Dopp Juice Archive

Hey Blogosphere!I’m looking for an intelligent programmer who can dive into a new proprietary CMS that’s built in XML with SQL tables and its own unique system of tags — and create new functionality in it. This is a very cool project with a lot of creative freedom. Potential for ongoing work. Who’s game?Please email me: sarah at sarah dopp dot com

I’m blogging now from a BrainJams session in downtown San Francisco. This particular BrainJam is part of a pre-conference training for the National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation 2006 Conference. I’d like to say I arrived here on purpose and knew exactly what I was getting into, but that would be a lie. The truth is I was carried here by the BlogHer current, and decided not to argue with the universe. I met Chris Heuer at the first WoolfCamp, where he passionately described the concept of BrainJams to me over cheese and crackers. It’s a place for people to get together, share ideas, talk about what they’re passionate about, and gather resources. More or less a freeform jamming of the brains. I loved it immediately, and then promptly forgot to look up the dates.So when Badgerbag told me to “come on Thursday!” and took it upon herself to sign me up, I just blinked and said, “Okay. Cool.” Chris added to my disorientation by referring to me as one of the most “enlightened technologists he knows” in his welcome email / blog post. (How did I earn that title?)So I did what any sane person would do in such a compelling situation. I showed up. And I’m glad I did. It’s an all-day session that’s still going on (we’re discussing blogs and flickr right now, so I’m taking a mental break to write to you), and I’ve met some amazing people.BrainJams has a signature concept called “Twelve Five-Minute Meetings,” in which people pair up for five minutes, discuss what work they’re most passionate about, offer suggestions or feedback, and then move on to the next pair-up. It was FASCINATING! By far my favorite part of the event (so far). Check this out. Kai is running a project called Orange Band, which is basically a viral guerilla tactic to get people talking about things that matter to them. Jerry runs a guild of right-brain thinkers who stay networked with one another for projects. He’s also been hosting a weekly podcasted conference call on “Conversations About Change” called Yi-Tam. Hal’s got a new business called FAQ Productions in which he interviews professionals on video, finds that unique element about them that makes them real, collaborates with the client to cut the film, and the posts it on their websites as part of their bio. Imagine going to an attorney’s website and seeing a 2-minute video that brings out her personality as a real human being. It’s creative and important. Check out this amazing Flickr-interactive Color Picker from KrazyDad (he’s not here, but someone’s bragging about him). I’m exploding with ideas, and wish I could stay for the the whole conference. People are doing cool things these days, and 40 of them are sitting right next to me.