February 9, 2011
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Purple Forge is a proud finalist for the following 2011 OCRI Awards:
Purple Forge is also a proud finalist for the following Exploriem Bootstrap Awards:
February 9, 2011
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Came across these links to UI/UX design patterns in a LinkedIn discussion thread – some good references for others that are interested in this sort of stuff:
July 31, 2010
4 Comments
I am a big fan of mind mapping tools. My favorite tool has traditionally been Freemind, a free tool that works across Windows and Mac. I recently changed over to using XMind and have been exploring mind mapping tools on the iPad.
Mind mapping is one application that seems to be exceptionally well matched to the “touch” environment of the iPad. Adding nodes, moving around relationships, arranging the mind map graph display … are all much easier to do using “touch” then the mouse. Two mind mapping applications currently available on the iPad are:
The most promising of the two is iToughts HD. The features that set it apart from Mindnode include:
Found another “touch” mind mapping tool? Let me know!
July 30, 2010
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Two new mockup/wireframe design apps are now available for the iPad that are worth taking a look at:
My initial impression is that iMockups is the better of the two at the moment… but since I just started to play with them I will reserve judgement for a few weeks.
In general I find that doing a wireframe mockup on the iPad is a more fluid experience then using computer-based tools… it is going to be interesting to see how apps like this develop over time.
July 21, 2010
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I had an interesting discussion last week regarding OCRI with a few local entrepreneurs. The general issue being “What good is OCRI?” for entrepreneurs in Ottawa.
There was a lot of negativity about the lack of relevance and the fact that OCRI has increasingly become something of a joke around town due to its public fights with politicians (“The City does not own OCRI!”), lack of transparency and general lack of results. OCRI has serious issues, there is little debate on that point.
However, it is worth noting that OCRI does/has run some programs that, in the past, I have personally found of value and which are worth highlighting:
July 17, 2010
6 Comments
There has been a lot of interest in the mobile app development cluster in Ottawa. I recently took an inventory of companies in Ottawa who were developing mobile apps or mobile related software. The current list of companies I found is below:
If anyone has others to add please drop me a note at brian@purpleforge.com, or add to the comment thread for this posting. I will keep this list up-to-date.
Looking for a job at a great mobile app company? Send your resume to careers@purpleforge.com.
April 13, 2010
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Waterloo companies are looking for tech workers -
WATERLOO REGION, ON, April 13 /CNW/ – Some of Canada’s hottest tech companies will head to the nation’s capital to look for talent when Communitech, the organization representing 700 tech companies in Waterloo Region, holds a ‘Get a Life in Waterloo Region’ recruitment effort there on April 21. Waterloo Region companies continue to hire at a rapid pace, and the recruitment event will profile some of the outstanding 2,000 current tech job openings available in the Region.
“Waterloo Region continues to be a hot-spot for tech and despite economic challenges in other sectors, there are still many opportunities for skilled tech talent,” said Iain Klugman, CEO of Communitech. “The range of opportunity covers most technology areas from software and hardware to wireless and digital media.”
Klugman said Ottawa is a prime recruiting site because of the established reputation of the Ottawa tech community and the concentration of talented scientists, engineers and computer science professionals. Like Ottawa, Waterloo Region offers the best of both worlds: the opportunity to work for world-class companies in a community that’s a great place to live and raise a family, he added.
Companies participating in the recruiting event include big names like Research In Motion and Christie Digital Systems Canada Inc., as well as exciting up-and-comers such as social media analytics company PostRank. It will also feature some leading medical imaging firms including Agfa HealthCare, which is breaking new ground for its new building and has announced plans to increase its Ontario workforce by 140 new employees.
“PostRank and Agfa HealthCare are representative of the companies in Waterloo Region — innovative, passionate and ahead of the curve, and looking for the best and brightest talent. Availability of knowledge workers continues to be a key factor in the growth and competitiveness of tech firms in Waterloo Region,” Klugman said.
Communitech and a sampling of the Region’s hottest technology companies will be at the Brookstreet Hotel, 525 Legget Drive, Ottawa on Wednesday, April 21 from 5-7:30 p.m. to meet with tech professionals one-on-one. The full roster of companies participating in ‘Get a Life in Waterloo Region’ includes: PostRank; Agfa HealthCare; Christie Digital Systems Canada, Inc.; Research In Motion; Covarity; Sandvine; DALSA; and Nuvation. Visit www.waterlootechjobs.com for further information or to register.
January 10, 2010
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November 10, 2009
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Research Infosource published a report titled “Canada’s Top 50 Research Universities List 2009 Analysis“.
Ottawa University came in #8… unfortunately Carleton University didn’t make the list.
