Short intro to PyTyrant/Tokyo Tyrant/Tokyo Cabinet by Michael Schurter

PyParsing examples by Brett Carter

Machine Learning topics (specifics TBD, John Melesky)

The Portland Portland Python User Group meets every second Tuesday at CubeSpace in SE Portland, Oregon.

Come and freeze your tushie off for science! A total lunar eclipse will mark the solstice this year. Bring binoculars, telescopes, cameras, and hot drinks.

From NASA:

"Early in the morning on December 21 a total lunar eclipse will be visible to sky watchers across North America (for observers in western states the eclipse actually begins late in the evening of December 20), Greenland and Iceland. Viewers in Western Europe will be able to see the beginning stages of the eclipse before moonset, and in western Asia the later stages of the eclipse will be visible after moonrise.

From beginning to end, the eclipse will last about three hours and twenty-eight minutes. For observers on the east coast of the U.S. the eclipse lasts from 1:33am EST through 5:01 a.m. EST. Viewers on the west coast will be able to tune in a bit earlier. For them the eclipse begins at 10:33 p.m. PST on December 20 and lasts until 2:01am PST on Dec. 21. Totality, the time when Earth's shadow completely covers the moon, will last a lengthy 72 minutes."

Have beer with geeks. Well-mannered dogs welcomed on patio.

Have beer with geeks. Well-mannered dogs welcomed on patio.

As most of you know, our beloved film/tech/train/jazz/labyrinth/werewolf/volunteering-loving Renaissance man Paul Bingman passed away from cancer on April 3, 2011. A private memorial in his honor is planned for this Sunday, April 17, at the Portland Art Museum’s Whitsell Auditorium. All are welcome (There will be chocolate! And a labyrinth!) but you must RSVP because there is a capacity cap. You can do that here: http://friendsofpaulbingman.eventbrite.com/

What you might not know is that the organization planning the memorial--they appropriately call themselves Friend’s of Paul Bingman--is raising funds to cover the expenses related to the memorial. They are also raising money to donate to two of his favorite organizations in his name: The Northwest Film Center and The Trinity Labyrinth Guild. You can donate money via this website: http://paulbingman.chipin.com/memorial-event-for-paul-bingman

Because Paul’s interests were so varied and vast (and so are the friends he made) the Friend’s of Paul Bingman group is asking all of us help spread the word about his memorial. Not all of the lives he touched are Internet savvy, so they might not know about the memorial. They might not even know that Paul has passed. So, if you’re part of a group that Paul had been involved with, we ask that you share the news of his death and invite anyone who may have experienced his bear hugs and kindness to RSVP and attend the memorial.

This Friday’s Beer and Blog meetup is dedicated to the memory of our dedicated friendly soul Paul, the man everyone loved so much. We’ll be accepting donations to turn over to the Friend’s of Paul Bingman group. And we’ll be sharing stories about the giant with the giant heart. We hope to see you there. I know Paul will be, in spirit.

Have beer with geeks. Well-mannered dogs welcomed on patio.

Have beer with geeks. Well-mannered dogs welcomed on patio.

Have beer with geeks. Well-mannered dogs welcomed on patio.

Have beer with geeks. Well-mannered dogs welcomed on patio.

Have beer with geeks. Well-mannered dogs welcomed on patio.

Have beer with geeks. Well-mannered dogs welcomed on patio.

Have beer with geeks. Well-mannered dogs welcomed on patio.

Have beer with geeks. Well-mannered dogs welcomed on patio.

Beer and Blog is on a roll with top-notch sponsors this year! We’re thrilled to announce that our latest high-profile sponsor is, drumroll please… Groupon! Yes, in addition to giving you steep discounts at cool local businesses, the daily deals giant wants to buy you a beer. And it all happens this Friday, June 24.

Former Beer and Blog captain Kerry Finsand will represent on behalf of Groupon Portland, so make sure to say hi and congratulate him on his new marketing role (where he gets to do this kind of thing all the time, maybe even at a future Beer and Blog? Hint, hint…). In addition to providing beer for all attendees, one very lucky person will win a $100 Groupon gift certificate! You must be present to win.

