RSVP to Virtual Homebrew Website Club Meetup on July 25, 2018

RSVPed Attending Virtual Homebrew Website Club Meetup on July 25, 2018

Are you building your own website? Indie reader? Personal publishing web app? Or some other digital magic-cloud proxy? If so, come on by and join a gathering of people with likeminded interests. Bring your friends who want to start a personal web site. Exchange information, swap ideas, talk shop, help work on a project…

Everyone of every level is welcome to participate! Don’t have a domain yet? Come along and someone can help you get started and provide resources for creating the site you’ve always wanted.

This virtual HWC meeting is for site builders who either can’t make a regular in-person meeting or don’t yet have critical mass to host one in their area. It will be hosted on Google Hangouts.

Time:  to 
Location: Google Hangouts (link to Hangout TBD)

I hope the following can come and join me:
David Shanske
gRegor Morrill
Greg McVerry
William Ian O’Byrne
Clint Lalonde
Aaron Davis
Doug Beal
Cathie LeBlanc
John Johnson
Taylor Jaydin
Kathleen Fitzpatrick
Alan Jacobs
Dan Cohen
Asher Silberman
Micah Cambre
Michael Kirk
Scott Gruber
Chris Bolas
Michael Bishop
Khürt Williams
Eddie Hinkle
Aaron Parecki

I’ve never done it before, and I’ve never received one myself, but I’m going to send some invitations (via webmention) to folks to join me. I’m curious how the original post will handle it and what Semantic Linkbacks will do and what it will display. Semantic Linkbacks is set up to display RSVP:Invitations, but I’m not sure what will happen. So this post will serve as a test and we’ll see! Is anyone else supporting invitations (sending or displaying)? In the future I could see supporting an Event Invitations page similar to my Mentions page which displays all the events I’ve been invited to.

Incidentally I’m noticing that there’s also an issue in the latest update that RSVP’s on prior event posts aren’t facepiling like they should/used to.

RSVPed Attending Innovate Pasadena Friday Morning Coffee Meetup: From Carmen Sandiego to Vroman’s: Why I Write Fiction for less than Minimum Wage

Fri, Jun 15, 2018, 8:15 AM at Cross Campus Pasadena

For much of his life, Ken Goldstein was the consummate Silicon Valley insider. In the 1990s, he worked at Brøderbund Software, in charge of all things related to the Carmen Sandiego franchise of computer games. When Brøderbund was acquired by its rival in 1998, Ken moved to Disney Online where under the mentorship of Michael Eisner, his team launched Toontown and the entertainment giant’s other early forays into interactive online entertainment.

In 2006, Ken took the reins as CEO & Chairman of Shop.com, a comparison shopping marketplace with a patented single cart checkout solution backed by Bill Gates, Amazon.com, Yahoo and Oak Investment Partners. In 2010, Shop.com was acquired by Market America where the marketplace continues to thrive.

Then Ken returned to his true passion: writing. With a nod to social realism, he set out to paint the world of technology madness in authentic fiction. His first novel, This Is Rage, was published in 2013 and optioned for Broadway. His second book, Endless Encores, was published in 2015. His third book: From Nothing: A Novel of Technology, Bar Music, and Redemption, releases on June 12, 2018.

Ken will talk about his new book, his time in and out of Silicon Valley, his experience running some of the most beloved properties in online entertainment, and share some of the key school-of-hard-knocks lessons that made him both a successful tech executive, and later on a successful author. Feel free to ask him really awkward questions about what it’s like to survive in the unforgiving worlds of literature and technology. Hint: technology is way easier!

Vroman's Bookstore will be on site with all of Ken's books available for purchase.

📅 RSVP to WordCamp Los Angeles 2018

RSVPed Attending WordCamp Los Angeles 2018

Are you ready for WordCamp Los Angeles 2018 even though we’re still a quarter of a year away! We are too! And we’re excited to announce that early bird tickets are now on sale.

Today, we’ve released 70 General Admission and 20 Beginner’s Day tickets. The $40 General Admission tickets will give you full access to WCLAX on Saturday and Sunday, t-shirt, swag, coffee, snacks, and lunch. The $50 Beginner’s Day tickets will — in addition to providing you with General Admission on Saturday and Sunday (and all the swag and eats that come with it) — will get you into the limited seating Beginner’s Day on Friday!

We’ll release more tickets in June but if you grab em today you’re guaranteed a ticket and some early-birds-only swag!

I’m pretty sure I just bought the last of the early bird tickets for WordCamp Los Angeles. Everyone else will have to wait for the general release sometime in June now.

