[Featured in The Oregonian on 2009-01-13 ]

Richard Taylor sees a pattern. The University of Oregon professor of physics is leading the way with internationally recognized research into fractals—curious patterns found in nature that repeat themselves. Taylor's startling discoveries show that these patterns-within-patterns may significantly reduce stress and have interesting implications for psychology, medicine, and even the semiconductor industry. Taylor has applied his studies to art, showing how fractal patterns in the work of abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock can distinguish a real Pollock from a fake. Come hear about this amazing intersection of art and science.

Richard Taylor, PhD, is an associate professor in physics, psychology, and art at the University of Oregon. Transforming lives by erasing academic boundaries might be why Taylor was named Outstanding Teacher in Higher Education for 2005 by the Oregon Academy of Science.

HURRY HURRY STEP RIGHT UP! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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DORKBOT | | | | \ \/ / | | | | | \ PDX | || | > < | || | __) |

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http://dorkbotpdx.org/dorkbotpdx_0x03

Dorkbot PDX [[People doing strange things with electricity...in Portland]]

...welcomes you to the 4th installation of its lecture series.

• Where: AboutUs: 107 SE Washington St, Suite 520.
• When: Sunday, June 14th, 2009 - 7pm

As always, the event is free and open to the public. Feel free to bring snacks and beverages to share. Please spread the word!

Andrew S. Parnell

Pieces to be discussed include Semaphore-bot, Tangólumen, and Cardiolumen: a multifaceted exploration of the data we create both consciously and unconsciously and their inherent value.

Andrew S. Parnell is a Portland based digital artist. His work primarily deals with the physical manifestation of digital information using code, image capture, and electronics.

Michael Bunsen

Dome Control: Altering a space via physical and web-based interfaces

Michael Bunsen spends most of his time on the internet but is more interested in nature and the outside world. He developed Urbanedibles.org and began exploring microcontrollers to cultivate his mission of using the computer to get people off the computer.

Dan Gilsdorf

A presentation featuring works from 2006 to the present, including the recent exhibitions Interiotrope, 2008 and SRO Video, 2009.

Dan Gilsdorf is a sculptor and installation artist based in Portland. Using video, sound, and mechanics, his work addresses the mediating effect of technology on physical and cultural landscapes.

See you there!

Reductive Labs the company behind the Puppet configuration management language is moving to Portland.

In order to celebrate our move to Portland and to help kick off Open Source Bridge, we are hosting a Puppet get together at the Webtrends facility.

James Turnbull author of "Pulling Strings with Puppet" and Luke Kanies the primary developer of Puppet will attending.

This an informal get together. We will be providing beer and snacks. We plan to talk about Reductive Lab's move to Portland, the future of Puppet, and general configuration management issues.

If you are interested in attending please send an email to [email protected]

Come join us Friday evening at Someday Lounge (http://www.somedaylounge.com). We've been invited to bring our particular brand of dorkiness and geekdom and show it off. This will be much like our usual meetings (so bring your toys!) but we'll also be giving folks the opportunity to make a lot of noise and get up on the stage.

The fun begins at 9PM and among the activities will be:

• Don, performing on the computer-enhanced bass guitar
• Jason and Jared, aka CRM114 Discriminator, performing an avant/noise piece originally premiered at ToorCamp
• Simran, with the feedback organ
• Peter, with his suitcase of mystery
• You!

Seriously, if you have something you'd like to show off, let us know and we'll get you some time on the mic. Preferrably, ping Jason, Don or me beforehand so we have some idea of what to expect, but don't worry if it's all last minute. We'll be setting up at 8, so feel free to come down early and to help out or just hang out and keep us company.

