Job Listing: Develop Virtually Anywhere
October 25, 2007
Sphere, blog search and related content widget provider founded by four strong believers in conversational media, is looking for another developer or two to become part of its team. Sphere is based in San Francisco but most of its team works virtually (in Seattle; Denver; Vancouver; Boston; Phoenix; and the San Francisco Bay Area). Sphere is looking for 1 or 2 more Web Developers that can work virtually anywhere.
Here are some details:
As Web Developer you will assist the UI team in creating rich, robust, and interactive sites and products to deliver Sphere technology to hundreds of thousands of partner sites. You will know the nuances of the Redmond browsers as well as the workarounds. You will be the type of developer to dream in < ?'s and $'s. PHP is the core language for our front-end and we use it extensively. You'll work remotely, in your own environment, within a distributed group of engineers. Strong, clear communication and positive interpersonal skills are a must.
Responsibilities:
* Acquire a second-nature understanding of our products and APIs
* Work closely with the web team to build cross-platform, cross-browser semantically valid HTML/CSS
* Manage and maintain legacy codebase in both PHP4 and PHP5
* Transform designer prototype images into live valid XHTML-Strict markup
* Work closely with our Product Engineering team to translate architecture and product specs into the quality products and pages Sphere is known for
Requirements:
* 7+ years working with Web technologies
* 5+ years in PHP (2+ years in PHP5)
* Solid understanding of Object Oriented Programing philosophies and patterns
* Direct experience in an Object Oriented web MVC framework
* Outstanding written and oral communication skills
* Must be a quick learner and self-directed, pro-active problem solver in a dynamic environment
* Experience with web publishing and blog/social software a big plus
* Experience with Ruby scripting language a big plus
The full job description can be found here.
BUG+Boston
October 2, 2007
Bug Labs is coming to Boston very very soon. In fact they are coming to town Tuesday, October 9th. The Bug Labs team will be hosting drinks at the Middlesex Lounge in Cambridge that night from 6 - 9pm. No RSVP is required, no special guest list is in force and there are no hidden requirements.
If you are a gadget developer, gadget hacker or simply just love gadgets and new technology you should come out to this event (plus, there’s free drinks!). Bug Labs is incredibly cool and I am really bummed I can’t make it. Hopefully they will send me a Bug though cause I really really want one (wink wink).
ReMIX07: Boston
September 17, 2007
Just wanted to let all of the Boston TCers out there know about ReMIX07 which is taking place in Boston at the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge on October 8 & 9 2007.
ReMIX07 is a conference for designers and developers and the sessions look to be pretty solid. The price for the conference is usually $299 but if you use this code - RM07EXTB - the ReMIX folks will take $100 off the retail price. Not bad.
If you are interested in learning more and/or registering for the conference please check out the official ReMIX07 site.
TECH cocktail Boston Update
August 28, 2007
With the inaugural TECH cocktail Boston just a little over a week away I thought it would be a great time to give a quick update on the goings on especially since we’ve recently had a couple small additions to the fun come our way. Here it goes:
1. The publisher of one of my favorite books, Daemon, was kind enough to send me a handful of signed copies to hand out at TECH cocktail Boston. I am not sure how we’re going to do that just yet but if anyone has any fun and creative ways for us to distribute them I’m all ears. Just post your ideas in the comments or e-mail me at eric [at] techcocktail.com.
2. The guys from Vroop, an internet device design lab based in Attleboro, MA, have decided to put two of their Liveboards up for auction (the Liveboard is a wireless baseball scoreboard device). If that wasn’t cool enough all proceeds from the auction will go straight to the Jimmy Fund to help fund cancer research.
We’re not sure on ticket prices and such right now but make sure to come prepared (i.e. bring your cash - remember you can always check your bank balance via your mobile thanks to Geezeo so you’ll know if you have the budget).
Getting your hands on a Liveboard prior to the MLB playoffs beginning should be a top priority and what better way to do it than by donating to the Jimmy Fund. Go Red Sox!
So that’s the update as of now. Looking forward to seeing everyone a week from Thursday.
TECH cocktail Boston: Sold Out in a Day
August 15, 2007
Wow! This is absolutely the best response we have had for a first time event. Another reason why I love Boston - Bostonians are always up for a tech party (myself included).
So, here’s what we’re going to do for those that didn’t jump on the RSVP list. We opened up a wait list which can be found at the same URL (techcocktailboston1.eventbrite.com). Since Tequila Rain is part of Jillian’s we figure there will be plenty to do while we sort out now shows and work some of the wait list into the event. Heck, maybe we can end up taking up all of Jillian’s too. Why not? Go big or go home right?
This is how we’ve handled the Chicago and DC overflow in the past and it has worked great since there are typically a handful of no shows and a good portion of the wait list usually gets in.
If you haven’t RSVPed yet please hop onto the wait list and RSVP there as soon as you can. Also, now that we know what demand is like we’ll make sure to line up a bigger venue for the next one.
Thanks again Boston for making this event memorable before it even begins. See you all in a few weeks!
Side note: Make sure to subscribe to the feed or e-mail list (powered by the feed) to get all TECH cocktail Boston related updates.
Official Announcement: TECH cocktail Boston
August 13, 2007
I am personally very excited to finally be able to officially announce TECH cocktail Boston. Ever since Frank and I founded TECH cocktail in Chicago back in May 2006 I have always hoped it would eventually lead to one back in my home state and specifically my favorite city on Earth and now it is only a few weeks away.
Here are the details:
Venue: Tequila Rain on Landsdowne (right behind the left center field wall of Fenway)
Time: 6:30pm -9pm
Date: Thursday, September 6th
Cost: $0 plus free drinks - yup, it’s free!
