I've been to several Codemash conferences and highly recommend them. Please read the Codemash 2015 - Part 1 of 2 blog post, which includes photos of the entire event.

This is the Codemash-Part Two blog post. It will include resources from the Friday, January 9, 2015, sessions I attended. Also included are my tweets/retweets from Friday and from after Codemash, plus links to other people's blog posts about Codemash.

My goal is to share some of the flavor of the event and some of the useful information developed for the conference. I hope you find these two blog posts interesting, if not useful -- enjoy!

Codemash Final Day - Friday, January 9, 2015

Codemash Friday -- Here is some of the information from the sessions I attended, and some I found on my own during the sessions:

• Gitting More Out of Git
  Jordan Kasper (@jakerella)

• Getting Sassy With CSS
  Julie Cameron (@jewlofthelotus)

  Getting Sassy with CSS from Julie Cameron

  • Visualize SASS color functions in real-time without compiling.

  • Beyond Mixins and Extends are...

    1. Functions
    2. Conditions
    3. Each loops
    4. For Loops
    5. While loops
    6. Maps
       Maps are new
       Key value pairs

  • Demo Time

  • Be sure to see "resource slide," which is slide 84.

• Creating J.A.R.V.I.S. – An Awesome Guide To Automating Your Home
  Scott Preston (@scottpreston)

  • Iris Smart Home Management System: Thermostats ... - Lowe's

  • Kevo Smart Lock - A Bluetooth Electronic Deadbolt

  • Life with Nest Thermostat

  • Honeywell Z-Wave thermostat - Amazon.com

  • WeMo® Light Switch - Belkin

  • open-zwave - Google Code

  • OpenZWave

  • Text to speech (cost $) 3rd party voice

  • Foscam Wireless IP Camera - Foscam.us‎

  • SparkFun Max Power IR LED Kit - KIT-10732

  • LIRC - Software

• 15 Uses for Video: A Developer’s Guide
  Sponsor Session: TechSmith (@TechSmith) with Paul Middlin (@middlinp)

  • Flipped classroom method - blended learning: learn online with video lecture

  • Follow #50VidTips hashtag on Twitter to learn more about "Uses for Video."

• Building DSLs using JavaScript/CoffeeScript
  David Mosher (@dmosher) 

• Thinking Fast and Slow
  Joseph Ours (@justjoehere)

  Thinking Fast and Slow from Centric Consulting

   

  • Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

  • System 1 is largely unconscious and makes snap judgments based upon memory of similar events and emotions.

  • System 2 is painfully slow, and is the process by which facts are thought about consciously, carefully, and rationally.

  • Pay Attention Apollo Robins

Holiday Light Fight DIY - Results!

There is always something going on at Codemash! There is so much to see that it is impossible to see everything. I was lucky I was able to see some of the results of the Holiday Light Fight DIY (I which I had seen them all!) Here are videos for those that I saw -- very cool!

I heard that due to the success of this Holiday Light Fight DIY program, it will be back in 2016. I will need to make a point next year to learn more.

Codemash 2015 Closing Ceremony

See the tweets below for information on raffle prizes won and other happenings during the closing ceremony. I want to share with you here the big thank-you to the STEM college students that volunteered this year. It was the first year for this program and it added value to have them here. Here is my video from when the "minions" were honored at the closing ceremonies by Brian Prince (@BrianhPrince), who is the president of Codemash.

Friday, January 9, 2015 Tweets/Retweets

Here are my tweets/retweet from Codemash on Friday -- enjoy!

After Codemash 2015

I have included the following tweets/retweets from after Codemash 2015, since they include links to resources from presenters, and other interesting information.

Other Blogs & Resources

My tweets on this blog post and Codemash-Part One blog post contain links to many resources. Here I compile blog posts and resources created by others. As I hear of more blog posts about Codemash 2015, I will update this web page. Please feel free to leave a comment below with links to other blog posts I might have missed. Thank you!

• CodeMash 2015 Eventifier

• CodeMash Session Follow Up - Jim Holmes (@aJimHolmes)

• The best session of CodeMash 2015? It's all about the bliss. By Seth Petry-Johnson (@spetryjohnson) - 14. January 2015 19:40

• OUR EXPERIENCES FROM CODEMASH V2.0.1.5 - Aztek Web (@aztekweb)

• GET OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE AT CODEMASH 2015 - Aztek Web (@aztekweb)

• CODEMASH 2015: OUR MUST-SEE SESSIONS - Aztek Web (@aztekweb)

• CodeMash 2015 Recap, Part 1: Pre-Compiler on Self-Publishing - Sarah Dutkiewicz (@sadukie) - January 11, 2015

• CodeMash 2015 Recap, Part 2: UX, Security, Crypto, and WiT - Sarah Dutkiewicz (@sadukie) - January 11, 2015

• Codemash 2015 Photos on OneDrive

• CodeMash 2015 Recap POSTED 01-16-15 BY SPARKBOX (@hearsparkbox)

• Official CodeMash 2015 Photos by ZAGG Studios (@ZAGGStudios)

• Recap: CodeMash 2015 - Steve Grunwell (@stevegrunwell)

If you are interested, here are my blog posts with resources from 2013:

• CodeMash 2013 - Wednesday
• CodeMash 2013 - Thursday
• CodeMash 2013 - Friday

Codemash 2016

I hope to see all of you next year at Codemash 2016 - Tuesday, January 5, 2016, to Friday, January 8, 2016.

(Return to Codemash 2015 - Part 1 of 2 blog post.)

I was fortunate to attend TechPint Cleveland V: Winter Jam on January 22, 2015, at the Beachland Ballroom (@BeachlandCLE). As the name implies, this was the fifth TechPint in Cleveland (there have also been Akron TechPints).

As in the past, the interesting location is also part of the draw of the event. Beachland Ballroom allowed for a creative atmosphere. With tickets sales exceeding 300, it was great that the Beachland Ballroom was able to open their back room to accommodate an additional 50 attendees. I heard that TechPint came very close to selling out all 350 tickets -- a big congratulations to the TechPint leadership team!

From the TechPint.org website, TechPint Cleveland V: Winter Jam is:

 
#TechPint 
 
A POPUP TECH CONFERENCE. IN A BAR. WITH PINTS. 
 
Over 300 of Cleveland's most active entrepreneurs and investors meet on January 22nd to mix, share ideas and get inspired. The event kicks off at 4:30PM with a pint-fueled pitch competition from Flashstarts, followed by enlightening conversations with two awesome entrepreneurs and a party that will go on late.

Here are my photos from the evening. Be sure to look at the photos from others, and links to more photos, in the tweets below.

If your device does not support Flickr.com photos, please view them here.

Unfortunately, a family emergency had me leave early and in a rush. Thus, I did not have a chance to see all the exhibits and the demo pit, and to congratulate the TechPints leadership team in person.

As with past TechPints I have attended, this one was full of energy and optimism as Cleveland area entrepreneurs shared their stories. I am writing this blog post as my way of thanking the leaders for making this resource happen in our community, and to encourage others to spread the word about this event.

Exhibitors

Other than the Bizdom Cleveland table and MakerGear's 3D printer display, I was not able to talk to the exhibitors, since I had to leave suddenly. I regret not having had more time to see them all. Be sure to see my photos and tweets of images the Bizdom Cleveland and MakerGear displays.

If you don't know about Bizdom Cleveland's (@BizdomCleveland) work, you really should take the time to meet Anna Sauber-Buchholz (@AnnaOfCLE), who was staffing their booth. Bizdom Cleveland is a nonprofit startup accelerator that provides seed funding and intense mentorship to entrepreneurs looking to launch and grow innovative, tech-based startups in the downtown.

I do want to mention here that I have some interesting videos of MakerGear (@MakerGear) 3D creations in action. If you want to learn more about MakerGear, please see my videos in the Codemash 2015 - Part 1 of 2 blog post that I published earlier this week. There, you will be able to hear the MakerGear 3D Printed Violin and see the MakerGear 3D Printed Multi-Rotor Copter in flight.

Flashstarts Pitcher Night

I can't express enough my praise for Flashstarts (@Flashstarts) for organizing the Second Annual "Pitcher" Night. All who attended should appreciate Flashstarts' investment of their time to review all of the 2-minute pitch videos that were submitted and promote this event, as well as provide the $2,000 cash award.

The emcees that night were FlashStarts Co-Founders Jennifer Neundorfer (@jkk) and Charles Stack (@cstack), who did an impressive job of making this part of the evening very lively. (Learn more about them in my February 2, 2014, TechPint Cleveland III blog post, where Charles Stack was the featured speaker, and my October 27, 2014, Cleveland Amplify Panel & Tech Town Hall blog post, where you can view the video of Jennifer Neundorfer's presentation on the Cleveland tech panel.)

The selected winners for the night were:

• 1st place - Nzinga Hart (@NzingaHart) with PolitiApp - $1000
  PolitiApp is developing a solution for politicians to reach and engage Millennials. It provides an improved method for learning about issues and political representatives.

• 2nd place - Matthew Allen (@1MattAllen) with First Crate - $750
  First Crate's subscription-based rent & return service for baby clothes is a cost savings for new parents, and an active re-use of the items.

• 3rd place - Verozol LLC with Termite Spit - $250
  Termite Spit mimics the digestion process of termites, which breaks down wood without harmful toxins and chemicals.

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Speakers

Here are the official bios of the main speakers, that TechPint founder Paul McAvinchey (@YABOYA) emailed out before the event:

 Laura Bennett
Laura is the co-founder of Embrace Pet Insurance, a Cleveland startup disrupting a very rusty industry. This company has been battling for a few years now against an array of tricky regulations and an uneducated market with huge potential, but Laura has always had an eye on building longterm value. And now the fruits of this effort are showing with new investors coming on board last year and the company employing 40 ... 50 ... 60 people locally and counting (every time I mention the number I'm told that it has gone up).

 Yuval Brisker
Yuval is the co-founder of TOA Technologies which was recently acquired by none other than Larry Ellison's Oracle. This has to be one of the biggest success stories our community has seen in recent years and Yuval will be digging into this experience and sharing some of the challenges and subsequent learnings he picked up a long the way.

Regarding Embrace Pet Insurance, it was interesting to learn a bit about what it is like to become an entrepreneur in the field of insurance -- especially something as unique as pet insurance. Also, I always find it interesting to hear from business owners how their target market morphs as the business changes and grows. A most interesting case study.

From Embrace Pet Insurance's website:

Comprehensive Coverage  
Our [Embrace Pet Insurance] approach to coverage means offering your pet nose-to-tail accident and illness protection for the unexpected plus the option of adding Wellness Rewards for routine veterinary care. What does Embrace coverage include? We provide one simple yet comprehensive plan to cover your dog or cat against unexpected accidents and illnesses. You can choose your annual maximum, deductible, and reimbursement percentage. No matter how you personalize your policy, your pet will enjoy coverage for the following: ...

TOA Technologies -- a service that directly addresses a need -- a formula for success! To be able to schedule that service/repair person to come when it is convenient to me is priceless.

From the TOA Technologies' website:

TOA Technologies provides the only enterprise-grade, on-demand mobile workforce management solutions
Field service management software has been around for many years. However, most companies with mobile workers are using outmoded software on legacy platforms that have not fundamentally evolved in 25 years, or they are using manual processes with no automation at all. We provide a state-of-the-art mobile workforce management solution that runs 99.996% of the time, requires no installation or maintenance, is completely configurable, does not have any associated license fees and delivers a new paradigm for managing people in the field.

