Next month there will be a gathering of the social media gods of Houston. Peanut Butter Media, PopLabs, and Startup Houston are sponsoring a conference designed to help business owners take advantage of current offerings in social media.

What is social media? Glad you asked!

Social Media is about People - Not Technology.*

Here is a link to their agenda.

* Erica O’Grady - http://gotsocialmedia.com/

According to StartupHouston.com, The Planet is taking up residency in Bayou Place, square in the heart of downtown. Straight from their blog, they plan to go head to head in competing with Silicon Valley for new tech business. Their recent donation of $25000 to the Houston Technology Center is an awesome step in that direction. It’s exciting to see the tech industry growing here in H-Town.

Get your geek on bigger and better than ever. The second BarCamp Houston kicks off Saturday the 25th and it is a veritable who’s who of Houston area technologists. Those of you who joined me at BarCamp Houston last year might be shocked to hear that as of this blog post there are 144 attendees signed up and growing.

For a complete wiki on what a BarCamp is click here

As far as the details of Saturdays event:
Date: August 25, 2007
Time: 9:00 A.M.
Location: Houston Technology Center
Cost: Always free!
Format: Presentations, development projects, and demos
Estimated Attendance: 150

Sign up and if you attend, make sure you pull me aside to say “Howdy!”

THIS MAKES ME SO ANGRY! HOW CAN ANYONE SUPPORT THIS TACTIC?!?! INSTEAD OF TRAINING OFFICERS TO BE CLICKAHOLIC COMMANDERS WE SHOULD BE SENDING THEM BACK TO POLICE ACADEMY (ONLY REQUIRED ONCE IN THEIR CAREER) TO RE-TRAIN ON HOW TO BE A REAL POLICE OFFICER!!!!! THEY’RE TURNING INTO LAME DUCKS WITH NON-LETHAL WEAPONS!!

WANT TO SEE WHAT REALLY GOES DOWN WHEN SOMEONE IS GETTING TASERED? WANT TO HEAR A COP SAY “I SWEAR I’LL BREAK YOUR FUCKING NECK IF YOU DON’T STOP”? THEN CHECK OUT THE LINK BELOW WHERE THE AMAZING PEOPLE AT CHRON.COM HAVE COMPILED SOME POLICE TASER VIDEOS. PREPARE TO BE STUNNED! OH YEAH, ALSO NOTICE THE REDNECKISH HOOTING & HOLLERING DURING THE “TRAINING” VIDEO.

http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/special/07/taservids/

HEY SUPPORTERS OF THIS TECHNOLOGY: TIME TO SPEAK UP AND PROVE TO US THAT THIS IS A LEGITIMATE POLICE TACTIC.

Quick poll!!! Do you: a) vote b) care about the future of politics c) love technology d) like free beer?

If you answered yes to any of the above, then you should hook up with us at the Houston NetSquared meetup on 7pm Tuesday, February 13th at the Stag’s Head Pub and chat with Silona Bonewald of the League of Technical Voters!

I know there are some Metblog readers with a political bent, so this might be a really good discussion for you to join. The League of Technical Voters is basically trying to change the future of policymaking by connecting lawmakers and voters with technology to keep everyone informed, motivated and action-oriented.

Surely you have an opinion on this - so come and share it… and drink some beer. Accessibility technology guru Sharron Rush from Austin’s Knowbility group will also be there to touch on other technology issues. Good times.

Houston is full of interesting stories, people and places and none of those places is less interesting than the 5th Ward. Until recently, I didn’t realize what a rich history it has - populated by newly freed slaves after the Civil War, birthplace of many distinguished Houstonians and now the home of major social renovation projects.

Tomorrow night at 7pm, Kathy Payton of the Houston 5th Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation is going to be chatting with the non profit technology NetSquared group at Stag’s Head Pub (2128 Portsmouth St.).

Kathy will tell us about her experiences working to re-vitalize the 5th Ward community through community building, job training and economic development. She’ll also touch on the importance of making technology a priority in the non-profit sector, how she has used technology to advance her organization’s goals and where she sees things going in the future.

This will be a great little gathering for technology geeks, social activists and any Houstonian who would like to learn a little more about our city and how people are trying to make it an even better place. Come for the beer and munchies, stay for the conversation and laidback vibe.

Technology Bytes is a weekly call-in radio show at KPFT every Wednesday evening (available via podcast in case you forget), and they typically hold a monthly Geek Gathering at hangouts around town here there is feasting, fun, and WiFi merriment.

