ChicagoRuby RSS Feed

Thank You Lukass Franklin

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 18:13:03 GMT

The Other Embedded Ruby
A strong “thank you” to Lukass Franklin for taking our group through The Other Embedded Ruby on Saturday, 3/20/2010. You can download a PDF of his talk at Lumatila.com.

Lightning Talks on April 6th
If you have something to say about Ruby and you can say it in five minutes or less, come on out for a round of lightning talks on Tue, April 6, 2010. Visit Meetup.com to RSVP. See you then!

Lightning Talks: Tue, April 6, 2010

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:48:31 GMT

What are you doing? Specifically, what are you doing with Ruby? If you’re ready to talk about it, then come on out and do a Lightning Talk!

Our 4/6/2010 meeting will feature a series of quick 5-minute presentations on Ruby, Rails, and related technologies. If you’d like to be on the agenda, send an email to organizers [at] chicagoruby [dot] org. Give us a title and a short description, and your name will be in lights!

Be sure to RSVP. The building security team requires it. See you there!

WindyCityDB: NoSQL Databases - June 26, 2010

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:25:40 GMT

ChicagoRuby will host the first WindyCityDB conference on Saturday, June 26, 2010 at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Are you a developer with strong opinions? Then submit a presentation proposal. Presentations and discussions on any of the following will be considered for WindyCityDB:

NoSQL databases (even thought some people hate the term ‘NoSQL’) including MongoDB, CouchDB, Redis, and Tokyo Cabinet.
Comparisons between NoSQL & relational databases.
Other related topics.

One goal of WindyCityDB is to answer this question: What is a NoSQL database, and why should I consider one for my next project?

Note that WindyCityDB goes far beyond Ruby. WindyCityDB is relevant to projects written in Python, Java, Scala, C++, Erlang… any project that needs persistent storage.

A frank exchange of ideas (especially on tech subjects) can lead to heated discussions. However, rumors of a steel cage knife fight are greatly exaggerated :-)

Day of Mobile: Sat, March 6, 2010

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:49:30 GMT

Tech in the Middle is organizing Day of Mobile, an all day event for mobile developers and enthusiasts that will take place at IIT on Saturday, March 6, 2010. Speakers include leaders in mobile development like Jay Freeman and David Whatley, along with Robert C. “Uncle Bob” Martin of Object Mentor.

Discount Code
The Day of Mobile organizers are offering a $10.00 discount code to members of ChicagoRuby. Check the @ChicagoRuby Twitter feed for the code, and enjoy the Day of Mobile!

MongoDB: Great Turnout, Great Presentation

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 14:35:35 GMT

Seventy-six Rubyists turned out for the MongoDB presentation last Tuesday. Thank you Kyle Banker for sharing your experience with our group. For those who want more info, check out the video, slides, and photos from the meeting.

Ready for more MongoDB?

Check out our Hack Night on Thursday, February 11, 2010. Be sure to RSVP to secure your spot.
If you’re in the Boston area, you might want to attend NoSQL Live on March 11, 2010.

Funding & Space for Your Startup. No Strings Attached.

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:14:49 GMT

ScaleWell is offering small chunks of capital to Chicago-area startups. Recipients of the grant receive $1,000, two months of co-working space at OfficePort CHI in Chicago’s Loop district, and mentorship from experienced local entrepreneurs. Visit http://scalewell.com for details.

Thanks Gabe, Tom, Justin, and Sam

Sat, 16 Jan 2010 14:39:49 GMT

Thanks Gabe Saravia
Thank you Gabe Saravia for starting us off with acts_as_commentable at the Jan16th meeting. Thanks also to Tom Krush, Justin Love, and Sam McIngvale for your assistance with GitHub. You can watch the work unfold at the ChicagoRuby GitHub Repo, and you’re welcome to clone & contribute.

Gabe plans to lead another hack session in the next few weeks. We’ll announce date, time, and location here and on Twitter.

Note the 10:30am Saturday Start Time
The 10:30am start time worked well at our Jan16th meeting, so we experimenting with that slot once again at our Feb 20th meeting. Members who attended our first 10:30am meeting enjoyed the new time, and we might make the change permanent. Express your opinion through our contact form. Feedback welcome and encouraged.

Preparing for Saturday 16Jan2010

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 11:19:05 GMT

Hacking on acts_as_commentable
Come on out on Saturday, Jan 16, 2010 at 10:30am to hack on acts_as_commentable. Our presenter, Gabe Saravia, has invested a great deal of time & effort in preparation for Saturday’s session. Gabe has created a presentation syllabus for those who want a head start.

Time Change: 10:30am
Please note that we’re meeting at 10:30am instead of our normal time. You can drop by Meetup to RSVP and to get location info. See you Saturday!

Thanks Dave Hoover and Monty Ksycki

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:51:16 GMT

Therapy and Software
Dave Hoover took us through Mad Mimi at our December downtown meeting. It was very interesting to hear how Dave’s background in family therapy came in handy during the project. Thanks Dave for sharing your experiences with the group!

Powerful Photos
Monty Ksycki has a great photographic eye. He captures facial expressions in an amazing way. Check out Monty’s photos from ChicagoRuby, WindyCityRails, and other open source events on Picasa.

Pairing & Sharing in Elmhurst
Bring your laptop for an informal learning session on December 19th. The meeting will give everyone an informal opportunity to share tools and pair on projects of their choice. If you’re new to rails, find out what gems and tools you need to install to be most productive. If you’re a Rails veteran, trade tips & tricks with other veterans. If you’re an entrepreneur, meet some Rails developers that you can brainstorm with. And by the way… bring your laptop!

Separate note: For a great guide on getting Rails up running on Mac OS X, visit HiveLogic.

Drop by Meetup.com for location info and to RSVP.

Growing Mad Mimi: Sharing Disruptive Techniques

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:27:55 GMT

First: Thanks Gabe Saravia
Gabe Saravia shared his plugin creation experience at our Nov 21st meeting. Gabe loves Rails but he doesn’t love writing Rails migrations. His plugin, Has-In-Model-Attributes, automates the process. Thank you Gabe!

Coming December 1st: Growing Mad Mimi
Gary Levitt (of Mad Mimi) contacted Dave Hoover (of Obtiva) in early 2007 about building an email marketing web site in Ruby on Rails. In subsequent months and years, Gary and Dave collaborated almost daily in order to improve, scale, fix, and market Mad Mimi into one of the leading email marketing sites on the web.

At our December 1st meeting, Dave will share his biggest lessons from this project. Most of the lessons are not technical, though Ruby and Rails certainly facilitated them. Read More