Tweets/Retweets

Here are my @sos_jr tweets and retweets for the evening. Twitter is always a nice way to see photos and resources shared by others at a meeting. Be sure to look for more #TechPint event information by following @TechPintNews.

Future and Past

As I mention above, be sure to follow @TechPintNew and the #TechPint hashtag on Twitter for future meeting announcements. Also watch for future meeting details on TechPint.org.

Here are links to the my two past TechPint blog posts for your review:

• February 2, 2014 blog post: TechPint Cleveland III
• March 13, 2014 blog post: TechPint Akron II

I hope to see you at the next TechPint!

Having heard at the end of January 2015 that Federal Communications Commission (@FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler (@TomWheelerFCC) had planned on using the February 26, 2015, FCC Open Commission Meeting to vote on the issue of net neutrality, I decided that now was the time to write a third blog post on this issue.

My plan was to share the following tweets that I had saved after my September 2014, Take Action! @FCC and #NetNeutrality blog post, and to remind the chairman and other politicians of the millions of people who wrote comments last September. I figured it was time to take action again before the final vote on at the February 26, 2015, FCC Open Commission Meetings,but (read on after the September 2014 tweets below)....

...my theme for this blog post took a major unexpected turn on February 4, 2015, when I read the following on Twitter:

While these announcements are encouraging, we, the citizens who care about this issue, need to continue to watch and learn more as this evolves in the coming days. As I mentioned in my first two blog posts, "I am very surprised that the FCC is even debating net neutrality. It seems to me that net neutrality should be something that the FCC would be pushing for all along." Now is your final chance to let the FCC and your representatives know how you feel about this issue.

Please contact Chairman Tom Wheeler (@TomWheelerFCC) and the other FCC commissioners [Mignon Clyburn (@MClyburnFCC), Jessica Rosenworcel (@JRosenworcel), Ajit Pai (@AjitPaiFCC), Michael O’Rielly (@mikeofcc)] to thank them for moving toward supporting net neutrality, and give them your support.

Please also take action and let your elected officials know that you expect them to actively support net neutrality. Here is the direct link with helpful information from the "Take Action - Contact Your Representative" section of my Take Action! @FCC and #NetNeutrality blog post.

Also, here is a link to the section of my blog post which includes the letters from my representatives. If it is not clear where your representative stands on the issue of net neutrality, please send them a letter or email, or call tell them how you expect them to represent you.

In my first blog post entitled Comment to @FCC on #NetNeutrality, from July 2014, I provide some talking points you might find useful.

I was fortunate to briefly talk to FCC Special Counsel for External Affairs, GiGi B. Sohn (@GigiBSohnFCC) and hear her presentation when she was in Cleveland for the OneCommunity (@OneCommunity) annual meeting. She indicated that the Federal Communications Commission was in good hands and would be doing some creative things to make things better for Americans. (See the "Gigi B. Sohn - 'The Art of the Possible'" section of my OneCommunity 2014 Annual Meeting blog post.)

The February 4, 2015, announcement by Chairman Tom Wheeler, and the expected outcome of the February 26, 2015, FCC Open Commission Meeting is in line with this positive vision for the future under the current leadership.

JUST ANNOUNCED....

As I was finishing this post, I learned about the following:

I'm doing a #Twitter Town Hall tomorrow from 12:30-1:30 ET. Please join me! http://t.co/8yfXo04hOP

— Gigi Sohn (@GigiBSohnFCC) February 5, 2015

Join me at the Town Hall on February 6, 2015!

I have attended many of the Northeast Ohio Software Association (NEOSA) networking events in the past. I have always enjoyed these gatherings, since I always meet interesting people. The event that took place at The Oak Barrel (@TheOakBarrel) on January 29, 2015, was a special night. Not only was NEOSA's new name presented, but also the expansion of services represented by the change.

NEOSA was started in 1998. I have attended NEOSA events since about 2001 -- before it was part of COSE. I remember first learning about and attending a NEOSA meeting at the old New Horizons Computer Learning Center (@NewHorizonsCLC) location in Independence, Ohio, where I was taking certification classes.

Over the years, whenever I told people about a NEOSA program or meeting, I would first say "NEOSA," and then say "Northeast Ohio Software Association," while explaining that it was a professional association supporting the technology field in the Greater Cleveland area. I always felt the name "NEOSA" had to be explained to those who had not yet attended a meeting. When I read the following NEOSA Tech Thursday announcement, I looked forward to a new name that would be more descriptive.

NEOSA Tech Thursday
 
...excited to share  some important information at January’s Tech Thursday!  We’ve been working on new branding for NEOSA throughout 2014 and we’ll announce our new name, share our new logo and also share information on new services coming online around business development, talent and more.

Announcing OHTech!

The Northeast Ohio Software Association is now OHTech!

The new name, OHTech, reflects the change in the composition that has already occurred within the membership of OHTech. No longer is the organization limited by the word "software" in its name. It is a professional association that supports the full gamut of the technology arena, not just software development.

The "OH" reflects a new strategic emphasis -- to grow to be a resource throughout the entire state of Ohio.

OHTech New Services

 OHTech Blog 
Wherefore art thou NEOSA?

We’ve been working on a lot of changes here, at the former NEOSA, changes that include new talent services, business development, statewide connections and more. So as part of that whole process, it made a lot of sense to re-evaluate the brand image and make changes as necessary. Hence: OHTech.

Details are still being announced, but the name change also reflects new and expanded programs. OHTech will seek out program partners throughout Ohio for its existing programs, to make it a statewide leader in technology professional services.

Watch for program developments in these areas:

• Workforce Development - Coordinate technical educational to address the current labor shortage in our region.

• Government Relations - Represent the interests of the technology field on statewide and federal levels.

• Manager of Talent Services - A new position created to support OHTech, with responsibilities to provide talent coaching for local tech companies. Patrick M. Antos (@PatrickMAntos) is the first Manager of Talent Services. Learn more about Patrick in this article: Five Questions with Patrick Antos

• Networking Events Beyond Cleveland - Not only plan networking events in neighboring cities, but possiblity broadcast presenters from one event to other locations.

• COSE - Explore how the core services of COSE (@COSEsmallbiz) can service the needs of technology companies in neighboring communities.

I recommend watching the OHTech website, and Brad Nellis (@OHTech_Nellis) on Twitter, to learn about OHTech programs as the develop.

What Others Shared - OHTech!

Here are some blog posts and articles about OHTech. I highly recommend reading Chuck Soder's OHTech article in Crains Cleveland Business.

• Five Questions with Patrick Antos
  By Brad Nellis (@OHTech_Nellis), COSE Blog (@COSEsmallbiz). Wednesday, September 24, 2014.

• Created in 1998 as NEOSA, IT organization re-engineers itself as “OHTech”
  By Brad Nellis (@OHTech_Nellis), COSE Press Release (@COSEsmallbiz). January 30, 2015.
  (I have attached this press release as a PDF, which can also be found on COSE's website here)

• NEOSA is no longer: It's now OHTech
  By Chuck Soder (@ChuckSoder), Crain's Cleveland Business (@CrainsCleveland). Originally Published: February 01, 2015 4:30 AM Modified: February 05, 2015 8:58 AM.

• Wherefore art thou NEOSA?
  By Brad Nellis (@OHTech_Nellis), COSE Blog (@COSEsmallbiz). Monday, February 02, 2015.

OHTech Announcement Photos

Thanks to Brad Nellis (@OHTech_Nellis) for sharing these photos with me from the OHTech announcement event:

If your device does not support Flickr.com photos, please view them here.

Tweets and Retweets

Here are my @sos_jr tweets and retweets that I shared about the event. They include my photos from the event, and links from others who attended.

Future

I look forward to watching the development of OHTech's new programs. I hope to do a follow-up blog post to report on their future progress.

Enlarge Image

I had a blast!

On Wednesday, February 11, 2015, LaunchHouse (@LaunchHouse) transformed its building into a showcase of experimentation and experience, as the latest LaunchHouse Accelerator companies demonstrated their original product ideas at the LaunchHouse Accelerator Expo (LHXPO).

I use the word "experimentation," because this year the focus was on hardware products and the science behind them. The active involvement of NASA Glenn Research Center (@NASAglenn) with this year's LaunchHouse Accelerator supported this new level of experimentation.

I also use the word "experience," since attendees could get up close and personal with many of the products by actually trying them out.

Here is the official announcement for the event:

Attend LHXPO! 
We've transformed the traditional demo day experience into an ‘UN-Conference Exposition.’ Meet LaunchHouse's newest portfolio companies at the LaunchHouse Accelerator Expo (LHXPO) on Wednesday, February 11 from 4-9pm.
 
While startups deliver their first public pitches to the investment community, the expo is a hands-on experience that showcases these elite companies and their products. We invite you to touch, test and experience the cutting-edge technologies that have been developed over the past 16 weeks.

I had a blast, questioning these Cleveland startup leaders about their products and the technology behind them. It was a great time!

If your device does not support Flickr.com photos, please view them here.

Meet LaunchHouse's Newest Portfolio Companies

Here is the official LaunchHouse Accelerator Expo (LHXPO) booklet, which was given to all attendees.

Here are my observations from my conversations with companies' representatives.

Alternative Defense Strategies

Alternative Defense Strategies' (@SafeZoneCM) product, Safe Zone CM™, is a nonlethal pepper "gel" that can be safely used against an intruder. Primarily a product developed for schools and other public facilities, Safe Zone CM™ comes in a locked box that only administrators of the building can open with a secure combination lock. Alternative Defense Strategies is also exploring a future product that would provide a wireless system that would open the box automatically in case of an emergency. At their expo booth, they demonstrated how to target and spray an inert version the gel. Most of the components of the Safe Zone CM™ product are made in America (I think only the lock is foreign-made). In my opinion, the most important part of Safe Zone CM™ is not the hardware, but the special training provided on how to use the product in an emergency setting.

Beegit

I really enjoyed talking to the representatives from Beegit (@ProjectBeegit), since I could directly relate to the content management software they created. Some of the features they demonstrated for me included using Git for version control, and the ability to output content to many different formats (see related photo in tweet below).

FGC Plasma Solutions

I spoke with Felipe Gómez del Campo (@fgdelc), and he showed me both plastic and metal models of FGC Plasma Solutions' plasma fuel injectors. Felipe explained how his patented product could cut airlines' expenses by retrofitting existing engines with these more cost-effective plasma fuel injectors. FGC Plasma Solutions works in partnership with NASA Glenn Research Center (@NASAglenn) engineers, with support from Case Western Reserve University (@CWRU).

NASA Glenn Research Center

Plasma Pure Water is a system being developed right here in Cleveland by NASA Glenn Research Center (@NASAglenn). This system rids water not only of bacteria and germs, but also of chemical pollutants. The booth was so crowded with interested people that I was only able to talk to a NASA Glenn staff person not directly affiliated with Plasma Pure Water. I also learned about some of the other exciting things happening at NASA through their partnerships with private sector businesses. See more in my NASA section below.

Phazon

I first heard about Phazon's (@PhazonAudio) wireless earbuds at a Cleveland TechPint event (see my TechPint blog posts to learn more). Targeted to professional and amateur athletes, these earbuds free the user from the wire tangle while they work out. The true stereo wireless system will work with a smartphone or other portable audio device and will use Bluetooth to independently control each earbud.

Swing Memory Xccelerator

I did not visit their booth, so please see the description in the LHXPO booklet that was sent to me by LaunchHouse.

