Obstructed Graph » Fresno http://robertschultz.org A blog managed and maintained by a software engineer living in Fresno, California. Mon, 09 Aug 2010 07:13:41 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 59 Days of Code Competition Ends Today http://robertschultz.org/2010/06/22/59-days-of-code-competition-ends-today/ http://robertschultz.org/2010/06/22/59-days-of-code-competition-ends-today/#comments Tue, 22 Jun 2010 22:47:08 +0000 Robert Schultz http://robertschultz.org/?p=1155 Today marks the end of the 59 days for the local 59 Days of Code contest behind held here in Fresno. I was really partial to this contest as it helped promote local developers and entrpranurial talent but alas I had to drop out. I just had no time the past month or so to do any code because of some things going on in my life on top of a hefty work schedule since we’re in QA phase of testing.

So tonight I am going down to watch who will win the contest (rooting for my friends Out of Eggs and MealZing!) and I am wishing luck to everyone.

On a positive note, I have had more time now to put some focus back into Auralify and I wrapped up most of the design this past weekend. My goal is to have most of the application written in the next month with a beta expected shortly after that.

Good luck!

]]> http://robertschultz.org/2010/06/22/59-days-of-code-competition-ends-today/feed/ 2 Google Fiber for Fresno http://robertschultz.org/2010/03/10/google-fiber-for-fresno/ http://robertschultz.org/2010/03/10/google-fiber-for-fresno/#comments Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:41:29 +0000 Robert Schultz http://www.robertschultz.org/?p=756 If you haven’t heard, Google announced an experiment to implement ultra fast high speed fiber networks to trial locations located in the country.   I am very excited about this as our city is getting involved in this matter and is participating with an RFI in the works.  Also there is a Fresno Facebook Page which is gaining tracking pretty well with everyone who is supporting Google coming to Fresno.

Here’s to hoping we’ll be riding the fiber waves soon via Google.

]]> http://robertschultz.org/2010/03/10/google-fiber-for-fresno/feed/ 1 59 Days of Code http://robertschultz.org/2010/02/17/59-days-of-code/ http://robertschultz.org/2010/02/17/59-days-of-code/#comments Thu, 18 Feb 2010 05:26:04 +0000 Robert Schultz http://www.robertschultz.org/?p=741 There is a local competition brewing up here in Fresno.  It’s a mobile and web app showcase where you have two months to write an application or at least polish the one you have and present it.  There will be prizes like sponsorship, media coverage and things like that.  I think this is a very good idea and just the right push for me to finally get off my ass and start working on my idea that’s been on hiatus forever.

So for now I am going to keep wraps on what my project is called or what it does, but I am going to blog my progress as much as possible.  This goes from conception, adopting development methodologies, coding, and finally pushing the product and getting ready for testing.

Once the website is up is up I will post it here but this should be interesting!

]]> http://robertschultz.org/2010/02/17/59-days-of-code/feed/ 9 Favorite Places to Eat in Fresno http://robertschultz.org/2010/01/04/favorite-places-to-eat-in-fresno/ http://robertschultz.org/2010/01/04/favorite-places-to-eat-in-fresno/#comments Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:30:51 +0000 Robert Schultz http://www.robertschultz.org/?p=709 I try to eat at as many difference places that I can, despite my willingness to still give in to fast food (but that’s supposed to change, see my 2010 resolutions here).  But I wanted to list a few of the ones that are my favorite here in Fresno especially from the past year that I have discovered.

Don Pepe’s Taqueria

I love this place.  I get the Al Pastor burrito every time I go here.  These guys really know how to make a killer burrito.

La Boulangerie

One of my favorite places to get a sandwich.  Sometimes the crowd is a little upper-class yuppy status but the food makes up for it.

Limón

This place is very good, it is Peruvian and is based out of San Francisco.  I really loved the decor and the friendliness of the staff.

Pho #90

I recently got into Pho and this is my current favorite Pho place in Fresno.

The Million Elephant

I still like eating my Thai at Million Elephant, it’s good and the staff is always very cool.

Veni Vidi Vici

For some reason I barely discovered this place to eat at.  For all of the years we’ve been coming here for night life events I’ve never once ate a real meal here.  Now I have and now it’s going to be a monthly ritual.  The Pork Chop was out of this world.

Charlotte’s Bakery

Hands down my favorite place for a fresh and delicious sandwich in the Tower District.

Samba Churrascaria Brazilian Steakhouse

My favorite place for Brazilian, the food here is awesome and the owner is one of the most inviting people I’ve met.