📅 RSVP to The (Bumpy) Road To The Robotics Revolution | Innovate Pasadena

RSVPed Attending The (Bumpy) Road To The Robotics Revolution

Fri, May 25, 2018, 8:15 AM to 9:30 AM
Cross Campus, 85 N. Raymond Avenue · Pasadena, CA

The robotics ecosystem is evolving, as technological advances have paved the way for the robotics revolution. Soon, robots will be part of our everyday lives. Despite these advances, robots are currently about as exciting and easy to use as the command line on the personal computer. We're in the "DOS days" of robotics. So what is the Windows of robotics? How will end-users unlock the potential of personal robots in their homes and workplaces?

In this talk, Dr. Ross Mead will discuss the technological advances paving the way for the robotics revolution, and the robotics hardware companies leading the charge along that path. He will also introduce the software innovations in development at Semio to bring robots to life. Finally, he will provide candid insights on personal setbacks as an entrepreneur working in an emerging market within an emerging market.

Biography

Dr. Ross Mead is the Founder and CEO of Semio. Ross received his PhD and MS in Computer Science from the University of Southern California in 2015, and his BS in Computer Science from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2007. Ross’s dissertation work focused on enabling autonomous socially assistive robots, specifically, on the principled design and computational modeling of fundamental social behaviors (such as speech, gestures, eye gaze, social spacing, etc.) that serve as building blocks for automated recognition and control in face-to-face human-robot interactions, bringing robotic characters to life. His research provides the foundations upon which Semio software is being built.

Semio is a Los Angeles-based software startup developing the operating system, app ecosystem, and developer tools for personal robots. What Microsoft Windows did for personal computing, what Android did for smartphones, Semio is doing for personal robots. Semio software allows robot content developers to rapidly create and deploy robot apps, allows robot manufacturers to easily integrate with those robot apps, and allows robot end-users to transparently access and use robot apps entirely through natural language, including both speech and body language.

Semio seeks to accelerate the mass adoption of hardware robots into homes and workplaces, finally delivering on the vision of robots in daily life that people have always dreamed of.

Beyond Semio, Ross serves on the Board of Directors for two non-profit organizations: (1) AI LA to promote artificial intelligence in the Los Angeles community; and (2) the KISS Institute for Practical Robotics to promote robotics and STEM in K-12 education around the globe, with a focus on underrepresented populations. In 2018, he co-founded the Social Robot Community Slack team to spark an international community around robotics and natural language technologies. Previously, Ross also served as a technical and scientific advisor to Disney, Intel, and National Geographic, among others.

Ross MeadEmail: ross@semio.ai
LinkedIn/RossMead
Twitter: @RossMead

👓 The Future of Publishing | LitFest Pasadena

RSVPed Unable to Attend The Future of Publishing
The Future of Publishing
May 19 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Six small presses with a wide range of specialties—fiction, children’s books, literature in translation, poetry, cookbooks—talk about the challenges and opportunities in book publishing in the near future, and how they’re looking to innovate and look beyond the corporate Big Five publishing model.

Featured Guests: Neela Banerjee, Kaya Press; Ariana Stein, Lil Libros; Ross Ufberg, New Vessel; Tobi Harper, Red Hen Press; Julia Callahan, Rare Bird Books; Colleen Dunn Bates, Prospect Park – Moderator

Wishing I hadn’t gotten myself committed on Saturday to go to Knott’s Berry Farm so I could attend this in the afternoon.

📅 RSVP to WordPress Pasadena General Meetup, May 2018

RSVPed Attending WordPress Pasadena General Meetup, May 2018
Tue, May 29, 2018, 7:00 PM: We're back with our general WordPress Meetup! This month we'll be talking about all sorts of stuff, WordCamps, GDPR, Gutenberg and anything else that's on your mind that's fit to chat about.

📅 RSVP to WordPress Pasadena Developer Meetup May 2018 @ CrossCampus

RSVPed Attending WordPress Pasadena Developer Meetup May 2018 @ CrossCampus
This is our advanced topics (developer) meetup. You should come on out but be prepared to participate as we go round table style to get you all the best knowledge and developer news out there.
This edition of the WordPress Pasadena Developer Meetup will be Tuesday, May 22, 2018, 7pm @ Cross Campus in Old Towne Pasadena.

RSVP to IndieWeb Summit – June 26-27, 2018 – Portland, Oregon

RSVPed Attending IndieWeb Summit - June 26-27, 2018 - Portland, Oregon
The eighth annual gathering for independent web creators of all kinds, from graphic artists, to designers, UX engineers, coders, hackers, to share ideas, actively work on creating for their own personal websites, and build upon each others creations.
I can’t wait!

