May 6th Breakfast: KCI Case Study on reaching influencers and non-influencers alike
Please join us for our monthly social media breakfast at the Kansas City Cafe. For this breakfast, the agenda will be different from the past meetings. Announcements will start earlier at 7:45 a.m. The meeting will start at 8:00 a.m.
Justin Meyer from the Kansas City International Airport will be speaking on how KCI engages their influential travelers on the May 6th Breakfast. Here is a description on his presentation:
While anything but an early adopter to social media, Kansas City International Airport has found a true niche in the space over the last two years. KCI's efforts to engage social-savvy customers have been recognized by the Kansas City Star, the Boston Globe and top aviation bloggers. In July of 2010 Forbes ranked KCI as the Top Tweeting Airport in its peer group.
RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=145318045537697
The speaker slots for June and July are available. Reach out to Steven Chau at steven.p.chau @ gmail.com to coordinate presentations.

LTA Business Showcase
A hands-on community forum and networking experience at the Bioscience & Technology Business Center (BTBC)
2029 Becker, Lawrence, KS 66047
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
5 P.M. – 7 P.M.

There will be guest speakers, table space to share your business cards or brochures, and food and drinks! Don’t miss this opportunity to join members of the Lawrence Technology Association and share your experiences with your business and technology with others.

Speakers include:
Deb Vignatelli, Director of Operations, BrightEHR.
Donna Johnson, President & CEO, Pinnacle Technology, Inc.
Rob Herrington, Chairman & CEO, Horizon Analog, Inc.
Abel Leon, Director of Technology, Computerized Assessments and Learning, LLC.
John Ferguson, Senior Software Engineer, Garmin International.

For a complete schedule visit our Web site at:
http://www.lawrencetech.org/events/

Membership sign-ups will be available at the event.

To register for the showcase, please contact Kerri Johnson at 785.832.2824 or via e-mail at [email protected] by May 9th, 2011

The topic: Mercurial: Tales from the Trenches
The speaker: Russell Ball
The description: (From Russ)

I led the conversion effort from Subversion to Mercurial about 9 months ago for a team of 12 developers. Now that we are past the initial infatuation and frustration stages, I thought it would be a good time to do some reflection and offer some anecdotal advice and first-hand insights into the topic. I’ll still cover some high level distributed source control concepts as well as demo some Mercurial basics, but I thought it would be helpful to try to focus on my actual experiences rather than simply giving a basic intro to the subject.

As usual, we'll kick it off about 6:00, food should arrive around 5:30(ish).
Sponsor is Ecco Select

There will be prizes...

You’re Invited to a Kansas City Cloud Computing User Group Event!

Workplace productivity hinges on your employees’ ability to share business knowledge and make informed decisions across the organization. Cloud solutions like Office 365/BPOS and CRM Online offer the tools that have the potential to take your communication, collaboration, sales and marketing to the next level. Join us for a roundtable discussion with local businesses about the successes and challenges of taking business to the cloud.
https://www.clicktoattend.com/invitation.aspx?code=155143
Lunch will be provided

Our next meeting will be held:
6:30 PM, Wed, April 27, 2011
Centriq Training Center
8700 State Line Rd, Leawood, KS
(West side of State Line Rd, directly across from Ward Parkway Mall)
Sponsor: VOLT
Food and door prizes will be provided by : VOLT

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In order to ensure that we have enough food, please click REPLY to this email and indicate if you will be attending. Thanks very much !

This month's topic is:

jQuery (speaker: Clint Brown)
The JavaScript language allows one to create dynamic, interactive web content. The jQuery library makes using JavaScript much easier, including handling many of the tricky browser idiosyncrasies. Learn about the why and the how as Clint Brown explains his use of this tool for the MyEnergyThings.com web site.
Clint Brown's BIO:
After earning a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Drury University in Springfield, MO, C! lint has had the opportunity to pursue his hobby of computer programming as his career. His earlier experience was primarily on the AS/400 minicomputer platform, working for companies such as IBM, GE, and La Petite Academy. Self-taught on the PC and web platforms, Clint has worked on a number of C++ and PHP projects over the years. He is now a major partner in a startup company, EnergyThings, LLC, where he works as the lead developer for the company's site for tracking household energy usage.
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Our website URL is: http://www.kcwebpros.com

Meeting Schedule for Thursday, April 28th, 2011:

2:30 - 2:45 - Greeting and Housekeeping
2:45 - 3:00 - Database Compression Tips & Tricks -- Terry Watts
3:00 - 4:00 - Jumpstart your BI with SQL Server Analysis Services -- Ilona Shulman

Location:
Microsoft
10801 Mastin Blvd, Suite 620
Overland Park, KS 66210
http://www.microsoft.com/about/companyinformation/usaoffices/northcentral/en/us/kansas.aspx

KC SQL Server User Group web site: http://kansascity.sqlpass.org/

Access SIG April 20th at 6:30 pm JCCC Regnier, 2nd Floor
Lisa Friedrichsen:Presentation 1: From Excel spreadsheet to Access relational database. Importing the data is the easy part. The problem is this - how do we move the data into a solid relational database design? Lisa Friedrichsen will start with a typical Excel spreadsheet of data, import it into Access, and go through the steps of how to redesign a single large table of data into a properly-designed relational database.


