Hurricane Hackers have mobilized very quickly to respond to Sandy. Check out their resources here:
Serendipity resulted in my having a chance to meet in person with Tony Bacigalupo (@tonybgoode) and Jason Kende(@jasonkende) this evening in Brooklyn to talk about coordination re the NY Tech community response to Sandy. There is a hackathon in the works for tomorrow, likely to be followed up by a larger hackathon later this week or weekend. The purpose of the hackathons will be to get as many people as possible in one place to collaborate on different technical solutions that can be collaboratively developed together. Part of the work will be coding, but lots too will be coordination via Google Docs, social media, etc. I’ll post more details as they develop.
Regarding the larger hackathon we’d like to do later this week, when things are hopefully a bit closer to some form of more normal, we’re thinking we will do that as a fundraiser as well. Essential idea is we’ll ask individuals and companies to “pledge” to developers. Instead of pledging, say, by the mile to a marathon runner raising money for a worthy cause, in this case we’d ask people to pledge a developer by the hour. So the more developers, and the more people/organizations pledging, the more solutions we’ll develop and the more money we’ll raise. The donations will likely be donated to a charity such as the American Red Cross; we may have a blood drive there as well.
Here’s how you can help:
Hackathon in the Works #SandyVolunteer #SandyCoWorking #NYTechResponds
Justin Wedes (@justinwedes) has set up #SandyVolunteer and in particular the sites https://lowereastside.recovers.org/ and https://redhook.recovers.org/ to help coordinate responses in those communities. Please check out these sites and if you are in a position to do so, volunteer.
http://www.nytechresponds.org/2012/10/sandyvolunteer-recoversorg.html
Over the last few years, and driven by an amazing array of people, the NY technology sector (by which I mean broadly the technologies companies as well as digital media, interactive agencies, VCs, and startups, along with various attendent professional service firms that work with these companies) has “blown up.”
Sandy has now delivered a serious blow to our home city. We, the NY tech community, now must step up to help lead and drive the recovery. NYC has given us much, we now must give back.
I have spoken with a number of people today active in the tech sector in NYC. The good news is there are a lot of people who are already getting going on the response and the different ways in which the tech sector can help out. Some specific ideas I had include:
These are just a couple quick ideas. I’d like to hear what others think are ways for us to best respond. This is the time to crowdsource great ideas.
I understand groups such as NYTM will be sending out info soon on what they are doing to lead the response. Stay tuned.
Rob Underwood
@brooklynrob
runderwood5@gmail.com
Hurricane Hackers have mobilized very quickly to respond to Sandy. Check out their resources here:
NOVEMBER 2 – HACKATHON UPDATE: Based on a number of concerns that have been raised, we’re thinking we will delay a hackathon until at least the week after next. See http://nytechresponds.wordpress.com/about/ and a longer explanation at http://nytechresponds.blogspot.com/2012/11/nytechresponds-day-3-wrap-up-hackthon.html
Serendipity resulted in my having a chance to meet in person with Tony Bacigalupo (@tonybgoode) and Jason Kende (@jasonkende) this evening in Brooklyn to talk about coordination re the NY Tech community response to Sandy. There is a hackathon in the works for tomorrow, likely to be followed up by a larger hackathon later this week or weekend. The purpose of the hackathons will be to get as many people as possible in one place to collaborate on different technical solutions that can be collaboratively developed together. Part of the work will be coding, but lots too will be coordination via Google Docs, social media, etc. I’ll post more details as they develop.
Regarding the larger hackathon we’d like to do later this week, when things are hopefully a bit closer to some form of more normal, we’re thinking we will do that as a fundraiser as well. Essential idea is we’ll ask individuals and companies to “pledge” to developers. Instead of pledging, say, by the mile to a marathon runner raising money for a worthy cause, in this case we’d ask people to pledge a developer by the hour. So the more developers, and the more people/organizations pledging, the more solutions we’ll develop and the more money we’ll raise. The donations will likely be donated to a charity such as the American Red Cross; we may have a blood drive there as well.
Here’s how you can help:
UPDATE HERE:
http://nytechresponds.blogspot.com/2012/10/nytechresponds-day-2-update-hackathon.html
The NY Tech community is mobilizing very fast. Great post by Tony Bacigalupo here – http://happymonster.co/2012/10/30/ny-tech-community-now-is-your-time-to-shine/. Tony puts it very well, “In the face of tremendous challenges in the days and weeks and months ahead, we have an opportunity to contribute our unique capabilities to help those who need assistance with their technology needs, and to build better ways to assist those who are coordinating relief efforts.”
Financial services and (“old”) media were the traditional leaders of NYC industry. Now that the technology sector has become such a vital component to the economy and city as a whole, we have a responsibility to be leaders and in turn help New York get even stronger in the wake of Sandy. Many of us embrace the ethos of “making” and what I think that’s really about is that we want to DO something and make a difference. Now is the time.
Justin Wedes (@justinwedes) has set up #SandyVolunteer and the sites https://lowereastside.recovers.org/ and https://redhook.recovers.org/ to help coordinate responses in those communities. Please check out these sites and if you are in a position to do so, volunteer.