November 10, 2009
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RESEARCH Infosource released a report last week titled “Canada’s Top 100 Corporate R&D Spenders List 2009 Analysis“
Canada’s communications/telecom sector was the number one R&D spend – with 2008 research spending on associated products and services representing 40% of total industrial R&D. Of the top 100 R&D performers, 15 were from the communications/telecom sector.
In 2008, Nortel was the number one R&D spender. Nortel spent more on R&D than number 2 Bell and number 3 Magna combined.
Next year’s report will likely see the pharmaceutical sector replace communications/telecom products as the leading performer of R&D in Canada. According to RESEARCH Infosource -
The full effect of the deteriorating world economy will be reflected in next year’s Fiscal 2009 corporate R&D spending results. It is hard to envisage better overall performance than in 2008. For one thing, it appears that Canada’s perpetual R&D spending leader (Nortel Networks) will be absent from the list in 2009. In consequence, total corporate R&D spending will undoubtedly be affected – in a downward direction.
The full report from RE$EARCH Infosource is available here and is worth reading.
November 6, 2009
3 Comments
I recently asked some friends for their insights into automated testing tools for iPhone. Based on the feedback (special thanks to Kevin Burr!) and some research, it turns out there are a few expensive commercial services/tools and some emerging and very interesting open source applications, including:
DeviceAnywhere (commercial)
Cucumber (open source)
A good overview of integrating Cucumber with the iPhone -
Here is a video of Cucumber driving an iPhone application -
Google Toolbox for Mac (open source)
UIspec (open source)
Some good blogs with current information on iPhone GUI testing include:
November 6, 2009
1 Comment
I posted some information back in August about GUI mock-up tools. Since then, I have tried a variety of tools, including the hosted Protoshare and the multi-platform desktop application Balsamiq Mockups. In the end I selected Balsamiq Mockups as the preferred tool to use.
The following shows an example of the type of prototyping that Balsamiq Mockups can deliver. It also provides the ability to automate the navigation to more easily show the flow and intended behavior of the application.
The following video provides a good overview of the tool and its features:
The reasons for selecting Balsamiq Mockups:
To make it easy to share the mock-up files within the team, we also decided to use dropbox.com. Dropbox allows seamless sharing of files with a team, provides backups of the files, allows multiple computer access…
Updates:
This blog entry has some good pointers to various templates and stencils that are useful for doing iPhone mockups – http://iphoneized.com/2009/03/roundup-iphone-stencils-graphics-templates/, as well as additional insights into iPhone mockup tools (both computer and pen and paper!) – http://iphoneized.com/2009/11/21-prototyping-mockup-wireframing-tools-iphone-app-development/
October 26, 2009
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Morgan Stanley recently published data on key economy and internet trends. The presentation is available online at various locations, including SlideShare below:
October 26, 2009
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E-democracy is a combination of the words “electronic” and democracy.” E-democracy represents the use of information and communication technologies and strategies by democratic actors within political and governance processes of local communities, nations and on the international stage. Democratic actors/sectors include governments, elected officials, the media, political organizations, and citizen/voters.
To many, e-democracy suggests greater and more active citizen participation enabled by the Internet, mobile communications, and other technologies in today’s representative democracy as well as through more participatory or direct forms of citizen involvement in addressing public challenges.
E-democracy is a relatively new concept, which has surfaced out of the popularity of the internet and the need to reinvigorate interest in the democratic process. Access is the key to creating interest in the democratic process. Citizens are more willing to use Web sites to support their candidates and their campaign drives. In the United States just over half of the population vote, and in the United Kingdom only 69% of English citizens do so.
The goal of e-democracy is to reverse the cynicism citizens have about their government institutions. A key element of moving towards e-democracy is increasing the ability of citizens to engage their representatives to share their suggestions and opinions in a dynamic manner.
E-democracy is the first step in moving towards participatory democracy.
Participatory democracy, is a process emphasizing the broad participation of constituents in the direction and operation of political systems. Participatory democracy strives to create opportunities for all members of a political group to make meaningful contributions to decision-making, and seeks to broaden the range of people who have access to such opportunities. Because so much information must be gathered for the overall decision-making process to succeed, technology may provide important forces leading to the type of empowerment needed for participatory models, especially those technological tools that enable community narratives and correspond to the accretion of knowledge.
Both e-democracy and participatory democracy will evolve in steps. Each day we see government organizations providing more and more information and services online. We also see politicians’ increasingly reaching out to their constituents with new and emerging tools such as Twitter and Facebook to share information and solicit opinions.
New technologies will be a major factor in helping us collectively move towards e-democracy and participatory democracy — for example the widespread use and increasing adoption of online tools such as social bookmarking, social networks, social media are increasingly popula – and point to future possibilities for e-democracy.
