StreamZoo Photo Booth Contest Winner

Drum roll please!

We're happy to announce that the winner of the StreamZoo Photo Booth Contest is Lynne Watanabe!

Congrats Lynne! We can't wait to see the pictures you'll be taking with your new Holga camera from Urban Outfitters!

On the day of the Happy Go Techy Expo she took this picture and wrote:

"The things an entrepreneur has to do to get attn #Happygotechyexpo #StretchySuit #Seattle #StartUp"

Not only did she seize the opportunity to take a photo of the blue DealSpringer man she also talked about entrepreneurship which is one of favorite topics here at Happy Go Techy. The picture captured everything we were looking for - geekiness, fun, and community!

Do take a look at the other great photos that were taken at the event using StreamZoo here. While you're checking things out, do learn more about the DealSpringer app as well. They were showcasing their mobile app at the expo but just in case you weren't able to make it you can learn more on their website.

The app empowers you to promote special offers instantly right from your phone or computer at your terms in real-time. Deal Springer updates your Facebook Fanpage, Tweets & Emails your offer, updates your mobile store page and sends alerts to people nearby!

the Happy Go Techy Expo!

Thank you to everyone who was a part of the very first Happy Go Techy Expo this past Saturday. The day was filled with excitement, creativity, and surprises! There were so many events going on at the same time so we really appreciate you taking the time to come out and show your support. We couldn't have done it without you.

We especially wanted to thank the following people:

Sponsors! StreamZoo, Handmade Spark, Things People Make, GeekWire, Meylah, Mission Hot Mama, Alex Lim Photography, Urban Craft Uprising, Schmancy Toys, Unanimous Craft, MindMeister, Tango Card, and Women 2.0!

Mobile Apps and Vendors!  Thank you for taking the time to share your art, creativity, and entrepreneurship at the expo.

Note to attendees: Don't forget, you can still download and purchase items from our vendors online. Here is a full list of our vendors and mobile apps.

Here are a few photos from the event. Check out the entire gallery of photos here.


Staff member, Calvin Nguyen, showing off some snazzy iPhone cases by EXOvault and Jon Eicher and the ever so awesome bamboo MacBook Pro case by Silva LTD.


Free social media give aways!


Stephanie of Zaarly Seattle showing off their amazing mobile app!


Internet icon pillows by CraftSquatch & geeky tshirts by Good Joe!


Twitter Love:









We ran a lot of contests during the expo and will announce the winners next week. Stay tuned!

All That Schwag!

Roddy from Startup Schwag has generously donated SIX BOXES of left over schwag from his Startup Schwag days! We're going to be selling startup t-shirts for $12 each to raise money for tech non-profit NPower Northwest at the expo.  Also, drop by the Happy Go Prize Wheel for a chance to win some free schwag.

The latest addition to my schwag collection:

It's super comfy.  :)

I want more web 2.0 schwag!

Swing Holder: iPad Stand

Stand For Stuff will be demoing their Swing Holder for iPads at the expo.  The stand is great for using  your iPad while cooking, viewing things, reading, playing musical instruments, and more!

The stand is not in production yet; sign up for product updates here!

Schmancy Toys & Urban Craft Uprising 2011

If you're in Seattle July 9th and 10th, be sure to drop by the Urban Craft Uprising!  We love the concept of bringing together indie artisans and helping them reach the greater public.

{Artwork by Matthew Porter}

Watch this promo video by Behrens Films to see what you might find at the show.

You might find some wonderful tech accessories and art there if you happen not to make it out to the Happy Go Techy Expo this Saturday!

If you do make it out, drop by UCU's table at the expo and give them a little "hello!"  Kristen Rask will also be there selling some items from her awesome store, Schmancy Toys.

{Social Media WTF Wallet from Schmancy Toys}

Geekiest Possession Contest

Follow these five easy steps to be entered into the contest!

1. Download the Streamzoo app on your phone
2. Take a picture of your geekiest possession using the app
3. Enter hashtags #happygotechy & #geek as well as Twitter handles @happygotechy & @streamzoo in the description area
4. Click on the Twitter icon on the same screen to share your picture on Twitter
5. Follow @happygotechy and @streamzoo on Twitter 

{example}

Submissions will be judged based on "geek level" & number of likes on Streamzoo.  If you drop by the expo this coming Saturday, maybe you'll find a new, fun geeky possession there you can enter into the contest!

The Fine Print

Contest Timeline
Monday, June 20, 2011 - Contest begins at 12:00am PST
Monday, June 27, 2011 - Contest ends at 11:59pm PST
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 - Winners will be notified and announced

Rules

• You may only submit one entry. If you submit more than one, every title after the first submitted will not be counted.
• Abide by Twitter’s and Facebook’s Rules and Terms of Service.
• Derogatory, profane, crude, and inappropriate submissions as deemed by Happy Go Techy will not be accepted. 
• Submission of any entry acknowledges the right of Happy Go Techy to use it for exhibition, promotion and publication purposes in any medium.

Promote Your Business "Like" Contest Winner: Artistic Bend

Tulika of Artistic Bend will be showcasing her jewelry at the expo!  She is the winner of Meylah's Promote Your Business "Like" contest.  Tulika got 101 Likes on Facebook on her celtic charm earrings which won her a table at the expo.  

Meylah is doing a great job in aiding small businesses in connecting to the ever changing world of the web through their easy to use interface and free basic tutorials like this one.

