Portland startups, open source, and tech news, jobs, and events #pdx
Much of the startup scene is struggling to find the talent they need to build the products they want to build. And it’s not getting any easier to find those folks. That means, there are more and more people who see the opportunity to learn the necessary skills to go after those jobs. That means a lot of newbies. Read More
This is the story of Nike, open data, and Code for a Better World Fellowship. I’m telling it in hopes that more people—and hopefully better storytellers—will start talking about it.
Portland is an amazing place. A small town of sorts. Where interesting things manage to happen because of the connections, the openness, and the passion for collaboration that exists here. But that’s not always obvious. So I wanted to try to make it a little more obvious by sharing one such experience.
It’s a story about how some of the Portland tech community and sustainability community recently had the opportunity to collaborate with one of the largest businesses in the world and one of the most successful private advertising agencies in the world—all in the name of openness and open data. Read More
And one of those email loving companies is now officially opening its Portland office. Meet Emma. The Portland edition.
Do you like email? I know right? Who doesn’t? Well, some people love it. Love love love it. They love it so much that they like to help other folks send email. So that more people can have more email. What’s more, they like to make it pretty and straightforward and (gasp!) useful. No. It’s true.
And one of those email loving companies is now officially opening its Portland office. Meet Emma. The Portland edition. Read More
A incredibly insightful woman once said, “Encourage your community to take time to step back and enjoy their work.” And since I just read her saying that today, I thought I would stop for a second to emphasize just how lucky we are to have the community we do. We’ve got events going every night and practically every weekend. We’ve got good chatter online and off. And we’re creating and building a lot of cool stuff—sometimes purely through volunteer efforts.
Two of those amazing volunteer projects are Calagator and Open Source Bridge. And two of the awesome people behind those efforts are Selena Deckelmann and Audrey Eschright. Read More
Tonight, everyone’s favorite Portland tech podcast will be featuring everyone’s favorite Portland open source conference. That’s right. Strange Love Live is chatting with the co-founders of Open Source Bridge.
“What’s Open Source Bridge, you ask?” he said with the full disclosure that he was acting as a marketing volunteer and that Silicon Florist was a media sponsor.
Why, it’s an entirely volunteer run conference for open source citizens being help June 17 – 19, 2009 at the Oregon Convention Center. Read More
Portland’s entirely volunteer run Open Source Bridge conference—which just closed its call for proposals—got some recent airtime on FLOSS Weekly portion of Twit.tv with Leo Laporte.
Selena Deckelmann and Audrey Eschright spent some time chatting with Leo Laporte and our fellow Portlander Randal Schwartz.
Legion of Tech, unconferences, no self-service gas, Portland and—of course—the 24-hour hacker lounge all get their fair share of love.
To listen for yourself, tune into the Open Source Bridge episode of FLOSS Weekly.
Today is Ada Lovelace Day, a day to celebrate women who are excelling in the world of technology.
Who was Ada Lovelace, you ask?
Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace was born on 10th December 1815, the only child of Lord Byron and his wife, Annabella. Born Augusta Ada Byron, but now known simply as Ada Lovelace, she wrote the world’s first computer programmes for the Analytical Engine, a general-purpose machine that Charles Babbage had invented.
That got me to thinking. I’m incredibly lucky to get the chance to work with a number of extremely talented and technically adept women. And I get the chance to work with many of them on a weekly basis, which is awesome. Many of you are just as lucky as me.
So I thought I’d list some of the cool female geeks in Portland whom I am proud to know:
She’s the co-founder of Open Source Bridge, has had code committed to PostgreSQL, attends and speaks at any number of conferences, served as one of the original board members for Legion of Tech, and provides some exemplary guidance on killing chickens.
She’s the other co-founder of Open Source Bridge, a founding member of Legion of Tech, a celebrated Rubyist, the driving force behind Calagator, and one of the most creative thinkers in the Northwest.
She’s a wizard with Yahoo! Pipes, a sage with community development, a hardworking startup type with Shizzow, one of the founders of Legion of Tech, and from what I understand, one mean werewolf player.
All of these women have been an absolute inspiration for me. And I’m truly honored that I get the chance to work with them on a regular basis.
And just as I’m in the midst of writing this post, I see a tweet come across from Steven Walling, validating my choices—and adding Amber Case, who is amazing in her own right.
But for as much as I love the local scene, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention two other incredibly inspiring women in the tech scene who have gained—and will continue to have—my utmost admiration.
She’s an incredible speaker and thought-provoking writer whose Creating Passionate Users completely changed the way I thought about marketing and writing—and was a direct inspiration for Silicon Florist.
She’s taught me how to think about the power and the promise technology holds for doing good. And her Gnomedex performance, last year, remains one of the coolest technological experiments I’ve ever seen—even though it had very little to do with technology and everything to do with people.
If there are women in technology who inspire you, I’d love to hear about—and I’m sure they would, too. Who are the other women in Portland technology or Silicon Forest technology who deserve some recognition? Why not take a few minutes to write something up? There’s still time.
(Image courtesy Anyaka. Used under Creative Commons)
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.