events

Registration is going fine without a hitch. The folks at Norris have a great facility.

Just got this from Dustin Kirkland. Well, I didn't just get it, but I've been slacking as usual.

Here's the details:

Thanks to everyone who joined us at Austin's Jaunty Release Party in April 2009, which we held at 6th's Jackalope Bar -- oh so perfectly named!

I had hoped to follow up our synchronicity with the Karmic Release Party at a bar called Karma in downtown Austin. Unfortunately, it doesn't open until 9pm, which is probably a bit late for our crowd. So I needed to find another interesting, appropriate venue.

Join us between 6pm - 9pm on Thursday, October 29, 2009 at Aussie's Grill and Beach Bar, at 306 Barton Springs Road, just east of the corner of Riverside and Barton Springs Road, south of the river. I figured an Australian-themed bar would have to work, in honor of the home of our lovely mascot, the Karmic Koala!

For more details, read Dustin's post

Not only has AutomatedQA graciously offered to sponsor our inaugural happy hour, we just got word that Derek Langone, President of AutomatedQA, will be coming down from Boston to join us.

I love the patio at Triumph Cafe.
Also coming will be Steve Miller, former President of Pragmatic Software, now Vice President of ALM Solutions at AutomatedQA. As many of you know Pragmatic Software was recently acquired by AutomatedQA.

This is a great place for conversations.

Thanks to Lynn's wicked spidering programs, we think we've managed to locate just about every QA pro in Austin. This will be a great opportunity to trade tips and tricks with our peers. We've spent a bit of time putting this together. If you are involved in the QA process in any way, I hope you can make time to join us. The event is free and the hors d'oeuvres are courtesy of AutomatedQA.

Here's the details:

Austin QA Pros Happy Hour
5:00-8:00PM, Tuesday, October 20
Triumph Cafe (google map)
3808 Spicewood Springs
Austin, TX 78759
RSVP (not necessary) at Facebook
This is a free event.

Dennis Gyor
Austin QA Pros
GeekAustin

For the last year, I've been following the various regional Linux events and thinking to myself: "Why not Austin?". Apparently, other folks were thinking the same. Now, thanks to the initiative of a core group, plans are under way.

If you want to participate in the planning of Texas Linux Fest, you should join the Texas Linux Fest Google Group. If you want more information, visit the Texas Linux Fest Wiki.

The group will be holding a planning meeting next week. Here's the details:

Texas Linux Fest organizational meeting
* When: Wednesday October 14 at 7pm
* Where: Zenoss
4807 Spicewood Springs Rd.
Building 4, Suite 201
Austin, TX 78759
* Map: Google Map
* Phone: We'll arrange a conference call number.
* Questions/RSVP: Matt Ray at Zenoss (mray@zenoss.com)
* Pizza & sodas to be provided

The Texas Linux Fest Google Group:
http://groups.google.com/group/texaslinuxfest?hl=en
The Texas Linux Fest Wiki:
http://wiki.texaslinuxfest.org/index.php/Main_Page

To kick off the the GeekAustin QA Group, we'll be hosting a QA happy hour at Triumph Cafe on Tuesday, October 20. We thought this would be a good chance for everyone to get together and say hello. Our friends at Valentine and Associates will be co-hosting the event, and yes, the event will be free. For more details on upcoming events, join the Austin QA Pros LinkedIn Group.

We'd like to invite everyone who is involved in any aspect of the QA testing process: testers, release managers, software developers, project managers, etc. Whether you're neck deep in Rational or just doing black box, come join us!

-Dennis

Here's the details:

Austin QA Pros Happy Hour
5:00-8:00PM, Tuesday, October 20
Triumph Cafe
RSVP (not necessary) at Facebook
This is a free event.

In the BoomBoom room, GeekAustin fave Dubnautica will be laying down a soundtrack for the evening:

I hope you can join us!

Geekaustin 2009 E-nauguration Party
co-hosted by Piryx and the Austin Electronic Music Grid.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009, 6:00pm - ??
Location: Union Park Austin - 612 W. 6th St.
Valet parking will be available.
RSVP at Facebook

With all the uncertainty surrounding the upcoming year, many folks are updating their resumes. Why not get a new head-shot as well? Even if you are not in job seeking mode, you can use it for your LinkedIn profile.

