On 01/16/09 11:22:52, Jim Kingdon wrote:
> Anyone coming to the meeting in Laurel this Monday (the 19th)?  I was
> planning on showing up, but don't want to make the trip unless there
> will be someone there.
>
Ayup; Jeff Waltzer and I are there pretty regularly. We have a few more
people who are there sometimes.

> The location and time is at http://agilemaryland.org/ assuming
> nothing
> has changed.
>
That information is correct.

-John

--
John Maxwell  (jmax@...)
Customer: I'm using Windows/XP Home
Tech Support: Uh-huh
Customer: My computer isn't working
Tech Support: Yes, you said that

Anyone coming to the meeting in Laurel this Monday (the 19th)?  I was
planning on showing up, but don't want to make the trip unless there
will be someone there.

The location and time is at http://agilemaryland.org/ assuming nothing
has changed.

Pardon the broadcast, but I think this is a great opportunity.  I've
learned an awful lot from Esther and recommend her highly.  I've tried
in the past to organize an East Coast presentation of this class.
Unfortunately, I'll be tied up with a client for this one.  If it can
fit in your schedule, however, I think you'll find it worthwhile.

   - George

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: secrets of agile teamwork
Date: Mon, 8 Sep 2008 12:42:49 -0500
From: Esther Derby <derby@...>
To: 'George Dinwiddie' <gdinwiddie@...>


Hi, George --

Thought I'd let you know we have some space left in the October 21-23
Secrets of Agile Teamwork class, and it's on the East Coast, to boot.

We're running registration through Agile University:
http://agileuniversity.org/course_details.jsp?courseid=131&schid=384.

I'd appreciate it if you pass this along to people you know who might be
interested.

Hope you are well.

Best,

Esther

Esther Derby
Esther Derby Associates, Inc.
612-724-8114 www.estherderby.com

Co-author of Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great (Pragmatic
Programmers, 2006)





--
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    * George Dinwiddie *                      http://blog.gdinwiddie.com
    Software Development                    http://www.idiacomputing.com
    Consultant and Coach                    http://www.agilemaryland.org
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------

I thought this might be of interest to some.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [dcaltnet] Ruby DCamp Registration Now Open
Date: Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:56:32 -0000
From: matthew.podwysocki <matthew.podwysocki@...>
Reply-To: dcaltnet@yahoogroups.com
To: dcaltnet@yahoogroups.com

All:

There will be a Ruby Bar Camp next month here in the DC Area called
Ruby DCamp on October 11th-12th.  For any folks that attended last
month's meeting on Ruby, this might interest you.  I'm working on
having Microsoft sponsorship of the event and hopefully some IronRuby
presence as well.

http://www.rubydcamp.org/

If interested, go ahead and register here:
http://rubydcamp.eventbrite.com/

Unfortunately, this is not a free event as most Bar Camps are, due to
the location and covering both breakfast and lunch for both days.
Hopefully with some more sponsors, this may but doubtful.

Looking forward to this event!

Matt
------------------------------------



--
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    * George Dinwiddie *                      http://blog.gdinwiddie.com
    Software Development                    http://www.idiacomputing.com
    Consultant and Coach                    http://www.agilemaryland.org
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Jeff,

Yes I am interested and I'm also swamped for the next couple of weeks. After
that I'll free up a little.

My immediate interests are:

o getting a reviewer or two for an XP presentation I've created

o seeing if there is any interest for an intro Ruby class that some associates
and I are creating for NOVARUG (if there was sufficient interest we could also
teach the class in Maryland)

o code festing (especially in Ruby or Rails)

o getting a reviewer or two for a TDD presentation/class I'm still creating

o finding out what the Maryland (preferably Montgomery County) agile job market
is (want to stop commuting to VA some day)

o generally learning and sharing with other MD agilists

o maybe giving a presentation or two on some agile topics

o other stuff

I don't know about anyone else, but the near Baltimore venue of the last couple
Agile Maryland meetings has been a little tough for me as I work in Virgina
(tried to make it to the 50 Ways talk and gave up after VA and MD traffic ate me
alive). That venue doesn't mean I absolutely won't make it to future meetings
there, but it does lower the likelihood.

