Useful Concept - Local

Entry Level Web Developer Needed - Portsmouth, NH

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:14:00 -0400

Harbour Light Strategic Marketing is looking to grow. Looking to fill a full time position for an entry level website developer. This is an on-site job, so no telecommuting.

Skills Required:

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Micro-Lending with Jackley Flannery of Kiva

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 10:47:00 -0400

A very interesting discussion/event is coming up at our local library.

Tuesday, May 5 at 5:30 PM in the Levenson Room of the Portsmouth Public Library for a discussion about micro-lending and philanthropy leveraging the Internet with Jessica Jackley-Flannery, co-founder of Kiva.

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Funny Local Police Log

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:44:00 -0400

These are exceprts from a recent police log of a town not too far away (Rochester). They are pretty darn funny. I haven't looked through past logs, but I suspect there is great fun to be had.

3:45 p.m. — A Cornerstone Court burglary victim is unhappy with the subsequent investigation, not having been contacted by detectives. She will call every time she finds something missing, even if this equates to 50 times a day.

9:19 a.m. — On Rangeway Drive, a vehicle has been broken into and a GPS unit stolen. An abandoned beer can is no compensation.

9:14 p.m. — The roar of 4-wheelers on Crown Point Road is unbearable.

10:50 p.m. — There is a large explosion and smoke from behind Hervey's Tire. No one has blown up Charlie's bicycle — it is citizens letting off fireworks. They are updated on the new ordinance.

11:07 a.m. — A gentleman is being harassed by an ex-girlfriend over his current one.

12:20 a.m. — After a disturbance at the Route 125 Motel, there is a suggestion that there may be pot in the room. No one is talking chamber pot.

4:08 p.m. — A man who has ridden into town from Oregon, would like to rest his steed at the fairground. Having clumped across America for five years, he no longer has a physical address.

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Portsmouth NH Named Top 5 Weekend Getaway on TodayShow

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:12:00 -0400

A friend let me know that there was a quick segment of inexpensive weekend getaways on the Today Show. They had guest Samantha Brown from the Travel Channel list 5 (I think) destinations including Austin, Texas, Orlando (inexpensive?), and our very own Portsmouth, NH.

Portsmouth is a great place and contrary to what some may feel in town, it is still pretty inexpensive compared to all that it offers.

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Portsmouth Most Walkable NH City

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:09:00 -0400

I love Portsmouth, NH. I can't imagine living anywhere else really.

I just read about one more reason to like it in a new report from prevention.com. They ranked 500 cities for walking, walking friendliness, and actual walkers vs drivers. Portsmouth topped the list for NH, and game in 58th nationally. Not bad for a city of about 23,000 people. One thing I didn't know: "Portsmouth has the state's highest percentage of mass transit riders and one of its lowest cars-to-household ratings." Of course, I think Portsmouth could do better, and that doesn't bode well for other big cities such as Rochester that didn't fair well at all. Durham wasn't even on the list, which means it was either too smal, or the transit system didn't offset for the sprawl of campus and downtown.

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New Adobe CF and Flex User Group

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 12:31:00 -0400

Well, its official. The Seacoast ColdFusion and Flex Group is born. We are based in Portsmouth, NH. At our last (unofficial) meeting we had people from Manchester, NH and Portland ME visit so the area served is pretty big.

If your interested, please sign up on the site and participate in the discussions regarding goals for the group, and our official meeting schedule.

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Seacoast of NH ColdFusion and Flex Meet 'N Greet - Thursday 24th 6pm

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:26:00 -0400

Just a quick reminder about this Thursday (24th) at 6pm. It is an informal hey how ya doin meeting for ColdFusion and Flex developers in the Seacoast New Hampshire area. Hopefully the first of many. No speakers, no prizes, just some food and drink, friends and peers.

We will meet at Coat of Arms. Once you walk up the stairs there is a snooker table to right. I will get us a big table near there somewhere. I will bring CF book with me and put it on table so it will be clear who we are. :-)

The coat of arms is on 174 Fleet St., Portsmouth. Across from the parking garage and just around the corner from Legends (pool hall). It has good food, and a great British pub beer selection. Google Map Here

Bid on 4 World Series box seat tickets / support children with autism at The Birchtree Center

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 17:28:00 -0400

The following is a sweet opportunity for someone who really wants to see the game. A friend of mine works at The Birchtree Center and this is the press release they just sent me. Normally I don't post things like this, but since there is little time for them to promote on their own I figured I would pass the word.

The Birchtree Center Announces the Auction of Four World Series Tickets Donated by Coughlin, Rainboth, Murphy & Lown

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New Hampshire Smoking Ban

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 16:42:00 -0400

New Hampshire officially joins the rest of New England today. A smoking ban for bars and restaurants has been signed into law. Thank freaking goodness! While I respect my smoking friends and their interest in being able to stink up everything around them I am very happy to have smoking banned.

