Are you an entrepreneur or inventor? Do you have a small business that you’re ready to take to the next level? Are you interested in stimulating the venture capital activity in Gresham and East Multnomah County?

Introducing the launch of an exciting new opportunity to network and learn from investors and entrepreneurs and to mingle with others who are navigating the world of entrepreneurship.

Come hear local entrepreneur Hiroshi Morihara, the founder of HM3 Energy and VIA Press. Mr. Morihara has also served as Chairman and CEO of Peninsula Laboratories and President for the American Peptide Company. Mr. Morihara will speak on entrepreneurship and the experiences he has had working with community resources such as the Community College, utility companies and local government in bringing a business idea forward into profitability.

Two companies will give a five minute pitch on who they are and what they do and will solicit feedback from the experienced entrepreneurs in the audience.

Admission is $5 per person for light appetizers, cash or check accepted, with a no host bar.

This event presented by the East Metro Economic Alliance in cooperation with the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network

EAST Knowledge invites you to attend our first meeting!

• What: Pick and Place Machine for the Tech Enthusiast
• Who: Pat Nystrom
• Where: The Computer Lab at the Gresham Library
• When: 10:00am-Noon, Saturday, January 11, 2014
• Why: Sharing what we know

Pat will talk about and demonstrate his pick and place machine. It’s a self-funded project that is still in progress, but there’s plenty to show and talk about. Pat will also be interested in feedback and ideas.

Pick and place machines are devices used in electronics manufacturing. They come in various sizes, but they are commonly expensive. Pat is working on something that would be suitable and affordable for enthusiasts or prototype manufacturing.

This is EAST Knowledge's second meeting. All our welcome. We look forward to seeing you there!

• What: Don't Touch That Data!
• Who: Jim Rulla
• Where: The Computer Lab at the Gresham Library
• When: 10:30am-Noon, Saturday, March 8, 2014
• Why: Sharing what we know

There's a serious problem: the hardware is spewing out data, but the answer is wrong. It's too late to redesign, and besides, the product ought to work. Another filter and some ad hoc software will have to suffice — until new problems arise.

Sound familiar? If the textbook analysis doesn't apply to your problem, no filter and no software hack will help. The only reliable way to fix the problem is to model it correctly, then solve the model problem.

I will show how incorrect modeling sets back — and in some cases, destroys — product development. The examples:

• are real,
• are simple (when solved correctly), and
• illustrate techniques you can apply to your projects.

The examples include applications from audio, optical, and communications engineering.

The right model is almost always simpler to understand and easier to solve than the wrong models. Come see how you can simplify your project!

This is EAST Knowledge's third meeting. All our welcome. We look forward to seeing you there!

• What: Introduction to IPython Notebook
• Who: Charles Stanhope
• Where: The Computer Lab at the Gresham Library
• When: 10:30am-Noon, Saturday, June 14, 2014
• Why: Sharing what we know

Come and learn about IPython Notebook interactive computing environment! An open source project used and developed by a community of scientists and engineers, IPython Notebook is a powerful tool that can save time and effort, and allows you to:

• Rapidly prototype and explore algorithmic ideas
• Easily share results
• Replicate work
• Freely collaborate
• Leverage a large body of existing libraries

Charles will introduce and demonstrate IPython Notebook. He hopes to have a live system that can be used by the audience. All you will need is WiFi, a web browser, and some curiosity. So bring a laptop!

EAST Knowledge would like to do something a little more relaxed for our next meeting. We invite you to join us for coffee and pastries. We're going to hang out for a couple of hours, so feel free to come by, talk shop, show off what you're working on, ask questions and pick each other's brains. We look forward to seeing you there!

• What: Coffee Break
• Where: Banaka & Browns Artisan Bakery and Coffee House
• When: 10:00am-Noon, Saturday, November 8th, 2014
• Why: Sharing what we know and what we're up to

EAST Knowledge is pleased to announce it's fourth meeting. Pat Nystrom will be giving demonstrations on his efforts to make it easier to prototype electronics at home. All are welcome!

