It’s secretly one of the most clever Kickstarter campaigns we’ve seen in a while, and we get a lot of Kickstarter campaigns passed across our desks here at Innovators Peak Worldwide Headquarters (name pending).
We’ve all got a phone, tablet and laptop charger, and various other cords for smartwatches and VR widgets and interfacing mainframe receptors (or something). All of these devices need power, baby, and that need requires a lot of organization.
Silicon Valley, we need to have a little talk about artificial intelligence. Get a cup of coffee (or a can of Red Bull) and take a seat.
Guys. Guuuuuys. You need to chill.
It’s okay to be hesitant about artificial intelligence. It’s okay to be concerned about artificial intelligence. But for the love of everything sacred in our universe, can we stop acting like artificial intelligence is the most threatening, all-consuming, earth-shattering issue on the planet?
In case you’re not familiar, artificial intelligence (AI) is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: the intelligence that we, as humans, have programmed into machines and software that allows them to think and function like, y’know… humans.
Codes and instructions and recognition abilities. Fake-smart robots. That kind of stuff.
This whole thing isn’t as simple as people being pro- or anti-AI. You can’t really be 100 percent opposed to artificial intelligence if you’re going to have anything to do with technology or innovation. It’s more a matter of how we handle the possibility of bad people doing bad things and becoming too powerful with the help of AI technology.
Not all bikes are created equal. Alchemy Bicycles, a Denver-based handmade bicycle manufacturer, has discovered the formula to produce some of the highest quality bike frames in the industry.
Alchemy started in Austin, Texas back in 2008, and relocated to the Cherry Creek neighborhood of Denver in 2012. A number of factors made Colorado a good fit, including the thriving bike scene, an abundance of local talent, and great ride routes. The ability to pull talent from other states to a Colorado location didn’t hurt, either.
“Attracting talent to Denver? Way easier than attracting talent to Texas. As soon as we started talking about Colorado, everybody was interested,” says Megan Cannizzaro, one of Alchemy’s founders.
Over the years, Alchemy has built a name for themselves in titanium, steel, and carbon handmade bikes. Falling somewhere between the small handmade manufacturers, who might produce only a handful of bikes per month, and larger manufacturers that churn out thousands of carbon frames, Alchemy is unique in the sophistication of its operations for its size.
BluFlux is one of Colorado’s most promising tech companies that’s taking a major initiative in creating, promoting, and advancing some of the most technically innovative products in the current marketplace. Take a look below at just how BluFlux earned its title as Colorado’s Startup of the Year at the 2015 APEX Awards in Denver.
The excitement of this past Halloweekend may be over, but in Denver there’s always something going on to help us look beyond the leftover candy and old jack-o-lanterns. Case in point: the Colorado Technology Association’sAPEX Awards presented by Comcast.
In recognition of Colorado’s technology excellence, this prestigious event highlights remarkable leaders and innovators. Hosted by the Colorado Technology Association, the event not only brings together the state’s tech community, but also celebrates the exceptional people, companies and accomplishments of the past year.
The awards dinner will take place on Thursday, November 5, at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel where a total of nine awards will be given: six for individuals, three for companies. Individual award categories include CEO of the Year and Educator of the Year while company award categories include Project of the Year for a project implemented by an innovative IT department that achieved successful, measurable results.
The majority of the awards are exclusive to Colorado-based companies and individuals and the panels of judges are comprised of professional leaders within the Colorado technology community. This coupled with the fact that this will be the 15th year of the awards is a testament to Denver’s status as a hub of innovation and technology.
And the awards are not just a popularity contest: individuals will be judged based on achievement, leadership, perseverance, integrity and community and global influence while companies will be assessed on innovation and vision, financial performance, leadership, and culture and corporate responsibility.
So who are the nominees? Since nominations are received online and all nominees are judged for all categories, there’s a list of all the 2015 nominees here. Considering the fact that there’s currently 30 individual nominees and 42 company nominees, here’s a selection of some of the nominees we’re excited about and that should be on your radar.
“Innovation is doing anything different,” Colorado Governor John Hickenlooperrecently told us during the 2015 Colorado Innovation Network (COIN) Summit. Since founding COIN in 2011, Governor Hickenlooper’s vision for Colorado as the forefront of technology, entrepreneurship and innovation has sprung to life with support from COIN’s network and resources.
Take a look below at our Innovation Timeline, which tracks just how far Colorado’s best and brightest have come in such a short time.
2011
August 2011 – Governor John Hickenlooper calls for the establishment of the Colorado Innovation Network (COIN), an entrepreneur and technology-based coalition between the state government and private organizations to develop Colorado as a leader in all things innovation.
You know what they say about the weekend… Wait… do they say anything about the weekend? I don’t think they do, but they should. Or maybe they do, and I’m just not aware. Hmm…
Whatever, we don’t have time for this nonsense, it’s time to figure out what your plans for the weekend are! We spoke with those beautiful people at EveryBlockto round up all the hot weekend activities for you to plug into your calendar.
Who doesn’t love grains? Who doesn’t love a healthy serving of barley, wheat, oats, rye, qunioa, corn, millet, amaranth, or sorghum (whatever the hell that is)? Wouldn’t you just love to grow all that stuff in your own yard? “But I can’t, I don’t live on a farm.” You don’t have to if you check out this instruction course on how to harvest, thresh, winnow, and cook these grains that are often not grown within city limits. Grow your own grains right at home! // 4 p.m., $20 suggested; Denver Sustainability Park; 2500 Lawrence St.
In case you haven’t heard, Denver Startup Week, which runs from Mon., Sept. 28, to Fri., Oct. 2, is right around the corner. The collection of events spans across multiple venues and is designed to highlight the ways in which startups make Denver a valuable, community-oriented figure in the larger entrepreneurial scene.
If event session titles like “Brad and Sean’s Excellent Canadian Adventure,” “Cannabis Data: APIs & Otherwise,” and “A Clay Model and a 3D Printer walk into a bar…” aren’t enough to convince you to attend, here are a few more reasons why Denver Startup Week is an event you can’t afford to miss.
Hey! Are you guys ready for the weekend? … I can’t hear you! … I said, I CAN’T HEAR YOU! … Okay, that’s probably because you’re reading an article and this is kind of a one-way deal. But, hey, if I got you to yell at your computer screen, all the better.
Anyway, since I assume that you’re all giddy for the weekend I’ll just jump right into it. Here are your weekend activities brought to you by the fine folks at EveryBlock right here on The Denver Lowdown.
If you love animals, bingo, and charity, but could never find an event that seamlessly molded all three together, look no further. Steve’s Snappin’ Dogs will be hosting their third Neighborhood Bingo Night to benefit the Petco Foundation and the Local Animal Rescue of the Rockies. Also, you can totally bring your dog, or cat if you can get them out of the house (lazy freeloading cats…). // 7 p.m., $2-$5, Steve’s Snappin’ Dogs, 3525 E. Colfax Ave.