I believe the evolution, adoption and proliferation of these new e-democracy and participatory democracy technologies will be driven by a new breed of politicians.
Political candidates looking to unseat incumbents will increasingly look towards e-democracy and participatory democracy as a means to reach out and engage disenfranchised voters and constituents. Using new technologies will allow these candidates to talk directly to what is important, to hear both the “silent majority”, as well as the “vocal minority”. Incumbent politicians, stuck in the old ways of engaging constituents and votes may well find themselves swept away by more progressive and innovative candidates. The beginning of meaningful e-democracy and participatory democracy will start at the polls in the coming elections.
refs:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-democracy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Participatory_democracy
October 8, 2009
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The Lead to Win program is accepting applications for the November session.
If you are interested in creating your own company – check out the program at http://www.leadtowin.ca.
Spaces are limited and the program has been over subscribed for every session held so if you are interested do not delay getting your application submitted.
Check out some of the companies that have successfully made it to Phase III of Lead to Win.
October 7, 2009
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I am involved in a new book that is now out. Members of the local Ottawa tech community have gotten together to produce a new book called “the Entrepreneurial Effect” with the foreword by Terry Matthews. It is a collection of practical lessons learned.
The book is meant to be a knowledge source for those decisions we face as we start and grow our companies, for example, the real story behind risk and investment, how to pick resellers, selling in China, and the only reasons to consider M&As.
It is also worth noting that all the authors have donated their knowledge.
All proceeds of the book will go to support student technology entrepreneurship!
Get implementable advice and support a great cause.
Check it out at: www.entrepreneurialeffect.com
Stay tuned for information on the book launch date which will be on an upcoming evening. It will be an evening worth going to.
August 15, 2009
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Come “Jobnob” with cool new startups and other job seekers at this informal networking happy hour where unemployed people who want to keep their skills sharp are matched up with startups that could use their help.
- Bummed Out Job Seekers – are you willing to volunteer at least 5 hours a week for a startup? Help out a startup and you’ll get a leg up on the competition, keep your skills sharp and have some good experience to put on your resume. And when the giant gears of the economy start churning again, you could well be one of the first ones back on the payroll.
- Cash Strapped Startups – are you willing to buy a smart, talented, unemployed person a drink? Come with one or two specific projects that you need accomplished and we’ll help you find the perfect person to get the job done. And if you get funded you can always hire them!
They have run three JobNob events so far and have two more scheduled for August and September.
Related information and press coverage is available here.
This would be a great program to have running in Ottawa. Organizations such as Lead to Win, OCRI, The Ottawa Network, CATA or Ottawa Talent Initiative would be good sponsor organizations to make this happen locally.
August 15, 2009
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The Gartner “Hype Cycle” illustrates the growth, maturity and adoption of technologies. It can be used to determine whether to invest in types of tech – technologies with high user benefit and low time to mainstream acceptance are ripe for investment and implementation, while technologies with minimal user benefit and a long time until mainstream acceptance should be approached with “extreme caution.”
August 12, 2009
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Purple Forge has two immediate openings:
Visit http://www.leadtowin.ca/jobs/app/ for more information.
August 11, 2009
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This is another cool technology – a lab on a chip that does over 1,024 different chemical reactions in parallel.
The technical paper describing the technology is available online.
August 11, 2009
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The video below gives a very interesting demonstration of a holographic-based user interface. It is particularly interesting since they have integrated ultrasonic sound to provide a tactile component to the user interaction with the holographic interface.
August 1, 2009
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If you are currently working in Nortel, Mitel or any of the other local tech companies that are under stress and under the threat of downsizing, then you are probably thinking about your “Plan B”. If your “Plan B” involves launching your own business, then you should take a close look at the Lead to Win program.
Past successful Nortel alumnus who have participanted in Lead to Win have included: Chuck Colford (Trigence (aka AppZero), Congruance IT), David Vicary (Nakina, Weyes Eyes), Jerry Everett (onconference), Brian Hurley (Liquid Computing, Purple Forge), and many others.
Lead to Win is now accepting applications for it’s 4th session which will occur later this year (Lead to Win is currently nailing down the exact date and will announce it soon).
The program is focused on helping enterpreneurs develop and grow their businesses.
The program is free to qualified participants.
Program details, application process, testimonials, FAQ’s, training materials, etc are available online at www.leadtowin.ca.
If you know others who might be interested in the program, please send them to www.leadtowin.ca!
August 1, 2009
3 Comments
I spent some time recently looking at GUI mock up and associated requirements management applications. I grouped the tools into three categories: general purpose tools that could be used for mock ups, specialized tools oriented towards mock-ups and simulation, and hosted services for mock-ups and collaboration with teams and customers.