They used to regularly hang out at Kaveh Kanes for Geek Gatherings, but Kaven Kanes is no more. So for November, they have selected Tropioca as the site of the Geek Gathering:

This Friday November 3rd is the monthly Technology Bytes Geek Gathering. We’ll be at Tropioca @ 2808 Milam, just South of Downtown. Tropioca specializes in bubble tea, coffee and smoothies. They also serve up desserts and free WiFi. For those not in the know, a Geek Gathering is exactly what is sounds like. The geeks from this show as well as a bunch of our listeners all descend upon a single location and geek out over gadgets, technology and the latest geek humor.

This month’s fun activity is to count the number of metal objects that Barrett has pierced his flesh with. You’ll never think of Barrett Time the same way ever again. (No cheating! No magnets!)

I may actually be there, since I’m not about to spend two hours in a dark room with people that would actually go out to see a Kyle Henry film.

Technology Bytes is a weekly call-in radio show at KPFT every Wednesday evening (available via podcast in case you forget), and they typically hold a monthly Geek Gathering at hangouts around town here there is feasting, fun, and WiFi merriment.

They used to regularly hang out at Kaveh Kanes for Geek Gatherings, but Kaven Kanes is no more. So for May, they have selected Tropioca as the site of the Geek Gathering:

This Friday October 6th is the monthly Technology Bytes Geek Gathering. We’ll be at Tropioca @ 2808 Milam, just South of Downtown. Tropioca specializes in bubble tea, coffee and smoothies. They also serve up desserts and free WiFi. For those not in the know, a Geek Gathering is exactly what is sounds like. The geeks from this show as well as a bunch of our listeners all descend upon a single location and geek out over gadgets, technology and the latest geek humor.

If you have not experienced in person the greatness of the throbbing vein in “Fighting” Jay Lee’s forehead as he repeats the mantra of “Spyware!” you have not yet lived. You want to live, don’t you?

I may actually be there since Jennifer the Intern plans on bringing her USB fishtank. I will bring mine, and we will have USB fishtank fights.

Technology Bytes is a weekly call-in radio show at KPFT every Wednesday evening (available via podcast in case you forget), and they typically hold a monthly Geek Gathering at hangouts around town here there is feasting, fun, and WiFi merriment.

They used to regularly hang out at Kaveh Kanes for Geek Gatherings, but Kaven Kanes is no more. So for May, they have selected Tropioca as the site of the Geek Gathering:

This Friday August 4th is the monthly Technology Bytes Geek Gathering. We’ll be at Tropioca @ 2808 Milam, just South of Downtown. Tropioca specializes in bubble tea, coffee and smoothies. They also serve up desserts and free WiFi. For those not in the know, a Geek Gathering is exactly what is sounds like. The geeks from this show as well as a bunch of our listeners all descend upon a single location and geek out over gadgets, technology and the latest geek humor.

If you have not experienced in person the greatness of the throbbing vein in “Fighting” Jay Lee’s forehead as he repeats the mantra of “Spyware!” you have not yet lived. You want to live, don’t you?

I myself will not be there, so that’s added incentive to attend. I will be busy feasting on bread, garlic, brie, and the inevitable stench that follows (ie. The Astros playing the Mets.)

Technology Bytes is a weekly call-in radio show at KPFT every Wednesday evening (available via podcast in case you forget), and they typically hold a monthly Geek Gathering at hangouts around town here there is feasting, fun, and WiFi merriment.

They used to regularly hang out at Kaveh Kanes for Geek Gatherings, but Kaven Kanes is no more. So for May, they have selected Tropioca as the site of the Geek Gathering:

This Friday August 4th is the monthly Technology Bytes Geek Gathering. We’ll be at Tropioca @ 2808 Milam, just South of Downtown. Tropioca specializes in bubble tea, coffee and smoothies. They also serve up desserts and free WiFi. For those not in the know, a Geek Gathering is exactly what is sounds like. The geeks from this show as well as a bunch of our listeners all descend upon a single location and geek out over gadgets, technology and the latest geek humor.

If you have not experienced in person the greatness of the throbbing vein in “Fighting” Jay Lee’s forehead as he repeats the mantra of “Spyware!” you have not yet lived. Socrates even said something about it, and that was thousands of years ago. How’s them apples?

I myself will try to be there, bringing an example of Parmesan Garlic Bread for y’all to paw over and covet. Unless I don’t bake it the night before, which would be a tragedy.