RSVP here: http://techcocktailboston1.eventbrite.com/
Yes, you read right. The event is free and will include free drinks and other great stuff which is all made possible by our outstanding sponsors that include (in no particular order):
Compete.com - Geezeo - ZoomInfo - Northbridge Venture Partners
I would also like to send a big thanks over to the guys on the ground in Boston who are getting things done for TC Boston. Again, in no particular order, they are:
Peter Glyman - Geezeo
Shawn Ward - Geezeo
Jay Meattle - Compete.com
Brian Balfour - ZoomInfo
These guys have really done it all including raising the money, choosing the venue, negotiating the deal with the venue, etc. Without them TECH cocktail Boston would not be possible.
So, there you have it. We’re bringing TECH cocktail to Beantown and I am have no doubt it will be wicked awesome! See you in Boston on the 6th.
Side note: You must RSVP and be 21+ to attend. Space is limited to RSVP as soon as you can.
Want to Work at midPhase?
April 18, 2007
The guys at midPhase just told me that they have a handfull of jobs to fill. For those of you who don’t know the founders of midPhase have backed TECH cocktail since day one and we wouldn’t be able to do what we do without them. They also happen to be great guys who I am sure are great bosses. If you want to check out more about what jobs are available please check out their new jobs site.
Web 2.0 Expo: Come to Learn
March 19, 2007
My buddy Dave McClure is one of the co-chairs for the Web 2.0 Expo being held out in San Francisco April 15th - 18th and let me tell you he and the rest of the team have spent a lot of time over the last six months lining up great speakers to make sure this conference is top notch.
This conference is about learning how to do Web 2.0, not just hearing people talk about what it is, which is why I am a big fan. They have seven education tracks for geeks, designers, entrepreneurs and all the other types of folks that have a hand in building the next version of the Web.
The cost is always a concern so it’s good to know that there are discounts for students, educators, etc. There is even a free track for those of us who can’t afford anything but want to take part in the learning called Web2.Open. That is a nice touch!
Unfortunately you’ve already missed the early bird discount but fear not! If you use this code - webex07mk35 - you’ll get $100 off the conference ticket price. Who ever said TECH cocktail doesn’t hook up its people?
Register today with the TECH cocktail code above and make the Chicago/Midwest contingent of Web 2.0 bigger and badder.
I’ll be there and Frank will too (yeah - I know he’s in DC now but he’s still a native son of Illinois so he’s still part of the Chicago contingent) but I don’t think two people constitute a contingent. Coming out to the Valley would be a great way to show what this area is made of and learn some stuff while we’re at it. Plus there will definitely be beer and cocktails involved at some point and maybe Frank and I will even spring for a round for the Chicago folks. Note I said maybe - if there’s a handful of ya the first round in San Fran is on us - if there’s a ton of people we’ll buy a handful of beers first come, first serve. We’re not made of money afterall. 
If those reasons to attend weren’t enough for you I should note that FeedBurner’s own Don Loeb is speaking and there will no doubt be some FeedBurner schwag floating around for ya. For more on the conference and the different tracks check out Dave’s blog. Hopefully I’ll see you all in San Francisco in a month!
Side note: If you’re going please drop me a line and we’ll make sure to meet-up. Frank is also out there and is even out there this week so you can ping him too if you want to try and meetup.
TC4: Sold Out in Under 24 Hours
March 13, 2007
Whew! I honestly never thought that would happen so quickly. Simply unbelievable. OK - now to regroup.
Since we’re sold out I would ask that you please e-mail me if you realize you’re not going to use your pass and/or your +1 so we can make those slots available for others who may not have been able to RSVP.
Also, perhaps we can start a waiting list for the event for those that did not get a formal slot. The whole downstairs of Barleycorn’s will be open to the public so there would be a good place to wait. How does that sound? I figure if people don’t get there by 8pm they’re not coming so we can start letting in folks on the wait list in around then. If you would like to be added to the wait list just click here to RSVP.
Note: the wait list will get you in at 8pm if we have no shows and is first come first serve. This does not cover you if people are leaving and you want to get in and take their space. Why you ask? We pay per head at Barleycorn’s and if, for example, 200 hundred people leave and another 200 hundred go in we pay for 400 and we can’t afford to do that. You can pay $10 (our per head cost) to us at the door if you’d like to get in as others leave.
Lastly, I forgot to mention that Daliah Saper of Saper Law will be at the event and she’ll be ready to talk about legal issues entrepreneurs need to plan for. She’ll even have a sheet that details some quick points on what you need to know about the law as an entrepreneur. Thanks Daliah!
Well, thank you all again for your support. Frank and I look forward to seeing you on the 12th of April and, apparently, we’ll need to find yet a bigger venue the next time around. Cheers!
Looking for a Job?
February 25, 2007
If so, here a couple of great companies looking for you right now.
Liquid Talk Networks - V.P. Engineering
Liquid Talk is looking for a V.P. of Engineering to help the build up their company. I know the guys over there well and I think there’s a lot of fun to be had along with a lot of personal and professional growth. Check out the job details and shoot them a resume at techcocktailjobs@liquidtalk.net if you think you’re up for the challenge.
FeedBurner - Java Programmers
We’re still looking for a few more java folks to add to our ever growing engineering team. If you are an experienced java engineer and are looking to join one of the hottest companies around (no pun intended - OK, it was intended) shoot me your resume (eric@techcocktail.com) and I will get it to the proper folks who can then fill you in on what we are all about.
As more jobs come in we’ll be sure to list them here so stay tuned TECH cocktailers!
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