The crisp air and the little packs of costumed kids running around means we’re heading into the home stretch for the year. November will be our last topic-based meeting for 2010, and we have two very interesting subjects that I think you’ll want to join us for.

Important Note: We’re meeting at Spider House this month! We will not meet at Buffalo Billiards this month due to a conflict, but we’re actively working on a spot for the meeting and will post it as soon as it’s set.

Event Details

7:00 – 9:00, Tuesday, November 9th
Location: Spider House

RSVP on Facebook (it’s not required, you’re always welcome)

Free Ice Cream and Four Other Truly Evil Marketing Trickss

Presented by Russ Somers

There’s everyday evil…and then there’s the heinous evil known as Marketing. Online and offline marketers scheme to manipulate your thoughts and behavior in ways you scarcely comprehend. But you’re too smart for that, right? Maybe not. This talk will tour the twisted mind of a Sith-lord marketer and ask how those powers might be used for good instead of evil.

Open Government: An Overviews

Presented by Andrew Dupont

We know that the Internet can be used to donate to political candidates. Or make fun of them. But, with a little help from citizens, it can also make government work better. First, we’ll look at a handful of sites that aggregate government data and present it in useful ways. Then we’ll explore the process of distilling government data dumps and APIs to build our own sites.