Here's a map if you don't know where it is -- but if you've been to one of the Monday night meetups, it's just around the corner:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=125+NW+5th+Avenue,+Portland,+OR+97209&sll=45.429522,-122.705794&sspn=0.00771,0.01929&ie=UTF8&ll=45.524901,-122.675765&spn=0.007697,0.01929&z=16&iwloc=A

Come join DorkbotPDX for an evening of socializing, talking about odd hacks and poking around with other people toys. Bring things for show and tell if you like, or just bring a willingness to share your interests. We'll be the kids with all the coolest stuff on the table. Hope to see you there.

Dorkbot PDX brings you the next installation of its lecture series.

• Where: AboutUs 107 SE Washington St, Suite 520.
• When: Sunday, August 9th, 2009 -- 7pm

As always, the event is free and open to the public. Feel free to bring snacks and beverages to share. Please spread the word!

We are extremely honored to have two distinguished artists from New York visiting Portland and sharing their work with DorkbotPDX. Please help us welcome these amazing and inspiring dorks from across the way!

Michael Mandiberg

"FAIL, WIN!, FTW? Three Creative Commons Case Studies"

Michael Mandiberg is known for selling all of his possessions online on Shop Mandiberg, making perfect copies of copies on AfterSherrieLevine.com, and creating Firefox plugins that highlight the real environmental costs of a global economy on TheRealCosts.com . His current projects include the co-authored groundbreaking Creative Commons licensed textbook Digital Foundations: an Intro to Media Design that teaches Bauhaus visual principles through design software, HowMuchItCosts.us, a car direction site that incorporates the financial and carbon cost of driving, and Bright Bike, a retro-reflective bicycle treehugger.com praised as “obnoxiously bright.” He is a Senior Fellow at Eyebeam, and an Assistant Professor at the College of Staten Island/CUNY. He lives in, and rides his bicycle around, Brooklyn. His work lives at Mandiberg.com Open Dork

Your project, your dime!

OpenDork provides a flexible forum for people doing strange things with electricity to show off their work in a quick, formal, but relaxed setting. It's up to YOU! Do a quick demo, brag, ask for help, show off your stuff.

OpenDork talks/demos are short (generally 5-10 minutes) and may have slides, or hardware, or both, or neither. Get interactive! Marisa Olson

"Performed Listening"

Marisa Olson's work combines performance, video, net art, sound, drawing, and installation to address the cultural history of technology, the politics of participation within pop culture, and the aesthetics of failure. Her work has recently been presented by the Whitney Museum of American Art, Centre Pompidou-Paris, New Museum of Contemporary Art, 52nd International Biennale di Venezia, the British Film Institute, the Sundance Film Festival, and elsewhere. She's a Contributing Editor at Rhizome and Assistant Professor of New Media at SUNY-Purchase.

Join us every other Tuesday for a fun and informal meeting with like-minded Mac geeks. Bring your questions and tips to share with the group.

Join us every other Tuesday for a fun and informal meeting with like-minded Mac geeks. Bring your questions and tips to share with the group.

How to Lie Like a Geek speaker: Michael Schwern

Geeks have a special relationship with The Truth. Nothing is more important than correcting a falsehood, no matter how small, and nothing is more odious than not telling The Truth. Unfortunately, in speaking The Whole Truth and Nothing But The Truth, the meaning is often mangled and the end result is the opposite, a lie.

We’ll examine some ways geeks lie while telling The Truth, to themselves and to others, and hopefully achieve better communications, easier to understand interfaces and maybe some personal enlightenment.

Some examples include: Lies by omission, lies by precision, lies by irrelevancy, lies by design, lies with statistics and that most dangerous of words “should” as in “the user should have realized”.

There will be cake. http://tinyurl.com/mermtx

As always, the meeting will be followed by social hour at the LuckyLab

Join us every other Tuesday for a fun and informal meeting with like-minded Mac geeks. Bring your questions and tips to share with the group.

Join us every other Tuesday for a fun and informal meeting with like-minded Mac geeks. Bring your questions and tips to share with the group.

Join us every other Tuesday for a fun and informal meeting with like-minded Mac geeks. Bring your questions and tips to share with the group.