]]> http://robertschultz.org/2010/01/04/favorite-places-to-eat-in-fresno/feed/ 2 Fresno Technology Companies: The Definitive List http://robertschultz.org/2009/10/02/fresno-technology-companies-the-definitive-list/ http://robertschultz.org/2009/10/02/fresno-technology-companies-the-definitive-list/#comments Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:56:51 +0000 Robert Schultz http://www.robertschultz.org/?p=574 So I was talking the other day with someone on how there really is no way for people to clearly get an overview of all the technology companies here in Fresno.  This could be software companies, hospitals, manufacturing, basically any company located here in Fresno that has an IT or Programming department.  Everything in this city is so disconnected and scattered that it’s almost impossible to locate everywhere.  This would be a perfect tool for people who may have been laid off of their job and are trying to find companies here in town who are looking a software programmer.  Also, it could help keep programmers local as they wouldn’t venture out of Fresno to look for a job.

What do you think?  I would like to collect as many companies here in Fresno as I can and I will compile this into a separate page on my site called “Fresno Technology Companies”.  Here is what I’m looking for:

Name of the Company
Website
What skills they utilize like ASP.NET, Python, Java, etc.
Are they hiring?

I think this would be a great tool to use and keep updated, and I would try my best to keep this list refreshed as much as possible.  If you have any technology companies in Fresno to share, please do by leaving a comment!

]]> http://robertschultz.org/2009/10/02/fresno-technology-companies-the-definitive-list/feed/ 31 This Weekend: Fresno Urban Sound Experience http://robertschultz.org/2009/10/02/this-weekend-fresno-urban-sound-experience/ http://robertschultz.org/2009/10/02/this-weekend-fresno-urban-sound-experience/#comments Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:35:07 +0000 Robert Schultz http://www.robertschultz.org/?p=575 This weekend there is a fantastic music event going on in downtown Fresno, called the Fresno Urban Sound Experience.  It will be 40+ bands in 7 venues, allowing people and musicians to get an idea of the creativity that exists in Fresno.  Personally me and my wife will be attending the house music event going on at The Lofts which is located in the Security Bank Building.  If you have the opportunity this weekend to go, I would definitely check it out.  This is the second year the festival has gone on and it’s getting bigger each year.

The wristbands for the event will cost $15 and will get you in all of the venues.  Also free parking will be available at the Spiral Garage.

]]> http://robertschultz.org/2009/10/02/this-weekend-fresno-urban-sound-experience/feed/ 0 Fresno Area Express Needs a Clue http://robertschultz.org/2009/09/20/fresno-area-express-needs-a-clue/ http://robertschultz.org/2009/09/20/fresno-area-express-needs-a-clue/#comments Sun, 20 Sep 2009 20:50:22 +0000 Robert Schultz http://www.robertschultz.org/?p=446 I’ve complained about this before.  One of my ways of trying to “give back” here in Fresno is to start riding the bus.  For me it is optimal because I only spend about 3 minutes total walking to and from the stop since where I live and my job is so close.  But that is not where the problem lies.

You see, when someone rides the bus they tend to want to arrive on time.  So if I go to the Fresno Area Exchange (FAX) website and the schedule says the bus arrives at :15 and :45 after the hour the bus should arrive at this time.  In every other major city I have ever been to it works this way.  When I went to Switzerland for three months it worked this way.

Well in Fresno it doesn’t work this way.

You see, every morning when I ride the bus I try to catch it at 9:15AM.  The other morning my bus never arrived until 9:35AM.  What gives?  Well many other people always ask this question every morning when the bus is late at random times.  This particular morning the drivers excuse was “this bus is slow.”  Give me a break.

The general attitude I tend to detect from almost all FAX drivers is that they are doing us a favor.  By me trying to give back to my city and paying their salary, they act like they are doing me a favor by even giving me a ride.  I’m sorry but this is not the case.  It is a two way street.  By me paying you money, you are paying me by getting to my destination.  The attitude with many bus drivers tends to be overly negative and non-confrontational and I don’t understand how the city tolerates it.  It’s almost as if I feel I’m having to deal with employees at the DMV.

That’s not to say some of the drivers do arrive on time.  The reason I know this is if I take the 8:45AM bus it is the same driver most of the time and he’s very courteous.  But shouldn’t this be how it always is?  How are you doing people a favor when they need to be at work or at interviews at a specific time?  It seems the city really doesn’t care.  Some people actually do have to be at work at a set time.  Or others have doctor appointments they need to be to and cannot be late.

I thought about it all week and came up with some suggestions I think could help the city embrace their local riders.  Especially since more people are trying to take the bus to save gas, go green or whatever you want to call it and not be restricted to only low income folks anymore.

Provide Real-Time Data

In other metropolitan areas, you can actually get real time information on transit routes from many sources online.  Check out Google Maps in the San Francisco area and you will see how transit information is already integrated nicely with arrival and departure times.  You can also get many iPhone applications that also do this.

