August at Hackforge
August 6, 2018
Windsor Google Developers Group: Building Google Assistant Actions
? Wednesday, August 8 @ 7PM Facebook | Meetup
Join us as we learn how to build actions using the Google Assistant. The Google Assistant is the technology that powers devices like the Google Home, and the built in Google Assistant on Android devices. Bring your laptop!
??? Windsor Essex Makers (WEMake): Maker Meetup Thursdays
? Thursdays @ 7PM Facebook | Meetup
Do you make stuff with your hands and like to hangout with those that do too? Come out to Hackforge on Thursdays at 7PM to meet with other makers, work on your project, or get inspired.
What is a maker? A maker is a person who likes to build and craft things with their hands and minds. It could be with electronics, 3d printers, art or just simply crafting with beads.
Board Game Night
? Friday, August 17 @ 7PM Facebook | Meetup
Join us for some of our favourite board games, or bring your own! Come on in and we’ll get you set up with a game and a group to play with as soon as there’s an opening. This event is open to anyone and the earlier you arrive the quicker you’ll get into a group playing a game.
Forge Founders: WEtech Peer Founders Group (RESCHEDULED to Wednesday September 17)
? Wednesday, August 22 @ 5:30pm Facebook | Meetup
Calling all founders, trailblazers and entrepreneurs! Forge Founders will be a bi-monthly networking experience for local founders to connect, learn, and share. Our first speaker, Darrel Laurendeau, Director of Information Technology for Ground Effects will be leading us with his best practices on creating ways to get your customers excited and engaged in ICT, and tactics to communicate with executives. Light food and refreshments will be served.
Border City Javascript: Diving into React.js
? Friday, August 24 @ 7PM Facebook | Meetup
React.js is easily one of the most popular JavaScript libraries for creating user interfaces. Randy Topliffe demonstrates creating a simple React app with no build tools, transpilers or additional frameworks, so you can see the features React offers on its own. JavaScript novices will learn how they might try using React without needing to embrace a dozen new technologies at once, and pros will get to see how many of the tools they take for granted are unnecessary for some applications. After this short talk, we’ll break to mingle and chat. We can discuss React with Randy, get to know each other, and get a feel for topics that would appeal to the community for future talks. If you have talk ideas, bring them up with Randy or Jeff and we can get something on the schedule – we can even help you workshop your talk and get you prepared to deliver it.
? Saturday Workshop: Help Build the VEX Robot!
? Saturday, August 25 @ 11am-2pm Facebook | Meetup
With the help of the Windsor Essex Robotics Club, we’re going to assemble Hackforge’s VEX Robot. The VEX kit is the Classroom and Competition Super Kit. We’re welcoming the community to an introduction to VEX robotics by building their standard claw bot and practicing the basic VEX coding. We hope to have a functioning robot to learn off of so newcomers have the building blocks to be creative so they can further create a robot with custom tasks. A fun Saturday activity for both adults and kids alike who love robots!
Community Opportunities
Windsor/Essex Community Benefit Coalition – Web Developer
The Windsor/Essex Community Benefit Coalition is looking to design and develop a website to be a hub for information and activity on community benefits in our region. We do not require a custom construction and would prefer a CMS that enables easy updating and potentially multiple individuals posting updates. Some basic training for the staff person and community contributors would also be helpful.
For some inspiration www.communitybenefits.ca is the Toronto version of our coalition. Although our work does not cover the breadth of the Toronto group we will want to have multiple pages where reports and resources can be stored, activities documented and a blog where ongoing updates to the community can be maintained. We have already had a logo designed which can be provided for design purposes and matching.
As our group is hoping to quickly ramp up activities we are hoping to have a page up and running by September. We do have funding to support this project but as a community group our resources constrained.