Go Portland Tech is a chance for everyone involved in Portland technology to come try their hand at Go, a game that is loved by geeks the world over.

Go is both thousands of years old, simple to learn, and poses interesting computer science problems (a computer player has yet to beat the best humans, and amateurs can still beat the bots too).

Regular Portland Go club meetups are held on Tuesdays and Saturdays (see: OregonGo.org) but this is a chance for tech folks that are seasoned players or absolute beginners to get together and share a game. No experience is necessary to attend.

Join us every other Tuesday for a fun and informal meeting with like-minded Mac geeks. Bring your questions and tips to share with the group.

Join us every other Tuesday for a fun and informal meeting with like-minded Mac geeks. Bring your questions and tips to share with the group.

Join us every other Tuesday for a fun and informal meeting with like-minded Mac geeks. Bring your questions and tips to share with the group.

Join us every other Tuesday for a fun and informal meeting with like-minded Mac geeks. Bring your questions and tips to share with the group.

Join us every other Tuesday for a fun and informal meeting with like-minded Mac geeks. Bring your questions and tips to share with the group.

A weekend full of geeky contests and events held all over Portland culminating in an awards ceremony with live music and booze? Yes, please! Teams will be asked to travel to different locations and compete against each other in the geekiest ways to win material rewards and cash prizes. The event culmination will be an awards party where teams will be brought on stage and given their awards for both their performance and superlatives regarding their overall participation and costumes.

Your team’s had a long day… battling through the epicness that is the Olympathon. You’ve been all over town, it’s time to have a drink and get down. Come join us at Vendetta, specifically in their lovely (and large) back patio.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
(21+ only please!)

Hosted by the commandeering Captain Ragnar “Redgoat” MacHaggis of PDX Yar! and ostentatious Dawn AM of BookCycle PDX.

-NERD RAGE!
A little pent up aggression can be useful sometimes, especially when your favorite game was interrupted by that damn Blue Screen of Death or a Kernel Panic Error, depending on your computer preference.
This is your chance to rapidly, deftly, stylishly and most importantly RAGEFULLY Hulk-smash an unassuming office setting.
[NOTE: This will be a filmed event, winners and notable fits of RAGE will be showcased during the Awardathon.]

-TOKEN TABLE!
You can turn in your tokens you’ve earned throughout the day. Get the points you deserve.

-DRINKING!
Vendetta’s got a full bar and happy to serve a geek horde.

-GEEKY DJ!
Ken Texley of Music Du Jour will be spinning some geeky tunes for all to bask in, as well as dance to.

Check back here throughout the week for more details to roll out.

This is FREE for all, regardless if you were on a team or not… A geeky party for all, if you will.

Feel free to check out the Drinkathon’s Facebook event!

COSTUMES ENCOURAGED!

Truly a premiere geeky event and momentous first for Portland.

Come for another lovely night of geek festivities and Olympathon closing ceremonies. Prizes galore, with no shortage of fun.

HIGHLIGHTS:
(21+ only please!)

Hosted by the effervescent Chavtastic Jinx of Incubator and the frolicsome Marquis de Maltease of Critical Hit Burlesque.

-TOKEN TABLE
Be sure to get those tokens accounted for, you earned them!

-GEEK TRIVIA
Cort & Fatboy host a special edition of our beloved trivia. This is an all-team event, so be sure to oil up that swiss army knife!

-AWARDS
This is the night when the best of the best are showcased! Don’t think just because you didn’t get the most points you aren’t eligible for some awesome prize packs… Your awesomeness alone could be the clincher.

-PRIZES
Zomg! So many prizes, including the amazing grand prize, a trip for two to San Diego ComiCon ($1300 value, airfare/hotel/passes paid) and literally dozens of other amazing geeky swag.

-PERFORMANCES
from PDX Yar! and Critical Hit Burlesque… Their combined power levels ARE OVER 9000!!!

-COSTUME CONTEST!
The Drinkathon was but a trial run of your best geeky get-up.