• What: The Evolution of Hardware Design in the Home Lab
• Who: Pat Nystrom
• Where: The Computer Lab at the Gresham Library
• When: 10:30am - Noon, Saturday, February 14, 2015
• Why: Sharing what we know

Pat Nystrom led off our EAST Knowledge series a little over a year ago, and we wanted to bring him back to see what he's been working on. He will be talking about and demonstrating two topics:

• A dry-film soldermask process which makes home-made circuit boards much friendlier to use
• An update on the development of his manual pick-place machine

Come and learn something new!

Solder masks are used in electronics manufacturing both to protect copper traces and to keep solder from going where it shouldn't.

Pick and place machines are devices used in electronics manufacturing. They come in various sizes, but they are commonly expensive. Pat is working on something that would be suitable and affordable for enthusiasts or prototype manufacturing.

EAST Knowledge is going to try a repeat of our first "Coffee Break". The first had a lot of great discussions. We invite you to join us for coffee at Cafe Delirium. We have the room in the back reserved. We're going to hang out for a couple of hours, so feel free to come by, talk shop, show off what you're working on, ask questions and pick each other's brains. We look forward to seeing you there! All are welcome!

• What: Coffee Break
• Where: Cafe Delirium
• When: 10:00am-Noon, Saturday, March 28th, 2015
• Why: Sharing what we know and what we're up to

EAST Knowledge invites you to attend our fifth meeting! All are welcome!

• What: Locating Intrusions Using Fiber Optics
• Who: Jim Rulla
• Where: The Story Room at the Gresham Library
• When: 10:30am-Noon, Saturday, April 18, 2015
• Why: Sharing what we know

Interferometers measure distances to within fractions of the wavelength of light. Put a couple of these incredibly sensitive devices on the fence around an airport, and you can not merely detect a would-be intruder — you can locate him. Put a pair on a pipeline, and you can not merely detect nearby digging that could damage the pipe — you can locate its source. You might even be able to detect — and perhaps even locate — leaks in the pipe.

The detection and location mechanisms are fascinating examples of clever engineering. I'll explain how these patented systems work and illustrate new algorithms that improve performance.

• Wikipedia page on interferometers

We invite you to join us for coffee at Cafe Delirium. If you haven't made it to one of our talks, the coffee breaks provide a nice opportunity to drop by and introduce yourself. We have the room in the back reserved. We're going to hang out for a couple of hours, so feel free to come by, talk shop, show off what you're working on, ask questions and pick each other's brains. We look forward to seeing you there! All are welcome!

• What: Coffee Break
• Where: Cafe Delirium
• When: 10:00am - Noon, Saturday, May 16th, 2015
• Why: Coffee and sharing what we know

EAST Knowledge invites you to attend our sixth meeting! All are welcome!

What: Going Back in Time for Some Vintage Howdunit Who: Bill Howland Where The Meeting Room at the Gresham Library When: 10:30am-Noon, Saturday, October 24th, 2015 Why: Sharing what we know

Bill Howland will re-introduce us to vacuum tubes and their uses. He will:

• Give a summary of the origins of vacuum and gas diodes and related thermionic devices
• Have show-n-tell demonstrations of the earliest and simplest of such devices: The diode.

Come and learn something old!

Vacuum tube diodes were put to use in the early days of radio as "detectors", because they were more robust and reliable than crystal, mechanical, and chemical contrivances used for this purpose. With further development, thermionic vacuum and gas diodes advanced to be capable of power rectification with ever greater efficiencies.

Many example devices from the 1930's to 1950's will be available to examine. There will be orange, purple, and blue glows in the demonstrations!

Bill shares some of his projects on his blog: Evil Science Audio

Come join us for coffee and "tech-talk" at Cafe Delirium! If you are not yet familiar with our group, the coffee break is a nice opportunity to drop by and introduce yourself. We have the room in the back reserved. We're going to hang out for a couple of hours, so feel free to come by, talk shop, show off what you're working on, ask questions and pick each other's brains. We look forward to seeing you there! All are welcome!

