Tag Archives: community

Pune OpenCoffee Club meeting on Usability/UI – Aug 23

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What: Pune OpenCoffee Club get-together. Informal meeting to discuss UI, usability etc.

When: Saturday, 23 August, 5pm

Where: SICSR, Model Colony. Here is the map.

Registration and Fees: This event is free for everyone, but you must register by sending an e-mail to manasgarg at NOSPAM gmail dot com

Details:

The general agenda is to have a free-wheeling discussion on various aspects of UI development including (of course not limited to) tools/methodologies for quick prototyping, usability aspects etc. Jhumkee Iyengar, Shashank Deshpande, and Harrshada Deshpande (with a combined experience of 40+ years in design and usability) have graciously agreed to be present to guide the discussion.

Jhumkee Iyengar has been doing design and usability since 1988, in IT, manufacturing and other industries, most recently in Persistent Systems, where she created and grew the usability group. She also launched usability in e-Governance and is responsible for improvements in PMC’s websites. She is also a presenter for the Nielsen Norman Group, and conducts usability workshops all over the world.

For more details about Jhumkee, see her linked-in profile.

Shashank Deshpande Shashank has been in the field of IT usability for 15+ years (yes, he has been doing usability since before it became a known/popular field in India). He was the head of usability at Symantec India (formerly Veritas) for 9 years. Just this week, he is returning from conducting a 4-day workshop on usability at Yahoo! India. For more information about Shashank, see his linked-in profile.

Harrshada Desphande (not related to Shashank!) has also agreed to be present to guide the discussion. Harrshada has 9 years of experience in managing user experience design in the IT industry – most recently in SAS R&D. She also organized the hugely successful IdeaCamp Pune.

For more information about Harrshada, see her linked-in profile

We are hoping to get another couple of experts in this field. I’ll post that info as soon as we have confirmations. Stay tuned.

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Pune-GTUG seminar on Google Web Toolkit (GWT) – 23 Aug

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What: Pune Google Technology Users Group (Pune GTUG) presents a seminar on GWT (the Google Web Toolkit).

When: Saturday, 23rd August. 1:30pm to 5pm

Where: Synerzip. Dnyanvatsal Commercial Complex, Survey No. 23, Plot No. 189, Near Mirch Masala Restaurant , Opp Vandevi Temple, Karve Nagar (Map).
Registration and Fees: The event is free for all, but you must register here.

Details
“GWT in Depth” Seminar will brush up on GWT basics and then jump on to practical use of GWT.
Attendees are required to know the concept of GWT. The seminar would include following

  • GWT basics
  • Building J2EE components for GWT
  • Using MVC in GWT and other Design Patterns
  • Wrapping existing JavaScript Libraries with GWT. Using gwt-google-apis framework to write gadgets with GWT.
  • J2EE Backend support for GWT frameworks

Invitation is by registration only, because the conference room has a limited sitting capacity.

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A common tech events calendar for Pune

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There is no single comprehensive source of information for all the events in Pune that are of interest to the Technology community. The PuneTech events page only carries information about events coming up soon. IT Vidya has an Events page but that is for events all over the country, and is also not comprehensive enough. Also, both of these are more like blogs than an events calendar, and are missing many features that a calendar should have.

On the suggestion of Freeman Murray, we have started using upcoming.org as an events calendar for tech events in Pune. The Pune Tech Events Group on Upcoming will track all the tech events in Pune. This is a free, non-commercial, community driven initiative. Anybody can join the group. Anybody can add events. Anybody can subscribe to get updates.

[edit] How to Join

Just go to the group page on upcoming, and click on “join this group”.

[edit] How to add an Event

  • Go the upcoming.org
  • Click on Add an Event
  • Fill out the event details. In case the venue is not yet decided, use “TBD Pune”
  • Complete the procedure for adding the event. This will result in a page getting created for this event. You’ll be taken to that page.
  • On the right side of this page, you’ll see links for “Send to Group” and “Add a Tag”
  • Important Use the above link to add this event to the “Pune Tech Events Group”
  • Important Use the above link to add the tags “tech” and “pune” (and other relevant tags) to your event

Or, simply send an email with the relevant details (date, time, place, description) to punetech and we’ll add it for you.

If you are organizing a tech event in Pune, please consider taking some time out to add the event to this calendar for the benefit of the community.

PMC launches participatory budgeting

In Depth, Pune City, , ,

The Pune Municipal Corporation has a scheme to include citizens suggestions in the budget for the year. Anybody who has an idea for work that can be carried out in their ward/locality can download a form, fill it out and submit it at their ward office / nearest multi-utility citizen kiosk location / citizen facilitation centre.