-NO COVER!
That’s right, just like the entirety of the Olympathon, because geeks do it best– after all.

Feel free to check out the Awardathon’s Facebook event!

--~~== DORKBOT PDX GROUP SHOW 2011 ==~~--

http://dorkbotpdx.org/2011+connection+suspension

Dorkbot PDX and Styloid Process are proud to present a collection of 11 works by local artists doing strange things with electricity:

Where: Styloid Process Gallery - 625 NW Everett Street No. 109 (map) When: Opening First Thursday, September 1st, 2011, 6-10pm

The event is free and open to the public. Beverages (donation suggested) will be provided.

Exhibits

Works include (please see the official page for detail):

: Wall Disruption (Ross Young) : Handmade Microphones: Audio Bricolage (Philip Graham) : Alcohol Swells (Jesse Mejia) : Augmented Reality Booth (Libbey White) : Fatal Machine (Jason Plumb) : Uno the Integer (Ward Cunningham) : Conversation Piece (Cameron Adamez) : Creeper (Donald Delmar Davis) : E-Textile Projects (Cat Poole) : Calling Response (Michael Bunsen) : Maxwell (Mark Medonis)

Connection:

: causal, logical, or contextual relation, sequence, or association : a relation of personal intimacy : coherence, continuity : something that connects/communicates : link/transport : a source of contraband (as illegal drugs)

Suspension:

: the state of being hung : temporary removal (as from office or privileges) : temporary withholding (as of belief or decision) : temporary revocation of a law or rule : a carried-over musical tone which results in momentary dissonance : stoppage of payment of business obligations : a rhetorical device whereby the principal idea is deferred to the end of a sentence or longer unit

BarCamp is an international network of user-generated conferences. BarCamps are open, participatory workshop-like events whose content is provided by participants. Topics often focus on but are not limited to early-stage web applications, and related open source technologies, social protocols, open data formats and other DIY/hacker/open culture themes.

At BarCamp, there are no spectators, only participants. Attendees should prepare a demo, a session, or help with one, or otherwise volunteer / contribute in some way to support the event. All presentations are scheduled the day they happen. BarCamp participants help to select the topics they want to see and talk about.

Read more about BarCamp.

Join us Friday from 6:30PM to 9PM and Saturday from 9AM to 9PM.

On Friday evening we'll kick-off the event with food, drink and socializing. Come hang out with your fellow geeks, and plan the sessions in which you'll participate on Saturday!

Please RSVP via Eventbrite so we can plan food, drink and space accordinging.

Personal Telco is a collection of individuals, businesses, and organizations who share -- or plan to share -- internet connectivity rather than hoard it. It's also a group of volunteers who want this network to grow. We believe internet access should be available, fair, and uncensored. Personal Telco Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in PDX.

Whether you're a technology wizard or technically incompetent, volunteering with us is a great way to learn something new, enjoy teaching others, or use your skills to do something useful!

Personal Telco is a collection of individuals, businesses, and organizations who share -- or plan to share -- internet connectivity rather than hoard it. It's also a group of volunteers who want this network to grow. We believe internet access should be available, fair, and uncensored. Personal Telco Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in PDX.

Whether you're a technology wizard or technically incompetent, volunteering with us is a great way to learn something new, enjoy teaching others, or use your skills to do something useful!

Personal Telco is a collection of individuals, businesses, and organizations who share -- or plan to share -- internet connectivity rather than hoard it. It's also a group of volunteers who want this network to grow. We believe internet access should be available, fair, and uncensored. Personal Telco Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in PDX.

Whether you're a technology wizard or technically incompetent, volunteering with us is a great way to learn something new, enjoy teaching others, or use your skills to do something useful!

Personal Telco is a collection of individuals, businesses, and organizations who share -- or plan to share -- internet connectivity rather than hoard it. It's also a group of volunteers who want this network to grow. We believe internet access should be available, fair, and uncensored. Personal Telco Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in PDX.

