Robby on Rails: Tag portland

Portland is calling... (you)

Robby Russell — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 01:30:00 -0500

We’re not looking for rock stars or ninjas at Planet Argon. ;-)

We’re looking for individuals that share our core values.

COLLABORATION – We believe that an open dialogue between all members of a group helps to produce more reasoned and intelligent decisions.
ENTHUSIASM – We recognize the unique power of people who are passionate about their craft. We believe that fun is an essential ingredient in a collaborative and vibrant company culture. We think happy people make better software.
COMMUNITY – We are part of many communities. Our neighborhoods, our cities, our workplace, and our professional communities. We give back to our communities by implementing socially responsible business practices and sharing our knowledge and tools with our peers.
VERSATILITY – We believe that it is important for our team to be open and flexible, as well as the work that we do. This allows us to adapt to change and encourage innovation.
EXECUTION – We value action and when people make things happen. It is important that we follow through on our commitments, plans, and ideas.

..maybe you’re a .NET/Java/PHP/Python developer (who secretly plays with Ruby on Rails at night/weekends). We’re looking for an intermediate-level Rails developer to join our team. Ideal candidates would be in the Portland, Oregon area or willing to relocate.

If you’re interested, take a moment and introduce yourself.

Moved to our new studio

Robby Russell — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 08:56:00 -0600

One of the reasons why I’ve been too busy to write on my blog lately is that we recently moved into to a new studio. We had a lot of preparation to do before we moved in and are finally getting settled in the new space.

We took the space from…

To this…

As you can see.. we have lots of natural light for the entire team…

I think that Chris Griffin shares the same excitement that I do about the new space. ;-)

We’ll be posting more photos on the Planet Argon flickr stream over the coming weeks as we get the studio organized. :-)

PLANET ARGON is seeking fresh talent... could it be you?

Robby Russell — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 10:10:00 -0500

My blog has been fairly quiet lately because our team has been busy helping push a few big client projects out the door. We’ll be posting announcements about those launches on the PLANET ARGON Blog soon, so stay-tuned there!

We’ve been growing the design-side of our team lately, but we’re also still seeking some more Rails-talent in Portland, OR. If you’re in Portland or interested in moving here¹, you should introduce yourself to our team. We’re looking for people to work on-site in Portland, so any remote candidates will be turned away… we’re moving into a shiny and new office space in downtown and are looking for another developer to join our Design and Development team.

you’ll fit in really well if you’re into outdoor activities… ;-)

We’re seeking mid-level Ruby on Rails developers that can pick things up quickly. Having some experience with RSpec will go along way with us. Ideal candidates would have great communication skills and be able to work in a fast-paced environment that places a huge emphasis on collaboration between designers and developers (let’s not forget to mention our clients). Bring what you already know and learn the rest with us.

While everyone might have Wii’s in the office, we’ve taken it to the next level with Speed Stacking! :-p

To apply, send an email to af22+8509@c1.catchthebest.com,

Side note: We’re giving Catch the Best a whirl to review job candidates. If you’re hiring people, you might consider giving it a try.

¹ Everybody is moving to Portland… ;-)

Heading to Portland for RailsConf... by foot

Robby Russell — Wed, 16 May 2007 17:21:00 -0500

Yay! It’s almost conference time… and I’m almost completely thrilled!

Why am I not more thrilled? Well, mainly because RailsConf is being hosted here in Portland, which means that I don’t get to travel by train like we did last year via The Argon Express. (ah… the memories)

One perk of being here already… is that I get to act as a tour guide to visitors. For example, earlier today… Josh Susser (hasmanyjosh) joined Graeme and I for lunch in downtown Portland, OR. It was exciting to hear about how he and his fellow Rubyists at Powerset are using Ruby and Rails for various projects. John also spent a few minutes introducing us to Merb, which some people think will become popular in near future. We’re expecting more visitors to come by the offices over the next few days.

