This Wednesday, August 25th from 6pm to 9pm, Quickleft will be hosting a ruby-centric hack fest at their offices with a few other of Boulder’s dev shops. Helping out are…

• Pivotal Labs
• Viget
• Slice of Lime
• Imulus
• GB Studios

The general theme is test driven development (TDD). For a full list of potential topics and all other details, see the announcement. Come hungry!

The address:
1919 14th Street
Suite 714
Boulder, CO 80302

[Disclosure: I work at Quickleft.]

With a name like dojo4, you would expect quite the story to explain how the Boulder-based design and development company got started. David Clements, one of the founders, did not disappoint. David described meeting with Jeff Larrimore, Justin Crawford, and Ara Howard (the other founders) over drinks at Bacaro when the idea of collaboration was first discussed. Initially, they had hoped to share office space – to create a collaborative environment where they could meet and if not work together then at least share ideas, chat and share. They also wanted to open this area to other designers and developers – friends in the field, to drop in and chat, work and maybe share a beer. But first they decided to name their effort and with the help of the good vibes at Bacaro came up with Death Ninja Squad.

Fortunately, after the hangover wore off they decided upon dojo4. But they kept the swords and a bit of the theme – 4 is the Japanese symbol for death. Then something strange happened. David said once they named their space, the work began pouring in. Now, they are helping start-ups and other more established companies with their branding, video production, development, packaging, photography – essentially any creative development concept. The folks at dojo4 aim to use art and technology to help companies with their development projects. As important as the creative and technical development of a project is the relationship doJo4 establishes with a client. Jeff stressed how important this component of their business is and in many ways builds on their ideas around community space. They want to get to know their clients, understand their needs and figure out how dojo4 can help – they want their clients to be as proud of the end-result as Dojo4 will be to include it in their portfolio!

The dojo4 group is comprised of Corey Kohn, Dave Clements, Jeff Larrimore, Justin Crawford and Ara Howard.

Alchemist is a very new arrival on the start-up scene. If you are looking for athletic wear for both cycling up to Ward or grabbing a coffee, then Alchemist with their unique designs and sustainable fabrics is a great local choice. Jeff, who is the owner and Claire, the VP, opened their online presence in January of this year and they have been really excited by the response. They are receiving requests from as faraway as Australia, Finland and Switzerland but are getting great local feedback, as well. They have been selling at the Louisville Farmer’s Market and had a booth at Community Cycles on Bike to Work day.

Sustainability and performance are key elements to the clothing they produce. The shirts are stamped instead of labeled on the back, and the tags that are safety-pinned to each shirt are wild flower seed tags – soak them overnight and plant. The shirts are printed locally and are produced using phthalate-free and pvc-free water-based inks. Jeff and Claire have really thought through the production of their designs, the choice of fabric and how they market their products to ensure they have the smallest footprint.

Alchemist provides casual, earth-friendly clothing for athletes who live and play in the outdoors. They fuse premium, sustainable materials with smart, original graphics for the active outdoor community. Organic and recycled materials come together to create threads that are buttery soft and comfortable. Green never felt so good.

I’m getting this one for my husband.