Calling All Stat Geeks

If you're anything like me, you can appreciate a nicely quantifiable factoid.  And in this age of instant response, we have a project that provides stats on (almost) anything at your beck and call. Want to know the size of an average human blood cell? (8 micrometers)  Or, want to know how much Wal-mart made last quarter? (94.5 billion) Well the folks at statugle, are trying to provide just that type of data.

Statugle.com was funded in May of 2009 in Chicago, IL. The goal of the website is to categorize and organize every statistic available into an easily searchable database. This could be anything from the average attendance of a NBA game, to the number of salaried teachers in the Chicago Public School system.

This is a member driven site and is just starting out.  The statistic presented is backed up with a summary and reference to the source.  And, you get to vote on each statistic.  A neat site for stats geeks.  Tell us what you think or send references to other sites that provide the same service.

 

The Open Database Alliance

The creator of MySQL has formed an organization that is committed to providing a truly FREE open source database, called MariaDB.  This project is driving force behind the Open Database Alliance, whose goals are:

The intent of the Open Database Alliance is to unify all MySQL-related development and services, providing a solution to the fragmentation and uncertainty facing the communities, businesses and technical experts involved with MySQL. Still under development, the Open Database Alliance is open to all businesses, organizations and individuals interested in helping create a new, centralized resource for MySQL and to ensure that it remains a top quality, high performance open source database.

This effort is similar to the Fedora Project and should provide an avenue for MySQL developers/devotees looking for a fully open source alternative to the offerings from the Sun/Oracle folks. 

Some of the key benefits from MariaDB are a focus on performance and stability - there is a thread pooling scheme and very aggressive bug fix schedule.  This project should provide a real opportunity for folks interested in contributing and using truly open source toolsets.

The Layoff Bug Hits Nike

Even the biggest Oregon company is not immune to these troubled economic times.  The Portland Business Journal is reporting a 5% global reduction in force, with about 500 folks affected in Washington County, Oregon.  The layoffs are not unexpected but apparently are larger than previously announced.  No word yet on affected groups.  But, the IT function is included.  Nike has provided a press release with a general statement about the decision.

More Cuts at Local Startup Vidoop

Vidoop has made more layoffs Tuesday:

"The reality of the current economic climate and its impact on our target market (Financial Services) has unfortunately required a reduction in staff."

Indications are that the cuts are deep.  We'll keep on the lookout for actual figures.  I can't imagine a tougher environment in which to be layed off.  Best wishes to those affect

SQLSaturday Is Coming - June 6th, 2009

Free, one-day training event for SQL Server professionals.  Will be held at McMenamin's Edgefield, starting at 9:00 AM.  What is it?

What is SQLSaturday?

It's a free one day learning event for SQL Server professionals, loosely patterned on the well known Code Camp model, organized by the Portland SQL Server Users Group (pdxSSug).

Registration and more information here.

New Project Hosting Site – kenai.com

Launched by our friends from Sun, kenai.com is a project hosting site.  The site offers features competitive to SourceForge and Tigris (see a feature comparison here) while supporting multiple code types.  For obvious reasons, Java and open source projects like MySQL are featured right now.  The site is in "beta" right now.  Have a look and help contribute to a better code sharing experience!

Find Office Space and Lend a Hand

Are you a startup looking for prime downtown Portland office space on the cheap?  Are you in town for meetings, events or recruiting and need space to get things done while you're in town?  Want to help someone at the same time?  Well, you're in luck.  A great new startup is looking to help others and fill a need at the same time. 

NedSpace, an office-sharing location in downtown Portland, has an awesome and innovative plan to change the world.  If NedSpace can fill their remaining spaces by June 1, 2009, they will fund some scholarships in Cambodia and a technology lab in Tanzania.  Here is a snippet of the plan:

So here's what we at NedSpace would like to make happen: Help us sell out the 4 remaining offices (at $400/mo. ea) and 60 desk spaces (at $175/mo. ea) by 5 PM PT Monday June 1, 2009.

If NedSpace accomplishes this, and of course anyone is free to help, NedSpace will in turn:

1. Donate $5,000 to Epic Change (http://www.epicchange.org/) to build an innovation & technology lab in their Tanzania school (follow @staceymonk on Twitter)

2. Provide three full scholarships to children living in Cambodia ($5,000) distributed through and overseen by Sharing Foundation (http://www.sharingfoundation.org /) (follow @kanter on Twitter)

This is a worthwhile effort to help folks "over there" and here in Portland at the same time.  If you're looking for space, consider this as your Plan A!  You'll feel better about yourself and still get your work done.

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