Only projects that pertain to a neighborhood or locality and do not involve city level infrastructure may be suggested; the suggested work has to be under ward office purview. The suggested project cost should preferably be within Rs. 5 Lakhs. Examples of kinds of work that you can suggest are: Pavements / Water Supply / Drainage / Bus stop (in consultation with PMT) / Parks and Gardens (only repair works) / Bhawan (only repair works) / Public Toilets / Lights (Road / Traffic) / Roads (only Resurfacing). Example of kinds of work that are NOT acceptable are: Pedestrian Bridge / Speed Breakers (prohibited by Supreme Court) / Garden (new provision) / constructions on the land not owned by PMC.

Deadline for the form / maps submission is 10th September 2008.

All citizens should take a copy of the submitted project form to the office and make sure to get a form ID and ‘receipt’ of the submission.

Obviously, not all the suggestions will be accepted. However, various groups and NGOs will be monitoring the process to try and ensure that at the very least, information about why projects were accepted or rejected will be made available to the public after the budgeting process is over.

For more information, see the entry for participatory budgeting in the Pune Government wiki. In general, the Pune Government wiki is a very interesting place to hang out. It is just a few weeks old, and there is already a lot of interesting information already uploaded there.

There is only partial “tech” content in this post, since technology is being used to disseminate the information (the wiki, and downloadable forms). There are also plans afoot to make some of the submitted proposals browseable on a map of Pune, with the help of Pune-based SadakMap. However, forms still have to be submitted in person – that process has not gone online yet. Hopefully, that can happen next year.

Please help make this initiative a success. Forward this article to people you know who might be interested.

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PMI meet – “IPR” and “Project Portfolio Management” – 9 August

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What: Project Management Institute, Pune Chapter’s monthly meeting, consisting of three sessions – 1. Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) – Copyright, Patent & Software and 2. Linking business strategy with product development by using Project & Portfolio management (PPM) solutions, and 3. OnTarget 2009 National Conference kickoff

When: Saturday, August 9th, 10:00 am to 12:30 pm

Where: Cummins Auditorium, Pune Shramik Patrakar Sangh, 193 Navi Peth, Ganjwe Chowk, Near Alka Talkies, Garware bridge & S. M. Joshi hall, Pune 411030. Reception (Tel) – +91(20) 24534190

Registration: This event is free for all, and no registration is required

Details:

Topic 1: Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) – Copyright, Patent & Software

Since last decade IPRs are in limelight. The industrial and service sectors need to handle various aspects related to IPRs and as such the project managers need to know the basic concepts and working of IPRs. Especially due to increasing use of computes in every field, patents and copyright related to software has assumed importance.

This seminar would provide an insight related to national and international legal scenario in these fields.

About the Speaker – Avinash S. Ganu, Advocate

  • Leads a law-firm `Avinash Ganu & Associates’, which deals with Corporate Law, national and international contracts, Intellectual Property issues, Property Law, Litigation etc.
  • Handles legal work in countries including U.S., U. K., Thailand, Singapore, China etc.
  • Has deposed in American Court as an expert witness on Indian Law.
  • Has done LL.M. from the University of Pune specializing in Corporate & Contract Law.
  • Has done LL.M. in `International Economic Law’ from the University of Warwick, U. K., with distinction, specializing in Corporate Laws, International Trade & Contracts, Computer & Internet Law and IPRs.
  • Teaches `Economic Analysis of Law’ to M. A. students at `Gokhale Institute’, Pune
  • Teaches `Intellectual Property Law‘ to fashion technology students at S. O. F. T.
  • Was interviewed on E.T.V. as an expert in IPRs and Computer Law.

Topic 2: Linking business strategy with product development by using Project & Portfolio management (PPM) solutions

To address the challenges in New Product Development, NPD companies started to link their business strategy with product development by using Project & Portfolio management (PPM) solutions. Project & Portfolio Management (PPM) is a term used by project managers and project management (PM) organizations to describe methods for analyzing and collectively managing a group of current or proposed projects based on numerous key characteristics. The fundamental objective of the PPM process is to determine the optimal mix and sequencing of proposed projects to best achieve the organization’s overall goals.

For instance, at any point of time a project manager can identify the gap in demand and supply of resources in relation to the requirements of the project. For the higher management, PPM enables to identify mid and long tem viability of the projects and also helps in calculating ROI regarding investments. This seminar will provide more details about PPM market scenario and how “PPM Studio” product provides the required capabilities.

About the Speaker – SemanticSpace Technologies Limited

Founded in 1997, SemanticSpace is a leading software services company that caters to diverse verticals. Since its inception, SemanticSpace has carved a niche for itself in the space of Project and Portfolio solutions, based on its extensive product development expertise and committed focus. SemanticSpace started working on product development in the late 90’s, since then it has refined and matured its processes and systems in line with the specific requirements of Project and Portfolio Management Solutions market. SemanticSpace’s “PPM Studio” is a collaborative, end-to-end, scalable, enterprise solution that helps organizations in managing projects from inception to delivery. More details http://www.semanticspace.com/ & www.ppmstudio.com.

