Firecat Studio

Calling San Antonio Guitar Heroes: First Friday July Coworking

July, here we come! Our First Friday Coworking session at Firecat Studio will be a little different - more relaxed, and (even) more informal.

Inspired by the record-breaking temperatures, the proximity of the July Fourth weekend and the kids being out of school, we're having PLAYTIME on Friday, July 3 from 10:30 am - 2:30 pm.

We're going to hook up Guitar Hero, the Wii, the Wii Fit and other interesting user interface devices, crank up the stereo and have some fun.

Feel free to bring your own game system, favorite controller, or Wii games. We'll have:

• The Wii
• The Wii Fit (balance device)
• Guitar Hero III (Legends) and World Tour with drum kit

We did this last year, and it was a blast! Feel free to bring your children this month, too -- they typically have more mad skills to demonstrate and have proven to be better sports.

About Coworking

Come hang out with other "mobile professionals" - that's anyone who can get some work done using a laptop, cell phone, or just pad and paper - and let accelerated serendipity happen. No charge - just community.

And just to get you in the mood:

• Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Stewart Copeland (Police) review GH Drums.
• Guitar Hero Inside Joke Cartoon (mildly offensive language).
• Jeff Howe (Crowdsourcing author) covers Why the Music Industry Hates Guitar Hero in Wired Magazine.

Come out to Firecat Studio on Friday, July 3, from 10:30 am - 2:30 pm.

Firecats Build Site for Neighborhood Association

As part of Firecat Studio's sponsorship of and participation in the Accessibility Internet Rally - San Antonio, we spent all day Saturday building an accessible website for our nonprofit partner, the Terrell Heights Neighborhood Association.

Special thanks to  Danielle Cunningham for a lovely and effective online brand and design, Daniella Matutes for setting up a content management system, Chris McDermott for technical recommendations and setup, Leslie Provence for content and project management, and Debbie Curtis for organizational support.

The event raises awareness about the issue of Web Accessibility, and offers training to designers and developers in building websites that people who are blind, deaf, or mobility-impaired can use. There are some great side benefits, including:

• Improved search engine optimization (SEO). Google and other search indexers are blind and deaf, too.
• Improved browser compatibility, including for devices such as cell phones.
• Tapping into the huge market of people who need accessible websites, who otherwise aren't able to buy a company's products or services. That segment is bigger than the blind and deaf populations; think older folks who need the text enlarged, or people with temporary disabilities like carpal tunnel syndrome or a sprained wrist.

We can't yet share the site itself, but here's what it looks like:

Some of us had participated in AIR events before, but we always learn something new. Thanks to Knowbility for sponsoring the event.

June Firecat First Friday - June 6

Firecat First Fridays

When: Friday, June 6, 2008 9 am - 5 pm
Where: Firecat Studio, 918 Nolan #104, San Antonio, TX 78202
Who: You, other innovators, entrepreneurs, mobile professionals of all stripes
What: Our brownbag topic this month is School's Out: Gaming Theory and Web Design

Please join us for the Firecat First Friday coworking session Friday, June 6. Open house format; bring laptop and phone, or escape your electronic tethers and catch up on mindwork with just pen, paper and a fresh piece of paper. Free yourself from your cubicle, office, home office or coffee shop and get a dose of new ideas and new faces while getting some work done.



Our brownbag topic (11:30 - 1) will focus on game design and how we can leverage it on the web to motivate customers, employees and ourselves. We may have to play a few games, for research purposes only of course.

Format

• Our doors open for coworking at 9 am. Bring your laptop, cell phone, or pad and paper. We'll put the coffee on.
• At 11:30, we start a brown-bag session. with a topic agreed on and published in advance. This is a loose, show-and-tell type format. Bring something you want to share or just come to watch and listen to others who are passionate and knowledgable about the topic.
• Happy hour starts at 4 p.m.
  
• At 6 pm, the South Alamo area's First Friday events will be underway.

Ground Rules

• Pitch-free zone. We do want to know what you do and why; it's part of the magic. But it's important not to kill the mojo.
• Yes, it's probably fine to bring someone else - please check with us first.
• Chip in for lunch, beverages and snacks or feel free to bring your own. We usually have plenty of something or other.
  
• Speak up if you have questions or problems; we can work it out.
• Behave yourself and don't steal other people's ideas, property or clients. As long as everyone operates in this spirit, we'll be fine. I reserve the right to decide who gets to stay.

