Saturday, October 08, 2011

WhereCampPDX 2011

Ironically, I forgot where Metro was and got lost looking for it. Although I have a Google Android in the company taxi, it has no thoughts on these matters, as I have no designated sponsorships earmarked for any on board GPS at the moment. The Android itself is from the Mighty Python Empire.

I phoned mom and she looked up Metro's location on the web for me. I'd driven right by the place. She asked if dad used to be director of Metro, but I don't think Metro yet existed when he headed up the Portland Planning Bureau in the 1960s, before taking the job with the Libya planning office (land use planning).

I might offer an unconference talk on Food Not Bombs. We need those GIS / GPS dashboards, mainly for dispatchers in their bunkers, sending bikes to food recovery sites, flash mob servings.

Having such gizmos is down the road as far as the SE chapter is concerned. The same principles apply to BizMo dispatching in general (FNB operates "bike bizmos"). LCDs keep track of them. Dave Ulmer's for example.

Many of our chapter are doing food logistics for the 2011 October Occupation. Other chapters are helping out in cities around the globe. Some of the main monitor pages are claiming over 800 metro areas have at least token representation from the 99%, mostly their own inhabitants (at least in Portland -- we live here, are not outsider agitprop agents).

Speaking of the 99%, last night I was lucky enough to be invited, on short notice, to a rather exclusive showing of Life in the Material World, the new documentary about George Harrison, directed by Martin Scorsese. The art museum theater was completely packed.

Our host mentioned how it was something of a coup to be getting this movie (from London, to Roger Ebert, to us), and the guy next to me said "yeah, we're like the 1%", which I thought was funny. I'd be rejoining the 99% later, in their privileged position at the downtown camp site (good lighting, convenient bus access, lots of music and public meetings).

Metro is like the planning arm for TriMet, which is the operational arm (more like the AFSC vis-a-vis behind the scenes Friends). ESRI, Portland Development Commission, GeoLogi, Metro and TriMet are among our sponsors, buying us breakfast and lunch, providing facilities. The hackathon tomorrow will be at Pie (Portland Incubator Experiment).

I'm heading into a talk on the history of map making at Metro, going back to the early 1970s (ruling pens, Rapidograph pens, tape on mylar...).

Amber Case is here, a lot of other geeks I know (Ward Cunningham... Audrey, Igal), from OS Bridge, BarCamp, CubeSpace other venues.