Topic 3: On-Target (Academic track – 11th Jan 2009) & On-Target (Professional track – 18th Jan 2009)

PMI Pune-Deccan India Chapter is organizing “OnTarget 2009” National Conference on Project Management on 11th & 18th January 2009. Eminent speakers from various industries would present their views in this full day conference with the theme of “Infrastructure development”. The primary objective of this conference is to bring project managers in different industry, academia, NGO and government segments at one platform and share the best practices and lessons learned with each other. Project Management is a critical competency for all organizations, be it Government, Corporate, Academic or NGO – and indeed in all of life’s endeavors. This august gathering provides a unique platform for learning about the craft, knowledge sharing and networking with industry leaders, top executives and practicing project managers from all over the country. PMI Pune chapter’s National Congress Director Ashutosh Gulanikar will present the overall theme and program of the conference and the next plan of action. All the associates who are interested in supporting this mega conference are request to attend this orientation and the kickoff meeting following it.

For more information about PMI Pune, see it’s PuneTech wiki profile

Pune Java and Pune Linux monthly meet – August

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What: Pune Linux Users Group (PLUG) meeting followed by a Talk on “Design Patterns for Web Applications” by Shridhar Deshpande (part of the Java meet by IndicThreads.)

When: Saturday, 2nd August. PLUG meeting 4pm to 6pm. Shridhar’s talk from 6pm to 7:30pm

Where: Symbiosis Institute of Computer Studies and Research (SICSR), 7th floor, Atur Center, Model Colony, Pune, India (Map)

Registration and Fees: The event is free for all. Register here.

Details: PLUG meeting
The PLUG meeting is open to all, there are no charges or pre-requisites to attend the meeting. If you are intrested in FOSS (Free/Open Source Software) you are welcome to the meeting. If you want to give a talk or a demo, you are welcome. Mandriva 2008.1 spring edition and Fedora 9 DVDs available with the organizers. You can book CD/DVDs and  collect them after the meeting.

Details: Contrasting Java and Dynamic Languages
Shridhar Deshpande would provide insights on some of the most commonly applicable design patterns for web based java applications.It would include introduction to design patterns, what they mean to the developers. how did they come into the picture and their impact on an application. Later some design patterns commonly applicable to web based applications would be discussed and assessed on various factors relating to the application. This session would also include inputs regarding some design patterns which could come into use in the future.

About the Presenter:

Shridhar Deshpande is a consultant at i-Flex Solutions

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Pune Flex Users Group Meeting – 19 July

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What: Pune Flex Users Group Meeting
When: Saturday, 19th July, 11am to 12:30pm
Where: SANSUI SOFTWARE PVT. LTD. Fourth Floor, Nyati Millennium, Viman Nagar, Nagar Road, Pune – 411 014, India
Registration: This event is free. Please register here.

For more information, see the Pune Flex Users Group wiki.

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PMI meet – Process Modeling; Using NLP – 12 July

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PMI logo.Image via Wikipedia

What: Project Management Institute, Pune Chapter‘s monthly meeting, consisting of two sessions – 1. Process Modeling, a key enabler and 2. Use of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) for organizational effectiveness

When: Saturday, July 12, 10:00 am to 12:30 pm

Where: Cummins Auditorium, Pune Shramik Patrakar Sangh, 193 Navi Peth, Ganjwe Chowk, Near Alka Talkies, Garware bridge & S. M. Joshi hall, Pune 411030. Reception (Tel) – +91(20) 24534190

Registration: This event is free for all, and no registration is required

Details:

Process Modeling – An approach and challenges in its successful adoption, as a key enabler

The use of off-line, steady-state Process Simulators has grown in the global Chemical and Hydrocarbon Processing Industry, particularly over the last decade or so. Many companies of different hue, in terms of size and type of business have derived significant benefits from the implementation of simulation technology.

Having witnessed this growth from both the angles – As a user and as a vendor, Mr. Pandit has also seen some myths, floating in the industry, about simulation technology. He believes that some of these misconceptions have thwarted the efforts of many a companies in adopting simulators as an in-house design and process-monitoring tool.

This presentation would cover some of these myths and/or challenges that industry has faced while adopting simulation technology. It will also present some examples of organizations that have done well in absorbing simulation technology in their organizations.

About the Speaker – Alok Pandit

Alok Pandit has over 20 year’s association with Process Simulation industry, in various capacities. Starting as a Technical Support Executive on Chemshare’s products, he has worked extensively with Aspen Tech and Hyprotech products in Training, Technical Support, Product customization and Business Development. He has conducted more than 100 training programs, on different simulation software, for leading companies in India, Abudhabi, Netherlands and UK.

