March 27, 2017
by Sarah Morris in Computer Girls, Ontario Trillium Foundation
Thursday, March 30th, Hackforge welcomes TechTown Detroit Diversity and Inclusion Entrepreneur-In-Residence, Marlin Williams to speak and participate in How To Build a Better Tech Community. This free evening talk and panel discussion starts at 7:00PM at Hackforge (255 Ouellette) and will discuss practical steps companies and teams can make to improve diversity and inclusion.
Marlin Williams has over 20 years experience as a Global Diversity and Inclusion Officer for two Fortune 500 Organizations, professional speaker, STEM Advocate, and media contributor. She will be speaking on her experiences, building diverse teams and creating environments where all people feel included.
The panel discussion will feature Williams; Elana Freeman, a project manager for Thyssenkrupp; Lori Dunford, a local computer programmer, and Sarah Mushtaq, an MBA candidate at the Odette School of Business. Moderated by Hackforge Managing Director, Sarah Morris, the panel will focus on practical measures and policies that can improve the working situation for a diversity of people in tech.
This is the final event under the Computer Girls initiative, in partnership with Women’s Enterprise Skills Training INC. (WEST), funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Join us after the panel discussion for a small reception for the program.
Details of event:
How to Build a Better Tech Community
Date of event: Thursday, March 30th: 7:00 – 8:30PM
Location: Hackforge (255 Ouellette, Windsor ON)
Cost: Free
Register Here // Facebook Event
March 14, 2017
by Sarah Morris in News
Today my term as President of Windsor Hackforge comes to a close. It’s been almost five years since a lunch conversation with Mita Williams and Marc Pillon turned into a proposal that got the Hackforge ball rolling. Even earlier than that, back in 2010, Aaron Mavrinac dreamed of a “Windsor Hackerspace” at an un-conference held by Mita.We started with four walls inside the Windsor Public Library, a couple of tables and chairs, and a few volunteers. Since then we’ve grown, and learned and shared our learning with the community.
At our first AGM, we were proud that we had pulled off two hackathons, a dozen tech talks and a couple of technical projects. This past year we held well over one hundred events.
A few years ago, every contributor to this group could easily be named in a short report. Today Hackforge has 54 core members, and dozens more who take part in our events. We have interest groups spanning different technical disciplines and subfields with more popping up all the time.
When we started out, we were a few people who dreamed of a real community of tech people in Windsor. Today, that dream has been realized. All of us together have built something useful out of nothing and that’s not something that happens every day.
I’d like to thank the board of directors, past and present:
Jason Pomerleau
Marc Pilon
Gemma Grey-Hall
Anjana Jacobs
Art Rhyno
Phil Aylesworth
Mita Williams
Aaron Mavrinac
Carol Easton
AmberJoy Kouvalis
Katie Facceccia
Nour Hachem
And those who have served as member reps:
Chris Deschamps
Anthony Garreffa
Will Comartin
Jeff Szusz
Michal Janyst
Our landlord, benefactor and key community supporter Mark Boscariol. Our godparents in the non-profit community, Becky Parent and Joyce Zuk who helped get this thing off the ground.
There are a couple of important volunteers who must be mentioned. Paul Anderson who was a constant presence in Hackforge’s early days. Paul believed in us and helped breathe life into this group. Thanks to Paul. Terry McLinden’s wisdom and generosity with his time must be mentioned. We miss you, Terry.
Our staff who have been consistently great to work with – Simon Barno, Shawn Daichendt, Aisling Douglas, Dylan Herbert, Derek Richard and of course, Sarah Morris, the straw that stirs the Hackforge drink.
To all of our members, volunteers and community partners:
Thank you.
Hackforge has just completed a strategic plan and we have new mission statement:
HACKFORGE IS TECHNOLOGY ENTHUSIASTS GROWING THE TECH CAPABILITIES OF OUR REGION BY CREATING CONNECTIONS AND LEARNING TOGETHER.
It’s time to use this plan to develop new programming and make Hackforge bigger and more effective than it ever has been before.