The law takes effect in 90 days so smokers will be able to enjoy the rest of the summer. It will be interesting to see if any restaurant changes early, or if they have a smoking party to mark the end. Interestingly of my favorite bars in Portsmouth, two of the top 4 are smoking bars. The Brewery went non smoking a couple years ago and had a short drop in traffic and then a boom in sales after that. Their clientèle changed, however. Some people just went elsewhere. What will happen to the final bars that held out to the end? I suspect those that held out will suffer the worst. But then again, where will those customers go? VFW? (private halls and such are exempt)

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A few new blogs to read

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 10:44:00 -0400

I have been meaning to do this for a couple days. I have a few new blogs I am reading. Chris Dahlen - writer and reviewer for various magazines and such. Good stuff and a good guy. http://savetherobot.wordpress.com Robert Squier - One of my favorite illustrators. Also a good guy even if he tells embarrassing stories about me from time to time. :-) http://robertsquier.blogspot.com Occasionally we all get together and play games and feel old. Good times.

RPM Challenge - Complete!

Tue, 28 Feb 2006 22:04:00 -0400

Just over a month ago I signed up for the RPM Challenge. The challenge is to write and record a complete album during the month of February. Today being the last day of February, I am finally finished!

I should note that I really did have a lot going on, and didn't start until yesterday. I should also note that the last time I played my saxophone for more than a minute or two was almost a year ago. My tenor doesn't seem right, and my alto literally started falling apart when I recorded the first track!

My plan was to record 35 minutes (at a minimum) of improv saxophone jazz, rock, or blues, etc. Turns out, my chops are crap. I couldn't play that long without having to stop. My lower lip is all cut up. ;-)

I think the longest song I could muster was just over five minutes. All still, I worked up 9 pieces. Some of which are not too bad in parts.

The recording quality is sub par to say the least. I bought a cheap mic, and connected it to the computer, then used Audacity to record the songs.

So here you are, dear internet reader. My songs are for you.

(this is dedicated to Jen, whom claims I gave her an ulcer by waiting until the last minute. so sorry baby)

Track 1
Track 2
Track 3
Track 4
Track 5
Track 6
Track 7
Track 8
Track 9

RPM Challenge Update

Fri, 03 Feb 2006 15:27:00 -0400

RPM Challenge ignites region - throws down challenge to Austin, TX

This is the official press release for RPM. I am adding my own little bit at the bottom. Basically, if little old sleepy seacoast NH can do something like this we can do anything. Which means we should challenging Austin, TX. Put up or shut up. Why Austin? Why not. Oh, and yes I am participating. Look to the blog a month or so from now for my mp3(s).

Over 190 bands and artists, almost entirely from the Seacoast area of New Hampshire, will be hunkered down in February to produce more than 190 new albums at once. They are taking part in the Record Production Month (RPM) Challenge, a first-of-its-kind community arts event that has yielded an overwhelming response.

The challenge was for each band to record a new album during the month of February. That's 10 songs or 35 minutes of material burned to a disc and handed in by March 1. The music will then be available to the public at www.rpmchallenge.com, and a listening party will be held at a location and date to be determined.

Artists were encouraged to use the limitations of time, money and equipment to inspire them - in other words, if they could afford studio time, great, but if not, then use what was at their disposal, whether that was a four-track, a cassette recorder or a laptop and a mic.

The sheer variety of projects is stunning, from 60"s style R&B instrumentals to electronica, from roots rock to comedic folk, from punk to a Celtic opera--it's as if every artist in the community has stepped forward with their own unique musical vision.

For more information about this historic event, go to www.rpmchallenge.com, or e-mail info@rpmchallenge.com.

Update: I completed it! Click on the RPM category below to find latest post.

RPM Challenge

Fri, 27 Jan 2006 18:49:00 -0400

Brilliant! RPM Challenge is a local idea that has taken off. A small group of people put together a plan to challenge local musicians. For the month of February, make a new album. 28 days to put together all new music, and record it. Not just write a song, or record a song, but write and record a whole damn album. Each band or solo act making new music to fill a CD. How cool is that?

One would think in a small town like this (20,000 people, and 100,000 in larger area) there would be a handful of bands that would take on such a challenge. And 12 new albums in one month is pretty impressive.

Well, this is Portsmouth, NH, and for some reason that means 100+ bands. Thats right, over 100 bands and solo acts have already signed up, with more likely right behind them. Over 100 new cd's to fill the local music shelves and airwaves.

I am so jazzed about it that I signed up. I have never recorded before, and don't perform. But hey, why not? I am going to do at least 35 minutes worth of original music and put it to disk. When I am done I will post it on this site as well.

Congratulations on a great idea and project.

Update: I completed it! Click on category below to get list of posts on it including the tracks.

ColdFusion CMS

Thu, 12 Jan 2006 18:27:00 -0400

Savvy Software is the company I work for. We have a great Web Content Management program. Specifically we are a coldfusion CMS (content management system).

Our focus is on having an easy to use interface, a quick and easy template system for developers, and great support. We have recently done projects for Disney, Career Builder, various universities, etc. So much so that we are hiring! I know there are locals who read this blog, so just in case you know someone...

Savvy Software Seeks to Hire Junior Lvl Web Site Developer

Skills must include:

- Excellent HTML (code by hand required, wysiwig optional)

- CSS

- Knowledge of FTP, Web Hosting, etc.

- Database Understanding

- windows experience

Optional but preferred:

- CFM, ASP, PHP, or JSP experience

- Javascript

- DNS/IIS/Apache experience

- Linux / Mac experience

- MySQL/MSSQL/Oracle/Other Database experience

- Photoshop

Possible contract work or Full Time employment.

Send resume and links to sample work to jcyr@besavvy.com

No phone calls please.