Kirk & Spock or Luke & Han? USS Enterprise or a Star Destroyer? Klingon or Wookie? Borg or Sith? Darth Vader or Khan Noonien Singh?  Vulcan mind meld or Jedi mind trick?

The time has come to choose a side: #TeamStarTrek and #TeamStarWars. The answer — or, at least, the Louisville Digital Association’s  reckless attempt to reach one — will support Apple Patch in their efforts to provide therapeutic iPads for autistic adults.

This April 18, in association with the Mayor’s Give A Day service week, the LDA is harnessing the power of the Trekkies vs. Jedi geek rivalry to raise funds for ApplePatch’s iPad project. Just go to one of two Amazon wishlists — #TeamStarTrek or #TeamStarWars – where you can purchase iPads, accessories or Amazon gift cards to gear up the Apple Patch crew. Whichever sci-fi franchise delivers the most tech (or tech-equivalent cash) by 5pm on April 18 will earn annual bragging rights over their fellow geeks.

But wait, there’s more. From 9am to 5pm on April 18, the LDA is challenging geeks of all persuasions to spread the word about the Apple Patch fundraiser with a galaxy-sized social media blitz. Transmit the donation links (and their associated hashtags and smack talk) via Facebook, Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn, e-mail, blogs, holonet, subspace radio and/or telepathic mindblast — whatever it takes to make the masses aware of our cause.

A victory party at Vint Coffee Holiday Manor awaits the winners from 6-9pm. A consolation party (awkwardly also at at Vint Coffee Holiday Manor) and a year of friendly mockery awaits the runners-up. April 18 will determine which side you’re on. Get ready.

May the Force be with you. Live long and prosper. Be there or be square.

Every year, Louisville’s local biz mag Business First highlights 40 local movers and shakers under the age of 40. While these lists are often intriguing, they also tend to to lack anyone with any direct connection to the tech community in and around the Derby City. (The closest that the 2011 list came was a shout-out for our pal at EnterpriseCorp, Bobby Ferreri.)

What say we change that this year?

You can nominate members of Louisville’s 40 Under 40 here. Think we’ve got some tech-heads worth putting up for notice? Their names go there. For your consideration, might we suggest:

• Tendai Charasika, Director of the Innovation & Commercialization Center at EnterpriseCorp
• Chris Cprek, President of LVL1
• Dave Durand, CEO of Keepio and President of Forest Giant
• Todd Earwood, CEO of Try It Local
• Aaron Marshall, CEO of Potluck and CPO at Social Media Explorer

(And, in the nature of shameless plugs, more or less the LDA’s entire board is under 40, so feel free to throw any of our names in the hat if you feel so motivated.)

Surely this is not an exhaustive list; there are many accomplished technical heavy hitters here in town. If we want to change the culture of Louisville to one that embraces technical innovation, we must first work to have Louisville embrace our present innovators. Start by nominating them to Louisville’s 40 Under 40.

Any if you’ve got a name you want the LDA to get behind, share it the comments of this post.

The lifeblood of entrepreneurial startups is venture capital funding, but Louisville doesn’t have the same veteran startup-VC matchmaking community as you’ll find in Austin, Boston or Silicon Valley. The Louisville Digital Association wants to solve that problem, and we’d like you to join the fray on March 21 as an all-start panel of Louisville startup veterans discusses How to Find and Develop Louisville’s VC Sweet Spot. It all starts at 6:30pm at Interactive Media Lab, 124 N. First Street.

The panel lineup includes:

• Bobby Ferreri, Executive Director of Louisville Enterprise Corp
• Adam Fish, Chief Advocate at Forge Louisville
• Rob May, cofounder of Backupify
• Dave Durand, cofounder of Keepio
• Sean O’Leary, Senior Director of Venture Finance, Kentucky Science & Technology Corp.

Panel topics will include:

• How does Louisville develop a strategic startup-VC advantage?
• In what startup sectors can (or should) Louisville specialize?
• What critical factors does Louisville need to improve to attract more VCs and startups?
• Should Louisville act alone, or as part of a larger startup region?
• Can Louisville leverage our major corporate players to attract more startups and VCs?

Got a strong opinion about Louisville’s startup community, or are you sitting on a business idea just waiting for the right venture capital boost? Then you need to be at this panel. The rebirth of Louisville’s startup community depends on all of us, and it all starts Mar. 21.

Reserve your seat here.

The Louisville Digital Association is once again calling on all digirati to throw their online support behind a local charity — and settle a long-running geek debate in the process.

