning entry will receive a WebVisions conference pass plus a pass to the workshop “Mental Models” with Indi Young of Adaptive Path. The runner up will receive a free WebVisions conference pass. Third place? You’ll get a WebVisions t-shirt. So that you can pretend you attended WebVisions.

Come to think of it, even if you don’t win, you’ll want to pay to attend. Why? Because WebVisions features more than 50 incredibly cool speakers, like Mark Frauenfelder of BoingBoing.net, Jared Spool, Indi Young of Adaptive Path, Jeff Croft of Blue Flavor, search engine guru Vanessa Fox, Molly Holzschlag of Molly.com, Chris Pirillo, and Armin Vit of UnderConsideration.

Plus there are a ton of amazing Portland-area speakers, as well. Who? Well, check out the who’s who of WebVisions this year.

I know! I can’t believe it either. So cool.

So what are you waiting for? Just submit your top three Web visionaries and you could be headed to WebVisions for free.

Don’t say I never gave you nothin’.

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Open Source Bridge gives all of you slackers more time

Rick Turoczy on March 31, 2009

Open Source BridgeMan oh man, those folks over at Open Source Bridge sure are nice. (Not me. The other ones.)

They knew you’d been pretty busy. And you had those things come up. Well and then there was all that work.

Trust me, I know.

March 31 probably snuck up on you. You probably forgot all about the looming Call for Proposals deadline. And the early bird pricing.

But the Open Source Bridge folks, beneficent beings that they are, also knew that you had a great—nay brilliant—presentation on open source dwelling in your soul. One that would bring tears to the eyes of mere mortals. And they knew that having you involved in the discussions in the hacker lounge would happen if and only if you could attend the conference for $175.

What procrastination looks like

So they caved. And they extended the deadline. You now have until April 10 to complete your talk proposal and register for the event with early bird pricing.

It’s Christmas in April, my friend. I hope you’re happy. And I trust you’ll take advantage of the extension Open Source Bridge has offered. Please get that presentation proposal completed and register to attend.

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9 Portland tech events for your spring and summer geeking pleasure

Rick Turoczy on March 26, 2009

Summer geekingConcerned you’re going to get bored this spring and summer? Worried you’re not going to have enough geektastic events to keep yourself entertained? Worry no longer, my friend. There are a ton of good tech events just around the corner.

Like what, you ask? Like these, silly goose:

InnoTech (April 22-23)

“We have secured Keynote Presenter Rahaf Harfoush, New Media Strategist, Member of Obama’s Social Media Team, & Associate Director of the Global Cooperation Initiative at the World Economic Forum, to present on Thursday, April 23, 2009. We have Scott S. Ballantyne, former VP General Manager, Personal Systems Group, Hewlett Packard kicking off this year’s eMarketing Summit @ InnoTech and we have a Windows 7.0 Sneak Peek session at InnoTech as well.”

For more information, visit InnoTech.

BarCamp Portland (May 1-2)

“BarCampPortland is an unconference for the Portland tech community, produced BY the Portland tech community. Interesting topics, cool people, great networking opportunities, wifi, and more! Building an active tech community in Portland, Oregon.”

For more information, visit BarCamp Portland.

WebVisions (May 22-23)

“Explore the future of Web design, user experience and business strategy for three days of mind-melding on what’s new in the digital world. Get a glimpse into the future, along with practical information that you can apply to your Web site, company and career.”

For more information, visit WebVisions.

Open Source Bridge (June 17-19)

“Connecting developers across projects, languages, and backgrounds. Open Source Bridge is a new conference for developers working with open source technologies and for people interested in learning the open source way.”

For more information, visit Open Source Bridge.

Ignite Portland (July 16)

Take 6 on Ignite Portland. “If you had five minutes on stage what would you say? What if you only got 20 slides and they rotated automatically after 15 seconds? Around the world geeks have been putting together Ignite nights to show their answers.”

For more information, visit Ignite Portland.

Internet Strategy Forum Summit West (July 23-24)

“The 6th annual Internet Strategy Forum Summit conference is set for July 23 & 24, 2009. Confirmed presenters so far include Forrester Senior Analyst and Web Strategist blogger Jeremiah Owyang and Web Operations Management guru Lisa Welchman.”