Triple Analytics

In today's connected world, you would think your doctor would already have instant access to the analytics that would help determine your treatment. What I learned from the Triple Analytics (@TripleLLC) staff is that they often do not. Triple Analytics is a physician- and patient-focused solution for today's medical environment. Triple Analytics pulls together the analytics needed to make better medical decisions, plus also provides the patient with useful medical information in layman's terms. The "Triple" part of Triple Analytics' name represents the triad of good medicine: doctor, institution (hospital), patient. Triple Analytics' goal is to use analytics in a user-friendly way to help improve patient care and save medical costs.

UpMo

UpMo is a newly formed company that combines the strength of the technology from two former companies to create a new product. The UpMo smartphone app makes it easy to search and apply for a career position. Different versions of the UpMo app will target different career sectors. Current plans are to have the first version focus on placement services for attorneys.

WJI systems

After seeing WJI systems' public pitch, I had hoped to learn more details by talking to their staff at their expo booth. Unfortunately, as I worked my way around the expo, I came to the WJI systems booth near the end of the evening, and only had time to talk to them briefly. They have a very cool product to monitor house "vital signs" for property managers of vacant houses. Vacant houses are at risk of water moisture damage, vandalism, and other neglect. Putting a few WJI systems units in the house could potentially save the owners a big expense. I recently heard of a vacant house that had a pipe freeze and flood a basement -- a big mess that would have done less damage if WJI systems had been in place.

Yourefolio

In an emergency, or at your death, would your family members and important advisors (i.e., lawyer, financial advisor) have instant access to your important papers? Yourefolio (@Yourefolio) is designed as a service that a financial advisor could offer their clients. Yourefolio electronically manages, protects, and gives instant access to important papers.

#LHXPO Tweets

NASA

It would be remiss of me if I did not share with you how cool it was to see NASA Glenn Research Center (@NASAglenn) as part of the this event. While at the LaunchHouse Accelerator Expo (LHXPO), I briefly talked to the representatives at the NASA Glenn booth, in addition to the NASA Glenn staff at the Plasma Pure Water booth.

I remember being fascinated, as a high school student, by the NASA Spinoff paper magazine. NASA Spinoff was a publication that presented products that were available for the general public and private industry as a direct result of the research done by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA - @NASA). At LHXPO, I learned from the NASA Glenn Research Center staff that Spinoff.NASA.gov website (@NASAspinoff) continues this tradition.

Read more on the NASA Spinoff history online, from which the following paragraphs are taken:

NASA’s Spinoff publication accomplishes several goals. First, it is a convincing justification for the continued expenditure of NASA funds. It serves as a tool to educate the media and the general public by informing them about the benefits and dispelling the myth of wasted taxpayer dollars. It reinforces interest in space exploration. It demonstrates the possibility to apply aerospace technology in different environments. It highlights the ingenuity of American inventors, entrepreneurs, and application engineers, and the willingness of a government agency to assist them. And finally, it continues to ensure global competitiveness and technological leadership by the United States. 
 
The total number of stories published since 1976 is nearly 1,800, which does not include approximately 100 stories featured in the 1973 and 1974 reports.

Another reason I was glad to see NASA at LHXPO was that I was sorry that I missed the February 2, 2015, NASA Social (@NASASocial), which took place at NASA Glenn Research Center. After talking to the NASA Glenn staff at LHXPO about the tentative location for the next NASA Social, I am really excited about attending the next NASA Social. (I was fortunate to attend an event in 2012. See my Cleveland NASA Tweetup blog post.)

As a result of a tweet I received after the LHXPO event, I learned about @NASAGlennBiz and @NASAsolutions. I look forward to learning about these Innovation Projects Office at NASA’s Glenn Research Center and NASA Technology Transfer programs.

What Others Are Saying

Here are some other articles that relate to this event, plus my blog post about the previous LaunchHouse event:

• NASA wizardry, startup enthusiasm mix at LaunchHouse expo
  By Robert L. Smith, The Plain Dealer (@rlsmithpd) on February 12, 2015, at 10:03 AM, updated February 16, 2015, at 10:37 AM

• LaunchHouse aims to bridge gap between technology and manufacturing startups
  LaunchHouse article posted by Stephanie on June 16, 2014.

  I found if very interesting to read this June 2014, article about the importance of LaunchHouse as the first hardware accelerator in the state of Ohio, especially eight months later after seeing the type of products now in February 2015, at the LHXPO event.

• Cleveland Entrepreneurship Week 2013 (see the LaunchHouse LHX2013 Demo Day section)
  Author: Stuart O. Smith, Jr. (@sos_jr) Blog Date: Thu Nov 14th 2013

Epic Things . . . Do Them

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I have seen the following quote, which I really love, at other LaunchHouse events.

Some People Dream Of Epic Things, While Others Stay Awake And Do Them.

I thought that it was especially appropriate to see that quote as I was leaving LHXPO. I had spent the evening talking to people who were bringing new ideas to life. It was very energizing to be an observer of their success.

I congratulated Todd Goldstein, Co-Founder of LaunchHouse, on the success of the LHXPO evening, and he offered his assistance with this blog post.

Thank you to Todd Goldstein, and to LaunchHouse's Director of PR/Marketing & Partner, Stephanie Bartolone, and Director of Entrepreneurial Programming, Katie Connelly, for sending me the official LaunchHouse Accelerator Expo (LHXPO) booklet, and for confirming that I had the correct website and Twitter names for all the companies.

I look forward to learning about the further progress of the LHXPO 2015 companies.

This is my screen capture from the FCC webcast, taken at the very moment
the historic vote was announced. The text is the official FCC closed captioning.

February 26, 2015!

"The ayes have it" - here are my @sos_jr tweets and retweets from this most historic vote by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) (@FCC)!!!

Official FCC Broadcast

The following is the official FCC broadcast and text from their website: fcc.gov/events/open-commission-meeting-february-2015

February 2015 Open Commission Meeting

February 26, 2015, 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM EST

Room TW-C305, 445 12th Street S.W., Washington, DC

The FCC held an Open Meeting on Thursday, February 26, 2015, on the subjects listed below:

• Community Broadband:
  The Commission considered a Memorandum Opinion and Order addressing petitions filed by two municipal broadband providers asking that the Commission preempt provisions of state laws in North Carolina and Tennessee that restrict the abilities of communities to provide broadband service.
• Protecting and Promoting the Open Internet:
  The Commission considered a Report and Order on Remand, Declaratory Ruling, and Order that responds to the Verizon court remand and adopts strong open Internet rules, grounded in multiple sources of the Commission’s legal authority, to ensure that Americans reap the economic, social, and civic benefits of an open Internet today and into the future.

Take Action: Contact Your Representative - - Again!

If you read my September 1, 2014, Take Action! @FCC and #NetNeutrality blog post, you know that I believe that the support of net neutrality is an important issue.

Now that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) (@FCC), under the leadership of Chairman Tom Wheeler (@TomWheelerFCC), has taken a vote to support net neutrality, we, the citizens that care about this issue, need to follow up with our representatives. We need them to support net neutrality.

Here is a direct link to the section of my Take Action! @FCC and #NetNeutrality blog post where you can see what my Senators (Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman) , and my Congresswoman (Marcia Fudge), wrote back to me. If you like what they say about supporting net neutrality, then please thank them for their ongoing support. If it was not clear where they stand on the issue, please let them know that you need them to take a very clear stand for net neutrality.

Please take action and contact your representatives:

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
www.whitehouse.gov/administration/president-obama

Members of Congress for all states can be found at:

• Senators of the 113th Congress
• Directory of US House of Representatives
• GovTrack.us (@GovTrack) Members of Congress Search at: GovTrack.us/congress/members

Use this map to find your congressional district

You can embed this map from:
GovTrack.us/congress/members/map

For Ohio, call or write:

Senator Sherrod Brown
1301 East Ninth Street, Suite 1710
Cleveland, Ohio 44114
www.brown.senate.gov
Phone: (216) 522-7272
Fax: (216) 522-2239
Toll Free 1-888-896-OHIO (6446)
@SenSherrodBrown

Senator Rob Portman
1240 East 9th Street, Room 3061
Cleveland, Ohio 44199
www.portman.senate.gov
Phone: 216-522-7095
@SenRobPortman

Where I live, my US representative is:

Congresswoman Marcia Fudge
4834 Richmond Road, Suite #150
Warrensville Heights, Ohio 44128
www.fudge.house.gov
Phone: (216) 522-4900
Fax: (216) 522-4908
@RepMarciaFudge

Other Information

If you need more information, and have not read my earlier blog posts, I provide links to them here.

• Blog Date: Thu Jul 17th 2014
  Comment to @FCC on #NetNeutrality

• Blog Date: Mon Sep 1st 2014
  Take Action! @FCC and #NetNeutrality

• Blog Date: Thu Sep 25th 2014
  OneCommunity 2014 Annual Meeting
  Read the Gigi B. Sohn - “The Art of the Possible” section within the blog post. Gigi B. Sohn's (@GigiBSohnFCC) is the Special Counsel for External Affairs, Office of the Chairman, Federal Communications Commission. She did the keynote presentation at the OneCommunity (@OneCommunity) 2014 annual meeting.

• Blog Date: Thu Feb 5th 2015
  February 2015 Status: @FCC and #NetNeutrality

2012 to 2015!!!

I am celebrating three years of having fun exploring our community and writing about our experiences!

First and foremost, I want to begin by thanking my great co-writer and wife, Julie Smith! I enjoy sharing the journey with her.

When I look at the titles and images associated with the blog posts from this past year, I get really excited. They not only bring back memories of all the enjoyable things we did this past year, but also make me anticipate the potential of the coming year! Please take a look at our blog posts at: sosAssociates.com/Blog

Enlarge view of 
all the images from blog posts from this past year

History

Three very fun and active years have passed since my first "Hello, World! My First Blog Post!" message! On my firstBlogiversary, I listed 120 organizations that I tracked.

For my second, Blogiversary: Two, I was tracking 140 organizations, and commented about the exciting growth in Cleveland and Akron, which made it difficult to keep up with my weekly tech/social media announcements.

So, on May 27, 2014, I did my very last weekly Cleveland Tech, Entrepreneur & Social Media Meetings Mon 5/26 - Mon 6/2 post. However, I still post daily @sos_jr meeting announcements over the lunch hour on Twitter at: Twitter.com/sos_jr -- please take a look and share with others by retweeting.

Today

The statement I put on the sosAssociates.com home page has not changed over these three years, since it still reflects the items that Julie and I write about:

sosAssociates.com is an extension of my @sos_jr Twitter interests -- taking it beyond the 140 characters. Current focus areas include:

• Promoting and sharing experiences at Cleveland tech meetings, social media events, and some entrepreneur groups
• WebSigCleveland.org
• Website Design & Technology
• Cleveland Cultural Events, Art, Theatre

Call For Action

2015 marks my 10th year of running the WebSigCleveland.org meetings. Held on the third Saturday of most months, all WebSigCleveland.org meeting are free and open to all, so please help me spread the word by inviting others. I run my WebSigCleveland.org meetings as a labor of love, so like last year, I want to ask you to please do the following to support all the "Tech, Entrepreneur & Social Media Meetings" in Cleveland and Akron.

Call for action! The reason I publish the following list is to encourage you to thank the leaders and assist in promoting their meetings. Please do the following:

• See the names listed with the events in my blog posts, and follow them on Twitter, if you do that sort of thing (I find Twitter fun, and a great way to learn about a lot of great activities). Please share their meeting information on your favorite social media.

• Most of these Cleveland tech, social media, and entrepreneur meetings are free or low cost. Please go out of your way to thank the leader(s) and let them know you appreciate their good work. Offer to buy them their favorite beverage.

• Finally, if you see a group listed that is not currently meeting, or think of a topic that is not being covered, please volunteer to take a leadership role to make the meeting happen!