Apple Patch, which works to provide assistance to autistic adults, needs funds to purchase therapeutic iPads for its clients. This April 18, in association with the Mayor’s Give A Day service week, the LDA is harnessing the power of the Star Wars vs. Star Trek geek rivalry to power their fundraising efforts. Just as we pitted toothpaste vs. soap to benefit Home of the Innocents last fall, we’re now throwing Jedis vs. Trekkies into the online arena.

Apple Patch has established twin Amazon wishlists for #TeamStarTrek and #TeamStarWars, where you can purchase iPads, protective cases or Amazon gift cards of any denomination to support your favorite sci-fi franchise in its quest to gear up the Apple Patch crew. Whichever nerd clan delivers the highest dollar-figure of swag by 5pm on April 18 will earn annual bragging rights over their fellow geeks.

But wait, there’s more. From 9am to 5pm on April 18, we’ll be calling in all our LDA brothers and sisters to spread the word about the Apple Patch fundraiser with an all-out social media blitz. We’re counting on everyone to blast out the donation links (and their associated hashtags and smack talk) via Facebook, Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn, e-mail, blogs, carrier pigeons and (shudder) even MySpace to maximize the dorktacular confrontations — and the fundraising, too. Mark your calendars, folks, April 18, 2012 is the altruistic geek’s version of Wolf 359 and/or the Battle of Yavin. Save your sheckels and hone your snark, because were gonna go head-to-head and keyboard-to-touchscreen for a good cause this spring.

A victory party, location TBD, will await the winners. A consolation party (at the same TBD location) and a year of good-natured heckling awaits the losers. April 18 will determine which side you’re on. Get ready.

May the Force be with you. Live long and prosper. Be there or be square.

Joe Wheeler is the Director of Business Development at igNew, one of the fiercest advocate’s for Louisville tech community, and a friend to the LDA. He asked for a megaphone to shout about a cause worthy of concern to every Louisville software geek, and we gladly gave him the keys to this here blog. Take it away, Joe…

I’ve had conversations with many of you about how to make Louisville, KY and the surrounding area the technology hot spot we all want it to be…so here is an opportunity to take another step in that direction.

By day Chris Theisen is the Director of Digital Communication for FlexPAC. By night he is a husband, father and social media junkie (ok thats all during the day too) The social media addiction led to his selection by the Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee as one of the #social46 tasked with promoting Indianapolis and the events surrounding the Super Bowl. You can connect with him on a myriad of social networks viachristheisen.com. As Super Bowl XLVI is in Louisville’s virtual (and actual) backyard, we invited Chris to give us the lowdown on the digital outreach surrounding the big game.

When I received this tweet I was at once skeptical and excited:

@cjtheisen Your Klout has earned you a Perk! Be a part of the first ever Social Bowl #Social46 for @SuperBowl2012! bit.ly/xIVEhA

— Klout Perks (@KloutPerks) January 11, 2012

I’m guessing many of you have written or read posts on the topic of Klout. While us social media geeks could debate this aspect of the #social46 selection process ad nauseum — I will leave that for a later post (if I’m allowed back) — I was excited when I read about what the powers that be had in mind for the group. At its core the Social 46 group was selected to help promote the Super Bowl through social media. Whether it be the events leading up to and during Super Bowl week, or the myriad of initiatives started by the Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee, our “job” is to make Indy the most socially connected Super Bowl in history. I like to call us the “online street team”

While the rollout of the first of its kind group hasn’t been without its hiccups, I applaud the city for realizing the power community-driven content can have on a major event. I have already answered numerous questions and dispelled myths from the Indy community about attending Super Bowl 46 events. This entire event is as much for the city as it is for visitors from regional cities such as Louisville.

As a Facebook friend of mine stated skeptically, “Isn’t every Super Bowl from here on out going to be the most socially connected?” Yes they should be. While social media monitoring and community engagement is nothing new, and the LDA is obviously well aware of this, it has rarely been tackled (football pun intended) on this scale. The host committee is driving this area of the operation into the future with a social media command center. Mashable had a nice write up about it the other day and fellow #social46 member @petetheplanner gave everyone a sneak peak behind the scenes just the other day.

While the bar has been set low from past Super Bowls I suspect Indy is going to set it rather high for future cities. I for one hope they all take our lead and better it. I would think the NFL is keeping its eyes on the Indy social media command center and wouldn’t be surprised to see it brought in house for future Super Bowls. The NFL is notorious for its control of Twitter and other media outlets related to its product so this seems to be a natural transition to me.

In the short time we have been given to promote the activities leading up to and surrounding the Super Bowl the #social46 have already written blog posts, curated a Storify, sent countless tweets and even leveraged traditional media (yes that still helps). In the days leading up to the Super Bowl many of us will be attending tweetups, visiting the Super Bowl Village, attending Media Day and the NFL Experience; all while our thumbs get a workout sharing tons of content.