Curtis Wilson:Presentation 2: Marquees, Scrolling Messages, and Flashing Labels. (Tip 10 from the Access Solutions book). Occasionally, you will need to add a few bells and whistles to an application to capture a user's attention. This tip shows options on how to achieve that desired result.

Windows/Freeware - April 19th at 6:30 pm. New Horizons Computer Learning Center Metcalf South Shopping Center 96th & Metcalf, Overland Park, KS (Please enter the door of Metcalf South on the lower level of the shopping center on the West - You will find New Horizons inside the center area.)
Room: 6 see a map at www.newhorizonskc.com

This month let us have some fun and everyone contribute. In the entertainment venue we have a lot of choices besides cable, DSL or satellite. Now there providers such as Netflix, Hulu, Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime, Block Buster and the networks themselves providing broadband access to their offerings once the scheduled program has been broadcast.
The means to access these offerings are also numerous. Come to the meeting and tell/show us your experiences. Do you use any of these offerings? What means do you use to access any or all of these offerings? This can go on and on. If you have been considering using any of these opportunities then come and learn. If you use these opportunities then come and teach. The only thing you could miss out on is fun.

As usual, there will be a question answer period where we can discuss other issues as you see fit. Please email known questions to Bill Diamond at [email protected] before hand.

Date: 4/19/2011 6:30 PM - 9 PM
Where: New Horizons Computer Learning Center Metcalf South Shopping Center 96th & Metcalf, Overland Park, KS (Please enter the door of Metcalf South on the lower level of the shopping center on the West - You will find New Horizons inside the center area.)
Room: 6 see a map at
www.newhorizonskc.com

Bill Diamond
Windows/Freeware SIG leader
[email protected]

The meeting topic: PMI Certification is Getting Agile

IPMI recently announced a new certification focused on Agile Project Management. This discussion will provide some of the key information on the certification, including qualifications, costs, timeline, and tips on the exam. Bob Tarne will present an overview of the forthcoming certification at the next Agile KC meeting.

Among many other credentials, Bob is certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified ScrumMaster, and Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB). Bob holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois and an MS in Business from Johns Hopkins University - Carey School of Business. Bob is currently a Senior Program Manager with Lombardi Software, where he specializes in leading business process improvement initiatives following lean/agile project management techniques. Prior to joining Lombardi, he was a Managing Consultant with PM Solutions, where he was responsible for improving client's project management practices. His work included measuring project management maturity, implementing methodologies, and establishing project management offices (PMOs). He has also worked as a project manager for Sprint, with experience across all aspects of wireless communications. Bob's career began in the U.S. Navy where he served for seven years as a Cryptologist.

Bob is a graduate of the inaugural class of PMI's Leadership Institute. He has served in numerous positions for the IT & Telecommunications Specific Interest Group (IT &T SIG), including a term as SIG Chair. He was also part of the 2007 North America Congress Project Action Team. He has presented several times at international conferences, PMI Congresses, Leadership Meetings, and local chapter events. His blog can be found at zen-pm.blogspot.com. Bob is also a writer and member of the editorial board for Projects at Work.

Hi KC perlers -

The second Tuesday of April is coming up on the 12th. It's time to get together again to chat about perl projects, local employment, and whatever else comes to mind. How many folks think they can make it?

Just a reminder, our meetings are regularly scheduled for the 2nd Tuesday of each month and typically happen at Barley's in Shawnee at 7pm. A handful of us grab a few hightop tables and spend an hour or two informally chatting about items of interest to local programmers.
New folks are always encouraged to attend. Just look for the group of nerds in the back room with the pool tables and games.

Sporting Kansas City will be doing an exclusive, all-access tour of LIVESTRONG Sporting Park for the Social Media Club of Kansas City on Monday, April 25th at a 5:30 p.m - 7:00 p.m. Sporting KC will discuss the advanced technology that their new stadium will have, as well as the club’s dedication to social media as a means to interact with their fans and advance their brand.
Only 50 seats available. RSVP at http://sportingkc-sm-happy-hour.eventbrite.com with the password LIVESTRONG2011.

Kansas City has been selected as the first stop of the America: Now and Here traveling multimedia art exhibition. http://americanowandhere.org/ / @ANHKC
Barkley invites you to meet members of the America: Now and Here team, including Yosi Sergant, known for producing shows with artists like Shepard Fairey, Swoon, Frank Chimero, The Roots, Modest Mouse and many more; and prominent art consultant Kathy Dowell.
Presentation/Q&A will begin at 6 p.m. Happy hour will follow.
There is no charge for this event. If you’d like to attend, please respond by Sunday, April 10th at https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=137251896347210.