If you’re in Portland already (Wednesday)... you might head over to the Lucky Lab for a game of Werewolf, which I believe Michael Buffington is organizing the event. I’m going to try to make it… maybe I’ll see you there!

Flickr Group

I created a flickr group named RailsConf 2007, and started to use the tag railsconf2007 for flickr photos. I look forward to seeing all your photos from the event!

IRC Channel

As of this afternoon, there are almost 20 people hanging out in #railsconf on freenode. Stop by and introduce yourself!

Portland Revealed

If you haven’t already subscribed to our feed, you might have missed that the PLANET ARGON team has been posting several articles about things to do, see, and drink in Portland during your visit to RailsConf. Here are a few that we’ve posted so far.

You can also peak around GoSeeOregon (a Rails application!) to find places around town to go see.

RailsConf is coming to Beertown

Robby Russell — Thu, 10 May 2007 13:05:00 -0500

The team at PLANET ARGON is continuing a series of blog posts for all of you who are coming to Portland, Oregon for RailsConf 2007. Allison just posted Portland Revealed: Episode 2: Beertown, which provides a list of places to get good beer in Portland… starting at the PDX Airport to other places around the conference center. We even through in a platial map to make the beer hunt easier for you. :-)

View all Portland Revealed articles

Speaking at Ostrava on Rails

Robby Russell — Wed, 02 May 2007 09:04:00 -0500

I have been invited to speak at Ostrava on Rails in the Czech Republic this June. I hear that Jamis Buck and Geoffrey Grosenbach will also be speaking at this event. Once a few minor details are set, I’ll post more information about the talk that I am giving, which will related to the Business of Rails panel, which is where you see me speak in just a few weeks at RailsConf 2007 (Portland, OR).

If you’re going to be at the conference in Ostrava, let me know. I’m thinking that I’ll also try to visit Prague before or after the event… as I’ve seen and heard great things about both cities. I believe my lodging in Ostrava will be decided by the powers that be… but if you have any pointers as to where to stay while in Prague, let me know. :-)

Don't Go Hungry During RailsConf 2007

Robby Russell — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 00:13:00 -0600

If you’re going to be coming to Portland, Oregon for RailsConf 2007, be sure to check out the new Urban Edibles website. Michael Bunsen gave a short demonstration of it at the Portland Ruby Brigade monthly meeting. If you’re looking for fig and pear trees within the city limits of Portland, this is the site for you!

Business of Rails Panel at RailsConf 2007

Robby Russell — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 14:57:00 -0600

Trying to finish my book and running PLANET ARGON consumes quite a bit of my time… so when the RailsConf people announced that they were accepting proposals for talks, I opted to pass so that it wouldn’t distract from my sprint to finish my book. :-)

This decision was even easier for me when Nathaniel Talbot invited me to be part of his proposal for a panel of people that are running companies that specialize with Ruby on Rails. I liked the idea and the other people that were invited were all people that I greatly admired and respected… so I said yes. After all, so much of my time and energy goes into this stuff and there isn’t any doubt that I spend way more time on the business side of Rails… than in code these days.

I just got an email from Nathaniel to let me know that his proposal was accepted.

So, if you’ll be at RailsConf 2007 (US), come see me on The Business of Rails panel session.

The following people are planned to be on the panel.

Moderator: Nathaniel Talbott, Terralien Inc.

Panelists include:

Justin Gehtland, Relevance, LLC
Geoffrey Grosenbach, Topfunky Corporation
Andre Lewis, earthcode.com
Joe O’Brien, EdgeCase, LLC
Robby Russell, Planet Argon, LLC

I hope that you all send Nathaniel some great (and tough) questions… ;-)

RailsConf 2007 in style

Robby Russell — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 09:50:00 -0600

Wow, this is pretty cool.

CDBaby is sponsoring conference passes AND twenty rooms at the Jupiter Hotel in Portland, OR during RailsConf 2007 to the top 20 contributors to the Ruby on Rails project from during January.

