Fernanda Viégas and Martin Wattenberg (“fm” as the two data viz specialists are known to call themselves) demoed their newest venture into the journalism space at the Boston chapters first event Meetup on July 20.
In front of a crowd of between 40 and 50 at the Microsoft N.E.R.D Center (Microsoft’s status jumped in our eyes for that name alone), Fernanda and Martin showed TimeFlow, a new open source project for displaying large data sets on a time line, targeted at helping investigative journalists sift through information.
The Boston chapter is having its first speaker Meetup at the Microsoft NERD Center, 1 Memorial Drive, on Tuesday, July 20, organized by Matt Carroll et al. Munchies are sponsored by Microsoft and The Boston Globe/Boston.com.
Interested in learning more about the cutting-edge world of data visualization? Want to know how to turn lifeless data into game-changing charts, maps, and visuals? Martin Wattenberg and Fernanda Viégas, world-recognized leaders in data visualization, will be the main speakers.
Hacks/Hackers goes to the heartland with its new Chicago chapter. This will be spearheaded by Rich Gordon, a Northwestern prof who is one of the original founders of Hacks/Hackers, and Tracy Schmidt of ChicagoNow.
We have high expectations for our Chicago chapter with Tracy’s organizing prowess and Rich’s Northwestern connections.
We’re still looking for organizers for other chapters: Austin? Seattle? DC? Email burt@hackshackers.com if you’re eager.
Hacks/Hackers and The Poynter Institute are offering one full scholarship (a $795 value!) to attend the institute’s three-day seminar in St. Petersburg, Florida: Programming for Journalists / Journalism for Programmers (More info at http://hckhc.kr/doUlhi). The seminar takes place from August 25-27, 2010. Faculty includes Hacks/Hackers co-founder Aron Pilhofer of The New York Times; Matt Waite, who designed the Pulitzer Prize-winning Politifact at the St. Petersburg Times; and other industry leaders. It’s designed to help hacks and hackers better understand each other ‘s thinking through hands-on training.
Daylife offered Hacks/Hackers members a challenge: crerate an application with the Daylife API that one of their publishing clients wants to buy, and you will get to keep 70% of the revenue.
The Meetup at Meetup now has a waiting list, but don’t despair. We have a bonus Meetup this month (before August) in a gorgeous penthouse space!!
What: Behind the 10K+ photos in The New York Times’ Moment in Time Project
When: Tuesday, July 27, 2010 7:00 PM
Price: $5.00 per person (no planned refreshments)
Where: Open Plans Penthouse
148 Lafayette St. 12th Fl.
New York, NY 10013
212.796.4220
Come behind the scenes in The New York Times “Moment in Time” project, which generated 14,000 photo submissions from around the world chronicling an instant on May 2, 2010.
Our crowdsourced Hacks/Hackers Survival Glossary Version 1.0 debuted on the Poynter website. Thanks to everyone who helped: Jennifer 8. Lee Burt Herman, Robin Smail, David Cohn, Michelle Minkoff, Michael Donohoe, Greg Linch, John Keefe, Philip Neustrom, Chris Amico, Ashley Marty, Morgan Sully, Shmuel Ross, Paul Henrich, Dave Goodchild, Michele McLellan, and Jessica Chapel.
Hacks/Hackers is teaming up with Mozilla, the open-source-oriented nonprofit, to creating a course through Peer-to-Peer University, with the aim of collective eduction: the hackers teaching the journos, and vice versa.
The idea won a $1,000 seed prize at MIT’s Future of News and Civic Media conference in June. That contest gave the $2,000 seed money for Hacks/Hackers in 2009.
The class will be a six-week commitment, with one hour a week of lectures and one project.
We’ve scheduled our next New York City Meetup (more in the works!) at Meetup’s HQ.
Scott Heiferman, the chief executive of Meetup, will not crush an iPad with a sledgehammer for us, but he will give a talk on his vision of news and information: Why the future of social media isn’t media. How journalism and media will shape the 21st century by catalyzing community like never before.
Plus we’re looking for three or four short (~5 minutes) demos.
In conjunction with the Future of News and Civic Media Conference at MIT, Hacks/Hackers Boston is going to have an inaugural impromptu Meetup on Thursday, June 17 at 8 p.m. The place TBD, but probably in Cambridge near MIT. We’re looking for Boston folks to become lead organizers.
Out-of-town Hacks/Hackers, including Burt Herman and Jennifer 8. Lee will be there.