To help you out, crack event/portrait photographer Michael Cummings, of The Creative Space, will be offering free head-shots during the GeekAustin E-nauguration Party. Normally, you would pay for a sitting with Michael. However, E-nauguration Party co-host, Piryx, will be picking up the tab. All you need to do is show up and smile for the camera.

Free Head-Shots by Michael Cummings, courtesy of Piryx
at the Geekaustin 2009 E-nauguration Party
co-hosted by Piryx and the Austin Electronic Music Grid.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009, 6:00pm - ??
Location: Union Park Austin - 612 W. 6th St.
Valet parking will be available.
RSVP at Facebook

For the first time, we'll have a president who has used a blackberry, a laptop, and is personally conversant in new technology. This is significant. The tools that we, the geeks, have been creating -- to help facilitate communication and consensus -- are making their way into government. Indeed, MIT's Technology Review argues that it was the Obama campaign's use of technology that helped seal the campaign. Following the election, the appearance of change.gov suggests that the incoming administration intends to use social networks not only to secure and retain the office, but also to facilitate the process of governing. Can there be any turning back now?

To celebrate this change, GeekAustin is hosting an E-nauguration Party.

This is not a partisan affair. All you folks who used Twitter, Meetup, Facebook, Myspace, and similar tools to mobilize and communicate with your fellow voters, and to help educate your candidates, this party is for you.

Our co-host for the E-nauguration Party will be hometown startup, Piryx. When I read their corporate philosophy and manifesto, I thought: "These guys would be the perfect co-hosts". Fortunately, they agreed.

We'll be announcing more details in the days to come, but for now,
here is the date to put on your calendar.

Geekaustin 2009 E-nauguration Party
co-hosted by Piryx and the Austin Electronic Music Grid.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009, 6:00pm - ??
Location: Union Park Austin - 612 W. 6th St.
Valet parking will be available.
RSVP at Facebook

As many of you know, because we have some new things coming up, the 8th Anniversary Bash was to be our last party for a while. I want to give a special thanks to RefreshAustin and the Austin Electronic Music Grid for co-hosting the party. Extra special thanks to Michelle Greer for introducing me to Union Park. This club keeps getting better and better.

Tech Diva Kimberlie Dykeman was doing interviews on the roof in between musical acts. Among the folks interviewed were Michael Witbrock of Cycorp (interview), Chris Lamprecht, Lead Architect of Indeed.com (interview), and Mauricio Piña of tseg.com (interview)

Watch GeekAustin 07 - Michael Witbrock - Cycorp in News Online

De facto chronicler of Austin tech events, Eugene Hsu, dropped by to photograph the party. You can see his photo sets on facebook (photo set 1, photo set 2). I have been hosting parties for about 17 years now, and I have to tell you Eugene is one of the best. The Austin tech scene is fortunate to have this guy shooting the parties. When you see him, buy him a drink.

Kristen Sobieray, April Kyle, Eugene Hsu

Erica O'Grady, Michelle Greer, and Sara Dornsife are here. Now the party can get started!

One of my favorite parts of the party was the music provided by the artists of the Austin Electronic Music Grid. At several points later in the evening, we had 3 different artists in three different rooms. (I hope you knew that the party was going on in 4 spaces.) Dubnautica started at 7:30 in the BoomBoom Room Refresh Lounge.

At 8:30, Carbon Theory played in the main room.

At 10:00, Happy Panjoma did a great set on the roof, followed by Rage Ranger.

I hope to do more things with the Grid in the future. These are really a great bunch of folks.

How many of you new about the new bed on the back upstairs patio? What a perfect place to cap off the evening!

After a few last glances at the skyline from the Union Park patio, it's time to go home. Thanks to everyone for a great party.

Ok, so our next party is at JBlack’s on February 12th. This will not involve buying flowers or candy, or calling around to restaurants trying to find the one place that isn’t booked. Will you meet the future Ms. (insert your last name here) at the February Geek Austin party? We doubt it, but at least you can count on having a good time.

We are cohosting this event with Dorkbot. Dorkbot is a group of many sorts that builds things and sometimes blows them up in the name of “electronic art” (in the broadest sense of the term). Want to see electronic art in action? Take your kids or the kid in you to the Austin Children’s Museum to check out De La Maquina’s “Electronic Gongs.” These Flickr photos don’t do it justice.

Will we be blowing up Valentine’s Day presents at the party? Probably not. Should you RSVP to find out what does happen? The link is here, my friends:

http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/418904