Blog: In And Around DC

Fill a Quiet Week with Technology Events

A big chunk of our team is spending the week in Szeged, Hungary at the bi-annual DrupalCon, and all of us have been helping get them out the door with everything they'll need over there (which is why I didn't post on Monday like usual). With a lot of our team out of the office and a lot of the city at the Convention in Denver, the city is feeling empty. Luckily, there are several interesting tech events happening to keep us busy. 

Wednesday, August 27

6:00 pm

Social Application Development, Cloud Computing, and Widgets Meetup: If you're boring your friends with talk about Bebo, Hi5, Imeem, Friends Connect, and other social apps, come out to meet people who share you're passion. 

Thursday, August 28

4:30 - 7:00 pm

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Development: Mapping is one of the best ways to quickly get a message across, whether that's showing who holds the most wealth or oil in the world or who won the most Olympic medals. Four GIS experts will talk about ways they've plotted GIS data in the international development field. 

Web Strategy, Networking, and More Amazing Weather

The mild summer weather continues as we move into the third week in August, and no matter how worrisome strange weather trends are these days, we must admit the last few weeks have been pretty nice. Local tech events also continue to buck the August trends in DC, with many scheduled and past ones still getting great turnouts. Here are some of the events we’re looking forward to this week.

Tuesday, August 19
7:00 pm

NetSquared’s Pimp My Nonprofit: Like giving advice you don’t have to implement yourself? Workplace Fairness is redesigning its website and their team is looking for strategic help with design, usability, and finding a way to display a lot of content in a non-threatening way. Come out to give your two cents.

6:00 – 9:00 pm

Drupal, Authors, Happy Hours, and Beautiful Weather

It's a gorgeous start to the week here in Washington, DC with sunny and cool weather that makes it hard to believe it's August - and not May. It looks like our luck will hold out for most of the week too. If you can avoid the pull of backyard barbecues and outdoor happy hours, come out to some tech events this week. The walk there and back will be beautiful, and there's some interesting chances to dork out with other techies. And for a full list of what's happening in tech this week, head over to DC Tech Events.

Monday, August 11

7:15 - 9:00 pm

DC Drupal Meetup: We're gathering tonight at Stetson's to talk Drupal and play some competitive foosball. Come out to talk to Drupal developers, users, and those just interested in the platform - or just to show off your foosball ferocity.

Tuesday, August 12

7:00 pm

George Pelecanos Reading: It's not tech-related, but George Pelecanos is one of DC's most well known celebrities. He'll be at Politics and Prose to talk about his latest book Turnaround. 

Come Out for Drupal, Beer, and Foosball

Tonight we're having our monthly Drupal meetup at Stetson's Bar and Restaurant. Usually Washington, DC is a ghost town in August with Congress shutting its doors and most people fleeing the heat. But this August is definitely an exception - Congress has stuck around longer than usual and its downright comfortable outside. So we're expecting a fun get together tonight.

We'll start off with the usual round of 5-minute lighting talks. This is the time to share what you're working on with the group, and it's a great way to lead into more detailed conversations later on in the evening. So far we have two speakers on the docket - Mike Haggerty and Andy Laken, who will be saying goodbye too as he moves to Montana. Also, Addison Berry will be making an appearance tonight, so hopefully we can twist her arm to present as well. If you would like to talk, just post over here and come ready.

After last month's highly competitive, post-meetup foosball games, we've decided there is an obvious need for a more foosball action. So tonight we'll be having the first ever DC Drupal Round Robin foosball tournament. Come ready to play and with some quarters in your pocket.

Facebook, Art and Technology Mashups, and Copyright Law: Another Fun Week in DC Tech

August in Washington, DC usually means empty streets, emptier bars, and lots heat advisories. Congress is in recess, Hill staff flee the city for vacations, and everyone else leaves to escape the unendurable humidity. Who knows if it's high gas prices, a delayed exodus, or just the mild weather, but August is off to a different start this year. It's absolutely beautiful outside and looks like it's staying that way for most of the week, and there are a ton of very fun tech events happening all week long. Here's a look at the ones we're most excited about. As always, Ross has a full listing over at DC Tech Events.

Monday, August 4

Dusk

Screen on the Green: Start the week off with a relaxing picnic on the Mall and a flick. This week The Apartment is showing on the giant screen in front of the Capitol Building.

Tuesday, August 5

6:30 -  8:30 pm

CopyNight DC: Copyright law is a huge issue with online content, mostly because it's still far from black and white. Come out to the American Library Association to talk copyright law. This month's discussion will be on Georgia State's E-reserve lawsuit, along with other current goings on in copyright law.

Wednesday, August 6

Noon to 1:30 pm

Facebook for Nonprofits: Curious as to the best way to use Facebook for your nonprofit? Join the teleconference to hear advice from two nonprofits active on Facebook - Amnesty International and the League of Young Voters - and a Facebook rep working with apps and Causes. 

Come Out to Talk Tech This Week

It's another busy week for techies in Washington, DC with several interesting tech events to choose from. Here's a quick look at the meetups we hope to attend this week. For a full listing of what's going on around town, check out DC Tech Events.

Monday, July 28

8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Maps in Our Lives: This is short notice, but there's an interesting discussion happening today at the Library of Congress about maps. Stop by to see historical maps mixed with new GIS technology and some unique examples of how powerful data can be when it's displayed on a map. 

Tuesday, July 29

12:30 pm