Start submitting patches!

Working in Portland Coffee Shops and Cafes Reviews, part 2

Robby Russell — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 15:02:00 -0600

During the summer of 2005, I wrote a post that listed several coffee shops in Portland, Oregon that I found to be really good places to work on your laptop at. I’ve gotten bored with my regulars and have recently begun to look for new places to venture to.

Pier Coffee is in a weird part of Portland that is somewhat isolated due to the train tracks that will block you in when a long train is moving through town. It’s a very short walk from Allison’s place and they have Oregon Chai, which has become my replacement for drinking coffee. The chairs in Pier Coffee are very comfortable and they have an electrical outlet at most of their tables. When you get bored, you can walk over and play darts, or get a glass of wine. The wireless works really well and when it’s not raining, you can sit out front and overlook the train tracks and downtown, while hacking on your laptop. Pier Coffee is what I would consider an easy place for me to feel productive. There usually isn’t too many people here and I believe most of the customers are from the two condo complexes next to it. The staff is very friendly and their music tastes aren’t annoying.

Backspace is about a half block from the PLANET ARGON office. They don’t serve Oregon Chai, so I usually only get a tea, a viso, or a hot cocoa while there. They have a few tables and couches and I haven’t found this a good place to be productive. It’s a good place to have a short meeting with a coworker though. Music tastes are better here than most places, and they have a food menu now that caters to my vegetarian diet. There are a few electrical outlets, but the seats near them are often occupied.

Three Lions Bakery is about a block from the PLANET ARGON office. They do have Oregon Chai, so I stop by here often in the morning to get my fix. Not many electrical outlets, so your visits are usually not very long. They have a few sandwiches that are quite good. This is a good place to stop by if you’re in the mood to work for about a hour and have some chai and an excellent (and freshly baked) cookie.

If you’re in Portland and have some recommendations, please do share. I’m looking for a few places that are open later in the evening.

Portland Public Transporation and the Zen of Office Management

Robby Russell — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 12:33:00 -0500

One of the coolest parts about my job (aside working with cool people everyday)... is getting a say in where we spend some of our money as a company. One of the things that Allison and I decided that we really wanted to do as a company was encourage sustainable business and growth in our local community. Everyone here loves Portland, Oregon.

This screenshot was taken after we took headshots for our transportation passes.

Our awesome Office Manager, Nicole Fritz has started a blog, which she plans to, ”...not only to let people know what goes on behind the scenes at PA, but to give other startups hints and tips about cool admin things that I have learned along the way (from taxes to how to get the right people “on the bus”).”

Nicole has posted an article, which introduces people to some of the great tax credits that small businesses like PLANET ARGON can take advantage of… in particular how we are now taking advantage of a tax credit for public transportation, bike storage, carpool programs, and more.

If you’re a customer of ours or are running a small business… you might consider subscribing to her feed.

Want to move to Portland?

Robby Russell — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 17:56:00 -0500

While at AjaxWorld, several people asked me about our team, processes, and if we had any job openings. The answer to that is… “yes!”

We’re always looking for more developers. There is one catch though… we want you to be located in Portland, Oregon. Many people have responded to our ads as remote contractors, but what we’re really after is great people to join our team here in Portland.

If you’re interested in joining our team, send a thoughtful cover letter and your resume (plain text… no word docs) to jobs@planetargon.com.

Update Since a few people emailed to ask more about Portland... here are some interesting facts and links. :-)

Portland is home to more breweries than any other city in the world.
Cool people live here (Sally Struthers! hah)
Best Vegetarian City !
picture blog of portland
New York City gets more rain annually than Portland (and Seattle)
Snowboarding is 45 minutes away
OSCON is hosted here
RailsConf 2007 will be in Portland!

Portland a hub for Open Source?

Robby Russell — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 20:28:00 -0600

I saw the following article posted on O’Reilly Radar.