I'm setting up a notification list, so drop us a line to opt yourself in to the Firecat First Fridays email list.

Feel free to post comments or email us ideas for future sessions. See you on First Friday!

When: Friday, June 6, 2008 9 am - 5 pm
Where: Firecat Studio, 918 Nolan #104, San Antonio, TX 78202
Who: You, other innovators, entrepreneurs, mobile professionals of all stripes
What: Our brownbag topic this month is School's Out: Gaming Theory and Web Design

Please join us for the Firecat First Friday coworking session Friday, June 6. Open house format; bring laptop and phone, or escape your electronic tethers and catch up on mindwork with just pen, paper and a fresh piece of paper. Free yourself from your cubicle, office, home office or coffee shop and get a dose of new ideas and new faces while getting some work done.



Our brownbag topic (11:30 - 1) will focus on game design and how we can leverage it on the web to motivate customers, employees and ourselves. We may have to play a few games, for research purposes only of course.

Format

• Our doors open for coworking at 9 am. Bring your laptop, cell phone, or pad and paper. We'll put the coffee on.
• At 11:30, we start a brown-bag session. with a topic agreed on and published in advance. This is a loose, show-and-tell type format. Bring something you want to share or just come to watch and listen to others who are passionate and knowledgable about the topic.
• Happy hour starts at 4 p.m.
  
• At 6 pm, the South Alamo area's First Friday events will be underway.

Ground Rules

I'm setting up a notification list, so drop us a line to opt yourself in to the Firecat First Fridays email list.

Feel free to post comments or email us ideas for future sessions. See you on First Friday!

San Antonio's First Startup Weekend

At our coworking sessions, we see lots of entrepreneurs and would-be entrepreneurs, especially in the web world. Now's your chance to try being part of a startup internet company before you quit your day job.

This weekend, Friday May 16 through Sunday May 18 is San Antonio's very first Startup Weekend. Our thanks to Jennifer Navarrete for organizing the event, and to Dean McCall for helping it along.

What: Startup Weekend, bring yourself, your ideas and your talents (be they business, legal, coding, design) and get ready to launch a web business.

Location: San Antonio Technology Center, 3420 Magic Dr., San Antonio, TX.

Cost: $40

When: Friday, 6 pm - midnight, then Saturday and Sunday all day. Really, ALL day.

Learn more and sign up at Startup Weekend's website.

May Firecat First Friday - Web 2.0 Tech: Ajax, Ruby and more

Firecat First Fridays

When: Friday, May 2, 2008 9 am - 5 pm
Where: Firecat Studio, 918 Nolan #104, San Antonio, TX 78202
Who: You, other independent, mobile workers and creative professionals
What: Our brownbag topic this month is Web 2.0 Technologies - Ajax, Ruby and More

The Firecat First Friday session for May happens on Friday, May 2. The coworking session is open to all in open house format all day, to do whatever you would normally work on, just in a fresh environment. So free yourself from your  cubicle, office, home office or coffee shop and get a dose of new ideas and new faces while getting some work done.

By special request, May's brownbag topic (11:30 - 1) will focus on Web 2.0 technologies such as Ajax (asynchronous JavaScript) and Ruby on Rails, AND you don't already have to know about them to participate (I don't know much about them, for a start). We'll start at the beginning of what these tools are, what they're good for and not good for, and go from there. And if you ARE a card-carrying geek, please come and share your knowledge. The solution to your latest bug or the sponsor for your next project may just be there to meet you.

Format

• Our doors open for coworking at 9 am. Bring your laptop, cell phone, or pad and paper. We'll put the coffee on.
• At 11:30, we start the brown-bag session. with a topic agreed on and published in advance. This is a loose, show-and-tell type format. Bring something you want to share or just come to watch and listen to others who are passionate and knowledgable about the topic.
• Happy hour starts at 4 p.m.
  
• At 6 pm, the South Alamo area's First Friday events will be underway.

Ground Rules

• Pitch-free zone. We do want to know what you do and why; it's part of the magic. But it's important not to kill the mojo.
• Yes, it's probably fine to bring someone else - please check with us first.
• Chip in for lunch, beverages and snacks or feel free to bring your own. We usually have plenty of something or other.
  
