Refresh Austin

Refresh Austin is teaminn up with Geek Austin and the Austin WordPress Meetup Group for WordPress Fest at Union Park on May 21^st. This is another great opportunity to meat other Web folks here in Austin and have a great time, so c’mon out if you can! People will begin gathering around 6:00, and if past events are any indication, many people will stay into the night, enjoying the roof top deck or the comfortable lounge areas, catching up with old friends and making new ones.

There are entries for the event on Facebook and Upcoming.

Tags: Austin, event, geek austin, happy hour, informal, party

May 13th, 7:00 p.m.
Buffalo Billiards, 6th and Brazos

We had a couple of challenges getting a topic together this month, so our May meeting is going to be an informal happy hour. Come by Buffalo Billiards and half-priced appetizers and drink specials with your fellow Refreshers. We’ll keep to the downstairs bar, since we’ll have no presentation.View the event on Upcoming.org

Tags: happy hour, informal, meeting

Access U, Knowbility’s annual IT accessibility training institute kicks off this coming Tuesday May 6th. St. Edward’s University hosts two days of classes, many of them hands-on, offered by world-renowned accessibility experts. From the basics to the bleeding edge, Access U will provide the resources you need.

Among this year’s highlights:

• Step by step guide through new WCAG 2.0 guidelines and emerging 508 standards
• Acsessibility
• Multi media accessibility
• and dozens more accessibility classes for technologists, content providers, and policy makers

Plus, there’s an optional post-conference session in AJAX Accessibility by Derek Featherstone.

Networking events include the opening dedication to Dr. John Slatin, presentation to Jim Thatcher of the annual “Making A Difference Award” from ACM, the leading international association of computer science professionals, and an audio described movie and dinner at the Alamo Drafthouse.

Registration is online at www.knowbility.org/conference
For more information, contact Teenya Franklin
Office: 512 305-0310 or teenya [at] knowbility.org

Tags: accessibility, event, web development

WordCamp Dallas was productive for all who went. I had a great time with fellow RefreshAustin peeps Paul Menard,Jen Simmons, and Ryan Joy. Unbeknown to me, Wordpress founder Matt Mullenweg would kick things off by giving a speech on Wordpress 2.5, which was launched just 20 minutes before he started. What impressed me the most was Matt Mullenweg’s commitment to making Wordpress easy to use for wordsmiths like me yet robust enough to be a powerful CMS.

Not only is Mullenweg accessible, but he was eager to take as many questions as possible and was available throughout WordCamp for questions, comments and conversation. It was a real treat.

If you haven’t read an overview of Wordpress 2.5 already, I suggest taking a look at Aaron Brazell’s comprehensive post on its features, or check out Mashable’s live stream of Mullenweg’s hour-long speech.

I too filmed the speech, but 1.) Mashable already had this streaming live, so I didn’t see much point in posting it too and 2.) I’d rather give you the goodies that were ONLY covered at WordCamp–plans for Wordpress 2.6.

Here’s an overview:

We’ve all heard of Utterz and Qik for moblogging on the go, but if you don’t want to stream every waking moment of your life, Matt Mullenweg plans for you to be able to publish a Wordpress blog from your phone. Apparently, an undisclosed device maker is even creating a phone to accommodate this. This should be available for version 2.6.

Other plans for version 2.6? A template gallery, a way to check plugins before installation, the ability to post outside the Wordpress admin, and an easier to use interface, and more security. Check out the details in Matt’s speech on how Wordpress will be “meaner, lighter, and faster” here :

**photo of Michelle Greer and Ma.tt courtesy of Anuj Bhatia.

Tags: ma.tt, matt mullenweg, matt mullenweg speech, mobile blogging, moblogging, moblogging wordpress, refresh austin, refreshaustin, wordcamp dallas, wordcampdallas, wordpress, wordpress 2.5 overview, wordpress 2.6, wordpress 2.6 features, wordpress 2.6 review, wordpress phone

April 8th, 7:00 p.m.
Buffalo Billiards, 6th and Brazos

Draw a True Picture Of Usability by Combining Various Data Sources

Annette Priest will discuss the different types of information and metrics that can be used to gain insight into the usability of your Web site so you can determine what works and what needs to be improved.

Group Discussion: SXSW Interactive

For those unable to attend South by Southwest Interactive, here’s a chance to hear what was good. For those who were there, here’s a chance to hear about panels you may have missed.

Anyone who went to SXSW is encouraged to jump into this one! The format is straightforward, each person will answer:

1. What were your three favorite panels and why?
2. What is one thing that you took from SXSW and implemented?

3. What would you like to see change prior to next year?

View the event on Upcoming.org

Tags: meeting, metrics, sxswi2008, usability

Currently, there are over 80 Burmese refugees living in Austin. These people came to the United States with nothing, and most of them do not speak English. They are all here legally and have social security numbers. Much of the kids’ school work requires the use of a computer, but the kids cannot stay after school to use the library’s computers because they have to catch the bus home. None of them have computers or cars.

Do you have retired computers around your house? If so, please bring them to the next meeting and I will take them to the apartments where the Burmese live. Remember to reformat your hard drive prior to donating. I will give you a donation receipt for tax purposes.

To understand what these people have been through, please watch these videos:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=7B5lYCh9Eyc
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ODluciW9RgA&feature=related

If you don’t have extra machines around your house, you could also bring diapers, non-perishable foods, rice cookers, athletic or sturdy work shoes, or calculators. Any help we could provide would be much appreciated. If you have any questions, just email me at michelle(at)michellesblog.net. Thanks, and I’ll see you at the next meeting!