For more information, visit Internet Strategy Forum.

Inverge (September 10-11)

“Inverge brings presenters and attendees together from a variety of professions and disciplines to explore changes and opportunities presented by the increasing digitization of media, the democratization of distribution and the proliferation of connectivity into new areas. The big picture is revealed via the unique integration of disciplines at the event. The presentations are high-level, informative and conceptual, pointing the way toward the future and facilitating advanced professional development.”

For more information, visit Inverge.

LinuxCon (September 21-23)

“LinuxCon is a new annual technical conference that will provide an unmatched collaboration and education space for all matters Linux. LinuxCon will bring together the best and brightest that the Linux community has to offer, including core developers, administrators, end users, community managers and industry experts. In being the conference for “all matters Linux”, LinuxCon will be informative and educational for a wide range of attendees. We will not only bring together all of the best technical talent but the decision makers and industry experts who are involved in the Linux community.”

For more information, visit LinuxCon.

Linux Plumbers Conference (September 23-25)

“The Linux Plumbers Conference was created to bring together the key developers involved in Linux plumbing – the “Linux plumbers” – and give them an opportunity to discuss problems face-to-face, both within subsystems and across subsystems. Participants include invited attendees, speakers selected through an open, competitive review process, and students. Registration is open to the general public as well.”

For more information, visit Linux Plumbers.

Phew

And that’s not even counting all the awesome non-techie stuff and all the cool weekly events we have going around here. Not to mention the fact that I probably missed some other interesting tech events. Because I have a tendency to do that.

So don’t worry about getting bored, sugar. There will be plenty for you to do.

(Photo courtesy Aaron Hockley. Used under Creative Commons.)

Open Source Bridge: Calling all open source citizens

Rick Turoczy on February 26, 2009

[Full disclosure: I am on the volunteer committee helping to organize Open Source Bridge.]

Open Source BridgeAs many of you know, OSCON will be held in San Jose, this year. And RailsConf will be in Las Vegas. That left Portland—arguably the de facto hub of all things open source-y—strangely devoid of a major open source conference until Linux Plumbers Conference in September.

And that just didn’t seem right. So Audrey Eschright and Selena Deckelmann decided to do something about it. And they got a bunch of other volunteers together who wanted to help. That became Open Source Bridge.

You see, if there’s one thing I love about Portland, it’s our entrepreneurial spirit. We weren’t just going to sit around and cry in our microbrewed beers about it. We Portlanders are going to figure out how to do something else. We’ll show them.

And true to form, here’s Open Source Bridge, a new grassroots-organized open-source-developer-oriented conference that’s slated to be held in Portland, next summer.

Fast forward to today and that dream has officially become a reality. Registration is now open for Open Source Bridge.

Costs? You can attend the three-day conference—June 17-19—for $175. But you have to act quickly. That early bird rate expires on April 1. And if you’re coming from out of town—heck if you’re coming from Beaverton—you can get a room at the Hilton for $139/night.

Why would you stay at the Hilton? Four words my friend. Well, actually one number and three words: 24-hour hacker lounge.

Personally, it’s been an incredible experience, thus far, working with the amazing people volunteering to pull this off. Open Source Bridge is a different kind of conference. And it’s yet another incredible event that’s going to put Portland on the map.

Different how? It’s about open source culture for developers. It’s about being open source citizens:

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.

Hopefully, you’ll put up with me continuing to blather on about it. Because I think it’s yet another example of the Portland community doing things in a very Portland-y way and—as usual—wildly succeeding.

I’m hoping to see you there.

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Bored? The Portland tech scene might have something for you to do tonight. Maybe.

Rick Turoczy on February 12, 2009

So, you don’t have anything planned for tonight? Well thanks to our good friends over at Calagator, you do now.

Yes, it’s just another boring night. If only there were something to do. Oh well. Maybe next week will be a bit more eventful.

OTBC Lunch 2.0 Recap, Welding for Giggles in the Future?

