I finally got around to uploading some photos from this year's minnebar (un)conference. I didn't take most of these as I was running around from place to place in between presentations and panels. Many didn't turn out because I didn't have the right lens. There are many more photos tagged minnebar up on Flickr. Luckily my awesome wife rectified that situation on for my birthday this year and got me this 50mm f/1.8 lens I have been coveting for years.
Best Pho: Ngon Vietnamese Bistro (Frogtown, Saint Paul)
Best Gyro: Gardens of Salonica (NE Minneapolis)
Best Tater Tots: Bulldog NE (NE Minneapolis)
Best Cold Press: Dunn Bros
Best Text/Design Conference: minnēbar (it's tomorrow!)
To be continued next week...
This year's minnebar (or Barcamp Minnesota) is going to be great. In addition to a session from your's truly about doing more with small teams and a panel discussion about the practice of "design coding" or designers who also do their own CSS/XHTML and sometimes more, there will be a greater emphasis on design and creative tech at this year's event. I want to make a concerted effort to get more people who are on the visually creative side of things into the mix. If you are one of them and want to present, lead a session, or just come and participate, please sign up on the wiki site for this outstanding free (un)conference.
Who: You! Everyone is welcome, and the event is free. Add your name to the list below.
When: Saturday May 10th, 2008 starting at 8:30am. Registration begins at 8:00 please come early.
Where: Coffman Union at the University of Minnesota Campus (Minneapolis)
Address 300 Washington Ave. S.E. Minneapolis, MN 55455-0110
Parking: There is metered and street parking around and also several large ramps.
Also, its not too late to whip out a t-shirt design for the event (but it almost is). Download a zip file with the Illustrator template. Just send it my way.
It's not too late to come by the Refactr offices tonight for the Groovy/Grails Users Group meeting. It's at 6pm and you can learn about some sweet technologies, if you are into that sort of thing. Get the details at groovy.mn.
MinneDemo is upon us again - this Thursday night at O'Gara's! Come check out the latest in software craziness from local designers and developers and enjoy some food and a few beers compliments of our great sponsors: Electric Pulp, ipHouse, Kinetic Data, New Counsel, and Split Rock Partners. Don't forget to RSVP. All the Refactr guys will be there, too. Ask Scott about robots.
After I go down to hear Horst Rechelbacher speak at the Social Capital Collective meeting tonight, I will be headed out to the Vita.mn One Year Anniversary "Concert Event" at the Varsity Theater in Dinkytown (Minneapolis). I saw Cloud Cult there months ago and it was a great show so I am excited that they are back. I am also interested to see Doomtree, First Communion After Party and DJ Espada as well. It should be a fun, busy night.
Here in Minnesota Vikings country, we need all the feel-good stories about our team that we can get. Adrian Peterson is that story for us. He broke the team record for yards in a game, single-handedly won the game against the Bears last Sunday, and leads the NFL in yards. Everyone in the state is in awe of him - all except head coach Brad Childress. His great football mind has him slotted as the teams 2nd RB. He is brilliant.
Here is a great quote from an article along the same lines as this post:
After seeing Chester Taylor carry the ball, the Bears couldn't quite grasp the speed at which Peterson moved. While the Bears were waiting for dial-up, Peterson went all ethernet on them.
Come out to O'Gara's tonight for the 3rd installment of Minnesota's Demo Camp event, MinneDemo. As word of these events has gotten out the past two years attendance has been steadily rising. We might need a convention center for next spring's MinneBar event. Seriously, I am getting worried :) If you know of some space we can check out for next year's (un)conference please let me know by emailing me (ben ut alttext dat com) or posting in the comments.
I attended the MnDOT open house at Roseville High School last night, or I should say I walked through the job-fair like gym full of MnDOT employees. I was pleased to see that there were folks asking all sorts of questions, but disappointed that it wasn't a town hall style meeting, however, that is only because I like arguments. The format used was likely a much better way for "nice" Minnesotans to engage in dialog.
