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Hi there,
![Maker Faire]() We'll be heading off to Maker Faire in San Mateo, CA, this weekend. If you or any of your group members are
attending, make sure you stop by the O'Reilly Information booth to say
hi. We've got an art project for you and the kids and we'll also be able
to help you find your way around the fair.
If you're looking for alternative ways to get to the event this year
check out our nifty page on traveling by Rail, Bus, or Bike.
Another event happening this weekend in Southern California is the 16th
annual Southwest Computer Conference. It will be held May 29-31, at
the Town & Country Resort and Conference Center in San Diego,
California. For more information visit theswcc.org or contact Judy Taylour at judytaylour@theswcc.org
![Twitter Boot Camp]() If you're looking to improve your Twittering skills don't miss the
O'Reilly Twitter Boot Camp in New York City on June 15. We're bringing
together an exciting roster of leading Twitter experts--including
O'Reilly Media founder and CEO Tim O'Reilly, Edelman Digital SVP Steve
Rubel, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, and more--in an exciting and affordable
one-day conference. Just some of the issues to be explored include
understanding Twitter data, tracking trends, conversing with customers,
growing a brand, and attracting followers.
Group members save $50 by using code ORUG50 when you register.
See more information about Twitter Boot Camp and the complete program.
One last thing, we need tech reviewers for the next edition of our
classic "Linux in a Nutshell." Please let me know if you or any of your
members are interested and I'll pass the info along to our editor. We're
looking for many sets of eyes on this one.
--Marsee
In this issue:
O'Reilly News for User Group Members
May 27, 2009
![The Art of Community]() Put Up a Banner, Get a Free Book
We're looking for user groups to display our discount banners on their
web sites. If you send me your group's site with one or more banners,
I'll send you the O'Reilly book(s) of your choice. Choose from
the following list:
The Art Of Community (post this one and we'll preorder the book for you!)
OSCON Banners
O'Reilly School of Technology Banners
Customizable O'Reilly Book Widgets
35% off User Group Discount Banners
New Releases--Books, Short Cuts, and Rough Cuts
Get 35% off from O'Reilly, No Starch, Paraglyph, PC Publishing, Pragmatic Bookshelf, Rocky Nook, SitePoint, or YoungJin books and ebooks you purchase directly from O'Reilly. Just use code "DSUG" when ordering
online or by phone 800-998-9938. oreilly.com/store
Free ground shipping on orders of $29.95 or more. See details.
Did you know you can request a free book, ebook, or PDF to review for your group? Ask your group leader for more information.
For book review writing tips and suggestions, go to:
ug.oreilly.com
New Releases:
![Android Application Development]()
MAKE Magazine Subscriptions
![Make]() The annual subscription price for four issues is $34.95. When you
subscribe with this link, you'll get a free issue--one plus four
more for $34.95. So subscribe for yourself or friends with this
great offer for UG Members: five volumes for the cost of four.
Subscribe at: makezine.com/go/ugsub
Upcoming Author Events
For more events, please see: events.oreilly.com
| Webcast: Finding Design Opportunities in the Twitter Ecosystem
| ![Kevin Makice]() |
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May 29, 2009
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Fast approaching its third birthday, the Twitter API has spawned thousands of applications that extend functionality of the basic microblogging service. Some applications mature, while others fade away. The methods and data available through the API continue to evolve, as does the Twitter community, to create new opportunities for application development. This webcast takes a closer look at the Twitter design space by reviewing existing applications across several dimensions and looking for unaddressed needs of the user and developer community.
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4th Annual Maker Faire Bay Area: Re-Make America
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May 30-31, 2009
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San Mateo County Fairgrounds
San Mateo, CA
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According to USA Today, Maker Faire Bay Area is one of the ten best places in the nation for a family-friendly, hands-on craft experience. And this May's 4th Annual Maker Faire Bay Area is heeding President Obama's call to "begin the work of remaking America." With the theme, Re-Make America, Maker Faire celebrates the folks the President described as the "risk takers, the doers, and the makers of things." Plan on joining us at Maker Faire, May 30 & 31, at the San Mateo County Expo Center. Tickets available for purchase now.
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Michael Barr at Embedded Software Boot Camp
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Jun 1-5, 2009
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Los Angeles, California
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Join Michael Barr (Programming Embedded Systems, Second Edition) at the Embedded Software Boot CampTM. It's a one-week skills strengthening program consisting of a series of lectures and hands-on exercises. This intense educational (yet fun!) program is guaranteed to quickly and dramatically raise the embedded programming skills of individuals and teams.
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Webcast: The Cloud Dilemma for Developers
| ![Javier Soltero]() |
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Jun 2, 2009
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In this webcast, Javier Soltero, CEO of Hyperic will discuss these and other dilemmas developers face in the cloud and address the steps companies can take to ensure that their applications' performance is not affected by these challenges. This event is for any developer wanting to:
- Hear how some developers are successfully leveraging cloud platforms to build manageable applications
- Learn about the latest tools for instrumenting and managing applications in highly virtualized and cloud environments
- Get tips on bringing IT and ops teams into the conversation early while keeping the agility that pushed you to the cloud in the first place
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Conference News
![OSCON 2009]( "OSCON 2009") OSCON 2009
July 20-24, 2009 in San Jose, CA
The 2009 O'Reilly Open Source Convention Moves to San Jose, CA--
Registration Now Open, So Make Your Plans. Use code "os09usrg" when you register, and receive 20% off
the registration price. Early registration ends on June 2.