It’s also time for new leadership. I’m looking forward to finding out what Katie Facceccia has to bring to the table as the President of the board.
February 28, 2017
by Sarah Morris in Computer Girls, Hackforge Software Guild, News, Ontario Trillium Foundation, Tech Talk
Art + Feminism Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon
Saturday, March 11: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Hackforge, Arts Council Windsor & Region and The School of Creative Arts at the University of Windsor invite people of all gender identities to take part in Windsor, Ontario’s first Art + Feminism Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon!
This event is made possible by the Computer Girls program,coding classes for women by women. In partnership with Women’s Enterprise Skills Training (WEST) and funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, these classes are taught by female professional computer programmers with the aim to get more women interested in coding.
Reserve your spot & learn more here
Hackforge Annual General Meeting
Monday, March 13: 7:00PM
Windsor Hackforge will hold it’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) at 255 Ouellette Avenue, Windsor, Ontario. At this meeting, all members deemed to be in good standing by the Managing Director as of March 1st, 2017 are eligible to vote in the election of Directors and Volunteer Representatives.
More Detail Here
Facebook Event
Board Game Night
Tuesday, March 14: 6:00 PM – 10:00PM
Join us for a night of board games and card games from 6-10PM. This event is free and open to everyone. If you’re new to board games, we encourage you to come by as we will have trusty Hackforgers there to help get you started.
Facebook Event
Grand Circus Intro to Coding Workshop
Wednesday, March 15: 6:00PM – 9:00PM
Join us March 15th as we host a *free* Intro to Code Workshop with Grand Circus at Hackforge in Windsor. We’ll introduce you to the basics of programming in this three-hour class. JavaScript is the most widely used programming language in the world. Explore what it takes to use code through hands-on exercises and instructor-led lessons.
RSVP at goo.gl/36mg7Z
Open Coding Night
Monday, March 20: 7:00 PM
Working on a project? Need to bounce ideas off other programmers? Bring your laptop and get coding! Great event for beginners as well! Tutorials will be available and the event is facilitated a real life computer programmer.
Facebook Event
Project Management Group: the First Meeting!
Wednesday, March 22: 7:00PM
This group is for all professionals from any industry, and business owners to come together and exchange ideas and good practices in Project Management, Agile Product Development and Process Improvement, in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. Let’s get connected and brainstorm on what we want to discuss and see happening in this group.
Facebook Event
HTML & CSS: Free Coding Class for Women
Saturday, March 25: 1:00 – 3:00PM
A match made in heaven! Come learn how to bring together these two programming languages into a functional, stylish way. Perfect for beginners. Bring your laptop to this free workshop.
Computer Girls is coding classes for women by women. In partnership with Women’s Enterprise Skills Training (WEST), these classes are taught by female professional computer programmers with the aim to get more women interested in coding.
Reserve Your Spot Here
Facebook Event
The Great Canadian Game Project March Meetup
Sunday, March 26: 1pm – 4pm
The game jam is on from February 1 to July 1! Participants have 150 days to conceive and create a game that is proudly Canadian! Drop by the monthly meetup to discuss your ideas, ask questions, watch tutorials from mentors to help you get started, find existing projects to join, see progress of other developers and more!
More information to be updated at http://canada150game.ca/
Facebook Event
Border City Data: Organize! Intro to Google Forms
Monday, March 27: 7:00PM
Google Forms are easy to use, easy to collaborate, and already part of your Gmail account. Join us for a beginner friendly introduction to collecting data with Google Forms, a cloud based version of Excel. Perfect for small businesses, students, and those in the non-profit world!
Facebook Event
Software Guild: Let’s Encrypt! RESCHEDULED FOR APRIL
Wednesday, March 29th: 7:00 – 9:00PM
It’s over-the-wire encryption night at Hackforge! Join John Haldeman and Randy Topliffe to gain an understanding of how encrypted websites with HTTPS work and get some practical advice on how to encrypt your own websites with Let’s Encrypt.