Our Community is much stronger for having these opportunities to learn from each other. Thank you for supporting each other.

Stuart's List - Please follow @sos_jr for announcements!

This list has grown to the point that I need help promoting them all. If you run one of these groups, please tweet out meeting announcements (it is easier to retweet than create). If you believe in what these groups are doing for Cleveland and Akron, please ACTIVELY promote them on all your favorite social media. Thank you!

I have put "2015" in bold for the groups that I know I added since last year, so you can check them out.

1. .NET SIG http://www.bennettadelson.com/ComingEvents.aspx Follow: @Bennett_Adelson

2. 20/30 Club Tech Committee (Cleveland Professional's Club) http://www.cleveland2030.org/calendar Follow: @CP2030 @kmsolorio

3. Afternoons@Ahujahttp://afternoonsatahuja.com/ Follow: @JimDorazio

4. AIGA Cleveland http://cleveland.aiga.org/ Follow: @aigacleveland

5. Akron Big Data and Hadoop Group http://www.meetup.com/Akron-Big-Data-and-Hadoop-Group/

6. Akron Canton PC Users Group http://www.acpcug.org/site3/

7. Akron Chapter of The Association of Information Technology Professionals http://akron-aitp.org/

8. 2015
   Akron Code Club http://www.meetup.com/AkronCodeClub/ Follow: @AkronCodeClub @jerrydantonio

9. Akron Film+Pixel http://akronfilm.com/ Follow: @akronfilm

10. Akron Game Developers http://www.meetup.com/Akron-Game-Developers/

11. Akron Linux Users Group http://www.meetup.com/Akron-Linux-Users-Group/ Follow: @davidegts

12. Akron Mini Maker Faire http://makerfaireakron.akronlibrary.org/http://www.makerfaireakron.com/ Follow: @AkronLibrary

13. Akron Programming Languages Group http://www.meetup.com/Akron-Programming-Languages-Group/ Follow: @gsvolt

14. Akron Software Developers Guild (Akron, OH) - Meetup http://www.meetup.com/AkronSDG/

15. 2015
    Akron Women in Tech http://www.meetup.com/Akron-Women-In-Tech/ Follow: @AkronWiT @wirthdesign @MistressOfFrog

16. Akron/Canton web meetup http://www.meetup.com/akroncantonweb/ Follow: @coffeeandcode

17. AMC @ CWRU (CWRU's Association of Computing Machinery) http://acm.case.edu/ Follow: @cwruACM

18. Association of Personal Computer User Groups http://apcug.net/events/http://ugls.apcug.net/FindUserGroup.aspx Follow: @apcug

19. Bad Girl Ventures Cleveland http://www.badgirlventures.com/locations/cleveland/calendar/ Follow: @BGV_Cleveland

20. Big Data Analytics Special Interest Group - Cleveland, Ohio http://www.meetup.com/Big-Data-Analytics-Special-Interest-Group/

21. Bizdom Cleveland http://www.meetup.com/BizdomCleveland/ Follow: @BizdomCleveland

22. Burning River Developers http://www.meetup.com/Burning-River-Developers/ Follow: @burningriverdev @kberridge @StuartSaunders

23. Business Gateway Series http://www.csuohio.edu/business/global/gateway/ Follow: @LaunchHouse @CMLAWSchool

24. C#/VB.Net SIG http://www.clevelanddotnet.info/http://www.meetup.com/Cleveland-C-VB-Net-User-Group/ Follow: @SamNasr @CLEDotNet

25. Canton Ohio Web Meetup Group http://www.meetup.com/Canton-Ohio-Web-Meetup/ Follow: @kkeiper1103

26. Charged Conversation http://www.meetup.com/Charged-Conversation/events/164348292/ Follow: @ContextualElec @chris_gammell

27. 2015
    CLE Byte http://www.meetup.com/CLE-Byte/ Follow: @clebyte @faehnrich

28. 2015
    CLE Game Co-Op http://www.meetup.com/CLEGameCoOp/https://www.facebook.com/groups/CLEGameCoOp/ Follow: @CleGameCoop #GameOnCLE @playvue

29. CLE Internet Marketing Meetup Group http://www.meetup.com/CLE-Internet-Marketing/ Follow: @CLEMeetup @JoeKneale

30. Cleveland Adobe Users Group http://www.meetup.com/Cleveland-Adobe-User-Group/ Follow: @cfaddict

31. Cleveland Agile Group (#CleAG) http://www.meetup.com/ClevelandAgile/ Follow: @jonrstahl @chzy @DocOnDev Hashtag: #CleAG

32. Cleveland Area DevOps Interest Group http://www.meetup.com/DevOpsCLE/ Follow: @devopscle @benjaminws

33. Cleveland Area Python Interest Group http://clepy.org/http://www.meetup.com/Cleveland-Area-Python-Interest-Group/ Follow: @CLEPY @dstanek @mcrute

34. Cleveland Big Data and Hadoop User Group http://www.meetup.com/Cleveland-Hadoop/

35. Cleveland Boomerangs https://www.facebook.com/groups/clevelandboomerangs/events/

36. Cleveland Chapter of the American Marketing Association http://clevelandama.com/ Follow: @ClevelandAMA

37. Cleveland Civic Hacking Meetup http://www.meetup.com/cleveland-civic-hacking/ Follow: @JeffSchuler @OpenGeoCle

38. Cleveland CocoaHeads http://www.meetup.com/Cleveland-CocoaHeads/

39. Cleveland Digital Publishing Users Group (CDPUG) http://www.cdpug.org/ Follow: @CDPUG

40. Cleveland Drupal User Group http://www.meetup.com/cleveland-drupal/ Follow: @DrupalCleveland @JeffSchuler

41. Cleveland Game Developers http://www.meetup.com/clevelandgamedev/ Follow: @pixelcream @mattperrin

42. 2015
    Cleveland Game Devs http://www.clegamedevs.com/ Follow: @CleGameDevs

43. Cleveland GiveCamp http://www.clevelandgivecamp.org/ Follow: @CleGiveCamp @MarkWSchumann @AmyCWong @AndrewCr @JonrStahl @LaurenceMingle @BeyerMatthew @NickBarendt

44. Cleveland InDesign User Group http://www.indesignusergroup.com/chapters/cleveland/ Follow: @AprilClark

45. Cleveland Indians Social Suite http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/cle/fan_forum/social_suite.jsphttp://mlb.mlb.com/fan_forum/social_media/index.jsp?c_id=cle Follow: @Indians

46. Cleveland IT Security Meetup Group http://www.meetup.com/Hurricane-Labs-IT-Security-Meetup-Group/ Follow: @hurricanelabs

47. Cleveland Java Meetup Group http://www.meetup.com/cleveland-java/ Follow: @JavaCleveland

48. Cleveland JavaScript Meetup http://www.meetup.com/Cleveland-JavaScript-Meetup/ Follow: @uzquiano @Jarmmi

49. Cleveland Lean Startup Circle http://www.meetup.com/Cleveland-Lean-Startup-Circle/ Follow: @nickbarendt @jonrstahl @DocOnDev @gsvitak

50. Cleveland machine intelligentsia http://www.meetup.com/cleveland-machine-intelligence/ Follow: @SmartTypes @AndrewCr @mw44118 @excentrixweb @dstanek @bikegriffith

51. 2015
    Cleveland Mobile App How To Marketing http://www.meetup.com/Cleveland-Mobile-App-How-To-Marketing/ Follow: @mobileezapp

52. Cleveland MongoDB Group http://www.meetup.com/MongoDB-Cleveland Follow: @uzquiano

53. Cleveland MySQL Meetup http://www.meetup.com/mysql-cleveland/ Follow: @JavaCleveland @MySQLCleveland

54. Cleveland Node.js User Group http://www.meetup.com/NodejsCleveland/ Follow: @maurerdotme @SPGrasso

55. 2015
    Cleveland Perl Mongers http://www.meetup.com/Cleveland-Perl-Mongers/ Follow: @RunByMany

56. Cleveland Photographic Society http://www.clevelandphoto.org/ Follow: @CPSPhoto

57. 2015
    Cleveland Podcaster Meetup http://www.meetup.com/Cleveland-Podcaster-Meetup/ Follow: @LearnToPodcast

58. Cleveland Public LIbrary TechCentral http://www.cpl.org/TheLibrary/TechCentral.aspxhttp://www.cpl.org/EventsClasses/ComputerClassesAssistance.aspx Follow: @techcentral_cpl @Cleveland_PL

59. Cleveland Ruby Brigade http://www.meetup.com/ClevelandRuby/ Follow: @clerb @DocOnDev @chzy @Contribute007 @zspencer

60. Cleveland Sencha Users Group http://www.meetup.com/Cleveland-Sencha-Users-Group/ Follow: @CleSenchaGroup

61. Cleveland SharePoint User Group http://www.sharepointcleveland.com/ Follow: @SharePointCLE @smartyskirt

62. Cleveland Social Media Club! http://clevelandsmc.ning.com/ Follow: @SMCCLE

63. 2015
    Cleveland Social Media Enthusiasts http://www.meetup.com/Cleveland-Social-Media-Enthusiasts/ Follow: @SocialMediaEnth

64. Cleveland Startup Weekend http://cleveland.startupweekend.org/ Follow: @SWCLE

65. Cleveland Web Design and Development Meetup http://www.meetup.com/Cleveland-Web-Design-and-Development-Meetup/ Follow: @aoirthoir

66. Cleveland Web Standards Association (CWSA) http://www.clevelandwebstandards.org/ Follow: @CWSA

67. Cleveland WordPress Bloggers http://www.meetup.com/cleveland-ohio-bloggers/ Follow: @ClevelandBlogs @WPTuneups

68. 2015
    Cleveland WordPress Meetup http://www.meetup.com/Cleveland-WordPress-Meetup/ Follow: @PhilHoyt

69. Cleveland WPF User Group http://www.clevelandwpf.info/http://www.meetup.com/Cleveland-WPF-User-Group/ Follow: @CLEWPF @SamNasr

70. Cleveland.Com #CleTweetUp http://www.cleveland.com/tweetup/http://www.facebook.com/clevelandcom/eventshttps://twitter.com/i/#!/search/realtime/%23CLETweetup Follow: @ClevelandDotCom @dan_labbe @denisep

71. ClevelandDotNet http://clevelanddotnet.blogspot.com/ Follow: @SamNasr

72. 2015
    CleveSec http://www.meetup.com/CleveSec/ Follow: @CleveSec @Turtl3Up

73. 2015
    Code for Summit County http://www.meetup.com/Code-for-Summit-County/ Follow: @pzula @prestonrhea

74. CodeMash http://www.codemash.org/http://groups.google.com/group/CodeMash Follow: @CodeMash

75. CodeRetreat http://coderetreat.org/about Follow: @CodeRetreat @coreyhaines

76. Computers Assisting People Inc. (CAP) http://www.capinc.org/

77. Content Strategy: Cleveland http://www.meetup.com/Content-Strategy-Cleveland/ Follow: @awakulch

78. Conversion Rate Optimization Professionals' Association http://www.cropa.net/ Follow: @CROProA @mikeperla @akrejny

79. 2015
    CWRU LaunchPad http://cwru.thelaunchpad.org/ Follow: @LaunchPadCWRU

80. Data Visualization & Visual Analytics Meetup – Cleveland http://www.meetup.com/Data-Visualization-Visual-Analytics-Meetup-Cleveland/

81. Drupal Camp Ohio http://drupalcampohio.org/ Follow: @DrupalCampOhio

82. Enterprise Architect/Solution Architect Meetup http://www.meetup.com/Enterprise-Architect-Solution-Architect-Meetup/ Follow: @MySQLCleveland