So why hasn’t Fresno?  I’ve heard rumors that some bus transit systems have strict control over their route data and don’t want to open it up and expose it.  This is major fail and is just another example of companies and/or governments not embracing the people who need it.  I hope Fresno embraces this one day and opens up their data.  This also could present some great opportunities for local companies as well.

Get Rid of the Mandatory Breaks

This is what really irks me riding the bus in Fresno and a lot of other people as well.  It’s just baffling.  If you have ever rode the bus you may have noticed that randomly at some stops the bus driver will stop, get out and go into a fast food restaurant or store and get something to eat.  They then will come back, eat the food there while the bus is idling and make everyone wait until they are done.  This usually lasts about 15 minutes.

Does this make any sense to you?

I understand that all employees regardless of what field they work in require breaks, but there are optimal ways to go about it.  For example if I was ordering food at a restaurant and right before I went to give them money the cashier says:

“Hold on sir, I have to go on break.”

And sits there for 15 minutes not allowing another cashier to continue my purchase or order.  Doesn’t this seem wrong to you?  To me it does, and it seems actually pretty stupid.  Every other company where services is provided understand how to treat the customer, us riders, as top priority.

Each route has a beginning and end of the route.  In between or at the end, why can’t schedules be correctly defined that another driver would take over while the current driver takes their lunch or break?  I mean logically this makes so much sense.  Why do the paying customers have to pay for the fact the drivers causes people to be late to their destination?

I think if the FAX bus system fixes or addresses these two issues the bus route will be a much better and efficient system.  I am sure there are more things that can be done to improve it but these seem like steps in the right direction to me.

For now I will attempt to continue utilizing a failing system for the sake of saving gas.

]]> http://robertschultz.org/2009/09/20/fresno-area-express-needs-a-clue/feed/ 14 Mozilla Service Week in Fresno http://robertschultz.org/2009/09/02/mozilla-service-week-in-fresno/ http://robertschultz.org/2009/09/02/mozilla-service-week-in-fresno/#comments Wed, 02 Sep 2009 17:41:41 +0000 Robert Schultz http://www.robertschultz.org/?p=386 I haven’t seen anyone else here in town promoting this, I thought I would since I’m trying to be more involved here especially with volunteering.  Mozilla (guys behind Firefox) are running a volunteer event all next week to get people to help others to embrace the web in a better way.

This includes setting them up on a social networking, helping them create branding using the web, upgrading their browsers or event installing a wireless router for them.  Here are the details from their page describing it:

During the week of September 14-21, 2009, we’re asking individuals to step up and make a difference by using the Web to better their community. We’re looking for people who want to share, give, engage, create, and collaborate by offering their time and talent to local organizations and people who need their help.

Mozilla believes everyone should know how to use the Internet, have easy access to it, and have a good experience when they’re online. By utilizing our community’s talents for writing, designing, programming, developing, and all-around technical know-how, we believe we can make the Web a better place for everyone.

Mozilla has a history of changing the world – and the Web – in all kinds of amazing ways. When members of our community decide to take action, they can make a serious difference.

So, I am going to try to do my part and help out others who maybe aren’t embracing the web as much as they should be.  I’m going to try to find others who need assistance as well so if you know anyone or your business or even your church let me know I am open for volunteering.

]]> http://robertschultz.org/2009/09/02/mozilla-service-week-in-fresno/feed/ 0 Innovation & Entrepreneurship Week http://robertschultz.org/2009/08/31/innovation-entrepreneurship-week/ http://robertschultz.org/2009/08/31/innovation-entrepreneurship-week/#comments Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:20:07 +0000 Robert Schultz http://www.robertschultz.org/?p=380 A lot of talk (or buzz) on here lately regarding my initial post on some of us geeks getting together for drinks and discussing our ideas.  This is great news and am excited to mingle with fellow nerds here in Fresno.  I just wanted to update on the final status of this meeting and where it fits in.  It’s easier for me to create a new post as opposed to updating the old ones since WordPress doesn’t automatically notify commenters of new comments.

The CVBI is holding a “Innovation & Entrepreneurship Week” in late September, the 21st through the 25th to be exact, where a lot of great events lined up to bring everyone together in different ways.  The event happening on Wednesday will be the one I’m definitely going to attend, which is aimed at bringing us geeks out to discuss our ideas and anything else we want.  It will be a great event on skill sharing and just meeting other talend located here in the valley.  For more information and to RSVP there is a Facebook event already created here:

Innovation & Entrepreneurship Week, “Geeks, Innovators and Entrepreneurs, unite!”

I hope to see some of you guys out!