As I was walking out, a reporter stopped me and I gave him this, more or less, paraphrased statement:
"Ben Edwards, an Arden Hills resident who crossed the 35W bridge every day on his way to work in Eden Prairie, said he didn't want Minnesota "to miss an opportunity to do something special with this bridge," including a unique design and transit options. He said that his commute was no picnic before the collapse and isn't much different now, and that he'd be willing to wait for a bridge that did more than increase vehicle capacity."
You can read the full article at the Star Tribune site.
It sounds as though, there are at least some signs of compromise showing up from the Governor's camp regarding future support for light rail lines over the new bridge. It sounds a little bit like parents telling their kids that they can stop at the go-cart track "on the way back", hoping they shut up and forget about it.
I, for one, believe the $400,000 daily cost of not having the bridge is a bit of a farce. I travel this way often and my commute has not really been affected. We are very lucky that Highway 280 is there, and it's conversion to a temporary freeway has gone rather seamlessly. Pawlenty warns that allowing for future light rail lines on the bridge would increase the cost:
"It will be a fair amount of additional money" that would not be reimbursed by federal dollars"
Minnesotans have had some aversion to new taxes lately due to the nice propaganda machine that is the GOP, but if you step back and look at the planned transportation projects and the new bridge project, the big picture becomes clearer.
The anticipated Central Corridor project which will link downtown Minneapolis with downtown Saint Paul by way of the University of Minnesota campus and University Avenue includes plans to have light rail trains travel over the Washington Avenue bridge. This is a bridge I walked over many times in my days and "the U" and it will need significant work to be able to handle the additional weight of light rail trains. In fact when you compare my estimate of $150 million (out of my ass) with another $170 million to build a tunnel near Coffman Union on campus (that figure is not out of my ass but I cannot find where I read it just now) you are looking at over $300 million in additional spending on light rail. The extra half year and $100 million on this new bridge, that we have to build anyway, starts to look like a bargain for the tax payer. Don't you think that if we are really building a bridge that has a 100-year lifespan, we should spend 100 days considering our options and what we can anticipate for transportation needs for the next century?
OK, the last thing I want to address is the idea that this is just a highway bridge and it should rebuilt without thought to aesthetics. Our state could certainly use another icon, and a bridge over the countries largest river seems like a good place to start - especially when you consider that (for better, or for worse, we will soon lose the loved/hated Metrodome from the Minneapolis skyline. I don't think we need the Golden Gate Bridge or anything, but something with some character that can be identified in a photo shouldn't be too hard to ask. Hey, true visionaries can even find ways to make manhole covers things of beauty
"We're adding 2 lanes."
That was the sum total of the innovations and creative ideas the state of Minnesota could muster. Yes the first new bridge project in Minnesota spanning the Mississippi in decades is going to be a boring ass highway bridge, despite the fact that residents are clamoring for light rail options (not included), architectural beauty and creating an new icon for our state (not included), and a little patience (also not included).
I am not going to stand by, however. I have written my governor, the mayor of Minneapolis (who is championing these ideas as well), and the Minnesota Department of Transportation. I also plan on attending the public meetings at Roseville High School on Thursday night (4:30pm to 7:30pm).
If you think that our state deserves to take some time and consider some alternative bridge designs please write to you elected officials and come to the meeting tomorrow to voice your opinions.
This was a major bridge for commuters and it has just collapsed. I was nearly on this road at this exact time (6:05 to 6:15 pm) but decided at the last moment to take a different route. Live video.
UPDATES:
50 or more vehicles are in the water or on fire.
KSTP Coverage (good photos)
CNN's Coverage
Google News
Google News RSS
Surprisingly info-full Wikipedia entry of the event and the bridge. From the entry:
The bridge was notable for not having any piers in the water. Instead, the main support piers were located on the banks of the river, and were built of tubular-shaped concrete pillars. This allowed for a wide, clear span across the river, making river navigation easier. Although not very decorative, the bridge was one of the widest bridges in the Twin Cities area and provided an important link for Interstate 35W traffic.