• Speak up if you have questions or problems; we can work it out.
• Behave yourself and don't steal other people's ideas, property or clients. As long as everyone operates in this spirit, we'll be fine. I reserve the right to decide who gets to stay.

I'm setting up a notification list, so drop us a line to opt yourself in to the Firecat First Fridays email list.

Feel free to post comments or email us ideas for future sessions. See you on First Friday!

When: Friday, May 2, 2008 9 am - 5 pm
Where: Firecat Studio, 918 Nolan #104, San Antonio, TX 78202
Who: You, other independent, mobile workers and creative professionals
What: Our brownbag topic this month is Web 2.0 Technologies - Ajax, Ruby and More

The Firecat First Friday session for May happens on Friday, May 2. The coworking session is open to all in open house format all day, to do whatever you would normally work on, just in a fresh environment. So free yourself from your  cubicle, office, home office or coffee shop and get a dose of new ideas and new faces while getting some work done.

By special request, May's brownbag topic (11:30 - 1) will focus on Web 2.0 technologies such as Ajax (asynchronous JavaScript) and Ruby on Rails, AND you don't already have to know about them to participate (I don't know much about them, for a start). We'll start at the beginning of what these tools are, what they're good for and not good for, and go from there. And if you ARE a card-carrying geek, please come and share your knowledge. The solution to your latest bug or the sponsor for your next project may just be there to meet you.

Format

• Our doors open for coworking at 9 am. Bring your laptop, cell phone, or pad and paper. We'll put the coffee on.
• At 11:30, we start the brown-bag session. with a topic agreed on and published in advance. This is a loose, show-and-tell type format. Bring something you want to share or just come to watch and listen to others who are passionate and knowledgable about the topic.
• Happy hour starts at 4 p.m.
  
• At 6 pm, the South Alamo area's First Friday events will be underway.

Ground Rules

I'm setting up a notification list, so drop us a line to opt yourself in to the Firecat First Fridays email list.

Feel free to post comments or email us ideas for future sessions. See you on First Friday!

Haven for Entrepreneurs and Ideaflow Ecosystems

At the Firecat First Friday discussion today we went all the way there in our discussions. This is exactly the ground that I hoped to cover, the big-picture, central issue, how we should live our lives ground.

Alan Weinkrantz mentioned his passion for setting up clients with an "ecosystem" for PR - that syncs in very nicely with our philosophy. We like setting clients up with a sustainable ecosystem for content, or services, or relationships with clients | employees| stakeholders. We talked about having clients come to us and saying things like "We need a blog," or "We need a Flash site," and walking them through their underlying motivations and ideas and goals.

We got off onto a big discussion of agile development as it applies to web design and strategic planning for online channels. It was fabulous! If you missed it this time, book Friday, May 2 into your calendar now. Possible benefits for attendance include:

• Meeting others in San Antonio's "creative class"
• Networking opportunities
• Introductions to members of the press
• Co-creating the new model for doing business
• Getting support for an entrepreneurial approach, whether you work for yourself, a small or large organization.

So put May 2 into your calendars now.

See Susan at Basura Bash for the River

If you're in San Antonio and looking for something fun and rewarding to do this Saturday (March 29) early afternoon (11-1), come on out and have some fun at the Basura Bash.

Basura means trash in Spanish (I know, you know!) - at this event, people who care about the San Antonio river and the environment get together and pick up trash. It's a fun get together, festival type atmosphere. You can clean up a section of river near you, or work from the event headquarters and join up with a group.

I'll be helping out at the San Antonio River Foundation's booth at the event headquarters at Mission County Park (Southeast side) - it's a chance for me to talk directly to the community stakeholders about the foundation's Paver Campaign and sign people up to leave their own legacy on the River by buying a brick inscribed with a name and/or company name. If you have feedback on the campaign or the site, comment here or shoot me an email.

So buy a paver and help create the linear park San Antonio needs.

I'll see you at the Bash :)

Firecat First Friday April 4

Firecat First Fridays

When: Friday, April 4, 2008 9 am - 5 pm
Where: 918 Nolan #104, San Antonio, TX 78202
Who: You, other independent, mobile workers and creative professionals
What: Our brownbag topic this month is Remote Collaboration Tools for Business

The Firecat First Friday session this month happens next Friday, April 4. February's session was covered in the press, and we may have another special press guest this time, so come early. The networking and  idea synergy are proving everything we hoped they would.