Whether you're a technology wizard or technically incompetent, volunteering with us is a great way to learn something new, enjoy teaching others, or use your skills to do something useful!

Personal Telco is a collection of individuals, businesses, and organizations who share -- or plan to share -- internet connectivity rather than hoard it. It's also a group of volunteers who want this network to grow. We believe internet access should be available, fair, and uncensored. Personal Telco Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in PDX.

Whether you're a technology wizard or technically incompetent, volunteering with us is a great way to learn something new, enjoy teaching others, or use your skills to do something useful!

Personal Telco is a collection of individuals, businesses, and organizations who share -- or plan to share -- internet connectivity rather than hoard it. It's also a group of volunteers who want this network to grow. We believe internet access should be available, fair, and uncensored. Personal Telco Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in PDX.

Whether you're a technology wizard or technically incompetent, volunteering with us is a great way to learn something new, enjoy teaching others, or use your skills to do something useful!

More info at https://personaltelco.net/wiki/PersonalTelco

• When: Monday, December 17th, 2012 :: 8pm
• Where: Someday Lounge (map) (just two doors down from Backspace)
• Who: DorkbotPDX and YOU!
• Cost: Free! Open to the public!

We will be taking advantage of the audio/visual system to have an open-mic style event. Think: OpenDork meets OpenMic. Bring your own signal!

Signal ideas:

• Music performance
• Video (short film, realtime performance)
• Ignite style quick talk
• Reading source code

To keep things moving, we're going to have slots that you sign up for. We will try our best to stay on schedule and enforce the following limits:

Setup: 5 minutes
Performance: 8 minutes

To sign up, add your name to the wiki page above. We're trying to keep the audio and video slots independently available, so if you're performing some sound based work, someone else could present video work at the same time. If this won't work for you (because it's a quick talk for example) sign up for both audio and video in that slot.

See you there.

BarCamp is an international network of user-generated conferences. BarCamps are open, participatory workshop-like events whose content is provided by participants. Topics often focus on but are not limited to early-stage web applications, and related open source technologies, social protocols, open data formats and other DIY/hacker/open culture themes.

At BarCamp, there are no spectators, only participants. Attendees should prepare a demo, a session, or help with one, or otherwise volunteer / contribute in some way to support the event. All presentations are scheduled the day they happen. BarCamp participants help to select the topics they want to see and talk about.

Read more about BarCamp.

Join us Friday from 6:30PM to 9PM and Saturday from 9AM to 9PM.

On Friday evening we'll kick-off the event with food, drink and socializing. Come hang out with your fellow geeks, and plan the sessions in which you'll participate on Saturday!

This ride will be a no-drop group ride for people attending RailsConf, local Rubyists who'd like to join in, and any assorted hangers-on who can put up with a bunch of nerds on bikes.

Check out the webpage for meetup and route details.

Thanks to Luke Francl for "driving" this!

Nerd Nite is a monthly event that strives for an inebriated, salacious, yet deeply academic vibe. Featuring short talks by several scientists, artists, experts of all types, and ordinary people with extraordinary skills, we aim to entertain, educate, elucidate, enlighten, and other things that start with "e." Come drink along with us!

When: Tuesday, July 30, 2013, doors at 6:00pm, event at 7:00pm Where: Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan, Portland Cost: $8.00 suggested cover at the door Check out the Facebook event page

This Nerd Nite will feature two awesome talks:

• Genital Plugs, Projectile Penises, and Gay Butterflies: A Naturalist Explains the Birds & the Bees with Becky Jaffe, photographer, naturalist, and educator

• Bugs, Bites, and Bodies: Insects and Death with Eric Tonsfeldt, Medicolegal Death Investigator, Clackamas County Medical Examiner’s Office

Genital Plugs, Projectile Penises, and Gay Butterflies: A Naturalist Explains the Birds & the Bees

Birds do it, bees do it–even educated fleas do it. Let’s do it, let’s fall in lust as photographer and insect fetishist Becky Jaffe takes us on a romp through Mother Nature’s freaky side. Biophilia? This talk may well bring on a biorgasm!