Tags: donate computer austin, olpc austin, refresh austin, refugees austin, sell computer austin, volunteer austin

We’ve been talking about South by Southwest 2008 since the end of SXSW 2007 and the big event is finally rolling around once more. Hopefully you’ll join us for the conference and all of the great events. In addition to the listings to the right, there are two events that Austin Refreshers should take special note of:

Drinks with the Early Arrivals

A group of folks from Refresh Austin will be gathering for Pre-Conference Pints Thursday evening at The Gingerman around 6:30 and would love to invite other locals and early arrivals to SXSW Interactive to join us.

While we aren’t able to buy the drinks, we can provide great conversation. The invite is open to all, so if you can, come join us.

The Refresh Lunch on Friday

Join Refreshers from around the world to kick of South-By right! We’re gathering a great group of folks for lunch on Friday before the conference starts, making it easier to (re)connect with people you may know online or from last year. While we each have to cover our own food and drinks, we will have the back half of the pub reserved, so the conversations should be flowing freely.

The Official Refresh Austin Party

The Refresh Austin party at the PhizzPop Design Challenge is less than a week away! If you’re going to SXSW Interactive, make sure to stop by the Blue Room in Maggie Mae’s, which will be the central spot to meet other Refreshers.

Not attending SXSW, but still want to come to the party?

No problem, just register to get in free! We want everyone in Refresh to join us.

Plus…

SXSW is all about the last minute plans and decisions, so don’t be shy if you bump into your fellow Refreshers throughout the conference: say hi and socialize! There’s no reason that you should go to lunch by yourself, or not have someone to hang with at an after-party.

Tags: Austin, event, party, phizzpop, SXSW, sxswi, sxswi2008

Still thinking about why you should join us for the Refresh Austin party at the PhizzPop Design Challenge? Michelle provides a great explanation as to what it is and why you should come:

Whether or not you decided to shell out this year for a SxSW pass, all Refreshers are welcome to attend the Phizzpop Design Challenge Finale on Monday, March 10 at 7 pm at Maggie Mae’s.

What is the PhizzPop Design Challenge?

Over the course of the last few months, Microsoft gathered the best and brightest design firms to build interactive websites to meet certain challenges. For example, the last challenge was to create a web site for a film festival. Bear in mind, these sites did not just present movie times. They allowed festival goers to rate movies, connect on movie choices, upload profiles, etc.

Each team has several sleepless days to create a site to meet their challenge. The teams then present their sites at the Phizzpop event to the crowd and a panel of expert judges. The judges pick which one best accomplishes its goal. I went to the Austin Phizzpop Design Challenge and saw all the film festival sites and they really were incredible, especially given the time frame. It makes you appreciate why the entrants work at the premiere firms in the country. Austin’s winner was Thirteen23, and we will be able to cheer for them in the final.

This year’s final asks the finalists from the major cities to create a website to improve citizenship. I feel we will see a good variation of sites based on this topic, and I am interested to see what they come up with.

What’s Cool About this Event?

1. There is an upstairs lounge dedicated to all things Refresh Austin. In the chaos that is SxSW Interactive, you can meet up with your local and not-so local Refreshers and have a beer.
2. The challenge asks how interactive design can improve citizenship. Rather than complaining about how corporate America and lobbyists are destroying this nation, we can use these cues to improve our lives. Design isn’t just pretty–design can mobilize and motivate people to call for change. It’s nice to be at the forefront of a movement.
3. You don’t have to have a SxSW pass to go. Even if you have one, this is a cool event where you can actually invite your friends who do not have one. Why should all the great ideas be restricted to those who have time
   and resources for SxSW?
4. It will allow you to network and gain ideas from other designers from around the nation. Promote Refresh. Talk about your new ideas or complain about IE 8. Phizzpop is all about design.

Useful Links

• Register for the event if you aren’t attending SXSW
• RSVP on Upcoming (not required, but it we’d like to know you’re coming)
• The competitor list
• The list of judges and the specifics of the challenge

Tags: Austin, event, party, phizzpop, SXSW, sxswi

We’ve hinted about this for a few months, but now it’s official. Refresh Austin will be co-hosting one of the largest parties at South by Southwest Interactive this year.

The great folks behind the PhizzPop Design Challenge have asked us to join them to welcome our fellow web professionals to Austin and cheer on the regional winners of the competition as they present their solutions to the problem entitled “Citizenship in the 21st Century”. These teams work hard, producing some truly impressive results, and we’ll have a chance to see the best compete for the big prize.

Join us at Maggie Mae’s on Monday, March 10th at 7:00 PM to party with your fellow geeks, knock back some free drinks, munch on some snacks and geek out. This is a chance for Refresh Austin to give back to the tech community by throwing a kickass party.

Oh, and it’s not just free drinks, cool technology and socializing. Thousands of dollars in prizes will be raffled off, and of course there will be an opportunity or two to add a t-shirt to your wardrobe!

We’ll post more information to this site the list very soon, but now would be a great time to add the event to your Upcoming calendar and learn more about Microsoft’s PhizzPop Design Challenge.

We want this to be party people talk about for years to come, but to do that, we need people to talk about it before it happens. If you know folks coming to SXSW, please pass them the Upcoming invite and help spread the word!

Got a blog? Of course you do! A quick post about the event between now and South-by would be much appreciated!

Many thanks to Lynn from GeekAustin for making the connections that have lead to this great opportunity!

Tags: Austin, event, party, SXSW, sxswi

We have an info-packed meeting on February 12, chock-full of design and development goodness. Grant Hutchins will cover the use of Grids for design, showing you the ins and outs of their usage and how they can help you on your next project. David Humphreys will present an Introduction to Ruby on Rails, the popular programming framework.

This will be a great meeting for folks interested in all aspects of the Web, and as always, the conversations will likely continue after the meeting at the closest spot with beer and food.

Update: David has posted the slides of his Rails presentation.

Tags: design, event, grids, meeting, ruby on rails, web design