Camille

--- On Fri, 8/29/08, Jeff Waltzer <jeffwaltzer@...> wrote:

> From: Jeff Waltzer <jeffwaltzer@...>
> Subject: [MarylandXP] meetings
> To: MarylandXP@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Friday, August 29, 2008, 10:54 AM
> It has been a while since there was a meeting of Agile
> Maryland.  I've
> seen some new people join this list recently and I am
> wondering if
> there is any interest in having a another meeting.
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> See: http://agilemaryland.orgYahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>

It has been a while since there was a meeting of Agile Maryland.  I've
seen some new people join this list recently and I am wondering if
there is any interest in having a another meeting.

When Mark Pushinsky, Chris Doss, David Douglas and Robin Dymond
started Innovel, the purpose was to bring together some great people
in training and consulting in Lean and Agile. Since that time, Innovel
has helped colleagues with training, consulting, and how best to
create value for customers. We are interested in helping clients and
colleagues great interactions, memorable classes, and insightful
experienced based consulting.

We are planning our next Certified Scrum Master (CSM) class for
Alexandria on June 14th  and 15th. If you know of any colleagues or
friends who we could share our passion for helping build great teams,
great solutions, and great companies by attending this class, please
have them sign up at http://scrumtraining.com/

Thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide. It is much
appreciated.

Don't forget *tomorrow* night's APLN Maryland meeting.  Please RSVP at
http://aplngbspinmay.eventbrite.com/ even if you plan to pay at the door.

   - George

George Dinwiddie wrote:
> Just a reminder that this event is now next Wednesday.  And to let you
> know that the price has been dropped.  We got a good deal on the
> catering, and don't plan on making any money.  I hope to see you there.
>
> There's still a $5 discount for signing up in advance.  That /really/
> helps us plan the right amount of food.
>
>  - George
>
> George Dinwiddie wrote:
>>         *Attention*  This is week after next.
>>
>> It's a rare software development manager who doesn't want to speed up
>> software development.  Come to the next meeting of the Maryland
>> Chapter of the APLN, combined with the Greater Baltimore SPIN, for a
>> talk on the topic: "There Must Be 50 Ways to Speed Up Software
>> Development."  If there's not something new for you to take away, then
>> surely you have something important to share with us!
>>
>> Giving the talk will be George Dinwiddie (that's me), taking a short
>> break from an engagement helping a large insurance client in the
>> mid-west speed up their software development process.
>>
>> See http://apln.agilemaryland.org/moin/NextMeeting for the details.
>>
>
>


--
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    * George Dinwiddie *                      http://blog.gdinwiddie.com
    Software Development                    http://www.idiacomputing.com
    Consultant and Coach                    http://www.agilemaryland.org
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Just a reminder that this event is now next Wednesday.  And to let you
know that the price has been dropped.  We got a good deal on the
catering, and don't plan on making any money.  I hope to see you there.

There's still a $5 discount for signing up in advance.  That /really/
helps us plan the right amount of food.

   - George

George Dinwiddie wrote:
>         *Attention*  This is week after next.
>
> It's a rare software development manager who doesn't want to speed up
> software development.  Come to the next meeting of the Maryland Chapter
> of the APLN, combined with the Greater Baltimore SPIN, for a talk on the
> topic: "There Must Be 50 Ways to Speed Up Software Development."  If
> there's not something new for you to take away, then surely you have
> something important to share with us!
>
> Giving the talk will be George Dinwiddie (that's me), taking a short
> break from an engagement helping a large insurance client in the
> mid-west speed up their software development process.
>
> See http://apln.agilemaryland.org/moin/NextMeeting for the details.
>


--
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    * George Dinwiddie *                      http://blog.gdinwiddie.com
    Software Development                    http://www.idiacomputing.com
    Consultant and Coach                    http://www.agilemaryland.org
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------

*Attention*  This is week after next.

It's a rare software development manager who doesn't want to speed up
software development.  Come to the next meeting of the Maryland Chapter
of the APLN, combined with the Greater Baltimore SPIN, for a talk on the
topic: "There Must Be 50 Ways to Speed Up Software Development."  If
there's not something new for you to take away, then surely you have
something important to share with us!

Giving the talk will be George Dinwiddie (that's me), taking a short
break from an engagement helping a large insurance client in the
mid-west speed up their software development process.

See http://apln.agilemaryland.org/moin/NextMeeting for the details.

