David Bohnett Cyber Center helps William Way connect LGBT community

The following is a post done in partnership with Temple University’s Philadelphia Neighborhoods Program, the capstone class for the Temple Journalism Department.

Chris Bartlett considers himself an active part of the technical community–or the geek community– as he affectionately calls it. But Bartlett is also an active member of the LGBTQ community, serving as the executive director of the William Way Community Center, a hub for sexual and gender minorities in Philadelphia.

Bartlett (also the host of TedxPhilly) has immersed himself in LGBTQ community and grant organizing in the Philadelphia region, developed the Gay History Wiki for gay Philadelphia men who died of AIDS and is now applying his vigor for activism and knack for bringing people together through technology at the the center.

“I think the true measure of social media and the true measure of [technology] is when people do engage face to face in their communities, taking a stand for the communities, whether that’s through activism or plugging in for a project or assisting somebody who’s in need,” Bartlett said. “I see us using those technologies to make that happen.

Bartlett’s only held his current director position at the center for four months, but he’s been involved with William Way for far longer than that.

“This is a place I’ve always come,” he said. “Because this is a place you can always count on people.”

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DesignPhiladelphia gets technical with the Hacktory and Electronic Ink

Design is everywhere.

The clothes we wear, the cars we drive, and the buildings we work in all incorporate design in one way or another. In a society that has become increasingly dependent on cell phones, iPods and laptops, design is becoming a vital component of these and many other technologies.

Electronic Ink is an international design consultancy that is dedicated to improving the way users interact with technology by focusing on improving their design.

The firm has partnered with DesignPhiladelphia, an initiative created in 2005 to further the creative advancement of technology in Philadelphia and to showcase the city as one of innovation and vibrancy.

For 10 days, DesignPhiladelphia, which is partnered with the University of the Arts, is holding events, lectures and round table discussions to create opportunities for people to interact across a vast range of design categories.

“With 110 events happenings over 11 days, there’s really something for every type of interest,” said Beth Van Why, the programming director for DesignPhiladelphia.

Electronic Ink took part in the kick-off party on Oct. 7 at The Design Lot on South Broad Street to help celebrate the start of DesignPhiladelphia’s sixth year. The event played host to a few different exhibits, including the West Philly Hybrid X Team car, designed by high school students in West Philadelphia and Illuminating Graffiti, a LED light project created by The Hacktory.

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New Café Proves Seniors Can Be ‘Techies’

Members of the Philadelphia Senior Center help themselves to snacks at a VIP ceremony on Sept. 24.

This story is completed in partnership with Temple University’s journalism capstone class Philadelphia Neighborhoods. Students Tracy Galloway and Maria Zankey will cover technology issues through December.

Luvenia Black, 88, says the Philadelphia Senior Center is like her second home.

She wakes up every day and rushes to get to get to the Senior Center at Broad and Lombard streets “like it’s her job,” and has been doing so for 22 years. She participates in classes and even serves on the center’s eco-active Green Team.

But there’s one thing Black doesn’t do – use a computer.

“My daughter has tried to get me to do do it,” Black said, “but I just say I’m not interested. I don’t have a computer at home.”

Still, Black said she “promises to try a computer soon,” thanks to the Senior Center’s new GreenBean Internet Café, which officially opened Sept. 20 and held a VIP celebration on Sept. 24 for seniors.

The opening of the café, which also featured renovations to the center’s dining hall, unveiled 10 new laptop computers with Wi-Fi access to accommodate to the 55-and-older seniors who congregate in the cafeteria for more than 45,000 meals a year.

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A male dominated field? One woman’s take

This story is completed in partnership with Temple University’s journalism capstone class Philadelphia Neighborhoods. Students Tracy Galloway and Maria Zankey will cover technology issues through December.

Nancy Massey says she’s from “the DOS-based world.”  She says that in the 1980s, when the Disk Operating System was still widely used, working in technology was “so much simpler” in comparison to the work she’s used to doing now.

But a little complexity has never stopped her.

“I love a mystery, and I love a challenge,” Massey says. “Even today, [working in technology] is like solving a mystery, a puzzle.”

Massey, who currently works as a Web consultant for her namesake business, MasseyNet.com, has been working for more than 30 years in Philadelphia’s technology industry – a field largely dominated by men.

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