Alok holds M.Tech (Chem) degree from I.I.T Kanpur (1986) and B.Sc. (Engg) degree from Panjab University, Chandigarh (1983). Alok also holds a PG Diploma in Advanced Computing from C-DAC, Pune.

Alok is presently the Director of Equinox Software & Services Private Limited, a company he has set-up to provide modeling based consulting services to the process industry. Alok was previously working as Country Manager – SAARC and Vice President – Sales, for Aspen Technology Inc. covering a wide territory from Pakistan to Australia. Prior to that, he has worked with Hyprotech, Onward Technologies Limited, Hinditron Computers and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (Mumbai Refinery).

Use of Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) for organizational effectiveness

NLP® (Neuro Linguistic Programming) is the art and technology of achieving personal, professional and corporate excellence. NLP enables you to understand and change the way you think, feel and behave. It helps you to choose what to do, and be what you want to be. It is a Methodology based on the fact that behavior has a structure, and that structure can be modeled, learned, taught and changed i.e. re-programmed.

Special features of these techniques are that they

  • Align thinking and behavior patterns to meet goals and objectives in a seamless manner.
  • Help to achieve a wide variety of outcomes such as motivation, creativity, emotional management, new skill development, team synergy, health, belief change and more.
  • Acknowledge uniqueness of individuals and change behaviors in ways most appropriate to them.
  • Cause changes without stress. Within a relatively short period this person can start experiencing personal power and euphoria.

About the Speaker – Vikas Dikshit

Mr. Dikshit has done extensive research in the field of mind sciences, psychology and the behavior modification techniques. He has conducted many Workshops and Seminars on various topics to bring about holistic & significant improvements in professional and personal lives of people. He is B.E. (Mech.) from college of Engineering, Pune and after graduating, he had business interests in road transport, bore-well drilling and leather garment manufacturing and exports to North America and Europe. These businesses gave him a hands-on experience of managing a wide variety of people in various management environments, circumstances and cultures.

For more information about PMI Pune, see it’s PuneTech wiki profile

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Upcoming Event: Python and Fedora Session

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CPythonImage via Wikipedia

What: A detailed day-long session consisting of an introduction to Python, and opportunities for contributing to the Fedora project. Organized by LinuxChix Pune.

When: Sunday, 13 July, 11am to 5pm.

Where: RedHat office, Kalyaninagar

Registration: The event is free, but open only to the first 15 participants who register

Details:

Python Session by Ramkrsna

  • Instant Python :: Basically Teaching all of Python in the first Hour, before going deeper.
  • Lexcial Conventions and Syntax
  • Types and Objects
  • Operators and Expressions
  • Control Flow
  • Functions and Functional Programming
  • Classes and Object Oriented Programming
  • Modules and Packages
  • Input and Output
  • Execution Environments

A session on opportunities for volunteering at the Fedora Project, by Rahul Sundaram.

For more details see:
http://linuxchix.org.in/wiki/index.php/PunePythonSession

Please note, since the room has a maximum capacity for 15 people do ensure that you have your name
within the first 15. The names can be enlisted in the above mentioned page.

For further assistance, please do contact any of the following:

Runa Bhattacharjee (runa.misc at gmail dot com)
Smriti Garg (smritigarg87 at gmail dot com)
Shubhra Samnani (shubhra.samnani at gmail dot com)

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Help Organize PHPCamp Pune

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PHPImage via Wikipedia

PHP enthusiasts in Pune are organizing a barcamp focused towards PHP based web application development, in September 2008. (If you don’t know what a barcamp camp is, now is a good time to find out.) What started out as a small initiative at getting together the PHP community in Pune for an informal gathering is, judging from the initial response, fast snowballing into a major all-India conference.

It is still very early, and the details are all still being worked out. Since this is an unconference, it is all volunteer driven, and anyone can participate, and more importantly, anyone can join the organizing committee. Which means that if you are interested in PHP, you should seriously consider helping out with the effort. They are still looking for speakers (and due to the unconference nature of the event, this will continue until the day of the event). More importantly they are looking for sponsors, to smoothen the process of hosting the event. This means that if you are a company (or know a company) that wants to get visibility with the most enthusiastic PHP developers in the country, you should sponsor this event.

In any case, join the mailing list to keep tabs on what the organizers are planning, and register yourself for attending the event, so they have an idea of how many people to expect.

Check out other technology user-groups and organizations in Pune at the PuneTech wiki (for example, Pune Java, Pune Ruby, Pune Linux User Group, PHPCamp, Pune Project Management Institute etc.)

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