We've put together another Tacoma tech event coming up next month–"Side Project Demo Night!" Here's a chance for techies to show off their "work that's not their work"–their side projects that keep them up late programming. Whether its a twitter app, a Firefox plugin, an iPhone game, or the next Google, these kinds of projects usually start out "on the side." I know of at least five presenters so far. If you're interested in presenting or in just coming to see what Tacoma's working on, please send me an email to get on the RSVP list! Basic info: Thursday, October 22, Read more…

There's an interesting discussion on Exit133 about the status of Tacoma's "entrepreneurial ecosystem." Mainly: do we have one? Principally, do we have a technological entrepreneurial ecosystem? Considering that two companies have recently announced their departure–first Russell then a small tech start-up called Blue Box Group–this is a particularly relevant question. What do we have in Tacoma right now? My knee-jerk response is, yes there is an entrepreneurial ecosystem in Tacoma. Thanks to my work on the Steering Committee of the South Sound Technology Conference and putting together some tech-related events, I've met some of those budding entrepreneurs. But they aren't Read more…

Keynoting at the event will be Richard Purcell, CEO of the Corporate Privacy Group. Purcell ranks among the original Chief Privacy Officers in the United States. He created the position at Microsoft in the late 90s, becoming a leading voice in addressing consumer privacy and data protection, domestically and internationally. From the Tacoma Tech Connect blog I’m on the Steering Committee for the conference, which will have a focus on data security and protection, an area in which Tacoma actually has a good cluster of businesses. The conference is coming up November 21 at UWT! Sign up for updates at http://www.sstconference.org