• What: Coffee Break
• Where: Cafe Delirium
• When: 10:00am - Noon, Saturday, February 20th, 2016
• Why: Sharing what we know over good coffee

EAST Knowledge is excited to host Michael Yurkoski for our seventh meeting. Join us for Michael’s talk describing his experiences with using a 3D printer in the home. All are welcome!

What: The Joys and Sorrows of 3D Printing! Who: Michael Yurkoski Where Large Meeting Room at the Gresham Library When: 10:30am-Noon, Saturday, March 12th, 2016 Why: Sharing what we know

Michael has been doing an intense dive into the practical side of 3D printing, and he wants to share with our group the lessons he has learned. He intends to:

• Give a brief intro into the history of hobby 3D printing
• Explain why 3D printers are interesting
• Expound on why 3D printers are loathsome
• Explore how 3D printers work
• Demonstrate how he designs a widget
• Show off a printing like a pro (which Michael insists he is not)

We hope to have time for Q&A at the end. If you’ve been curious what all the fuss over 3D printers is about, or would like to commiserate with a fellow 3D printer enthusiast, join us for our meeting. We hope to see you there!

EAST Knowledge is excited to host James Richey for our eighth meeting. Join us for James' talk sharing what he's learned about Mayan EDMS. There will be an interactive demonstration, so bring your laptops! All are welcome!

What: Replace Your File Cabinet with Mayan EDMS Who: James Richey Where Large Meeting Room at the Gresham Library When: 10:30am-Noon, Saturday, June 18th, 2016 Why: Sharing what we know

Mayan EDMS is a free open source electronic document management system suitable for the home or office. It has powerful search and automatic categorization functionality. If you have you ever been frustrated while trying to locate an important document, been overwhelmed from attempting to organize a large stack of papers, or want to preserve your documents in digital form, you'll want to learn more about Mayan EDMS. James will:

• Give an overview of Mayan EDMS and the problems it solves
• Explain the key concepts such as metadata, document types, and indexes
• Show how to import documents
• Explore ways to quickly locate documents
• Demonstrate Mayan EDMS with a live, interactive demo
• Describe how to install and administer the software

Come and learn something new! We hope to see you there!

Join us for lunch after!

We're going to try something different for this meeting. After the talk, anybody who is interested can join us for lunch at Blondie's Pizza, which is a couple of blocks from the library. The last time I was there, they had a $6 lunch special for a salad and a slice of pizza. Blondie's is next to Jazzy Bagels on 112 N Main Ave (map).

Come join us for some “tech-talk” at the Gresham Library! It's been a little while since we last met, and EAST Knowledge is changing our overall format up a bit. We'd like to do more regular, informal gatherings and have talks when the opportunities present themselves.

So with that in mind, we hope you join us in this informal gathering to talk shop, show what we're working on, help each other, and hear from others interested in technology. If you are not yet familiar with our group, this is a nice opportunity to drop by and introduce yourself. We’ll have light refreshments, and some of us may get together for lunch afterwards. We look forward to seeing you there! All are welcome!

• What: Coffee Break
• Where: Large meeting room at the Gresham Library
• When: 10:00am - Noon, Saturday, April 29th, 2017
• Why: Sharing what we know with other tech enthusiasts

The 3D Printing landscape has recently changed rapidly. The middle market between cheap hobbyist and expensive aerospace grade printers has been filled. Along with that comes boundless opportunity for more robust applications that provide higher quality, more agility, cost reduction and sustainability to small and medium makers.

This seminar will not try to sell you 3D printers, in fact, it won't even mention any brand names. This is impartial advice from someone who invented a 3D printer on how to choose the right one, how to get the most out of it, and how to avoid common challenges, plus bonuses on how the fourth industrial revolution is altering what's possible.

Whether you're considering 3D printing for the first time or you want to optimize your use of the printers you already have, this is for you.