83. Entrepreneurs Club of America - Cleveland http://www.facebook.com/TECACleveland

84. 2015
    Flashstarts http://www.flashstarts.com/ Follow: @Flashstarts

85. 2015
    Friends of Ingenuity http://www.meetup.com/ingenuity/ Follow: @Ingenuityfest

86. Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses at Cuyahoga Community College I http://www.tri-c.edu/workforce/GoldmanSachs/Pages/default.aspxhttp://www.goldmansachs.com/citizenship/10000-small-businesses/US/index.... Follow: @GoldmanSachs at @TriCedu

87. Google Technology User Groups (GTUG) Cleveland https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!forum/cleveland-gtughttp://www.gtugs.org/chapter.jsp?id=1026

88. Gorilla Group http://www.thegorillagroup.org/ Follow: @TheGorillaGroup

89. Great Lakes Geek http://www.greatlakesgeek.com/events/calendar.htm Follow: @GreatLakesGeek @DanHanson

90. 2015
    Great Lakes Science Center http://www.greatscience.com/ Follow: @GLScienceCtr

91. Greater Cleveland PC Users Group (GCPCUG) http://gcpcug.org/ Other Technology & User Groups in Ohio http://www.gcpcug.org/othergroups Follow: @GCPCUG @GeekClean

92. Greater Cleveland R Group http://www.meetup.com/Cleveland-UseR-Group/ Follow: @nhermez

93. Greater Cleveland Web Business Owners and Wannabe's http://www.meetup.com/Greater-Cleveland-Web-Business-MeetUP/ Follow: @dave_van_horn

94. Hack NEO http://hackneo.org/ Follow: @Hack4NEO

95. HackCWRU http://www.hackcwru.com/ Follow: @HackCWRU

96. Heights Library Computer Classes http://events.heightslibrary.org/computer-classes/ Follow: @heightslibrary

97. HubSpot Cleveland User Group https://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=3860316 Follow: @Diadalsky @pr2020

98. Hudson Software Craftmanship User Group (HUDSONSC) http://hudsonsc.com/meetings/ Follow: @HudsonSC

99. INETA User Groups http://www.ineta.org/UserGroups/FindUserGroups.aspx Follow: @INETA

100. Ingenuityfest Cleveland http://www.ingenuitycleveland.com/http://www.meetup.com/ingenuity/ Follow: @Ingenuityfest

101. 2015
     Insivia http://www.insivia.com/seminar/ Follow: @insivia @andyhalko

102. 2015
     Institute for the Science of Origins https://www.facebook.com/iso.originshttp://origins.case.edu/ Follow: @gstarkman

103. International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Cleveland http://www.iabccleveland.com/ Follow: @IABCCleveland

104. IT Martini www.itmartini.com Follow: @itmartini

105. IxDA Cleveland (Northeast Ohio) http://www.ixda.org/local/ixda-cleveland-northeast-ohio Follow: @ixdacleveland

106. Joomla!® User Group North East Ohio http://www.meetup.com/NEO-Joomla/ Follow: @gotmw

107. JumpStart, Inc. http://www.jumpstartinc.org/entrepreneursupport/events.aspx Follow: @JumpStartInc

108. 2015
     Kids & Code Meetup http://www.meetup.com/Kids-Code-Meetup/ Follow: @DaveShah @sadukie

109. Lake Erie Moose Society http://www.meetup.com/Lake-Erie-Moose-Society/http://www.facebook.com/eriemoose Follow: @hacool

110. 2015
     Launch League http://www.launchleague.org/ Follow: @LaunchLeague

111. LeanDog, Inc.- Coming up @leandog http://www.leandog.com/events/ Follow: @leandog

112. 2015
     Make on The Lake http://www.meetup.com/Make-on-the-Lake/ Follow: @leandog

113. Makers' Alliance – Cleveland - Learn. Make. Grow. http://www.makersalliance.org/http://www.meetup.com/MakersAlliance/ Follow: @MakersAlliance @sdh7 @jhgorse @csanyk @N0maD_OH

114. Mobile Monday Cleveland http://mobilemondaycleveland.com/http://www.meetup.com/Mobile-Monday-Cleveland/ Follow: @MobileMondayCLE @Michele_Messina

115. MS Access/Excel Forum http://www.barbron.com/AccessSIG/

116. N.E.O. Small Business Internet Marketing http://www.meetup.com/NEO-SB-Internet-Marketing/ Follow: @MichaelMirth @BobRess

117. NEO Society for Technical Communication http://www.neostc.org/

118. NEOOUG - Great Lakes Oracle Conference http://www.meetup.com/NEOOUG-Great-Lakes-Oracle-Conference/

119. NEOSA, the COSE Technology Network http://NEOSA.org Follow: @NEOSA_Nellis @COSEsmallbiz

120. NorTech http://www.nortech.org/ Follow: @NorTech

121. North East Ohio WordPress Meetup http://www.meetup.com/NEOWordPress/ Follow: @brianlayman

122. Northeast Ohio (NEO) IT Think Tank! https://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=2268461&home= Follow: @NEOITThinkTank

123. Northeast Ohio chapter of Business Marketing Association (BMA) http://www.marketing.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageID=5597http://www.facebook.com/BMANEO Follow: @BMANEO

124. 2015
     Northeast Ohio Chapter of the Information Systems Security Association http://neoissa.org/

125. Northeast Ohio Information Security Forum http://www.neoisf.org/ Follow: @NEOISF

126. Northeast Ohio ISSA Security Meetup Group http://neoissa.org/http://www.meetup.com/NEO-ISSA/

127. Northeast Ohio PC Club http://www.neopc.org/

128. Northeast Ohio Scala Programmers http://www.meetup.com/neoscala/ Follow: @neoscala @relrod6

129. Northeast Ohio Software Quality Assurance Association @NOSQAA http://nosqaa.org/ Follow: @NOSQAA

130. Northeast Ohio Usability Professionals' Association (NEOUPA) http://www.uxpacleveland.org/ Follow: @NEOUPA

131. Ohio Blogging Association - #Cleveland http://www.facebook.com/ohblogging Follow: @OHBlogging @poiseinparma

132. Ohio Mobile Developers (Oh-Mo-Dev) http://www.meetup.com/OhMoDev/ Follow: @Anth0nyRussell @lancewmccarthy

133. Ohio North SQL Server User Group http://www.ohionorthsqlserverug.org/ Follow: @ONSSUG

134. Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) https://www.owasp.org/index.php/Cleveland Follow: @owasp

135. 2015
     OpenNEO http://openneo.org/ Follow: @openneo

136. OSC Tech Lab http://www.meetup.com/Startup-Akron/http://www.osctechlab.com/events.html Follow: @oscTechLab @n_petroski

137. PechaKucha Night Cleveland http://www.pecha-kucha.org/night/cleveland Follow: @PechaKuchaClev @mchristoff

138. PodCamp Cleveland http://www.podcampcleveland.com/ Follow: @PodCmpCleveland

139. Rosetta Tech Talks For now will be on http://www.eventbrite.com/ Follow: @RosettaMktg's #RosettaTechTalks

140. Rustbelt Refresh http://rustbeltrefresh.com/ Follow: @RustbeltRefresh @CWSA @bdielman @bradcolbow @bridgetstewart

141. 2015
     SEA Change http://www.seachangeneo.org/ Follow: @SEAChangeNEO

142. Shaker | LaunchHouse http://www.meetup.com/LaunchHouse/ Follow: @LaunchHouse @DarCaldwell @jrgifford @mimibuildwealth

143. Slideluck Potshow Cleveland http://www.facebook.com/SlideluckPotshowCLE

144. 2015
     Small Business Accelerator Meetup http://www.meetup.com/Small-Business-Accelerator-Meetup/

145. Springboard http://www.springboardenterprises.org/builditbig/cleveland Follow: @SpringboardEnt

146. StartCLE https://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=3688748http://startcle.com/ Follow: @StartCLE @danyoungdxy

147. Stir Trek http://stirtrek.com/ Follow: @stirtrek

148. SunDown RunDown – Akron http://sundownrundown.org/akron.asp Follow: @SDRDorg

149. SYN/HAK, the Akron Hackerspace http://synhak.org/wiki/Main_Pagehttp://www.meetup.com/synhak/ Follow: @SYNHAK @gsvolt

150. Tangent @ DXY www.meetup.com/DXY-Solutions-LLC/https://www.facebook.com/DXYdoes/events

151. Tech Savvy Women https://www.facebook.com/techsavvywomen/eventshttp://www.purposefulwoman.com/businesses/tech-savvy-women/ Follow: @JJDiGeronimo @janecalexander

152. TechLife NEO http://www.meetup.com/TechLifeNEO/ Follow: @bblanquera @consultski

153. TEDxAkron http://tedxakron.com/ Follow: @TEDxAkron

154. TEDxCLE http://www.tedxcle.com/ Follow: @TEDxCLE

155. The City Club http://www.cityclub.org/Programs/Upcoming/tabid/173/Default.aspx Follow: @TheCityClub

156. The Microsoft Store | Beachwood Place Mall http://www.meetup.com/Microsoft-Store-Beachwood-Place-Mall/

157. 2015
     The National Robotics League http://gonrl.org/national-competitions/ Follow: @goNRL

158. Using the Internet to Promote Your Local Business http://www.meetup.com/Using-the-Internet-to-Promote-Your-Local-Business/ Follow: @DustonMcGroarty

159. UX Akron http://www.meetup.com/UX-Akron/ Follow: @carologic

160. UXBookClub Cleveland http://uxbookclub.org/doku.php?id=cleveland Follow: @uxbookclub

161. We Can Code IT (Empowering Girls and Women in Technology) http://wecancodeit.org/home/schedule/ Follow: @WeCanCodeIT @MelKMcGee @ShanaInCle

162. Web Association http://www.webassociation.org/ Follow: @CLEWebAssoc

163. WebSigCleveland.org http://www.WebSigCleveland.org/ Follow: Me! @sos_jr Hashtag: #WebSigCLE

164. WordCamp North Canton http://northcanton.wordcamp.org/ Follow: @NorthCantonWC Hashtag for 2014: #WCNC2014

165. Working Women Connection - Cleveland East Chapter http://www.meetup.com/LaunchHouse/https://www.facebook.com/clevelandeastwwchttp://workingwomenconnection.com/teams/cleveland-east/ Follow: @WorkingWomeNC at @LaunchHouse via @KatieJConnelly

In the rush to get this list out, I know there are probably errors. If there are bad links, please feel free to let me know via Twitter at @sos_jr or in the comments below. Of more importance, if you know of a tech or social media meeting in our community that I should add to my list, please leave a comment below, so all can share in your knowledge.

Thank you to all. I'm looking forward to another year full of great possibilities!

Stuart O. Smith, Jr., M.N.O.
=========================================
Web SIG Cleveland Leader - WebSigCleveland.org
Blogging at: sosAssociates.com
Follow me on: @sos_jr

Enlarge Image

The Mission of Cleveland GiveCamp is to pair creative and technology talent with nonprofits in need.

The tech and design volunteers at Cleveland GiveCamp (@CleGiveCamp) 2015 really "wowed" the nonprofit partners served this year with some incredible projects. The many tweets I embedded in this blog really give a flavor of the weekend. I recommend scanning through them and reading those that pique your interest.

I have been fortunate to be able to attend all six Cleveland GiveCamp weekends! Cleveland GiveCamp is believed to be the largest in the United States. Read on to learn how so many volunteers come together to make a huge difference in our community.