--
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    * George Dinwiddie *                      http://blog.gdinwiddie.com
    Software Development                    http://www.idiacomputing.com
    Consultant and Coach                    http://www.agilemaryland.org
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Social Matchbox DC is happening again on March 31, 2008 at TeqCorner
in Mclean, VA.  The event brings in members from around the DC startup
and technology community for what some like to call an open mic night
for hiring teams and entrepreneurs.  The open format is a fusion of
resume clinic, startup job fair and networking event.  Attendees
include hiring teams representing top startup companies from around
the DC area, job seekers, founders with entrepreneurial ideas looking
for others to join them, and people interested in getting into the mix.

Past attendees include team members from ClearSpring, Mixx, Intridea,
Centrifuge Systems, VisualCV and many other lesser known startup
companies from around the DC area.  This time a few new companies have
RSVP'd including ClearSpring, Intridea, Inc., Positive Energy USA, and
Siteworx.  More are expected.

For more information and to register about the event visit
SocialMatchbox.com

Matt Scilipoti wrote:
> http://adam.blog.heroku.com/past/2008/2/19/rush_the_ruby_shell/
> http://rush.heroku.com/
>
> Also... I just got invited into heroku.  Email me if you are interested.

Matt, so where is your app on Heroku?

--
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    * George Dinwiddie *                      http://blog.gdinwiddie.com
    Software Development                    http://www.idiacomputing.com
    Consultant and Coach                    http://www.agilemaryland.org
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Agile Planning/Agile Engineering Practices in Rails Labs
Washington DC, March 3-6

Ever wanted an Agile Planning/Development class with a
real customer.  Interested in learning Rails Development
working from real examples on a real Open Source project.

Real Training
Real Projects
Real Impact
    ... Get Real!

Attend the training or contact me for the Free CodeIn.

-------- SCHEDULE AND COST ---------

March 3 - Agile Planning Lab - $400
   - Envisioning, Story Writing, Estimation, Release Planning, Customer
     Test Definintion

March 4 - Agile Rails Lab - $400
   - Agile Software Development Practices and Rails Development

Attend both Labs and save $100

March 5-6 Agile Rails CodeIn for Mano a Mano - Free
    - Contact me at bob (at) electroglide.biz to attend the CodeIn

Users Group members get an additional 15% off by using the
discount code:  codegreendc

	 Visit http://codegreenlabs.com for more information


-------- THE LAB ---------

Code Green Labs (http://codegreenlabs.com) is offering Agile
Planning/Rails Lab in Washington DC, March 3-6.
This lab will be held on the campus of Georgetown University
and is hosted by the Center for New Designs in Learning and
Scholarship.

During this lab we will work directly with Segundo Velasquez
from Mano a Mano to define the first release of their Donor
Information and Online Donation application.  Mano a Mano
will use this application to communicate the status of their
many ongoing projects to donors and potential donors.  This
application will be released as an Open Source project to help
other not for profits achieve their goals.  The mission of
Mano a Mano Medical Resources is to create partnerships with
impoverished Bolivian communities that improve health and
increase economic well-being. Mano a Mano has been guided
by the simple yet powerful premise that groups of committed
volunteers can reach across national boundaries to make a
dramatic difference in the lives of others.

Segundo gave and interview and talk at Agile2007 and that
interview can be found here.

http://agiletoolkit.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=255315


-------- WHO SHOULD ATTEND ---------

Since software teams are made up of many different disciplines
we welcome the participation of anyone interested in learning
Agile Software Delivery including:

- Developers
- Testers
- Analysts
- Managers
- Apprentice Agile Coaches


-------- CODE GREEN LABS ---------

We are dedicated to creating a unique training experience that
uses real projects with real deliverables. Labs work on projects
that make a difference in the world, benefiting organizations
that are working to improve the environment, human rights, social
justice, health and economic development.  By marrying the efforts
of dedicated professionals learning Agile Development techniques
with not for profit and research communities that need high quality
software, we hope to be a small part of a positive change. Each
training class will work on a specific software project for a
specific cause.

For more information contact me.
Bob Payne
Host AgileToolkit Podcast
202-903-6854
bob (at) electroglide.biz

Hello, all.  This was forwarded to me, and I'd like to share it with
you.  I've already contacted my representatives on this, prior to the
passage.  It's worth noting that a couple other states that have
experimented with such a tax have quickly repealed them due to public
pressure.  I hope that it is repealed, as it puts software organizations
in Maryland at a competitive disadvantage.

