Brian Jepson’s Weblog

I recently picked up an XGameStation Pico, which is a small video game system you can build and program yourself. I’m going to be coming up to AS220 around 2:30pm, and I’ll set up a little work area where I can assemble the unit, and if the darn thing works, I’ll even plug it into the projector for some big-screen neo-retro action before the Geek Dinner. Feel free to come along and watch, help, or give me moral support when I mess something up beyond repair!

P.S. If you have a Parallax SX-Key and a KeySpan 19HS USB/Serial adapter, bring it along. Those are the two accessories I forgot to order until last night (and without them, we’ll only be able to run the default video game that’s pre-flashed onto the system).

The Providence Geek Dinner is back at AS220 (115 Empire Street, Providence, RI) on Wednesday, December 6, 2006. The fun starts at 5:30pm. I hope to see you there. See the Providence Geeks blog for details and RSVP.

The Providence Geek Dinner is back at AS220 (115 Empire Street, Providence, RI) on Wednesday, November 8, 2006. The fun starts at 5:30pm. I hope to see you there. See the Providence Geeks blog for details and RSVP.

ABC6.com: “Air quality is expected to reach unhealthy levels in Rhode Island today.” (We don’t have a single air conditioner, just a bunch of ceiling fans, which don’t help one bit with this particulate problem).

A few months ago, my home state made the news for its work on an initiative to cover the state in wireless with a true border-to-border network. The RI-WINS initiative (Rhode Island Wireless Innovation Networks) officially flipped the switch on June 19th, and I had the honor of organizing and moderating a Providence Geeks Town Hall event where the RI-WINS folks explained the project and answered some questions about it. Some of the interesting tidbits:

• It will take 120 WiMAX base stations to cover Rhode Island.
• Initially, the network will not target end-users, but…
• …there is one RI community that is talking with RI-WINS about providing access to people who can’t afford broadband

Find out more in the event coverage: Part I and Part II.

Joey deVilla has been riffing on Paul Graham’s recent essay, How to Be Silicon Valley. In his most recent post on this, he mentions Providence:

I had an interesting conversation last weekend with a guy who lives in Providence, Rhode Island. Providence used to be a bit of hellhole of a town where they practically rolled up the sidewalks at night, which was a good thing — at night, you were likely to get mugged. He told me that the revitalization of Providence is largely credited to “Buddy” Cianci, the (ahem) colourful mayor, who turned the town around and made it both safe and a destination, largely by making it more business-friendly. This is the one aspect of Jane Jacobs’ theories that arts grads and Socialist “Worker” readers always miss: what’s good for businesses large and small is often good for the city and its people.

I’ve been organizing a Town Hall-style event for Providence Geeks. It goes down next week: Wednesday June 21 at AS220, from 5pm to 6pm. Representatives of the RI-WINS project will be on hand to brief people on this effort, and will be taking questions from the public. It’s open to the public, so come on down and find out what’s going to be happening in a 5GHz channel near you!

We’ve just posted the announcement for the next Providence Geek Dinner. Head on over to the Providence Geeks weblog for all the details.

Wednesday, May 17th from 5:30pm to 8pm and maybe beyond at AS220 (115 Empire Street, Providence). Read all about it and RSVP here.

I cobbled together some TV footage, set it to music, and posted the resulting remix on YouTube.