Pre-Cleveland GiveCamp 2015

This is my fifth year of having the honor of serving on the Cleveland GiveCamp Steering Committee. Of all the organizations that I have been associated with, I need to say the Cleveland GiveCamp Steering Committee is the most unique in how the team works together so incredibly seamlessly. The individuals on the team recruit sponsors, volunteers, and nonprofit partners, and organize meals and facilities for the weekend. We don't have a chair that leads us -- we just meet regularly to organize our tasks on Trello.com, so that we reach our annual goals!

Enlarge Image of
2015 Cleveland GiveCamp Steering Committee

See all the Cleveland GiveCamp 2015 Team Photos by Albert Bell (@PhotoAlBell)

2015 Cleveland GiveCamp Steering Committee:

• Nick Barendt (@nickbarendt)
• Matt Beyer (@beyermatthew)
• Andrew Craze (@AndrewCr)
• Jim Gorjup
• Becky Horvath (@beckyhorvath)
• Carolyn Kearney
• Jonathan Knapp (@coffeeandcode)
• Dan Nelson (@TheOneDanNelson)
• Mark Schumann (@MarkWSchumann)
• Stuart O. Smith, Jr. (@sos_jr)
• Jane Winik
• Amy C. Wong (@AmyCWong)
• Ashley Young (@ChefAsh216)

Financial sponsors are key to Cleveland GiveCamp's success in feeding and caring for so many talented volunteers for the weekend. They donated a record amount in 2015, and assisted in promoting the event to the tech community. I am pleased that I have had friends approach me this year about how their tech companies can get involved.

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Thank you to Cleveland GiveCamp 2015 sponsors:

Download PDF of
2015 Cleveland GiveCamp Sponsor Information

If you guys have an opportunity, and you have the skils, please help somebody else. Because GiveCamp really made a huge difference in our world!

On May 28, 2015, I was fortunate to hear Katrina Blatt (@KatrinaBlatt) from Malachi House (@MalachiHouse) present at the 2015 CDPUG (Cleveland Digital Publishing Users Group - @CDPUG) 11th Annual CDPUG Showcase. She shared the important mission of Malachi House, plus discussed how Cleveland GiveCamp made it possible to have a website to convey this mission to the greater community.

Please invite nonprofit leaders to view this video to learn how Cleveland GiveCamp could possibility assist them!

Here are some of my tweets and retweets from before the Cleveland GiveCamp weekend. They will give you an idea of the promotion and online activity that occurred before the event even started.

Day 1: Friday, July 17th, Cleveland GiveCamp 2015

My sons, Kevin and Mike, always come with me early Friday afternoon to help set up.

What a difference it makes this being the sixth year - Cleveland GiveCamp is such a "well-oiled machine" of productive volunteers! When we got there, everything from the set-up of chairs and tables, to the establishment of a temporary kitchen was already done. We had nothing to do!

Please click on this photo to view my Day One photos. There is also a full screen button to open a large slideshow.

If your device does not support Flickr.com photos/videos,
please view them here.

There was a record number of tech and design volunteers this year. Therefore, I served on the Social Media Team with my son, Kevin, instead of on a team building websites for nonprofits. Mike served on the TrueNorth Cultural Arts Team.

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2015 Cleveland GiveCamp Social Media Team

See all the Cleveland GiveCamp 2015 Team Photos by Albert Bell (@PhotoAlBell)

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I also noticed that Cleveland GiveCamp is serving more nonprofits from the Akron area this year. Cleveland GiveCamp has always served nonprofits from all over the Northeast Ohio area. It is great that the word is getting out to neighboring communities beyond Cuyahoga County.

There were also a lot more tents this year than in the past. Volunteers really want to live the Cleveland GiveCamp experience for every minute of the weekend.

Learn more about the day by viewing my tweets/retweets, which include great photos that were shared. Please retweet what you find interesting.

Day 2: Saturday, July 18th, Cleveland GiveCamp 2015

Mike was the main man of the Smiths attending! I am so proud of my son for working from 8:30 am to past 12:00 midnight on the TrueNorth Cultural Arts Team. Every time I looked in on his team, he was busy working with his head down doing coding.

The WordPress theme that his team built used a type of markup that I will need to have Mike teach me, since it was not something I have used before. I really like the design that the TrueNorth Cultural Arts Team created for the new website. I heard in the closing presentations about the new functionality it offers in allowing artists to register online.

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TrueNorth Cultural Arts Team - Cleveland GiveCamp 2015

See all the Cleveland GiveCamp 2015 Team Photos by Albert Bell (@PhotoAlBell)

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I do have to say that when it got dark outside, the team that Mike was on had the coolest office at Cleveland GiveCamp, if not all of Cleveland. They were on the top deck of the LeanDog Software (@LeanDog)/Arras Keathley Agency (@AKACleveland) boat. To be on Lake Erie with view of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (@Rock_Hall) is an incredible workspace.

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As I have mentioned in past years' blogs (see links below), one of the things that I like about Cleveland GiveCamp is its location that supports creativity. In addition to the boat, I like seeing all the airplanes at Burke Lakefront Airport (@BurkeLakefront). Plus, as an added benefit of being at this Cleveland airport, visitors can view all the International Women's Air & Space Museum (@WomenInTheAir) exhibits for free.

Please click on this photo to view all my Day Two photos and videos. There is also a full screen button to open a large slideshow.

If your device does not support Flickr.com photos/videos,
please view them here.

Day two tweets and retweets.

Note in the tweets the resources from the following two newCleveland GiveCamp training sessions that were added in 2015:

• Nonprofit Marketing Session with Jacqueline Lapine (@LapineLive) and Tom Keathley (@ThomasKeathley) of Arras Keathley Agency (@AKACleveland)

• Security Session with Tom Pieragastini. (See Introduction to Web Vulnerabilities slides here.) If you want to learn more about web security, please come to my WebSigCleveland.org meeting on September 19, 2015. I have arranged for a talk on security by Tom Pieragastini, who was the security consultant at Cleveland GiveCamp 2015.

Day 3: Sunday, July 19th, Cleveland GiveCamp 2015 - SUCCESS!

You really had to be there to understand the strong feelings experienced at the closing ceremony. Attendees are tired from a weekend of hard work, and at the same time very energized by the experience!

To get a sense of the closing, I invite you to see the videos posted on GreatLakesGeek.Com (@GreatLakesGeek) by Dan Hanson (@DanHanson) at: Cleveland GiveCamp 2015 19 Non-Profits Helped July 17-19, 2015

Here are the 19 Cleveland GiveCamp 2015 nonprofit partners!

Please click on this photo to view my Day Three photos. There is also a full screen button to open a large slideshow.

If your device does not support Flickr.com photos/videos,
please view them here.

Day three tweets and retweets.

In addition to tweets about the great success of the weekend, you might also find useful the resources shared by Heidi Cool (@hacool) in her WordPress training. We are fortunate to have had Heidi Cool share her knowledge to the nonprofit leaders over the weekend, plus she has spoken publicly at my WebSigCleveland.org meetings and elsewhere.

Take Action for 2016

Take action! Please help Cleveland GiveCamp assist more Cleveland charities in 2016 by doing the following:

• Start checking ClevelandGiveCamp.org in early 2016
• Follow @CleGiveCamp on Twitter and watch the hashtag: #CleGC
• Like Facebook.com/CLEGiveCamp
• Join Cleveland GiveCamp on Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/communities/112138207984280768043
• Establish professional relationships with Cleveland GiveCamp Members on LinkedIn
• Plan on volunteering your time and/or making a donation.
• Help Cleveland charities learn how they can be served by GiveCamp

Since Cleveland is welcoming the 41^st Republican National Convention (@2016CLE - #2016cle) on July 18-21 2016, Cleveland GiveCamp will not be on its normal third Saturday in July next year. Watch for announcements with further details.

Read more about experiences at Cleveland GiveCamp in the following blog posts/articles, and share links to the blogs with others:

• Ask me what I did over the weekend. Really, ask me. - Amy Wong (@AmyCWong), July 28, 2015

• Cleveland GiveCamp 2015 19 Non-Profits Helped July 17-19, 2015 - See videos posted on GreatLakesGeek.Com (@GreatLakesGeek) by Dan Hanson (@DanHanson)

• GiveCamp 2015 - Stacy Harrison (@StacyEHarrison), July 20, 2015

• GiveCamp Crushes Support for Local Non-Profits Again in 2015 - Brad Nellis (@OHTec_Nellis), July 24, 2015

• Through Giving We Ultimately Are Able To Receive - Albert Bell (@PhotoAlBell), July 20, 2015

The more people read and learn about Cleveland GiveCamp, the more the chance of new nonprofits being reached in future years. If you wrote a blog post or article about Cleveland GiveCamp, please let me know by leaving a comment below, or sharing with me on Twitter. I will add it to this list.

I highly recommend seeing the Cleveland GiveCamp Facebook Photo Album:

• Cleveland GiveCamp 2015 Team Photos

• 2015 Day 1 GiveCamp

• Cle GiveCamp 2015 day 2 - misc. photos

• 2015 GiveCamp Day 3

There has been a lot of Twitter activity since the weekend. Here is some I captured for this blog post:

Learn more about Cleveland GiveCamp in my blog posts from past Cleveland GiveCamp weekends:

• Mon Aug 6^th 2012 - Cleveland GiveCamp 2012: Coding for Charity

• Wed Jul 31^st 2013 - Coding For Cleveland Charities: GiveCamp 2013

• Wed Aug 6^th 2014 - Cleveland GiveCamp 2014 - 5^th Year!

See you in 2016!

Biomimicry! What an interesting topic -- as is expected when you attend one of DXY's Tangent events!

Biomimetics or biomimicry is the imitation of the models, systems, and elements of nature for the purpose of solving complex human problems.

Here is the official announcement from DXY about the Tuesday, August 11, 2015, Tangent entitled: The Things We Mimic...

Biomimicry Fellows - University of Akron

Here are our observation of the University of Akron Biomimicry Fellows' talks:

Daphne Fecheyr-Lippens

The meeting kicked off with Daphne Fecheyr-Lippens (@DaFecheyr) sharing a video by Sustainable Human (@SustainableMan) -- How Wolves Change Rivers -- which is an incredible story about the impact of wolves being reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park. It really makes you think! If the introduction of wolves in 1995 (also see this interesting Wikipedia entry) can have such a HUGE effect on the environment in just 20 years, imagine what changes could be made by modifying human behavior!

We recommend you watch this!

NOTE: There are "elk" pictured in this video when the narrator is referring to "deer."
This is because the narrator is British and the British word for "elk"
is "red deer" or "deer" for short. The scientific report this is based on
refers to elk so we wanted to be accurate with the truth of the story.

Daphne Fecheyr-Lippens did a great job of relating the video to the principles of biomimetics. By studying nature, we can learn how to make products that benefit humankind that are more efficient.

Next, we examined abalone shells that were passed around the room. Daphne noted that while they are made from the same material as sidewalk chalk, which is brittle and crumbles when struck, the abalone shells are strong enough to potentially deflect a bullet. What makes the abalone shell so impervious to attack?

Centuries of evolution of the abalone has created a material where protein and other organic materials are added to calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) to make a very strong shell. The challenge is for researchers to use the principles of biomimetics to unlock the secrets of this material, and find real world uses that benefit humans.

To learn more, see the New York Times (@nytimes) article we found, Material as Tough as Steel? The Abalone Fits the Bill

We also found this YouTube video, Mollusc shells take a beating without shattering, from a New Scientist (@NewScientist) article entitled Battle-hardened oyster may help toughen combat shields, which shows how the nanoscale structure of shells makes the calcite structure strong.