As always, your free pint or beverage of choice is first come first served. We’ll see you this Friday from 4-6pm at the Green Dragon!

Inviting IndieWebCamp.com folks to come along as well for a pre-weekend meet and greet.

(and if you're an indie web builder/sharer, check out and sign-up for IndieWebCamp this weekend June 25-26)

Have beer with geeks. Well-mannered dogs welcomed on patio.

Ever notice how fragmented the Portland tech community is? We did—and we’re doing something about it!

The New Tech Society was founded to bring together a diverse group of individuals; technologists from a variety of disciplines and industries within the Portland community. We meet for one night a month to make new connections, exchange ideas and enjoy each other’s company.

Join us!

Zach Archer

The Hypnolamp

Using LEDs and an Arduino, Zach converted a simple lamp into a hypnotic work of art. Knobs and sensors were added to control the animation and colors. Zach will reveal the HypnoLamp's secrets, and discuss the creative process, interactivity, and the coming revolution in home lighting.

Zach is a developer who focuses on interactive media and installations. He lives in Portland.

Drew McIntyre

The Art of Breaking Video: Observations, Insights & Instabilities.

Why stop at Speak n' Spells and Nintendos? Big Pauper employees an obscure arsenal of hand-modified electronics to sculpt multimedia installations, sound design & glitch visuals. Glitch video production will be the matter at hand this evening as Pauper shares the methods & the madness behind modifying video equipment, personal computers and video gaming hardware. Should be good fun!!

Big Pauper is a multimedia artist, producer & mad scientist of sorts living here in Portland, OR. He works as part of the circuit bent sound-art collective Folktek. He also breaks video gear for a living under the enterprise Big Pauper Modified Circuitry. He also just released a multimedia EP you should hear/view: http://www.djpz.com/unnecessary_human_enterprise_ep/

OpenDork

An open-mic session for those looking to show off a project, ask a question, solicit help, or incite collaboration. Please limit to 5 minutes.

Research Club hosts a free brunch!

People arrive around noon and mingle and dig into a free potluck until about 1, when the presentations begin.

Four or five speakers give talks, performances, or propose projects. Instead of a Q&A, the speakers re-enter the audience for the last hour of the brunch, where everyone is buzzing with ideas and coffee.

Camp Optimization's mission is simple: provide a casual, fun and informative forum for digital marketers and technologists to share optimization best-practices, challenges and wins.

This month’s discussion topic: The Power of Unified Customer Data & Segment Marketing. Camp Optimization welcomes Craig Schinn, Senior Director of Solutions Consulting at Lytics. With a strong analytics background, and over 15 years e-commerce and digital marketing experience, Craig knows how to turn customer data into dollars. Join us this month as we discuss the power of customer journey mapping, and hear first hand what it takes to create more effective personalized experiences across email, web, and mobile.

Lytics is a Portland-based, easy-to-use customer data platform that creates insightful user profiles for powering personalized marketing. Check them out here www.getlytics.com.

We'll be meeting at Ecliptic Brewing for some beer and casual networking. First round is on us! Make sure to spread the word and don't forget to RSVP. We hope to see you there!

It's the 27th Annual Mondo Croquet World Championships & Mad Hatter Picnic!

It's croquet, only American Style – with bowling balls and sledgehammers.

Photos and more!

When: July 28th, High Noon until about 5pm

Where: NW Park ave and Everett, Portland Oregon

What:

• Bring a bowling ball and a sledgehammer. Don’t worry if you don’t have, we’ve got plenty of extras to loan out

• You’ll enjoy yourself more if you’re dressed appropriately in lawn whites, or Mad Hatter gear, or simply appropriately inappropriate. Peruse some of our photos for ideas.

• Bring along something to share for the picnic and something cold to drink.

• …and you might want a chair.

Free, kid-friendly and you don't have to play, many people drop in just to watch!

For you Facebook types: https://www.facebook.com/events/1103949757367509