With our new look and feel finally released to the world, I thought I would take a moment to pontificate and see if I couldn't add something of value to the ever rising tide of information that we find ourselves swimming in. And I promise, that will be my last ocean related metaphor.

What are my hopes for this new space? To try to communicate those things I find interesting, which spark conversations, which made me spot and say "hmmmm". Or, I might just wax rhapsodic about the my latest food crush. After all, man cannot live on the discussion of web based technology alone. And . . . let's be frank here . . . I'm not a developer. As nifty as a trick you might have just pulled in your code, my only interest is how long it's going to take you develop that solution and most importantly, does it meet the project specifications?

With the previous paragraph in mind, here's something that's been on my mind, besides the economy, or course. Frankly, over the last week or so, I've been amazed at the talent and passion of the geek population here in Portland. From events like the Legion of Tech, to Beer and Blog, to the countless startups, mashups, side projects and enterprise level applications.
It's not just the technical wizardry on display, it's the sense of community that permeates the culture. People gathering just to talk about projects and to share ideas. Sure, we're a hotbed of the open source movement, but it's more than that - it's the a swirling mishmash of online and offline communications that gives it a sense of vibrancy and motion.