📅 RSVP for WordCamp Orange County June 9-10, 2018

RSVPed Attending WordCamp Orange County 2018

WordCamps are conferences that focus on everything WordPress. WordCamps are informal, community-organized events that are put together by WordPress users like you. Everyone from casual users to core developers participate, share ideas, and get to know each other.

WordCamp Orange County 2018 is going to be held at The Cove at UCI Applied Innovation for the third year running. It will be held on June 9-10, 2018

The Cove at UCI Applied Innovation
5141 California Avenue, Suite 200 & 250
Irvine, CA 92697

There is plenty of free onsite parking.

What better way to RSVP to a WordCamp than by posting your RSVP using your own WordPress website? I just bought my tickets! Who else is going?

Following @OCWordCamp and the camp hashtag #WCOC on Twitter in preparation. There are only 66 tickets left, so get yours soon as they go pretty quick.

📅 RSVP: Innovate Pasadena: Friday Morning Coffee Meetup–Coffee with the Mayor

RSVPed Attending Innovate Pasadena: Friday Morning Coffee Meetup--Coffee with the Mayor
Friday, May 4, 2018
8:15 AM to 9:30 AM
Cross Campus, 85 N. Raymond Avenue · Pasadena, CA

While Pasadena is consistently named one of the best cities to live year after year, City leaders also want to make it a great place to work. Mayor Terry Tornek and City Manager Steve Mermell will be stopping by on May 4th to check-in with Pasadena’s innovators and talk about the latest developments and initiatives happening in Pasadena. But, they’ll also want to hear from you! This is your chance to engage with local officials and share your thoughts on ways the City can make Pasadena even more attractive for business and talent.

Bio: Terry Tornek
Terry Tornek was born and raised in New York City and moved to Pasadena from Massachusetts in 1982 to accept the position of Planning Director. He was hired because of his history of neighborhood improvement and historic preservation while serving as Planning Director of Springfield, Mass. He also served as a member of the Springfield City Council. Terry was Pasadena’s Planning Director for 3 years and helped to rewrite the Zoning Ordinance, the General Plan and establish the redevelopment plan for Old Pasadena. After leaving city government, Terry built a career in real estate as a developer and manager of residential & commercial properties all over Southern California.

He remained active in Pasadena affairs through his 20 year service as a Board Member of Pasadena Neighborhood Housing Services, a non-profit organization devoted to affordable housing in Northwest Pasadena.

In 2005, Sid Tyler appointed Terry to the Planning Commission. He also served as a member of the Design Commission. He was elected to represent District 7 on the City Council in April, 2009, was reelected in 2013 and was then elected as Mayor in April, 2015.

Mayor Tornek serves as Chairman of the Finance Committee, is a member of the Municipal Services, Public Safety, and Legislative Policy Committees, is the City Council appointee to the Fire and Police Retirement Board, is Pasadena’s representative to the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments, and is President of the Burbank Airport Authority. He is deeply involved in the City’s financial planning, affordable housing and the City’s planning and development decision-making process. Terry graduated from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School with a degree in Public and International Affairs. He also earned a Master of Science in Urban Planning from Columbia University’s School of Architecture. He served in the Army National Guard and Reserves for 6 years. Terry and his wife Maria have been married for 50 years. They have 3 children and 7 grandchildren.

Bio: Steve Mermell
Steve Mermell was appointed City Manager by unanimous vote of the City Council and assumed his duties February 15, 2016. As City Manager he is the Chief Administrative Officer of the City and is charged with supervising, coordinating, and administering the various functions of the City. He has direct responsibility for all departments, divisions, and offices of the City with the exception of the City Attorney/Prosecutor and City Clerk which are separately appointed by the City Council.

RSVP to Friday Morning Coffee Meetup: 13 Questions to Help You Cut Out Small Talk and Build Genuine Connections

RSVPed Attending Friday Morning Coffee Meetup: 13 Questions to Help You Cut Out Small Talk and Build Genuine Connections

Tom Amestoy, Founder & CEO of Focus Out, talks about the missed opportunities to genuinely connect with others when we engage in “small talk.” Scientific studies have revealed that the types of conversations we have truly impact our wellbeing. These findings show that the good life is social and conversationally deep rather than isolated and superficial. Tom will tell us about groups that have banned small talk to great effect. He will offer tips on how to host such an event and will share 13 questions to start great conversations that lead to deep and genuine connections.

Friday, April 27, 2018
8:15 AM to 9:30 AM

Cross Campus
85 N. Raymond Avenue
Pasadena, CA

Venue is located on the 2nd floor. Free street parking until 11:00 am; except where valet signs are posted. 90 minutes free parking is also available at nearby parking lots.