Rick Turoczy on January 15, 2009

Yesterday, Steve Morris and the OTBC hosted the tenth iteration of Portland Lunch 2.0 and the first one in the ‘burbs.

Even though we didn’t get an official count, estimates I collected put the attendance between 75 and 100. Pretty typical for Portland Lunch 2.0, but a pleasant surprise for our first venture to the ‘burbs. It was tough to count people because they filled up the OTBC office and its conference rooms and spilled into the lobby.

The fire marshal would not have been pleased.

The party train arrives

Photo by Don Park, used under Creative Commons.

Todd and his party train brought about 30 people from Portland, and attendance from nearby the areas seemed high. I didn’t do a scientific poll or anything, but based on the number of new faces, I think it’s safe to say that we had a lot of first-timers. It was a nice mix of the usual suspects and new people. The reactions I saw on Twitter right after lunch included several good-to-meet-yous and the like.

The fare was pizza, but as with most Lunch 2.0s, I didn’t eat. Too busy chatting and networking. Simeon Bateman liked it enough to ping me to find out who provided it. Bellagios if you’re wondering, and a couple of the OTBC’s companies provided it: Integra Telecom and Sonitrol.

A little nugget here: Sonitrol provides security systems and captures audio of intruders; Todd and I agreed that audio would be really funny to hear, like a YouTube for botched breakins. Turns out they do publish some of the audio clips, and they’re as funny as expected. I found this out while chatting with Chuck Mally and Pamela Singleton from Sonitrol.

This Lunch 2.0 also featured a field trip over to Denney Cole’s Portland TechShop. What is TechShop you ask?

TechShop is a membership-based DIY workshop that gives you access to a huge variety of tools and equipment, tons of friendly and easy classes, and a community of amazing people who share your interest in making things.

That’s right, it’s a DIY workshop, complete with tools and machines you just don’t have room for or don’t want to buy. I had to miss the field trip, which bummed me out because several of us agreed that welding stuff and then cutting it apart with an acetylene torch for giggles sounded like a blast. Denney agreed this was the type of activity he wanted to encourage. He might even name a class “Welding for Giggles”. Sweet.

Wm Leler will soon be opening an Open Tech Space there soon, which will be free to anyone, the ostensible reason for the field trip. Sounds like about 20 people made the trip, but I’m still focused on the heavy machinery.

The *big* machinery

Photo by Wm Leler, used with permission.

So, it was a great lunch all around, and judging by the number of new Twitter follows and good-to-meet-yous, we managed to make some new connections.

Upcoming Portland Lunch 2.0s

Interested in hosting a Lunch 2.0 this Spring or later in the year? Drop a comment (or tweet @jkuramot) if you want information about hosting one. It’s easy.

One more thing, will someone please remind me to carry business cards the next time? Every time we have a Lunch 2.0, I sheepishly have to tell people I don’t carry cards. Sorry about that.

Venture to the ‘burbs for Lunch 2.0 at OTBC on Wednesday

Rick Turoczy on January 12, 2009


It’s been a while, so I’m sure your appetite for good grub and conversation has been whetted.

In case you’ve forgotten, we’re off to the OTBC in the ‘burbs (Beaverton) for the first Portland Lunch 2.0 hosted outside city limits. I saw Steve Morris at End Bloglessness this past weekend; he’s looking forward to showing off the new digs the OTBC recently inhabited in the swanky Beaverton Round.

If you’re sitting in Portland, lamenting the trip West, never fear; turns out the OTBC’s office is only about 100 feet from the MAX Blue Line Beaverton Central stop. And, Todd has graciously organized a Party Train to Lunch 2.0. So, you’re going to need a better excuse than usual to avoid going West.

But wait, there’s more. Wm Leler wants to take advantage to show off his new Open TechShop, and he’ll be organizing a side trip during the lunch for anyone interested. So much good stuff.