A photographer, naturalist, and educator living in Oakland, Becky Jaffe teaches high school biology and leads environmental science tours at UC Berkeley’s Botanical Garden.

Bugs, Bites, and Bodies: Insects and Death

To an insect, a decomposing human body left to rot in the woods can be the feast of a lifetime. To a forensic entomologist, those insects can give clues to how the person died, how long they’ve been dead, and even who that person was in life. Eric Tonsfeldt, Medicolegal Death Investigator at the Clackamas County Medical Examiner’s Office, will explain the ways that bugs can be used to help forensic investigation. Prepare to be creeped out (but in a good way!).

*A note on the suggested cover: Nerd Nite is completely supported by money collected at the door. We are committed to offering education to adults who want to learn, so if $8 is a hardship for you, please come anyway and donate what you can.

Nerd Nite Portland #13 – The Mystique of Terroir: Geology, Soils, Climate and Wines in the Northern Willamette Valley

Nerd Nite is a monthly event that strives for an inebriated, salacious, yet deeply academic vibe. We aim to entertain, educate, elucidate, enlighten, and other things that start with “e.” Be there and be square.

ter·roir/tɛrˈwɑr noun Definition: the environmental conditions, especially soil and climate, in which grapes are grown and that give a wine its unique flavor and aroma.

The Willamette Valley has a certain je ne sais quoi, no? What special quality of the region’s terroir yields such exceptional wines? How do the soil, climate, and conditions lend themselves to lovely Pinot Noirs, but not Cabernets or Merlots? How does the region’s geologic past affect where and how to grow grapes? How does Oregon compare to other wine-growing regions in the United States and other countries around the world? Join us as Dr. Scott Burns, professor of geology and past chair of the Department of Geology at PSU, and wine enthusiast, tells us about all this and more about what makes a vineyard successful.

*A note on the suggested cover: Nerd Nite is completely supported by money collected at the door. We are committed to offering education opportunities to adults who want to learn, so if $8 is a hardship for you, please come anyway and donate what you can.

Nerd Nite is a monthly event that strives for an inebriated, salacious, yet soundly academic vibe. We aim to entertain, educate, elucidate, enlighten, and other things that start with “e.” Be there and be square.

When: Wednesday, March 12, 2014, doors at 6:00pm, event at 7:00pm

Cost: $8.00* suggested cover at the door

This Nerd Nite will feature two talks:

Owls and Other Night Birds Owls are the first type of birds that come to mind when we think of feathered night fliers, but many other species of birds are also active after dark. Jonathan Plissner, PhD, is a senior scientist with ABR, Inc. Environmental Research and Services and has been studying bird populations and behaviors for 30 years. His presentation will focus on nocturnal activities and adaptations of various groups of birds, as well as the risks these birds face in navigating landscapes altered by human beings.

The Biology, Behavior & Benefits of Bats Bats are essential to the health of our natural world. They help control pests and are vital pollinators and seed-dispersers for countless plants. Yet these wonderfully diverse and beneficial creatures are among the least studied and most misunderstood of animals. Cris Hein, PhD, is a biologist with Bat Conservation International and has been studying bat behavior and ecology for 14 years. Cris will discuss the amazing adaptations of these nocturnal animals and their importance to humans and the environment.

*A note on the suggested cover: Nerd Nite is completely supported by money collected at the door. We are committed to offering education opportunities to adults who want to learn, so if $8 is a hardship for you, please come anyway and donate what you can.

Sometimes a Geek can learn how to speek. Come see our contest of people who have polished their speeches. Nothing to do Saturday afternoon? Come be inspired by these to practice for the next Ignite Portland or OSBridge. Free and open to public. Disclaimer: Most talks will not be technical.

Potluck and game night for Portland Coders of all flavors. Register at eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/10th-annual-winter-coders-social-and-potluck-tickets-31309764348