   - George

------------------------------------------------------------------------
*From:* Steve Kozak [mailto:stevek@...]
*Sent:* Friday, 25 January 2008 10:13
*To:* GB Tech Council Members List
*Subject:* [members] GBTC update...Computer Services Sales Tax

GB Tech Council Members List - www.gbtechcouncil.org

GBTC Members,

Wanted to provide a brief update on the Computer Services Sales Tax...

As you know, during the November 2007 special session the Maryland
General Assembly enacted legislation to expand the state’s sales tax to
computer services.  Effective July 1, 2008, Maryland’s 6 percent sales
tax will apply to computer services, including:  computer facilities
management and operation; custom programming, computer system planning
and design that integrate computer hardware, software and communication
technologies, computer disaster recovery, data processing, storage and
recovery and hardware or software installation, maintenance and
repair.  To view the enacted language, click here
<http://www.mdchamber.org/docs/ss_computer_services_language.pdf>.

Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot has said that his office is delaying
regulations for the computer sales tax until after the session ends in
April.  That will give lawmakers a chance to repeal the tax.   In
fact, the efforts to repeal the controversial computer services tax on
Maryland IT companies won critical bipartisan support yesterday.
Seventy-two of the 141 members of the Maryland House of Delegates have
co-sponsored House Bill 196 (HB 196) legislation to repeal the computer
services sales tax enacted during the legislature's November 2007
special session - "*Majority of House Members Back Repeal of Maryland's
Computer Services Tax
<http://www.citybizlist.com/lstg/lstgDetail.aspx?id=29764>"*

If this issue is important to you, this is not the time to wait.  We
would encourage you to get involved.  Here's how...

1) Fight the Tech Tax
<http://www.fightthetechtax.com/index.cfm>The GBTC has joined a
coalition of business organizations and Maryland companies who are
working together to repeal the computer services sales tax during the
2008 General Assembly Session.  If you'd like to learn how you can take
action - click here
<http://www.fightthetechtax.com/content/take-action/>.  The coalition is
encouraging anyone and everyone to get involved and spread the word.
Tell your colleagues and employees about this site and encourage them to
contact their legislators
<http://www.fightthetechtax.com/content/take-action/call-your-legislators.cfm>.


To learn more, please visit www.fightthetechtax.com
<http://www.fightthetechtax.com>.

2) Maryland Needs IT <http://marylandneedsit.com/default.aspx>
Some of the GBTC's own members have created the Maryland Computer
Services Association and started a campaign to repeal the tax.   This
organization was created solely as a lobbying group - to lobby on behalf
of Maryland's IT industry. The MCSA is collaborating closely with the
other organizations seeking repeal, contributing time, technology, and
professional lobbyists and political consultants to the cause.  And they
seek your support.  JOIN
<http://marylandneedsit.com/user/CreateUser.aspx?ReturnUrl=>the
campaign.  CONTACT <http://marylandneedsit.org/cando/default.aspx>your
representatives.  TELL THEM
<http://marylandneedsit.com/cando/story.aspx> how the tax will affect
you.  CONTRIBUTE <http://marylandneedsit.com/cando/contribute.aspx>to
keep the campaign alive. INVITE
<http://marylandneedsit.org/cando/enroll.aspx>colleagues to
join them. To learn more, please visit _www.MarylandNeedsIT.org_
<file://www.marylandneedsit.org/>.

Please feel free, in fact, we would encourage you to forward this
message to others.

Stay tuned for more announcements...

Kind regards,
Steve

Steve Kozak
Executive Director
Greater Baltimore Technology Council (GBTC)
"CONNECT"
410-327-9148
The GBTC is supported in part by a grant from the
Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development (DBED)

---


--
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    * George Dinwiddie *                      http://blog.gdinwiddie.com
    Software Development                    http://www.idiacomputing.com
    Consultant and Coach                    http://www.agilemaryland.org
   ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi, someone forwarded your message to some of the DC/Maryland agile/XP
mailing lists.

James writes:

> Hey, is anyone here in the Washington DC area? I'd like to see if
> there are any groups around here that meet to discuss DDD concepts &
> techniques. If none exist already, let's start one!

I'm in the DC area and I often refer to the Evans domain driven design
book (although I'm slightly embarrassed to say I haven't actually
bought a copy or read it cover to cover).  I could imagine a book
study group to meet every week (or whatever frequency), talking about
one chapter/section each time.