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We spotlight the people and companies making a difference in the Boise Valley.

If you have news to share, email techboise@gmail.com.

We currently hold monthly meetups, the last Wednesday of the month at the WaterCooler.

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Idaho Tech Council hangs with TechBoise Wednesday Night

Posted Mon, 02/22/2010 - 4:49pm by Holli High

Image via Scott Peyron & Associates

Have you been wringing your hands, refreshing @techboise, wondering what we have up our sleeve for this month's event? Oh, you're not? You should be! This Wednesday we'll be joined by Jay Larsen, Founder and CEO and Rich Raimondi, Chairman of the newly formed Idaho Technology Council , as they share with us the story of their formation and, most importantly, their vision for the future of technology in Idaho. Think of Idaho Technology Council as TechBoise's older sibling. You know, the one without stickers on his laptop. As always, we'll be meeting the last Wednesday, February 24, 5:30pm, at the Watercooler. (Link to map)

Jay Larsen founded the ITC after the hugely successful Utah Technology Council, and brought some of Idaho's best tech companies on board. If you're unfamiliar with the ITC Board of Directors, there are some names on there you might recognize. They've put together a solid group of technology veterans, as well as some promising young founders, to further their mission:

"The Idaho Technology Council’s mission is to become the premier member-driven technology association dedicated to fostering the growth of technology companies in the state of Idaho, primarily in the areas of information technology, agriscience, and energy. The ITC provides a valuable forum for industry, research, educators, investors, and government throughout the state. It also advocates for creating a strong technology ecosystem and a high quality, high paid workforce. "

Sounds like a worthy goal, and one that we can get behind. So, while TechBoiseans are in the trenches creating the technologies to build and sustain Idaho's technology core, these guys are doing the high-level stuff, helping to build the relationships, partnerships, and policies that make it all possible.

Special thanks to TechBoise's longtime friends Melanie Rubocki and Eric Bjorkman at Perkins Coie for providing pizza and frosty beverages!

Who is TechBoise and what should we offer? - Request for Input

Posted Mon, 01/25/2010 - 3:26pm by Holli High

As many of you know, TechBoise was lovingly founded back in 2007 by Boise's tech juggernaut, Tac Anderson. That was 3 long years ago, and Tac has moved on to greener (literally) pastures in Seattle. Tac left TechBoise in somewhat capable hands (we hope), and we've been trying to bring you relevant, enlightening events, making his departure as seamless as possible.

In order to continue in this tradition, we're looking for a guiding statement. In particular, a statement by which to measure all of our ideas and insure they continue to be informative, engaging, and not lame. Or if you don't want them to be informative, tell us that too! We're open to ideas.

The two main questions:

Who are we?

What do we do?

We'll take all the information you give us, mull it over, see if there are patterns, and use it in any way we please. Hopefully we will have a better idea of what we mean to you.

So, please use the comments section below to offer suggestions, and there will also be a dedicated white board at this Wednesday's event. Thanks in advance for your feedback!

Metageek, Mobile, and Explicit Spatial Contexts

Posted Fri, 01/22/2010 - 5:00pm by jasonc411

It was about 5 years ago that we started a research thread to look at interacting with customer devices in a retail environment. This was the genesis point of my work on what I've come to call "Explicit Spatial Contexts." This topic continues to be one of the most interesting I have worked on.

January 27- StartUp Weekend grads Yaro chat with TechBoise

Posted Mon, 01/18/2010 - 5:59pm by Holli High
Get your ducks in a row with Yaro

It's January! Are you stoked? Yeah, us either. There seems to be a general malaise about the City of Trees that can only be cured by one thing. We need a hero, folks.

And guess what - There's a little ray of sunshine in Boise's Tech scene. It's called Yaro, and it came out of November's Startup Weekend. Yaro's mantra, "Swimming in a sea of social media publishing? Get your ducks in a row with Yaro," was created to address the issues facing those of us using multiple social media platforms for personal and business "needs." Jana Briggs, CEO and Co-founder of Yaro (and self-proclaimed social media junkie), along with Karl Meinhardt, Yaro Board Member, will take us through Yaro's journey - from pitch to development and beyond - and let us in on where they now stand.

This will all happen on Wednesday January 27, 5:30pm, at the Watercooler. . (Link to map), 14th and Idaho. We're still looking for a sponsor, so if your company has a few bucks to pony up for drinks and pizza, we'll make it worth your while with plenty of love. Email techboise@gmail.com if you're up for it!

Why Augmented Reality Developers should know Boise's Terry Gilton

Posted Mon, 12/07/2009 - 8:09pm by jasonc411

A few months ago, I was meeting with Mark Solon at Highway 12 Ventures here in Boise(@hwy12) about a new concept I was exploring in the Mobile AR space, but I wasn't sure that we could accomplish one of the key requirements using the camera on the iPhone.

Mark asked if I knew Terry Gilton at pSiFlow Technology . I responded that I didn't, and Mark told me the same thing I am now telling you. If you are working with the iPhone camera, you probably should. So, Mark made the introduction.

Multi Platform Mobile Development and QuickConnect

Posted Mon, 11/23/2009 - 11:03am by jasonc411

While presenting at the iPhone Developer Summit West in Santa Clara at the beginning of November, I met Lee Barney who was also presenting. Lee teaches at BYU Idaho, and Lee has a very cool open source product called Quick Connect (http://quickconnect.sourceforge.net.) Quick Connect allows you to write iphone applications(among other things) using javascript. But a recent post by @quickconnect on twitter makes QuickConnect something that is truly a game changer in mobile development.

How's your crypto?

Posted Mon, 11/16/2009 - 8:05pm by jasonc411

So the two hottest trends in computing right now, mobile computing and cloud computing are struggling with a common problem. The issue, how do you protect sensitive information in public spaces. In both technologies, the same problem is brewing, how do we secure, authorize, and authenticate users without compromising keys and sensitive data.

Call for entries: Hive Awards, "Honoring the unsung heroes of the internet."

Posted Thu, 11/12/2009 - 9:35am by Holli High

The Treasure Valley has some outstanding web developers, both in small shops and large. It would be great to see some of you get recognition for that, and here's a great opportunity at the international level!

Plus, check out the advisory board for a familiar name...

Here's the full press release:

December 2, join TechBoise for Tech Kids' Christmas!

Posted Wed, 11/11/2009 - 11:57am by Holli High

Image via Wikipedia

It's that time of year again; the time when TechBoise collides with the holidays and we consolidate our November and December events into one cool holiday gathering. This year, it's called a Tech Kids' Christmas, and will take place December 2, 5:30pm, at the Watercooler. . (Link to map)

New VC in Town... Eric Hansen of August Ventures

Posted Tue, 11/10/2009 - 10:22am by Holli High

Based in Boise, "August Ventures is focused on renewable energy and sustainable approaches to reducing energy consumption. The fund is also focused on companies in the western U.S."

Read Glenn Michael's full post, 5 Minutes with Eric Hansen of August Ventures, on Highway 12's blog.

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