Facebook Event
How to Build a Better Tech Community
Thursday, March 30th: 7:00 – 8:30PM
We’re pleased to present Marlin Williams, TechTown Detroit’s Diversity and Inclusion Entrepreneur-In-Residence to speak on her experiences and advice for companies and teams. After, we will host a panel discussion with Ms. Williams; Elana Freeman, a project manager for Thyssenkrupp; Lori Dunford, a local computer programmer, and Sarah Mushtaq, an MBA candidate at the Odette School of Business.
While focused in the tech industry, the practical steps discussed can be applied to any organization looking to improve gender and racial diversity.
This is the final event under the Computer Girls initiative, in partnership with Women’s Enterprise Skills Training INC. (WEST), funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Join us after the panel discussion for a small reception for the program.
Register Here // Facebook Event
February 13, 2017
by Sarah Morris in Events
Notice of Annual General Meeting
At 7:00 pm on March 13, 2017, Windsor Hackforge will hold it’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) at 255 Ouellette Avenue, Windsor, Ontario.
At this meeting, all members deemed to be in good standing by the Managing Director as of March 1st, 2017 are eligible to vote in the election of Directors and Volunteer Representatives.
Intents to stand as a Director or Volunteer Representative must be submitted to the Returning Officer for this election: President of the Board of Directors, Doug Sartori. Intents must be filed via electronic mail to the Board of Directors email address: directors@hackf.org. Intents should include a covering letter to the Nomination Committee. Please include a preferred contact method, in case the Committee needs further information.
The Nomination Committee will carefully consider all intents filed and prepare a ballot for voting by members at the AGM.
There are four open Director positions and five Volunteer Representative positions up for election.
If insufficient intents are filed by the deadline, or if the Nomination Committee’s choices do not fill the ballot, nominations will be taken from the floor at the AGM.
The meeting agenda, and any other required materials, will be distributed to members at least 48 hours prior to the AGM.
February 2, 2017
by Sarah Morris in News
Frozen February Indoor Micro-quad Drone Race
Saturday, February 4: 6:00 – 8:00 PM
The Hackforge and Rose City Drone Racing present micro-quad drone racing excitement. Come watch the Rose City Drone Racers take on all challengers on an indoor race track in the Windsor Hackforge! WARNING! There will be crashing.
Facebook Event
Board Game Night
Monday, February 13: 6:00PM
Family Day Fun! Join us for a night of board games and card games from 6-10PM. This event is free and open to everyone. If you’re new to board games, we encourage you to come by as we will have trusty Hackforgers there to help get you started.
Facebook Event
Open Coding Night
Wednesday, February 15
Working on a project? Need to bounce ideas off other programmers? Bring your laptop and get coding! Great event for beginners as well! Tutorials will be available and the event is facilitated a real life computer programmer.
Facebook Event
Border City Data: NoSQL Cocktail Hour
Monday, February 20: 7:00PM
Attend this talk to get an overview of four popular non-relational database systems: Redis, Cassandra, MongoDB, and Hadoop. We’ll ask them where they’re from, what they do, and then give them a quick puzzle to solve to see what it’s like working with each one. This is an encore presentation of the talk that was given in August at the Hackforge Software Guild.
Facebook Event
Software Guild
Wednesday, February 22nd: 7:00PM
Join the group for professional software developers! Each month we tackle a different skill building or professional development topic. Check back for more information!
Facebook Event
The Great Canadian Game Project Meetup
Sunday, February 26, 1pm – 4pm
The game jam is on from February 1 to July 1! Participants have 150 days to conceive and create a game that is proudly Canadian! Drop by the monthly meetup to discuss your ideas, ask questions, watch tutorials from mentors to help you get started, find existing projects to join, see progress of other developers and more!
More information to be updated at http://canada150game.ca/
Facebook Event
Book Club: Reality Is Broken by Jane McGonigal (2011)
Tuesday, February 28: 7:00PM
“Visionary game designer Jane McGonigal reveals how we can harness the power of games to solve real-world problems and boost global happiness.” Take part in a casual discussion about this non-fiction book on how video games can change the world.
Get the book here
Facebook Event