My research so far has identified the following -
General Tools for GUI Mock Ups
Specialized Tools for GUI Mock Ups
The feedback from several people who have used a variety mock up and simulation tools seem to favor the more general-purpose tools such as Visio and Omnigraffle for general GUI mock ups.
Relative to requirements management, I have never been a big fan of specialized tools (and there are a lot of them on the market, many with big price-tags) and have tended to favor tools such as MS Word, FreeMind mind mapping, Excel and powerpoint as means to capture, analyze and organize requirements.
Still some more research to do, so if anyone has any suggestions based on their experiences please let me know!
UPDATE:
HELLO THERE!
Are you an experienced User Experience designer? Drop me a line (brian@purpleforge.com) – we are always on the look-out for good people to work with on new projects at Purple Forge.
Like Zombies? Take a look at this!
June 17, 2009
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Lead to Win held a reception on Monday evening for participants and supporters. Special guests included the Mayor of Gatineau and the acting Mayor of Ottawa. Both expressed their support for the Lead to Win program and new businesses the participants are hoping to launch.
Mayor of Gatineau, Marc Bureau
Acting Mayor of Ottawa, Michel Bellemare
Participants at the reception commented on the strong and growing support from the community for the Lead to Win program.
Past Lead to Win Alumnus David Vicary, CEO of Weyes Eyes and past CEO and founder of Nakina Systems announced that he had secured seed funding for Weyes Eyes, his second start-up venture. For more on this, please read the related Ottawa Business Journal article.
David Vicary, CEO Weyes Eyes
Photos from the event are available online.
The reception was hosted by Développement économique – CLD Gatineau (DE – CLDG).
June 17, 2009
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Industry Canada announced on Monday that they will be providing additional funding for BDC.
The funding allocation includes $350M for BDC‘s venture capital activities that will allow it to make additional direct investments of $260 million over three years in Canadian businesses already in the BDC portfolio, as well as investments in new seed technology companies and later-stage technology companies. It will also allow BDC to commit $90 million over three years to private, independent Canadian venture capital funds.
This funding is in addition to the $75 million in venture capital funds allocated in the Government of Canada’s Budget 2008, which is being used to support the creation of a privately run venture capital fund.
This is great news! BDC has been, and continues to be a key player in helping grow Canada’s innovation, economic growth and economic diversity.
June 7, 2009
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Here is a recent call for participants from Dr Tony Bailetti for the 3rd session of the Lead to Win program which starts on July 28th – please spread the word!
INTERESTED IN LAUNCHING A NEW TECH BUSINESS? LEAD TO WIN WANTS TO HELP YOU!
If you are serious about starting a profitable technology business in Canada’s Capital region, we invite you to apply to the next session of the Lead to Win program.
The Lead to Win program is free to qualified applicants – no strings attached, no small print, no surprises. Individuals from 37 organizations are investing to make Lead to Win participants successful for the benefit of the individual and our community.
Details on the program, including past success and testimonials from participants are available at www.leadtowin.ca. If you need additional information over what is at www.leadtowin.ca, please contact:
- David Hudson, dhudson1014@rogers.com
- Ian Graham, ian@thecodefactory.ca
- Ray Barton, ray.barton@vitesse.ca
- Rowland Few, rfew@sce.carleton.ca
- Serge Lafontaine, slafontaine@arrow.com
- Tony Bailetti, Bailetti@sce.carleton.ca
- Yannick Bouchard, bouchard.yannick@gatineau.ca
Spaces in the Lead to Win program are limited – so prospective participants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.
Application instructions are available online at www.leadtowin.ca.
If you know of others who may benefit from Lead to Win, please forward this email to them – help get the word out!
Regards.
Tony Bailetti
Lead to Win Program
June 5, 2009
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June 3, 2009
0 Comments
A recent report from OECD advocates government policy makers deploy stimulus funds and investment into broadband infrastructure -
Broadband infrastructure, in particular, can be a good target for economic stimulus spending because many projects can be initiated relatively quickly, are labour-intensive, can minimise economic leakages, and may promise stronger marginal impacts on supply and productivity than investing in established networks such as electricity, gas, water and transportation.
The full report is available here and in interesting to read. A wealth of related data on broadband deployments current as of December 2008 (including pricing, policies, penetration, etc) is available from OECD in detailed excel spreadsheets here.
My sense is that Canada’s economy would certainly benefit more from advancing communications infrastructure projects than it would by having another government building or public works project.
May 31, 2009
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The server market is getting hit hard these days – announcements in just the last few months:
My bet is on Cisco capitalizing on the turmoil and emerging stronger and more dominant then ever before.
IDC forecasts server market to decline through 2010