9/21 Monday: Pecha Kucha Night, Fresno (vol 4)

Presented by Creative Fresno
Pecha Kucha (Japanese for “the sound of conversation”) is an opportunity for people to discover, showcase and discuss the innovative and creative ideas flowing through the community. The high-energy presentations utilize images, sounds and words within tight 20×20 parameters. Each speaker has 6 minutes and 40 seconds (20 slides at 20 seconds per slide) to present their idea. Fresno is one of nearly 250 cities worldwide holding Pecha Kucha Nights. It is a place for designers to meet, network and show their work in public.
Location: The Starline (Tower District)
Time: 8:00pm – 10:00pm
Contact: Kiel Famellos-Schmidt kielts@gmail.com
www.creativefresno.com

9/22 Tuesday: Fresno Scrapers

Presented by the Institute for Applied Anthropology (CSUF)
Ever consider the process of making an innovation actually ready for the end user? Attend a Fresno Scrapers lunch meeting and you will want to run your innovation through this process. Engineering and design time can be positively impacted by including the end user in the process. This working lunch meeting takes a single innovation presented by an entrepreneur and looks at it from multiple angles, specifically exploring the way in which the solution will be used and the problem it will solved.
Location: CVBI Launching Pad (1630 E Shaw, Ste 163 (near Spaghetti Factory))
Time: 11:34am – 1:30pm
Contact: Dr. Henry Delcore hdelcore@csufresno.edu

9/22 Tuesday & 9/24 Thursday: Business Planning Course

Presented by Central Valley Business Incubator
A unique opportunity for the public to attend and participate in the popular Business Planning Course offered by the Central Valley Business Incubator. Stop by to audit the class during Innovation & Entrepreneurship Week. Get a glimpse of what it takes to grow an idea into a wealth-generating business.
Location: CVBI Launching Pad (1630 E Shaw, Ste 163 (near Spaghetti Factory))
Time: 6:00pm – 8:30pm
Contact: Travis Sheridan travis@cvbi.org
www.cvbi.org

9/23 Wednesday: Innovation & Entrepreneurship Summit

Presented by Central Valley Business Incubator
Industry clusters have proven to be very useful. Innovator and entrepreneurs should have a united voice as a viable industry. This “Summit” is intended to bring innovation out of the woodwork. The focus will be on gaining a clear understanding of the needs this “industry” cluster. Topics to dissect are: access to capital, scalability, commercialization of innovation, market penetration, workload/skill sharing, challenges to early adoption, obstacles to growth.
Location: The Downtown Club (Kern & L Street, Fresno)
Time: 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Contact: Travis Sheridan travis@cvbi.org
www.cvbi.org

9/24 Thursday: Central Valley Venture Forum

Presented by Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The Central Valley Venture Forum (CVVF) represents a once-a-year opportunity for deal makers and influencers in the Valley. This forum is sure to provide you with a year’s worth of valuable business contacts in the most power-packed 8 hours you could imagine! The CVVF features local, statewide, national and global business, investment, economic and policy experts, and the opportunity to present pre-registered plan to potential venture capital investors.
Location: Clovis Veteran’s Memorial Building
Time: 8:30am – 3:00pm
Contact: Nancy Kobbata nancyko@csufresno.edu
www.valleyventureforum.com

9/25 Friday: Tour of Innovative Spaces (Cargo Bay & WET Incubator)

Presented by Central Valley Business Incubator & Cargo Bay
An invitation to tour two of the most innovative small business and entrepreneur-friendly facilities in the area. Come and experience the energy of Cargo Bay and the internationally recognized Claude Laval Water & Energy Technology (WET) Incubator.
Location: WET Incubator (Barstow & Chestnut)
Time: 9:00am – 11:00 am
Location: Cargo Bay (Temperance & 168)
Time: TBD
Contact: Travis Sheridan travis@cvbi.org
www.cvbi.org
www.cargobay.com

]]> http://robertschultz.org/2009/08/31/innovation-entrepreneurship-week/feed/ 5 Innovation and Entrepreneurship Summit in Fresno http://robertschultz.org/2009/08/25/innovation-and-entrepreneurship-summit-in-fresno/ http://robertschultz.org/2009/08/25/innovation-and-entrepreneurship-summit-in-fresno/#comments Wed, 26 Aug 2009 02:14:50 +0000 Robert Schultz http://www.robertschultz.org/?p=361 For those of you who followed my previous post on getting something together here in Fresno where us geeks, nerds, entrepreneurs and innovators can network and discuss our ideas, Travis Sheridan has taken the initiative of my original idea and pitched it to the Downtown Club to see if they would host the event which he has informed me of will happen.  The idea is to have the event Wednesday, September 23rd between probably 6:00 and 8:00pm, with some light appetizers (not cost) and drinks at the bar.

The idea is to call the event an “Innovation and Entrepreneurship Summit”.

This is pretty exciting and I am glad to see others interested in this.  I will post more information as it becomes available including RSVP or any other information.  If you’re interested please leave a comment here with your email so I can follow up with you.

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