Emily Kennedy

The archerfish's ability to shoot water droplets with deadly force is remarkable. An archerfish can bring down insects and other prey up to three meters (9.84 feet) above the water's surface.

Here is a video we found that demonstrates this unique abilty:

Emily Kennedy shared this information about the ability of the archerfish, and then challenged the attendees at DXY's Tangent to think about a practical use for the process of creating this powerful stream of fluid. Perhaps, by applying the mechanics that have evolved in this fish over generations, a useful product can be developed that uses less electricity to move fluids -- an energy-efficient dispensing method based on nature!

Bor-Kai (Bill) Hsiung

The presentation about biomimicry wrapped up with the attention-grabbing activities of passing around spiders (they were dead and in glass vials), and shining lights on some really cool shoes.

Bor-Kai (Bill) Hsiung's (@bkHsiung) biomimicry fellowship is sponsored by Sherwin-Williams (@SherwinWilliams). He is interested in eco-friendly technology for creating color. He shared with us that the color blue used in much of our clothing is manufactured using a process that can generate a lot of pollution and waste. He asks if there is a better way of producing color -- a way that uses systems of nature.

If you are arachnophobic, you would not have enjoyed this part of the meeting. Bill provided a tarantula and other spiders in vials, and invited us to use our iPhone lights to illuminate them. Under normal lighting, they were just plain, dead spiders, but with the focused light bouncing directly back, bright colors were seen on the spiders.

Here is a video we found that shows the effect. Also, be sure to see the videos that Bill sent Stuart in the blog posts and tweets below.

Bill then brought our attention to his normal black shoes, and asked a person behind me to shine his iPhone light directly at the shoes. "Wow, that's amazing," we heard the person say, but all we saw were the black shoes. Then Stuart shined his iPhone light and we watched the shoes glow with iridescent colors. The effect only works when a person is in direct line with the light bouncing back.

Here is a video that Bill sent us via twitter after the meeting of the Adidas black Xeno shoe. Believe us, that the Introducing XENO video does not demonstrate the full effect. It is much more impressive in person.

To learn more, see some of Bor-Kai (Bill) Hsiung's research papers on ResearchGate website here.

GLBio - Innovation through Biomimicry!

Wow! We know that "wow" might be an overused word, but it does fit when describing what GLBio (@GLBiomimicry) is achieving in Northeast Ohio.

GLBio consists of a collaboration of Northeast Ohio organizations and individuals focused on developing a place-based, living learning ecosystem based on biomimicry. Currently, over 100 individuals from all elements of the NEO community are involved in this collaborative effort ranging from business, educational, medical and public and philanthropic sectors. Collectively these groups are engaged in working to determine what structures and processes are needed to establish Northeast Ohio as the world’s preeminent biomimicry lens capital. Additionally, these groups are exploring means to leverage local assets for economic advantage.

We learned from GLBio's director of outreach, Carol Thaler, that they are the only educationally driven economic development biomimicry program in the world. Some similar work is being done in the country of South Africa, and in the Netherlands, but nowhere else in the world is there a program like the one here in our community.

Carol announced the names of some of the foundation supporters of GLBio: The Cleveland Foundation (@CleveFoundation), GAR Foundation (@GARFoundation), and Nord Family Foundation. Stuart associates these foundations as leaders in promoting quality educational programs.

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(Courtesy of Biomimicry Fellows Presentation)

There are many local Northeast Ohio companies that partner with GLBio. Rather than provide an outdated list -- since we are sure that more will be added in the new academic year -- we invite you to visit the GLBio website for their list of partners and sponsors.

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(Courtesy of Biomimicry Fellows Presentation)

In addition to learning of the work of GLBio (@GLBiomimicry) on their website, be sure to hear directly from the Biomimicry Fellows from the University of Akron (@Uakron) on their Germinature blog.

Welcome to Germinature! This blog is co-authored by Biomimicry Fellows being trained in a five year Integrated Bioscience PhD Program at the University of Akron (UA). The Biomimicry Fellowship program launched in August 2012. The purpose of this blog is to share our educational experience and draw readers into the fascinating world of biomimicry. We encourage you to comment regularly, raise questions, and ignite discussions!

Bor-Kai (Bill) Hsiung (@bkHsiung) was kind enough to send Stuart a direct message on Twitter recommending these two Germinature blog posts that expand on his presentation:

• Future Computational Technologies and Biomimicry - September 15, 2014

• A popular science YouTube channel worth subscribing to - September 16, 2015

To learn about a real world biomimetics case study, see Daphne Fecheyr-Lippens' TEDxCLE 2015 Talk (@TEDxCLE):

We also want to thank Chuck Soder (@ChuckSoder), the technology reporter for Crain's Cleveland Business (@CrainsCleveland), for sending Stuart a direct message on Twitter with links to two articles about GLBio (@GLBiomimicry).

The first article, from 2013, gives great insight into the early work of GLBio founder Thomas N. Tyrrell to make biomimicry become part of Northeast Ohio's culture. The second article presents some current Northeast Ohio projects that use processes learned from nature.

Here are the links so you can learn more:

• Local group promotes nature as perfect model for innovation - -
  Great Lakes Biomimicry pushes companies and schools to embrace ideas inspired by plants, animals
  - By Chuck Soder (@ChuckSoder), Crain's Cleveland Business (@CrainsCleveland), July 21, 2013, UPDATED 7/19/2013

• Companies search the seas for ways to protect water - -
  Northeast Ohio businesses are learning a lot from biomimicry
  - By Chuck Soder (@ChuckSoder), Crain's Cleveland Business (@CrainsCleveland), February 22, 2015, UPDATED 2/23/2015

#DXYtangent

We are very grateful to DXY for organizing this and other Tangent events, so that we can learn about the unique resources in our backyard. There is so much happening in Northeast Ohio!

Daniel Nelson (@TheOneDanNelson) emceed the evening, and stated that the purpose of Tangent is to go beyond DXY's creative work to showcase others' innovative endeavors.

We thought it would be interesting for you to view a list of past #DXYtangent event topics. We grabbed these listings mostly from DXY's Facebook events, plus we have added Twitter names and links to encourage you to learn more about these interesting northeast Ohio resources:

For future Tangents, follow DXY's events on Facebook,MeetUp, and Eventbrite, and watch for Twitter announcements: @DXYdoes

A BIG thank-you to Dan Young (@DanYoungDXY), CEO of DXY, for making these Tangent events happen. They are a great asset to our community.

Tweets and Retweets

Here are some of the tweets and retweets that relate to this DXY Tangent event on biomimicry. Please share with others by retweeting items of interest.

It was fascinating to meet and learn about the Flashstarts 2015 Accelerator Class at the Flashstarts' Demo Day, Wednesday, August 19, 2015 at House of Blues Cleveland (@HOBCleveland). I find it very enjoyable to engage in conversation with such creative Cleveland entrepreneurs.

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I highly recommend you open the PDF file I created from the Flashstarts 2015 Accelerator Class web page while reading my blog. The PDF file gives background information on the 11 startups, including company descriptions, founders' names, and important links to resources. Also, be sure to see the tweets at the bottom of this blog post, since they share links to interesting resources and photos from the evening.

Click image to view PDF in new window

Click image to view PDF in new window

Believe me, it is best to attend Flashstarts' Demo Day in person -- you learn much more by asking direct questions to the startups' representatives. For those of you who were unable to attend, I was told that videos from Flashstarts demo day may be provided in the future. I recommend you watch them if they become available.

At the time of this writing, there are already video interviews of six of the 2015 Accelerator Class founders on the Flashstarts YouTube Channel,

If you need more information, I recommend contacting Flashstarts at:

• Email: info@flashstarts.com
• Phone: (216) 220-0200
• Online contact info
• Be sure to follow @Flashstarts and their leaders for updates and announcements
  • Co-Founder & CFO/COO Jennifer Neundorfer (@jkk)
  • Co-Founder & CEO Charles Stack (@cstack) 
     
  • Executive Vice President Shannon Lyons (@ShannonILyons@ShannonCBDO)
  • Director of Resource Development & Intern Experiences Jodi Marchewitz (@JMarchewitz)
  • Director of Public Relations Grace Moenich (@GraceMoenich)
  • Program Manager Taylor Zorman (@TaylorZorman)

Here are all my photos from the evening:

If your device does not support Flickr.com photos/videos,
please view them here.

Flashstarts 2015 Accelerator Class

Brilliency

I did not have time to get to talk to the staff at the Brilliency (@Brilliency) demo booth during Flashstarts' Demo Day, so I can't add any more information beyond that provided by Flashstarts (see the PDF file I created from their website). I can say that even before coming to the event, I was intrigued by the idea of using the gamification of energy usage to increase efficiency. I believe that if done right, this type of human behavior modification, with positive reinforcements, holds great promise.

I found this video on YouTube about Brilliency:

Founder on Twiitter: Laura E. Steinbrink (@BRILLIENCYlaura)

Colign

Before the pitch section of the Flashstarts' Demo event, the first booth I visited that evening was for Colign (@Colign).

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I learned that with the massive amount of intellectual property data available, there needs to be a method to organize the information. Colign organizes the information so that it can be used by researchers to streamline the research process.

I did not see a demonstration of Colign's product, but find the idea on their website of providing an "interactive visual database" interesting. I look forward to learning more as they provide information on their website as they launch their product.

Founder on Twitter: Kevin DeFranco (@Kevin_DeFranco)

Free-D

If you do a search of my past sosAssociates blog posts, you will find many mentions of 3D printers (including blogs about: TechCentral,TechCentral opening,IngenuityFest,SYN/HAK,Maker Faire,TechPint, and more). This is because 3D printers are a great way to prototype devices, and the tech organizations and entrepreneurs I write about use them to be creative.

Imagine that you have an idea and have designed a prototype, but don't have access to a 3D printer. Would you know of the best place to print your design in 3D with the right level of quality, and to have it delivered when you needed it?

Free-D's plan is to provide a solution to this dilemma. By acting as a central clearinghouse and expert advisor for 3D printer resources across the country, Free-D (@FreeDPrint) is the B2B match service that provides the solution.

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Founder on Twitter: Spencer Nichol (@SNicol6)

Gemma

Before I talked to the representatives from Gemma (@Gemma_App), I had a misconception of what their service included. I thought they provided a resource for finding musical apps.

After talking to them, I learned that they are developing a service that will make it easy to develop apps that utilize music and sound. In addition to the strength of their product in providing a powerful and easy-to-use sound engine interface, it outputs the apps in multiple formats for different devices.

Create, share, & find music making mobile device apps w/ @Gemma_Apphttp://t.co/A1ZFHkMcyw via @Flashstarts#FSDDaypic.twitter.com/0y3idpJ24X

— Stuart O. Smith, Jr. (@sos_jr) August 19, 2015

Here is the description Gemma provides on the iTunes store:

Gemma - The Growing Music Making App
Gemma turns your iOS devices into a growing collection of music making apps that you can use simultaneously to create music at ease.

“The interface is super easy. Just touch the screen and it creates sounds. The graphics are super cool.” -7 Beck-

The app offers the ultimate collection of musical apps all right in your mobile device. Each of these musical apps are called Gems. New Gems are constantly being developed and added to the Gem Store. You can experiment with powerful touch instruments such as synthesizers, drum pads, ambient sound generators, sequencers, and samplers. There will be all kinds of Gems for all kinds of users. You can combine these freely to produce your own songs in the Ensemble mode – even if you’ve never played music before. Create music with your mobile device wherever you go.