![Gov 2.0 Expo Showcase]() Gov 2.0 Expo Showcase -
Government as a Platform
Co-produced by O'Reilly Media and TechWeb
September 8, 2009 in
Washington, DC
Call for Proposals is Open -
Gov 2.0 Expo Showcase is a one day event that previews the larger Gov
2.0 Expo scheduled for May 2010. Our goal is to highlight the projects
that are leading the way, those that leverage the web as a platform,
that drive towards transparency, participation and collaboration, that
drive down costs while they increase value. All these cutting-edge
efforts, married with a profound shift in thinking, are helping to build
what Tim O'Reilly has called "government as a platform." On September
8th, 20 innovators will show how this is really happening, concretely,
right now, inside (and outside) government. The submission deadline for
all proposals is June 30, 2009.
![Velocity 2009]( "Velocity 2009") Velocity 2009
June 22-24, 2009 in San Jose, CA
Attending Velocity makes you competitive immediately because it is
rooted in practical application, sending you back to work with a deeper
understanding of how the technology and applications you deploy can
accelerate performance and deliver a better front end experience. Use code "vel09usrg" when you register, and receive 20% off
the registration price. Registration now.
For a complete list of conferences, go to conferences.oreilly.com.
![Ignite Logo]( "Ignite Logo") Ignite
If you had five minutes on stage what would you say? What if you only
got 20 slides and they rotated automatically after 15 seconds? Around
the world geeks have been putting together Ignite nights to show their
answers. Create your own Ignite in your area.
Upcoming Ignite events:
For more events, go to http://ignite.oreilly.com/
O'Reilly School of Technology
![OST]() O'Reilly School of Technology Courses: UG Members Receive a 30% Discount —
By enrolling in the O'Reilly School of Technology, you can stay competitive in Information Technology without the high cost or huge time
commitment. Our courses work around YOUR schedule, not the other way
around. And within months, not only will you have the University of
Illinois Certificate to display on your resume, you'll also have a
portfolio of projects that are sure to impress in your interviews!
OST's full-price tuitions are already lower than comparable continuing education or community college courses. However, as an O'Reilly User
Group member, you save an additional 30% on all the courses in the
following University of Illinois Certificate Series:
- New--Database Administration Certificate
- Java Programming
- PHP/SQL Programming
- Linux/Unix System Administration
- Web Programming
- Open Source Programming
- .NET Programming
- Client-Side Web Programming featuring AJAX
To redeem, use Promotion Code "ORALL1" good for a 30% discount,
in Step #2 of the enrollment process. Each course comes with a free
O'Reilly book and a 7-day money-back guarantee. Enroll now.
(This discount is not combinable with other offers.)
News From O'Reilly & Beyond![O'Reilly Radar]()
News & Blogs
Ruby Learning Interview: Author David
Griffiths, "Head First Rails"
Why $9.99 Won't Always Be an eBook Pricing Ceiling
Have you stumbled across any of those Kindle owners who get angry
anytime they see an ebook price over $9.99? How about publishers who
insist on maintaining their print list price for the e-version? Btw, for
the record, at O'Reilly we typically fall somewhere in between; our
"digital list price" is generally less than the print list price and, of
course, Amazon is free to discount to an even lower price. As a
consumer, when I see a Kindle price over $9.99 I'm highly likely to skip
it.
More Geo-Games: Ship Simulator on Google Earth
At Google I/O 2008 the Google Earth API was released. It brought Google
Earth's 3D capabilities to the web (with the help of browser
extensions). Since that release they've started supporting Macs. One
really nice part of the Google Earth API is the ability to create games
in the 3D world.
Scribd Store a Welcome Addition to Ebook Market (and 650 O'Reilly Titles Included)
The document-sharing site Scribd has launched a new "Scribd Store"
selling view and download access to documents and books. As part of the
launch, there are now more than 650 O'Reilly ebooks now available for
preview and sale in the Scribd store, and all include DRM-free PDF
downloads with purchase. (Scribd will soon be adding EPUB as a format,
and we'll make that available as soon as possible.)
Being a Suggested User Leads to Thousands of Twitter Followers
Ever since Twitter started suggesting accounts to new users, it was
clear that those on the suggested users list were gaining thousands of
followers. Setting aside the fact that number of followers is a poor
gauge of influence (see our Twitter report for details), I wanted to
know how many followers a suggested account gains by appearing on the
list.
Announcing InsideRIA Conference
Yep, you heard correctly in association with the 360Conferences guys,
InsideRIA is having its first conference August 23-24, 2009 in San Jose,
CA at the eBay facilities. This 2-day event will get into the nitty
gritty of developing for the Rich Internet Application (RIA) space.
Sunday will be hands-on workshops to get you familiar with a few of the
RIA platforms. Monday will be a full day of sessions with 3 distinct
tracks: Development, Design/User Experience and Business Development.
All 3 tracks will be aimed at the RIA platform in general.
Until next time--
Marsee Henon
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