Hacks/Hackers Austin kicked off the first meeting of 2011 with an Intro to Django session, presented by Jon Loyens, Director of Bazaarvoice Labs. Loyens did a short presentation on Django as a Python-based Web framework, and then moved into a live demo. You enjoy photos and video of the session below. More photos available on the Meetup.com page. Once again, there was a good crowd, this time at the offices of the Texas Tribune.
Come learn about Google’s cool new tool: Ngram at the next Hacks/Hackers Boston Meetup on Wednesday, February 9, 2011 7 p.m. at Google’s Cambridge offices at 5 Cambridge Center, 3rd floor in Kendall Square (news when it opened!) The Google Books Ngram Viewer lets people track how phrases in books have waxed and waned throughout the centuries. Building on top of the 15 million books that libraries and publishers have given to Google for scanning, it provides a simple and quick visual interface for illustrating trends in usage.
Much to the enjoyment of the map junkies of the group, Hacks/Hackers NYC welcomed Michal Migurski, partner and resident cartography guru of interactive agency Stamen Design, to the Jan. 11 meetup. He showcased two of his “civic-oriented” projects, Oakland Crimespotting and This Tract, each aiming to make government data interactive and accessible for the public good. Migurski introduced his company and shared some of Stamen’s past work, including Digg Swarm, which represented online buzz following the reported death of Saddam Hussein.
For our first meeting of 2011, Jon Loyens of Bazaarvoice will be giving us an Introduction to Django. Django is a Python-based Web framework, used in many journalistic settings. It was actually developed by The World Company news organization in Lawrence, Kansas, so there will be many news and information applications to discuss. Jon is the director of Bazaarvoice Labs and does programming projects on the side. We’ll meet at 6:30pm on Thursday, January 27th for snacks and drinks at the Texas Tribune offices at 823 Congress Ave.
From intricate interactive maps to stunning visualizations, news organizations like The New York Times and Washington Post make data come alive for readers. Join Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), in partnership with Hacks/Hackers, for NewsCamp on Feb. 24 in Raleigh, N.C., and you too can learn from the best in the business — whether you’re a rank beginner, or experienced designer/developer. This daylong workshop will tackle subjects ranging from storytelling without words to best practices and emerging technologies.
Stamen Design has developed a reputation as one of the country’s leading interactive design and data visualization studios. Its director of technology, Michal Migurski, will join Hacks/Hackers NYC to talk about his latest project, This Tract, which combines government census data, data visualization tools, map tools and geolocation to better understand the area near where you are. Come to New Work City on Jan. 11 to talk with Michal about his process, the design (created with designer/developer Craig Mod), the technology and the reasoning for presenting this large, detailed dataset.
Hacks/Hackers NYC ended the year with a great flourish at the Galapagos Arts Space in Dumbo on Decembe with catering provided by Crave Catering: cornbread cup with chili, caramelized cheddar cheese, chili froth with micro basil; vegetable ceviche Persian cucumber cups, crispy shallots; parmesan risotto cakes with white truffle oil, micro greens; mini-beef sliders with spiced pomegranate ketchup duck confit spring rolls. Yum. Special thanks to our sponsors: Gawker Media, Scribd, Soundnote, CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and Nearsay.
For the last meeting of 2010, Hacks/Hackers ATX hosted a lingo swap, or a terminology and process exchange, between journalists and programmers. Representing journalists was Matt Stiles of the Texas Tribune. Matt started things off by explaining what concepts like source and script mean to journalists, and demystified terms like lede and beat. Later, Mattt Thompson (yes, that’s 3 t’s), a developer from Gowalla, discussed some basic programming concepts that all communicators should know.
The first ever proper Hacks/Hackers Los Angeles event is coming up this Thursday, December 16. Its on the topic of Data—finding it, making sense of it, visualizing it, telling stories with it. And we’ve got four awesome speakers lined up. Thursday, 12⁄16 7:30pm Crawford Family Forum at KPCC 474 South Raymond Avenue Pasadena, CA 91105 RSVP on Meetup The event will include four panelists, ranging from developers to artists, to talk us through the processes and philosophies of data visualization.
The New York City chapter of Hacks/Hackers met last Wednesday, December 3rd for Demo Day at the generously donated space, New Work City. The pizza was delicious and the place was packed. People had to raise their hands if there was an empty seat. Let’s time travel back to Wednesday, December 1, 2010 – at 8pm-ish, and learn what these folks are up to.