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inTouch

The inTouch (@appinTouch) booth was the second one I visited.

The inTouch representative presented me with the scenario of walking down Cleveland's East 4th Street (@e4thst), and as I walk by the restaurants and stores, my iPhone would let me know of products and potential specials that would match my personal interests.

inTouch uses Bluetooth^® technology to benefit the consumer by sending useful multimedia content while in the proximity of the store or restaurant, providing information just at the time the visitor would want it.

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The advantages to the businesses that use inTouch would be multiple:

• First, to engage the potential visitor while in the proximity of the store to entice them to enter to purchase a product in which they are interested.

• inTouch provides a user-friendly interface for creating survey forms, multimedia content, and photos/text content for distribution on the inTouch app. This makes it easy to update and keep the content current and engaging to customers. inTouch handles the back-end of the content management system and updates/improvements to the interface.

• Bluetooth^® beacons track consumers as they proceed through a store, thus giving feedback to owners on how effectively displays are arranged.

• inTouch will be able to provide email addresses and other demographics about consumers who visit, making it possible to contact consumers for follow-up email campaigns.

• Businesses pay a monthly fee based on how many Bluetooth^® beacons they use, so costs are predictable.

When meeting the inTouch representative, I did express concern that consumers might not embrace the idea of being tracked and sharing their personal information unless the benefit to the consumer was very high (i.e., special promotional benefits to the consumer). The representative said the entry point was low, with the consumer only providing name and email. I challenged the inTouch representative to offer users an option to use inTouch anonymously at first, so people would learn about its benefits, and be willing to give personal information to enroll later.

Founder on Twitter: Jesse Kracht (@RealtorJesseK)

Schedulytics

The Schedulytics booth was so active with interested people at Flashstarts' Demo Day, that I did not have an opportunity to talk to their representative. I did talk to the spouse of the founder, who shared with me that she had toured the new StartMart -- Cleveland's new entrepreneurship hub. From what she told me, the StartMart (@StartMartUS) grand opening on September 8, 2015, is a must-attend event.

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From the the Schedulytics Flashstarts' Demo Day presentation, I did learn of the cost savings that could be accomplished through better scheduling of anesthesiologists' time in operating rooms.

Science United

I enjoyed talking to the representatives of Science United (@sciunite). They projected their excitement about how their product will revolutionize placement services for highly skilled scientists -- primarily in the biomedical field. I like their tagline: "Matching High-Performing Scientists with High-Powered Careers"

At first, I thought the strength of their service was just the career database matching. As I talked to them, I learned that this is just the starting point from which they go much further. They have peer reviewers -- experts in their own respective fields -- do personal screening interviews before a scientists is added to the system. It sounded like a well-planned system to lead to placement success that would save clients' time.

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Triple Analytics

When I first heard Cal Al-Dhubaib (@CalDhubaib) on stage at the House of Blues Cleveland (@HOBCleveland), I said this business pitch sounds familiar, but with a different emphasis. I was so pleased to talk to Cal at the Triple Analytics booth to learn more.

I had originally learned from Cal about his work developing Triple Analytics (@TripleInc - note the old Twitter name was @TripleLLC) at the Wednesday, February 11, 2015, LaunchHouse (@LaunchHouse) event. (Read about all the participating entrepreneurs in my LaunchHouse Accelerator Expo (LHXPO) 2015 blog post.)

Here is what I wrote back in February about Triple Analytics:

Triple Analytics

In today's connected world, you would think your doctor would already have instant access to the analytics that would help determine your treatment. What I learned from the Triple Analytics (@TripleLLC) staff is that they often do not. Triple Analytics is a physician- and patient-focused solution for today's medical environment. Triple Analytics pulls together the analytics needed to make better medical decisions, plus also provides the patient with useful medical information in layman's terms. The "Triple" part of Triple Analytics' name represents the triad of good medicine: doctor, institution (hospital), patient. Triple Analytics' goal is to use analytics in a user-friendly way to help improve patient care and save medical costs.

Talking to Cal at the Flashstarts' Demo Day, I learned that the focus has evolved since February. Now, the emphasis is on assisting insurance companies working with providers to lower costs. The display at the booth said "Aligning Provider and Payers with evidence-based ePA." I learned from Cal that for people "in the know" in his field: ePA = electronic prior authorization

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Triple Analytics is on a mission to align healthcare payers and provider with evidence based prior authorizations.

We envision a world where providers are empowered to spend more time delivering better, cost effective care, and less time on administrative tasks.

The analytics gathered by Triple Analytics make this evidence-based ePA possible. I look forward to learning more about Triple Analytics' success.

Founder on Twitter: Cal Al-Dhubaib (@caldhubaib)

Virtual Compass

Years ago, I explored hiring a company to build a virtual tour. Thus, I was intrigued when I heard that Virtual Compass (@VirtualCompass) had developed an easy-to-administer virtual tour targeting colleges. Since the product I looked at was using technology and the web of ten years ago, I wondered what they could develop using today's technological resources.

From their Flashstarts' Demo Day talk, I learned that what made Virtual Compass' product unique was the ease at which content could be personalized. Virtual Compass provides the opportunity for a non-technical staff person at a college or university to easily update tour content and create new tour resources. Their VirtualCompass.com website also states competitive pricing as a strong selling point.

Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to talk to Virtual Compass founders to learn more, but I did find this demo video on their blog: Here's a Quick Demo

We Can Code IT

I was very familiar with We Can Code IT (@WeCanCodeIT) before the Flashstarts' Demo Day, but I was excited to learn about some new developments that evening.

I have listed We Can Code IT as a Cleveland tech resource for empowering girls and women in technology in my Blogiversary: Three blog post. They are mentioned in tweets in my 2014 blog posts about Cleveland's Ingenuityfest and Maker Faire, since they had major demonstration areas at both those great technology events.

Then, this past spring, via We Can Code IT twitter feed at @WeCanCodeIT and their website, I learned of their new boot camps targeting women, African-Americans, and Hispanic Americans.

Technology can be a great equalizer, with women, African Americans, and Hispanic Americans earning approximately 29% more than their non-STEM counterparts. There are very low unemployment rates in Computer Science fields, and the industry continues to grow at astronomical rates, employing the majority of all STEM workers.

I learned about more new developments during the demo evening. Talking first to Outreach Director Shana Mysko (@ShanaInCle), I learned that they are expanding their boot camp to the new Cleveland Smartmart (@StartMartUS) which will be opening September 8, 2015. This is very exciting news! Later, talking to Founder & CEO Mel McGee(@MelKMcGee), I learned how they will not only be opening the new Smartmart site, but also continuing their boot camp at LaunchHouse (@LaunchHouse). She also let me know about some other potential developments -- the future is bright!

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To learn about the recent developments at We Can Code IT, I recommend you read this article by Chuck Soder@ChuckSoder, the technology writer for Crains Cleveland Business(@CrainsCleveland):

• Bootcamp hopes to diversify tech industry
  We Can Code IT aims to train female and minority coders
  - August 16, 2015 UPDATED 8/16/2015

On a personal note, I want to thank Mel for her interest in the career of a member of my Web Development Team. Mel represents what I consistently see in leaders in the Cleveland and Akron tech communities -- people interested in sharing their knowledge, so our whole community benefits! (Please take a moment to see my "Call For Action" suggestions in my blog post that lists local tech leaders.)

Founders on Twitter: Melanie McGee (@MelKMcGee), Shana Mysko (@ShanaInCle), Lauren Holloway (@LaurenMHolloway)

Windrush

The Windrush (@GetWindrush) booth was the last one I visited during Flashstarts' Demo Day. In the short time I talked to their founders, I know I'm definitely interested in learning more.

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Imagine you have a white paper that is full of a lot of relevant data to support the mission of your nonprofit. Traditionally, you would present the data on paper or a PDF file, knowing research indicates that people don't comprehend data when presented in this format.

What Windrush is offering is a better way -- a web development engine that will easily take data and present it in a vibrant visual presentation.

The Windrush representatives told me that the data-driven content would be "interactive," and I challenged them to explain. They explained that Windrush allows visitors to the presentation to not only see the data provided, but to manipulate data to experiment with different scenarios.

Here is a Windrush demo video from their website:

Founders on Twitter: Mark Morrison (@MarkWindrush), Riley Alsman (@RileyWindrush), Max Walker (@ReluctantHipstr)

Invest in Flashstarts

You can learn more about Flashstarts 2015 Investment Fund on their investor portal at: Invest.Flashstarts.com

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Also announced at the Flashstarts' Demo Day was an opportunity to support the new Cleveland StartMart (@StartMartUS) at: http://bit.ly/StartMartKS

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Here is the video from the StartMart - Rebuilding Cleveland One Startup at a Time from Kickstarter:

Julie and I will be attending the Tuesday, September 8, 2015, StartMart grand opening, where we will learn even more. Here is some information from the StartMart (@StartMartUS) website:

The Cleveland StartMart is a dynamic entrepreneurship hub connecting startups to critical resources.

Now just a concept, the StartMart vision is to transform Suite #200 of Terminal Tower into a startup hub, similar to Cincinnati’s Cintrifuse or Boston’s ID Building. This hub will house our city’s existing startup assets and new resources such as “StartPods”. It will create an atmosphere where startups are empowered to test, iterate, fail and scale. The creation, growth, and demise of all types of businesses are occurring at an ever-increasing pace. The opportunity to leverage these trends for wealth generation, job creation, and economic development has never been greater. Help make StartMart a reality by declaring your support and taking action. Continue reading below to learn more about the benefits of StartMart.

#FSDDay Tweets

Tweets include both my @sos_jr tweets/retweets, but also a few others from the event. Be sure to read to learn more about the eleven startups featured, and also see photos from the event.

Please retweet those that you find interesting. Retweeting is one way to help spead the message of entrepreneur growth in Cleveland.

Related Blog Posts:

Here are some related blog posts they you might find interesting:

• 2014 Northeast Ohio Entrepreneur Expo

• TechPint Entrepreneur Events:

  • TechPint Cleveland III

  • TechPint Akron II

  • TechPint Cleveland V: Winter Jam

• LaunchHouse Entrepreneur Events:

  • Cleveland Entrepreneurship Week 2013

  • LaunchHouse Accelerator Expo (LHXPO) 2015

• Tech panel where I met Jennifer Neundorfer (@jkk), COO/CFO, Flashstarts (@Flashstarts):
  Cleveland Amplify Panel & Tech Town Hall

• Economic Growth in Cleveland

It is an exciting time for Cleveland and Akron!

September 19, 2015 -- what a day!

I am a person who likes to attend a lot of events, but this day was unusual even for me! I got up at 6:00 a.m. to prepare for the day, and did not get home until late at night.

The reason for sharing my day with you, the reader, is twofold:

• I learned about a lot of interesting things.

• I want to thank everyone that made the day's events a grand success. Most of the people involved are donating their time to make our community better.

Here is how I spent my day:

• WebSigCleveland.org Meeting - Introduction to Web Application Vulnerability
  (#WebSigCLE)

• Akron-Summit County Public Library - Akron Mini Maker Faire
  (@AkronLibrary's #MakerFaireAkron - MakerFaireAkron.com)

• Launch League - SpaceWalk 2015 Reception
  (@LaunchLeague's #SpaceWalk2015 - LaunchLeague.org)

Web Application Vulnerability

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I want to give a big thank-you to Tom Pieragastini for sharing his knowledge about web security issues. If you are in the Greater Cleveland area, Tom recommends attending CleveSec (@CleveSec - Meetup.com/CleveSec) meetings, where local security experts gather to share the latest in this evolving field.

Learn more from the following tweets which relate to the meeting.