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Eugene tech torchbearer Cale Bruckner had Middle Earth in mind four years ago when he dreamed up the term “Silicon Shire,” because of course he did. And he was correct if he thought it would strike the precise subliminal chords to produce charming pastoral visions of prosperity, while shoving Silicon Valley pitfalls out of the mental picture. Continue reading
According to a 2014 study in the Journal of Communication, up to 40 percent of parents are taught how to use computers by their children. Whether you think kids are tech zombies or you think computer coding should be taught as a second language, tech is here. And kids love it. Continue reading
Made of almost 200 illuminated glass panels lined with 120 specialized lights, the “Radiance Dome” is approximately 40 feet across and 20 feet tall. It’s crystal clear when the lights are off, but when the lights flicker on, it glows in swirling psychedelic patterns. Continue reading
Long associated with attempts to alleviate urban blight, urban renewal in Eugene has turned its sights upon technology, and the city is implementing a high-speed fiber network downtown. Urban renewal has been seen as a tool for good and as a tool for destruction. Here in Eugene urban renewal money helped construct the Lane Community College (LCC) Downtown Campus that has been seen as a lynchpin in downtown revitalization. Continue reading
According to a 2015 article in Business Insider, the median sale price for a home in Silicon Valley is $1.05 million, and you’d have to make $212,800 a year just to afford the mortgage. Nationwide, technology has been a double-sided coin for communities, but here in the “Silicon Shire” we haven’t yet seen those kinds of astronomical leaps in the cost of living. Continue reading
Indie video game developers from as far away as Seattle will showcase their work as part of Indie Game Play Test Night Friday, May 27, at Shoryuken League in downtown Eugene. Event coordinator Britt Brady says it’s crucial that game developers get their projects in front of a game playing audience as early as possible. “Game developers are very close to their games,” Brady says. “Before their game is out, this is a way for indie developers to get the public playing it — see what’s fun, see what people like, find bugs and also promote it.” Continue reading
On Feb. 12 the Eugene tech community plans to address the topic of downtown livability in Eugene with a giant computer programming event called a hackathon. The tech frenzy starts Friday at the Downtown Athletic Club, where Technology Association of Oregon (TAO) will host Hack for a Cause. Joshua Purvis, the events coordinator for TAO, explains that local members of the tech community will work in teams to develop and produce ideas and concepts concerning downtown livability in Eugene “with a vision for implementation.” Continue reading
Last night Eugene's art and tech communities came together under one roof at the Hult Center to discuss collaborations. The turnout was great and seemed pretty evenly distributed between tech and art. Public Art Manager Isaac Marquez gave a presentation with slides of past collaborative art projects, done by both Eugene and out-of-state artists. He discussed the "projection bombs" the city has instigated in the past with projection art around the city. Continue reading
Gender disparity in the tech field: It's still there. That's why Portland-based Janice Levenhagen-Seeley, an alum of Oregon State University, created ChickTech, a group dedicated to fostering opportunities for women and girls to pursue robotics, coding or any other aspect of the computer science world that is traditionally dominated by men. Continue reading
Technology in the classroom can help students collaborate in real time, learn at their own pace and use innovative tools and techniques. Technology can transform the ability of students with learning disabilities such as autism to communicate. Continue reading