If you can’t, or don’t plan to, attend Super Bowl 46 activities I encourage you to follow along with the #social46 hashtag. Hopefully you can get a bit of the experience virtually. If you are attending any of the great events of the next week and a half please reach out to myself and other members of the group when you get to Indy. All you need to know about Super Bowl 46 can be found at http://www.indianapolissuperbowl.com/

Do you see social media community involvement playing a bigger role in future Super Bowls? What about future large scale events of this kind? Leave a comment below and let me know what you think.

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Behold, your curated list of the Top 3 Local Tech events for the week!

Mon Nov 21, 2011
Mother Automation Meeting [7pm - 8pm]
Where: LVL1 – 814 East Broadway Louisville, KY 40208
Description:
MOTHER is the automation/artificial intelligence system for the LVL1 Hackerspace. MOTHER is not easily defined as any one specific type of system, as the nature of MOTHER is to allow for automation and monitoring of any hardware or type of event that the user wishes. However, here is a short list of some of its primary features: Building Security, Automation of Lighting/HVAC/Power, and rouch screen control of the entire LVL1 space. If you’re interested in smart buildings and advanced hardware controls, you need to meet MOTHER. More info at http://wiki.lvl1.org/MOTHER.

Tue Nov 22, 2011
MyMobileVille monthly meeting [6:30pm - 8:30pm]
Where: Peak 10 – 733 Barret Ave Louisville, KY 40204
Description:
Have an Android phone? Come on out! iPhone? Come on out! Windows phone? Blackberry? Palm? Something else? Come on out! Can’t make it out? Attend virtually! Our Main objective is to share and learn more about these awesome devices! And you DON’T have to be a geek to attend! Yes, many of us fall into the mobile geek category, but we always have “regular” people in attendance as well! If you haven’t been to one of our meetings, you don’t know what you’re missing! Everyone who attends a meeting walks away learning something! More info: http://mymobileville.com/meetings/.

[CORRECTION: We inaccurately listed the next IdeaMorning Breakfast as occurring this Friday, Nov. 25. The IdeaMorning with JK McKnight will actually occur on Friday, Dec. 2. Sorry for the confusion.]

TUESDAY NOV. 1, 2011

[9am - 10am] Louisville Metro Inventors Council’s (LMIC) November meeting

Where: Nucleus – 201 E. Jefferson Street Louisville KY

Description:

Louisville Metro Inventors Council’s (LMIC) November meeting will take place at Nucleus (201 E. Jefferson Str.) and will feature John Weinrich, VP of Business Development for Advanced Business Solutions, who is dedicated to helping inventors and entrepreneurs re-invent themselves and the world around them.

[8pm - 10pm] LVL1 Open Meeting & Making

Where: LVL1 Hackerspace – 814 E. Broadway, Louisville, KY

Description:

LVL1 Open Meeting and Making at 8pm. All are welcome to come by. Checkout what projects are going on and geek out for a little while!

WEDNESDAY NOV. 2, 2011

[9am - 11:30am] Design Centered Manufacturing Workshop

Where: Galt House Hotel – 141 N 4th Street Louisville, KY 40202

Description:

Join a panel of Innovators and Entrepreneurs at the Design Centered Manufacturing Workshop from 9am to 11:30am. Panelists include strategist Stuart Rosenfeld, entrepreneur Heather Howell, Lou Lenzi of GE Appliances, and Drura Parrish of PR&vD. Registration is FREE but required: http://manufacturingdesign.eventbrite.com/

[11:30am - 2pm] Venture Connectors Luncheon

Where: Galt House Hotel – 141 N 4th Street Louisville, KY 40202

Description:

To RSVP and pay for the next luncheon of The Venture Club, please fill out the below form. Then click on the “Submit” button. Visitors/Guests will be charged $45, our normal luncheon fee. Walk-ins will be charged $50. Members’ dues cover all luncheons. Members may bring guests at$40. For members or guests, we do request notice of cancellation the Friday before the scheduled luncheon. This is because we must make our reservations with the hotel well in advance of the meeting. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE CALL OUR OFFICE AT 589-6868. https://www.ventureclub-louisville.org/luncheons-and-events/monthly-luncheons/rsvp-for-luncheon

[4pm - 9:30pm] Startup Slam – Lexington Road Trip

Where: Southeast Christian Church, Parking Lot B – 920 Blankenbaker Parkway, Louisville, KY 40243-1845

Description:

If you all remember, the last Start-Up Slam held in August began the first leg of our mission to connect both the Louisville and Lexington Startup Communities. There was literally a bus full of Lexington startups and entrepreneurs who traveled here to meet and greet with many Louisville startups and entrepreneurs. Now, the opportunity is here for the Louisville startup community to complete the round trip by going to Lexington and communing with the Lexington startups. All this is in an effort to bridge both entrepreneurial communities and create synergies that otherwise haven’t existed. Thus, if you don’t know a lot about what’s going on in Lexington, use this as a fun, risk-free opportunity to meet, greet, and learn about our partner to the east! SAVE THE DATE! We will be traveling BY COMMERCIAL BUS to Lexington on Wednesday, November 2nd (details are below and at the event registration page). The bus will travel beginning at 4pm – there is a small fee of $25, but did I mention that this INCLUDES DRINKS! Register, spread the word, and bask in the growing entrepreneurial spirit of Kentucky! (Note: There is a capacity limit of 55 people for the bus BUT even if you don’t go on the bus, please join us in Lexington). Event Registration Page: www.start-upslam.eventbrite.com

[5:30pm - 8pm] Startup Slam – Lexington

Where: Natasha’s Bistro & Bar – 112 Esplanade, Lexington, 40507

Description:

Bringing Louisville and Lexington entrepreneurs together to build a stronger tech community! Attendees include: local entrepreneurs, business owners, investors and others in the startup community. If you need more specific details on the bus, please contact Tendai Charasika: tcharasika@greaterlouisville.com and 502-625-0140

http://start-upslam.eventbrite.com/

THURSDAY NOV. 3, 2011

[10am - 11am] STARTUP WEBINAR: Hitting the Target – Learn Proven Ways to Discover & Keep Your First Customers

Where: Online

Description:

FREE Registration: http://bit.ly/HittingTheTarget Featured Speakers: Randall Stevens (Serial Entrepreneur & Founder of Punndit.com) & Steve Huey (COO of Inc. 5000 and Recently Acquired Learning House.com) As an early-stage, startup company you will have the opportunity to learn from serial entrepreneur Randall Stevens proven ways to discover your first customers early and in parallel to your product development lifecycle. These keys to success will empower you to be more confident that you are building a product that your first customers find valuable enough to pay for. A leader in product development and COO of recently acquired The Learning House, Inc., Steve Huey will discuss what to do after you have launched your product to market and what it takes to keep your customers by delivering the products they expect.

[8pm - 10pm] White Star Balloon Group

Where: LVL1 Hackerspace – 814 E. Broadway, Louisville, KY

Description:

Come and be a part of the citizen science project to conquer the global stratosphere, using our own robots.

SATURDAY NOV. 5, 2011

[1pm - 5pm] LVL1 Freeduino Workshop

Where: LVL1 Hackerspace – 814 E. Broadway, Louisville, KY

Description: Solder together your own Freeduino! Seating is limited!

Image via Wikipedia

When pundits discuss the “post-PC era” that’s code for a world where more people surf the web on smartphones than conventional computers. And that world is now. If you’re marketing online and not focusing on the mobile space, you’re missing the biggest target out there.

LDA’s own Jim McDonnell, the guru of emerging channels at Papa John’s, has been perfecting the art of selling pizza via smartphones for years. On Oct. 4, he’ll show you the roadmap he developed at the cost of thousands of dollars, and let you in on the dirty secrets of mobile marketing. Join us at the Price Weber auditorium, 10701 Shelbyville Road, from 6:30-8:30 pm as the LDA gets the down-low on mobile marketing. (There will be hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar, so we’ve got that goin’ for us, which is nice, too.)

Seating is limited, so reserve your spot today.

Admission is free. The wisdom is priceless.

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WordPress is the most popular blog platform on the planet for two reasons:

1. It’s free
2. It’s easily customized — even into non-blog sites

Are you looking to build the best possible website for the lowest possible cost? Head to the 2nd Annual WordCamp Louisville on Saturday, Oct. 1 at the Delphi Learning Center on UofL’s Shelby Campus. The workshop runs from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, and session tickets are as cheap as $15. Quoth the press release:

The Beginner’s Workshop is a two-hour, hands on clinic where students will actually build their own website. Students will be given the option to build the site on their own domain, for an additional cost. If you have never built a website but have always wanted to, this is the clinic for you. Tickets for The Beginner’s Workshop are $20 each.

Intermediate/advanced WordPress users will have the opportunity to listen and ask questions to some of the region’s finest and most innovative designers and developers who use WordPress as their website platform of choice at the WordPress Louisville “Talks”. The “Talks” planned include “Facebook and WordPress a Match Made in Heaven”, “Configuring WordPress for Multiple Environments” and “Google+ and WordPress- Ideas on Building SEO and Traffic for your Web Presence”. General Admission tickets for The Talks are $15 each.

Purchase tickets now at www.2011.louisville.wordcamp.org

Blogger or not, everybody could benefit from tips on the foremost free web platform on the planet. See you there.