Oregon city builds a reputation as a hub for software revolution

We have tons of Open Source stuff in this town… from OSCON… OSL to OSDL (where Linus himself works)... to tons of local user groups. Starting a business in Portland, Oregon that focuses on Open Source technology is so common place that it’d be nuts to even attempt to list all the companies that I am aware of.

PLANET ARGON was started in Portland, Oregon and as we are slowly moving our way into other regions of the country with some of our extended developers, we are so excited to be part of the Portland scene.

We’re looking forward to meeting so many of you next summer at OSCON 2006!

If you’re a reader of this blog and in the Portland area… leave me a comment!

I wonder how many readers are located in the Portland area. :-)

I <3 Portland.

Small Ruby groups acting small

Robby Russell — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 11:21:00 -0500

The Portland Ruby Brigade is kicking into full gear. We actually hit 20 people in our IRC channel this morning! Not bad for a group that has less than 40 people on the mailing list right now. We had ~30 people show up to the last PDX.rb meeting on October 4th.

Why are local user groups so important?

Rails has flooded the Ruby scene. We have people seeking more help in several mailing lists, IRC channels, and forums. This is where local user groups comes into play. Reading the manuals online, the books, and list archives are all great ways to learn something but often times it is the interaction with other human beings that really pushes our knowledge. Getting to meet up with local Ruby and Rails fans a few times a month, listen to discussions in the flesh, and having a beer with some really talented people is truly a great experience.

What can I do?

If your local area does not have a Ruby/Rails group… take the plunge and start something up now!

What if I live in Portland?

Just go there on the map on the first Tuesday of the month!

If you live anywhere near Portland and just a little bit interested in Ruby, you should swing by the PDX.rb IRC channel on Freenode or signup on the mailing list.

You can also read the PDX.rb blog here.

This is just the beginning… :-)

PHP versus Ruby, round two

Robby Russell — Tue, 04 Oct 2005 10:22:00 -0500

Apparently, there was a double booking at the venue tonight where the Portland Ruby Brigade is having the monthly meeting at.

Who are we double booked with? The Portland PHP user’s group. I’m not kidding!

First of all, this kind of puts a minor blow to our plan for tonight. We have Derek and Jeremy (bitsweat) coming by to discuss their work with Ruby on Rails and PostgreSQL. We’re not sure yet how the double-booking happened… so that remains to be figured out. However, the other group starts a hour earlier, so we can probably sneak in towards the end and then show them the Ruby way.

The funny part? The discussion with Derek from CD Baby is supposed to surround their move from PHP to Ruby. We might be able to pick up a few more PHP coders tonight. :-)

Wish us luck… it could get dirty tonight.

CDBaby Q&A at next Portland Ruby Brigade meeting

Robby Russell — Fri, 23 Sep 2005 15:06:00 -0500

I just posted on the Portland Ruby Brigade blog that Derek Sivers and Jeremy Kemper (bitsweat) will be coming to the next PDX.rb user group meeting. Derek and Jeremy will field questions from all of us in regards to their complete rewrite of CD Baby from PHP+MySQL to Ruby+Rails+PostgreSQL. (my favorite open-source projects!)

This will take place at FreeGeek in Portland, Oregon on October 4th, 2005!

For more information, see the Portland Ruby Brigade website

The Portland Ruby Brigade hackfest roundup

Robby Russell — Tue, 20 Sep 2005 07:07:00 -0500

John Labovitz has a nice and detailed overview of everything that went down at the Portland Ruby Brigade hackfest last weekend. They still quite a bit of work to do, so if you live in the Portland area and want to get involved with the local Ruby group, this would be a good time. :-)

If you are already part of the group and want to help promote it, flaunt PDX.rb with a button on your blog or site. ;-)

<a href="http://www.pdxruby.org/"><img src="http://blog.pdxruby.org/files/pdx-rb-small.jpg"  alt="Portland Ruby Brigade" /></a>