This month's brownbag session (11:30 - 1) will focus on remote collaboration tools, a natural follow-up to our February discussion of Social Networking Tools for Business. Firecat Studio's core team will show how we use 37Signals' BaseCamp suite of tools, interesting screensharing tools, and chat to accomplish design and production projects with our remote team.

Format

• Our doors open for coworking at 9 am. Bring your laptop, cell phone, or pad and paper. We'll put the coffee on.
• At 11:30, we start the brown-bag session, Remote Collaboration Tools. with a topic agreed on and published in advance. This is a loose, show-and-tell type format. Bring something you want to share or just come to watch and listen to others who are passionate and knowledgable about the topic.
• Happy hour starts at 4 p.m.
  
• At 6 pm, the South Alamo area's First Friday events will be underway.

Ground Rules

• Pitch-free zone. We do want to know what you do and why; it's part of the magic. But it's important not to kill the mojo.
• Yes, it's probably fine to bring someone else - please check with us first.
• Chip in for lunch, beverages and snacks or feel free to bring your own. We'll need to work this out so I can afford to host these sessions. I know I'm going to find it valuable; hope you do, too.
• Speak up if you have questions or problems; we can work it out.
• Behave yourself and don't steal other people's ideas, property or clients. As long as everyone operates in this spirit, we'll be fine. I reserve the right to decide who gets to stay.

I'm setting up a notification list, so drop us a line to opt yourself in to the Firecat First Fridays email list.

Feel free to post comments or email us ideas for future sessions. See you next Friday!

When: Friday, April 4, 2008 9 am - 5 pm
Where: 918 Nolan #104, San Antonio, TX 78202
Who: You, other independent, mobile workers and creative professionals
What: Our brownbag topic this month is Remote Collaboration Tools for Business

The Firecat First Friday session this month happens next Friday, April 4. February's session was covered in the press, and we may have another special press guest this time, so come early. The networking and  idea synergy are proving everything we hoped they would.

This month's brownbag session (11:30 - 1) will focus on remote collaboration tools, a natural follow-up to our February discussion of Social Networking Tools for Business. Firecat Studio's core team will show how we use 37Signals' BaseCamp suite of tools, interesting screensharing tools, and chat to accomplish design and production projects with our remote team.

Format

• Our doors open for coworking at 9 am. Bring your laptop, cell phone, or pad and paper. We'll put the coffee on.
• At 11:30, we start the brown-bag session, Remote Collaboration Tools. with a topic agreed on and published in advance. This is a loose, show-and-tell type format. Bring something you want to share or just come to watch and listen to others who are passionate and knowledgable about the topic.
• Happy hour starts at 4 p.m.
  
• At 6 pm, the South Alamo area's First Friday events will be underway.

Ground Rules

I'm setting up a notification list, so drop us a line to opt yourself in to the Firecat First Fridays email list.

Feel free to post comments or email us ideas for future sessions. See you next Friday!

Luminaria Arts Night at Firecat Studio

Firecat Studio is proud to announce that we're participating in the first-ever Luminaria Arts Night in San Antonio.

Saturday, March 15, 2008, from noon - midnight

918 Nolan #104

San Antonio, TX 78202

210-320-2391

The all-day, citywide art event has lots going on all over town, but our own Studio is featuring works by Firecats Daniella Matutes, Debbi Smith Rourke, and Henry Cardenas.

Hendricks Studios and Firecat Studio will be open from noon to midnight with tons of interesting people and activities. Our dear landlord, James Hendricks, will be doing live blacksmithing demonstrations (yes, you can see the way he makes those amazing metal sculptures), Rachman Ulmer (yes, that really is pronounced ROCK-man) will do a live stonecarving demonstration, and there will be live music, wine and cheese and more.

Come on out and see us!

What SxSW is good fer

San Antonio Express-News blogger and tech reporter Laura Lorek asked me last week why we send our core team members to SxSW. She included me in her story about SxSW-interactive - nice!

We use SxSW as our primary conference to GET information. We get good info at other conferences, but SxSW is a gathering of our peers, the ideas flow like wine, the optimism is high, the intellects are shining, we're actively co-creating the web universe there.

We just signed in and got our badges, and are preparing for tonight's Coworking Meetup at the San Jose. Already running into old and new friends during registration, can't wait to see everyone!