Update: A blurb from Wm himself:

Many people have heard about TechShop Portland opening up soon, and since it is close to OTBC we are arranging a tour of TechShop and OpenTechSpace after Lunch 2.0, so people can see how it is coming along and find out how they can help. If you are going to take MAX out to OTBC, we will be carpooling to TechShop and will return you to OTBC. Lots of progress is being made — TechShop had their first class last week, and OpenTechSpace has workbenches and is starting to acquire equipment and tools. TechShop has a new blog at http://portlandtechshop.com and OpenTechSpace is at http://opentechspace.org

Convinced yet? Just be sure to head over to Upcoming to RSVP and make sure to include a comment if you’re vegan/vegetarian. This will ensure Steve has enough of the right kinds of food for you.

Hope to see your smiling face there.

In other PDX Lunch 2.0 news, thanks to Aaron Hockley, our semi-official photographer, for the plug at WorkCamp Las Vegas this past weekend. Aaron was one of three Portlanders who were invited to speak (along with Geoff Kleinman and Lorelle VanFossen), and you can watch his session “Beyond Beer and Blog” here.

Also, AboutUs, our host for the very first PDX Lunch 2.0 last year, will be hosting our one year anniversary lunch in February. They have lots to celebrate, having just closed a round of venture funding last week.

Upcoming Portland Lunch 2.0s

Big thanks to all the hosts who have hosted or plan to host Lunch 2.0. I hope we can keep the Lunch 2.0 train rolling this year. Drop a comment (or tweet @jkuramot) if you want information about hosting one. It’s easy.

SXSW Interactive 2009: Portland Meetup, January 19

Rick Turoczy on January 7, 2009

SXSW InteractiveIn a little over two months, a good chunk of the Portland tech scene will begin its annual pilgrimage down to Austin, Texas, for SXSW Interactive.

Maybe you’re going. Or maybe you’ve been toying with the idea of going. Either way, Dawn Foster highlights an upcoming meetup that you should seriously consider: SXSW Interactive Portland Meetup.

This will give you an opportunity to learn more about SXSW from the people who organize it. If you’ve never attended or were on the fence about attending, it’s a great opportunity to learn more. For those of us who already love SXSW, it gives us an opportunity to get to know some other Portland people who plan to attend.

The event will be held Monday, January 19, beginning at 6 PM at the Fez Ballroom.

And now here’s where it gets a bit weird. If you would like to attend, you should RSVP by emailing interpress@sxsw.com with “Portland” in the subject line. Because nothing says “cutting-edge interactive conference” quite like email.

Ahem.

Okay, here. I created a Calagator entry for the event. While you can’t RSVP there, that definitely makes it a little more cutting-edge—and Portland-y to boot.

All kidding aside, SXSW is an amazing conference. A place where you’ll find yourself talking to the best and the brightest in the industry and feeling like you’re definitely among people who “get it.” What’s more, the Portland contingent promises to be even bigger this year, so we’ll be able to take that shared experience back here—and we’ll continue to benefit from it all year long.

You should go. It’s well worth the time. And I’d love to see you in Austin in March.

Beer and Blog & Open Source Bridge: Two great tastes that taste great together

Rick Turoczy on December 4, 2008

Beer and BlogLast night at the Portland Web Innovators presentation, I got the chance to laud compliments on Beer and Blog, an event that has really helped solidify the Web and Open Source startup community in Portland—and now Corvallis. A little later, I got the chance to share some of the early thinking on what will be the biggest volunteer event for Portland in 2009, Open Source Bridge.

Well, as luck would have it, whether you’re interested in Beer and Blog or Open Source Bridge, you can kill two birds with one stone this week. Because Beer and Blog this week will feature none other than Open Source Bridge:

Hi friends! Rick Turoczy asked me if he and the Open Source Bridge crew could lead some discussion tomorrow @beerandblog. I think what they are up to is valuable to the Portland community and her tech scene, so I said yes. If you’re not yet familiar with Open Source Bridge, they are a group of local techies that want to continue OSCON now that they are not coming back to Portland. But, they’re growing into much more than that.

So why not take some time out of your busy schedule of attending holiday parties to hang out with the Open Source Bridge team at Beer and Blog? Not interested in Open Source Bridge? Come on over anyway. You might find yourself having such a good time that you wind up wending your way over to the CyborgCamp pre-party at Vidoop.

RSVPs abound: Beer and Blog and the CyborgCamp pre-party.

I’m looking forward to seeing you there.

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