This morning I got the chance to talk with Andrea Pawliczek from duckduckDeal!, a company that offers a free iPhone application, which connects customers with great local deals. But before I asked about the cool features of the application or the benefits to merchants, I had to ask why the name duckduckDeal!. Andrea said it was a play on the children’s game of “duck, duck, goose” and instead of the goose being “it”  in tag, the goose is a great deal!
The software works in two ways:

• connecting customers with deals and discounts from their favorite local businesses
• enabling merchants to instantly communicate special offers to local customers

The software is available for customers as a free iPhone app (a Droid version will be available soon) or you can visit their Web site, if you want to check out merchant discounts. So, if you are out and looking to grab lunch or drinks with friends you can quickly browse a list of merchant offerings and see if your favorite place is giving a discount.
duckduckDeal! allows merchants to instantly create offerings, like happy hour discounts.  So, instead of simply throwing out a coupon and possibly having them redeemed at peak times, merchants  can target special promotions during their less busy times and connect with  an audience that may have a little more flexibility, like students.

Treasure Hunt

This coming Monday, July 19th, duckduckDeal! is having a treasure hunt. Clues will be released via Twitter @duckduckdeal), Facebook (Facebook.com/DuckDuckDeal), and on their website and the free iPhone app that lead to ducks hidden around Boulder. Find a duck, win a prize. The finders of the first three ducks will win prizes including gift certificates and cash. Along with a prize to the finder, the discovery of each of these ducks will release a piece of our treasure map on this page.

Eric

I met with Eric Jackson founder of Boulder Community Computers a non-profit that is addressing the digital divide starting in Boulder.  Eric got the idea for starting Boulder Community Computers while working at Community Cycles in Boulder and his idea is based loosely on the same spirit – education, volunteerism and community. Boulder Community Computers not only provides training but also gives individuals an opportunity to work towards “earning” their own computer. Individuals can “earn” through their volunteer hours. They also refurbish old computer equipment, including iPhones. This serves two purposes:

• provides a way for individuals to earn their own computer by learning how to install an OS or refurbishing a machine
• keeps these items out of the landfill

One of the principles of the organization is to provide individuals with real world skills, which they can market about themselves today. It is also serving to provide an alternative to people spending $500 on a new computer; they can come and volunteer, get trained, meet experts, join a community  and get involved. The value of the community aspect is worth more than the $500 some may spend on a new PC.

Eric wants to blend the best of the for-profit and non-profit worlds. Boulder Community Computers has the soul and heart of a non-profit but is operated like any for-profit business. They use proceeds from their store to help fund this effort. Eric is a strong believer in creating a sustainable, working business model that isn’t simply a charity.

I asked Eric what has been one of the biggest accomplishments and he said, “We are building a community here, which I think is synonymous with the idea of family. We have people come in and express a need and we feel great knowing that we are an organization that can help or we have others dropping in, who don’t need a computer or training but want to help out because they want to see this idea succeed”.  But Eric admits they still need help developing their business model. If you have an interest in helping out, applying your business expertise  to help build an organization with a soul, contact Eric. But if you are in need of a computer, or training stop by the shop and volunteer.

2232 Pearl St, Suite 200
Boulder, 80302
Phone: 303.335.0411

Several people new to town have suggested a forum for this site.

Since we know the Vanilla guys so well, it was a natural choice.

http://boulder.vanillaforums.com/

Lets jump on it and start some discussions, you never know who is out there.

I’ve been having a lot of fun learning about and switching over to Ruby over the last month from PHP. As a part of this process, I’ve started to get a sense for the lay of the land of the Ruby community in Boulder.

Meetups

• Ruby Code & Coffee: A weekly meetup on Wednesdays at 8:30am. According to the Boulder Tech Calendar … “Get together with some other rubyists in the area to write some code, share stories, and swap ideas.”
• Boulder Ruby: Educational talks on Ruby, Rails, or other general programming topics at the Collective Intellect offices. Click the link for more info.

Dev Shops

• dojo4 is a Boulder based dev and design collective. They say it best themselves – “We will send ninjas.”
• Foraker: I haven’t had a chance to meet anyone from the Foraker team yet, but it seems they focus on Ruby/Rails development as one aspect of their full service offering.
• Quick Left is a web engineering firm helping young and established companies alike build and improve their products. (Disclosure: I am employed by Quick Left.)

Conferences

• Mountain.rb Conference is a new single-track event being held this fall around the same time as boco and Startup Week. This should be awesome!

I’m excited to start checking out some of these events and meetups, and will hopefully meet some new Boulder people along the way. Let me know if you have anything to add to the list!

UPDATE: If you’re interested in learning Ruby, make sure to check out the hilarious _why’s Poignant Guide to Ruby

Don’t know if eveyrone saw but Boulder is a Code for America city this year!

They are looking for some help, and sent this over today:

Seeking web geek heroes. Code for America wants YOU to rebuild our country, one app at a time.

Code for America is now accepting applications for its 2011 fellows program. If you’re a developer, designer, product manager, data wrangler or researcher who wants to make a difference, this is your opportunity to build a new generation of Gov 2.0 apps to make city governments work better.

CfA fellows get a crash course in how cities work, mentorship and networking with the top names in tech and government, and a platform to launch companies and careers that will bring long-term innovation to the public sector. They also get a living-wage stipend, travel expenses, and healthcare for the year. Most of all, they get the chance to be heroes.

Applications are due August 15th, 2010. Please see
codeforamerica.org/fellows for details.

If you missed Ignite 11 last night, picture this: cool evening air breezing through the open doors of a sold-out Chautauqua Auditorium; bright dusk showing between planks in the walls; the entire structure buzzing with an eager audience primed with tasty beer. The lights dim. Andrew Hyde taking the stage to fire up the largest Ignite in the world.

Consider the history of the place: Built in 1898 to house the Colorado Chautauqua’s first season, the building has been in continuous use since then. From its earliest days it hosted all manner of cultural exhibitions, music and silent films and traveling speakers. Lectures covered “current events, travel and stories, often with a comedic twist.”

The crowds attending early Chautauquas came there to participate in civic life. They came to discuss “great ideas, new ideas, and issues of public concern.”. They came for authentic, in-person encounters with their neighbors and with the great minds of the day. They came for community.

But the twentieth century charged ahead. Our cars, radios, and televisions made those early meetups seem quaint. The stage moved into our living rooms. Our neighbors could hardly compete with professional entertainers. Our local dialog was downright provincial compared with the great national conversation. Lucrative industries grew around the packaging and transcontinental distribution of cultural experiences. Many great things came to be; and, quietly, when we weren’t paying attention, many of the Chautauquas disappeared.

Well, we all know the rest of the story. The century turned. What was old is new again. Countless communities of interest have awakened for the first time, and our old geographic communities are shining through the dust of neglect. Inexpensive technology tools have reminded us that we have a voice — a beautiful voice. Our words, music and art are important again. Our neighbors are interesting again.

So: Andrew took the stage at Colorado’s Chautauqua Auditorium to fire up the largest Ignite in the world. The lights dimmed. The old building breathed with summer evening air. Bright lines of sky connected over us like a luminous web.

Of all the many Chautauquas once operating in the U.S., only a handful have survived through the decades, including the one perched in the park above Boulder. And there we were last night with our travel stories, our comical twists, our music. Our great ideas, our new ideas, our issues of public concern. Our local breweries. Our backflips. Our homegrown scene.

This is just the beginning. It’s good to be back.