Welcome!

Durango Tech is a loosely knit, informal group of folks who live in the Durango and Four Corners area and have an interest in tech. You don't have to be a geek - if you are an entrepreneur, investor, business owner, teacher, then you have a reason to stay current on technology. We are also passionate about drawing techies to the Durango area, and giving them options once they are here to be successful and thrive locally. Jump in!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Our 'Cool Stuff Showcase' Line Up!

Be sure to join us for the first Durango Tech 'Cool Stuff Showcase'
When: Thursday March 31, 5 - 6:30PM

This is a chance for local technology entrepreneurs to show off some of the cool stuff that they have been working on, and to gain valuable feedback and support from the Durango Tech community.


Each of these brave souls will spend 5 minutes presenting their cool stuff, after which we spend 10 minutes as a group giving them feedback and suggestions. There will be a 'reception' at the end where you can get one on one with the presenters.


Oh - did we mention beer? We will set up a bar with beer, coffee, water and maybe a light snack with a donation jar to cover the costs. 


Cool Stuff Showcase #1 - Robin Johnson


Who I Am
I taught myself to program Java when I was 16 and was interested in artificial intelligence applications. My attention shifted to social peer-to-peer networking applications when I was first exposed to the original Gnutella application back in 2000.  This led to my involvement with Sun Microsystems' Project JXTA, where I met Scott Capdevielle, who, along with Dr. Jim Youssef in Durango, was starting a medical collaboration software company called Syndicom.  I moved from Minnesota to Durango in 2003 to work for Syndicom and have been doing so ever since.  When Syndicom scaled down its operation 6 months ago, I began to have more spare time which I used as an opportunity to begin work on RiverFlows.

My Cool Thing

RiverFlows is an Android application for viewing real-time river conditions.  The target market is mainly outdoorsmen; however farmers, ranchers, and hydrologists have also expressed interest in the app.  In the months since the first beta was made available on the Android Market, RiverFlows has been downloaded some 2000 times and several potential competitor apps have appeared.  I'm currently working on support for retrieving forecasts from NOAA's Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service.  After that is completed, I plan to start work on a "deluxe" version of the app that I can sell in the Android Market.

Cool Stuff Showcase #2 - Adam Fries


Who I am
Adam Fries has been an entrepreneur for the last ten years.  His passion, business education and varied experience has given him the ability and determination to be successful in different industries. This experience ranges from market analysis of the printed circuit board industry to establishing a forklift distributorship in Guadalajara, Mexico.  His current position is president of Sun Peak Builders, which is a leading alternative home builder in Durango.

My Cool Thing
Adam will discuss providing high quality and consistent information to medical marijuana patients.  This can be obtained through meaningful relationships with these individuals. This solution will enable patients with specific illnesses to make informed decisions regarding therapy options.  Many patients will benefit from an increase in quality of life.


Cool Stuff Showcase #3 - Matthew Ozvat

Who I Am
Matt, Bobby and Kevin are Durango technologists who have a passion for developing creative entrepreneur solutions.  We meet regularly every Wednesday night with beer, pretzels and laptops while speaking binary. Of course, skiing and mountain biking help keep us honest while living in the mountains.

My Cool Thing
Pic2Pay is a way for you to make a purchase online without ever having to enter your shipping, billing and payment information. By downloading the Pic2Pay app and entering your personal information once, from that time on you can purchase online goods from any vendor that offers Pic2Pay, with a snap of a picture.
http://www.pic2pay.com/

Cool Stuff Showcase #4 - Larry Leonard

Who I Am
Growing up in the flatlands of Ohio, my first experience of the mountains of Colorado was a motorcycle trip in the late 60's with a couple of buddies -- Easy Rider style without the shooting. I was hooked but wondered how a city kid could make a living near wilderness. While getting degrees in Mathematics and Finance I discovered computers and my answer. I have lived in Durango for 25 years writing software for financial and communications applications. My clients seldom realize when I take their support call that I am on a mountain bike, skis, or sitting outside a tent.

My Cool Thing
Many software developers dream of writing a pure app that sells for a few cents apiece to millions of users. The reality is that far more opportunities require a human element – fielding tech support calls or sales inquiries and billing questions. The stumbling block for a new venture is that you might have no calls one day and 50 the next including evenings and weekends. You may not have expertise in these areas yourself much less be able to train employees, even if you could afford them. Our service incubator center will allow you to hire help instantly on a per-minute basis rather than monthly salaries. As a tool for entrepreneurs and venture capital providers alike, we enable you to develop a new prototype concept and when ready, seamlessly go national.

Cool Stuff Showcase #5 - Walker Thompson

Who I Am
Most importantly, a Durango native! Also has do some stuff as, or masquerading as, co-founder of SocialTransactions, VP Sales and Marketing at WhenToManage, The Rock Lounge Owner, very part-time barista, SKA beer junkie, Facebook'er, mountain biker, climber, writer and ex-spiritual advisor to Charlie Sheen.

My Cool Thing
Have you ever recommended a product or service to your friend? Yes? Then you know how to use SocialTransactions. Our concept is simple... You advocate for the things you like on Facebook, Twitter, a blog or your website (for the fancy types). Sometimes your friends buy... Ever thought, "Gee, I should get paid for that!?!?!?" With SocialTransactions, you will. And it is easy. You just add a link to the keywords that people might click on. If, for example, you want to link to a product on a mountain biking website, say, SpecializedBike, you add the link, your friends click, they buy, you get paid! YAY! ABSOLUTELY NO CHANGE IN WHAT YOU ARE DOING! And your favorite brands will be psyched, because they are only paying when a sale is made - better than Google adwords!

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