Map/Timeline that I would like to add to (includes where I was at the time)
I am backing off my previous assertion that we draft either Julian Wright or Mike Conley partly because speculation that we may actually have more than the 7th pick in this draft and partly because of the statistical leg work of John Hollinger of ESPN. He looked at past drafts, college stats, pro stats, and what he calls red-flags such as undersized, or perimeter players who don't make 3's and put together new rankings. These rankings defy the prevailing logic that says Oden will be the best NBA player from this draft class. Here is my new wishlist for the Wolves - get one or more of these players:
1. Kevin Durant
2. Greg Oden
3. Mike Conley Jr.
4. Thaddeus Young
5. Brandan Wright
6. Al Horford
7. Nick Fazekas
Unfortunately, McHale thinks he is smarter than everyone else. (why don't these guys just pay statisticians and draft from a board). The 3 players who reportedly most interest the Wolves (Joakim Noah (11th), Spencer Hawes (30th), and Al Thornton (25th)) are all ranked lower on Holinger's measurements. God, do I hate McHale if he trades away KG and picks any of these clowns.
Syndicated from BenEdwards.org
By our count nearly 350 geeks and "geeks at heart" converged on the Railroader building in downtown Saint Paul this past Saturday and I think most everyone has been very positive about the result. I believe that number (or any number over 300) would make minnēbar the largest barcamp outside of India (Barcamp Bangalore 3 - just a couple weeks ago - drew over 500 people!). I know that barcamps are supposed to be about local community and ours was no exception, but it was still nice (and a little amazing) that we had quite a few people drive or fly in from New York (at least 2), South Dakota (at least 2), Wisconsin (6 or more), and Chicago (at least 1). Knowing that this event is worth someone's Saturday is one things, but also worth a six hour drive, or several hundred dollar plane ticket? That is awesome.
I am very happy with the way the event turned out. I think the sessions, by and large, were first-rate. The special guests such as William Gurstelle and his excitement for making things that go Whoosh, Boom, Splat as well as the Scout Robots from the University of Minnesota gave a nice real-life tech component to the day. Of course David Heinemeier Hansson was a highlight as he was his usual witty and charming self. I have had lunch with him before (at Etech last year) and have seen him present, but he seemed even better in this setting. All his answers came very freely and he didn't really seem to struggle with any of the questions. I am sure he had been asked about such things time and time again. Even so, I thought Jamie Thingelstad did a very good job with his side of the interview, as well.
I was very worried that the size of the crowds would really take away from the intimacy and sense of participation that is crucial to barcamps, but I don't think these fears turned out to be warranted. Plenty of people talked between sessions or headed off to an "ad hoc session room" to discuss this or that and the sessions (with a few exceptions) never got too full. I still believe that the 50 minute session length is good. It is not so much that it can get too detailed so people really have to know their stuff. I spoke with Shourya Sarcar, one of the planners of barcamp Bangalore, and he said that one of the differences between the Minnesota and Bangalore barcamps was that their sessions are 30 minutes and that they "vote with their feet" meaning they leave a session if it is no good, or not what they had hoped. Minnesota "nice" retards that practice a bit, but there was still some wandering between sessions.
Continue reading "minnēbar remembered"With a lot of help from Dan Grigsby I finally have the venue for minnēbar ‘07 nailed down. The site is downtown Saint Paul in the Lowertown area. The "Railroader Building" as it is called is the site of the event - actually a vacant, 2-level office space that will pretty much let us have our way with it.
I am very excited, for this year's event (its on the 21st of April) and is the all-day variety of the (now) year long series of (un)events. For those of you who were not there last May, minnēbar is Minnesota's very own Barcamp and is free to anyone who is interested in participating in discussions about the web, technology, design, etc.
Add your name to the wiki to participate (you get food, drink, and a shirt too!).
We are just two weeks away from the Twin Cities' best platform for launching a new idea and getting feedback from others in the local web/software development and design communities. Dan and Luke have done a great job in getting these quarterly DemoCamps going. They really serve to build a lot of excitement and solidify the community between the larger MinneBar events.
So get out to the wonderful Acadia Cafe* and interact with some geeks showing off their goods at MinneDemo on Monday December 11th.
* Hats off to Dan and Luke. Great work on getting this venue as it has a cafe area and a nice theater for the demos and will certainly work better than the summer event.
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