RSVP to Innovate Pasadena: The Power of Social Capitalism

RSVPed Attending The Power of Social Capitalism
I am excited to share the story of Rosebud Coffee; a social enterprise dedicated to helping homeless and transitional age youth find economic stability through the coffee industry. Local businesses are uniquely positioned with social capital to help those in need flourish with the support of the local community. And when those in greatest need flourish, so does everyone else!

Bio: Dan Davidson is the Lead Pastor of Rose City Church in Pasadena, CA; a historic Free Methodist Church he and team reopened in 2011. Dan is also the co/founder and Executive Director of Rose City Coffee; a barista training program for homeless and transitional-aged youth soon to open as a local coffee shop. Most recently Dan led a team to open Rosebud Coffee as a local cafe in the City of Pasadena to hire the youth trained by Rose City Coffee. As a socially minded cafe, Rosebud seeks to help the emancipated youth of our city flourish while also providing a space for community events. Dan enjoys collaborating with the City of Pasadena, local businesses and non-profits who share the same goal of ending homelessness and improving the lives of local neighbors. Dan believes that with such partnerships the relationships that keep communities healthy will thrive.

Contact Email: dan@rosecitycoffee.org

Friday, March 30, 2018
8:15 AM to 9:30 AM

Cross Campus
85 N. Raymond Avenue, Pasadena, CA
Venue is located on the 2nd floor. Free street parking until 11:00 am; except where valet signs are posted. 90 minutes free parking is also available at nearby parking lots.
This sounds like an interesting topic for tomorrow morning’s coffee.

📅 RSVP yes to WordPress Pasadena General Meetup, March 2018 Edition! on 3/27

RSVPed Attending WordPress Pasadena General Meetup, March 2018 Edition!
Oh man! 2018! Welcome!!!! Who'd a thunk it? We made it out of 2017!! 2018 is another chance to see if we can ply our knowledge in the ever changing world of web tech. We're back at it again for our monthly WordPress user meetup. Come curious with your wonderful questions.
My Fall/Winter math class is over and I’m free to catch up with the gang again.

📅 RSVP No to Innovate Pasadena: Women in Blockchain

RSVPed Unable to Attend Innovate Pasadena-Friday Coffee Meetup: Women in Blockchain
Blockchain is poised to become one of the seminal developments in technology, and some talented women are leading the way in adapting blockchain technology across a wide array of industries. Blockchain spending is expected to grow 81.2% annual from 2016 – 2021. $945 million was spent on blockchain solutions in 2017, with the spending expected to skyrocket to $2.1 billion this year. Women in Blockchain and Crypto want to enable women to thrive in the booming blockchain space by growing our network of like-minded women to create opportunities for networking, education, and professional advancement in the blockchain space. Two female leaders in blockchain will give a presentation on the current landscape of blockchain, the applications of blockchain technology across a variety of industries, and also discuss their own projects including putting AI on the Project PAI blockchain and exploring uses for blockchain in healthcare. Sho Guo is the VP of Marketing and Partnerships at ObEN, an artificial intelligence company developing Personal Artificial Intelligence (PAI), a 3D intelligent avatar that looks, talks and behaves uniquely like its human counterpart. ObEN is an early adopter of Project PAI, a fully decentralized blockchain based network designed to give people trackable ownership and management rights to their PAI. Prior to ObEN, Sho was the Director of International Marketing for Caesars Entertainment and spent 5 years working in television and production, including work on the Beijing Olympics for NBC. Sho is an Emmy award winner with an MBA from UCLA Anderson, B.S. in Management Science and B.A. in Film from UC San Diego. Stacy Jain is a Director of Strategy and Program Execution at Kaiser Permanente, one of America’s largest and most innovative integrated health care providers. An experienced executive consultant with a demonstrated history of delivering large, complex healthcare systems and programs in the hospital & health care industry, Stacy has continuously driven business solutions via technological innovations along with her exceptional leadership in building trusting partnerships across multi-disciplines. Previously she has worked with other healthcare organizations such as Dignity Health, Catholic Healthcare West, and L.A. Care Health Plan. Part of her current mission is to execute an agile transformation strategy to enable the business to quickly adapt, make investments at the right places and to improve speed to market. With more than 15+ years in defining, shaping and evolving the delivery of patient care, she has a relentless passion to stretch and advance digital healthcare, especially in mental/behavioral health care. Stacy has recently been looking at applications of blockchain in healthcare with an emphasis on security, medical record sharing and humanistic information economy. Stacy is also working on building women-led communities in AI and blockchain. Her goal is to build communities in the Los Angeles area which would empower more women to participate in the blockchain industry. Twitter Handles: @ObenMe @ProjectPAI Speaker emails: Sho Guo: sho@oben.com Stacy Jain: Stacy.Jain@gmail.com
Sadly, it looks like a deadline is going to prevent me from attending.