Below is Tulika's testimonial on how Meylah has helped her become more tech savvy:

"Meylah has made me so savvy I would say. I WAS a person who was happy just checking emails and once in a while writing a blog. I always loved the way my friends monetized on their blogs about different things. For me there was a gap between doing it and not. Meylah helped me bridge that gap and the reluctance. Meylah made me look at myself as a person who could do it without feeling overwhelmed. I am doing pictures for my products and shipping them on a regular basis. It has helped me build my brand image. Meylah has preserved my hobby and yet helped me convert it into a business without making it like a job. I simply love it and love growing in both areas, technically as well as in my art. I was scared that once it became a job, it would not be fun anymore nut I was wrong."

Keep up the great work guys!

Fashion Showcase: electricfoxy

Jennifer at electricfoxy is piecing together fashion and technology one stitch at a time.  She currently has two gorgeous garment designs that integrate technology with fashion: zip & ping.  We're so excited she'll be showcasing her garments at the expo!

About Zip

"Zip is a garment that connects to your phone or music player and allows you to control it simply by performing natural gestures that are built into the mechanics of the garments we wear. In this case, zip up to increase the volume, zip down to decrease it, and tug on the pullstraps to retract the integrated earbuds. Enjoy your music experience without all the devices and wires hanging all over you."

ZIP from Dos Rios on Vimeo.

About Ping

"Ping is a garment that connects to your Facebook account wirelessly and from anywhere. It allows you to stay connected to your friends and groups of friends simply by performing natural gestures that are built into the mechanics of the garments we wear. Lift up a hood, tie a bow, zip, button, and simply move, bend and swing to ping your friends naturally and automatically. No phone, no laptop, no hardware. Simply go about your day, look good and stay connected."

Love the seamless integration. ;)

Expo Vendor: IL*MOSTRO

We love Frances' robot banks.  When we saw them on Etsy we HAD to have them at the expo.  Aside from the fantastic geeky and nerdy designs she has available on her online shop, she also does custom orders.  These banks make really fun, personal gifts.  Perfect for grads and dads!

For the expo, Frances has graciously agreed to make a special Seattle bank as a contest prize.  

Contest details to come soon!

Heart it!

Silent Auction Vendor: Hooby Groovy

Thanks so much to Ee-Leng from Hooby Groovy for donating three of her ultra cute cases for the Happy Go Techy silent auction - all proceeds will go to NPower Northwest!  Come to the expo to bid and go home with one of these cases while supporting a good techie cause!

{1UP iPad2 Case}

{Goomba iPad 2 Case}

{Panda iPhone Case}

Visit Ee-Leng's blog here and her store here.

Mobile App: MapBox

"MapBox makes it easy to design beautiful custom maps, and fast to integrate them into websites and mobile applications. Whether you want to visualize census data in Chicago, monitor seismic activity in the aftermath of the Japan earthquake, plot drone strikes in Pakistan, or analyze election results in Afghanistan, MapBox will help you make more sense of your data."

MapBox radically lowers the barrier to entry for making custom base maps and overlays. Now data analysts can become mapmakers without GIS expertise, and GIS experts can become cartographers without first mastering design."

{How To Video}

Beautiful, functional, and fun! 

We love it! Come to the expo and drop by their demo table!

NPower Northwest

When we were first piecing together our initial thoughts for the expo, a lot of things were up in the air, but one thing we did know is that we wanted to be able to give back to the community somehow.  It was hard choosing a nonprofit that we were truly excited to work with.  We really wanted to help out a nonprofit that embraced technology in a big way and has the same attitude and passion for technology as we do.  We found it!  It's a match made in heaven; Happy Go Techy is pairing up with NPower Northwest to raise funds for their cause!

NPower Northwest is a nonprofit that helps other nonprofits utilize technology to its highest potential - how awesome is that?!  They're "guided by the belief that technology can transform the nonprofit sector and play a pivotal role in creating greater good." 

 

Admission for the expo is free, however, 100% of the suggested donation ticket sales will go to NPower Northwest and their mission to help other nonprofits!  Register now!

Online Ticketing for Happy Go Techy Expo powered by Eventbrite

Expo Vendors & Mobile Apps!

The expo is getting close.   So excited!

We've published a list of vendors and mobile apps that will be showcasing the expo.  Take a peek and tell your friends!

Happy day to you all!  

MindMeister: Mind Mapping Software

In elementary school when I first started learning how to write essays, I remember I hated the format of outlines.  They were linear and boring - just didn't work for me.  Eventually, in 5th or 6th grade we learned how to make mind maps (I don't remember what they were called back then) - mind maps presented information in a way that was much more easy to visualize and in which connections could be made more intuitively between all the "bubbles of thought."  Problem was... there was never enough space on a small 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper.  Once again,  stifled creative thought due to technical limitations!

You can imagine my enthusiasm when I grew up and discovered MindMeister a few years ago!  An online mind mapping tool that not only allows you to visually gather your thoughts, it also lets you do things like add icons, pictures, and links as references. And, they have a mobile app as well!  We're so excited to announce that we will be showcasing their app at the expo. Not only that - Mindmeister has gifted us 100 subscriptions as expo give aways.  Stay tuned to learn how you can get one!

Check out an example of a MindMeister map below:

Handmade Spark Give Away Winner: Rogue Theory

{6th Generation Nano Cases}

I've been admiring Rogue Theory's cases & covers for a while now.  So happy they've been chosen as  the winner of the Handmade Spark & Happy Go Techy vendor package give away.  

See more of their designs here.

Thanks Handmade Spark for connecting us!

Mobile App Demo: Hmmm...

DreamTimeStudioZ will be demoing their new app at the expo - so excited!  :)

They will demoing Hmmm..., a social version of their current app, HearMarkZ.  HearMarkZ is "the ultimate memory app, (iPhone and iPod touch 2G) is an iPod enhancement app that creates an unlimited number of bookmarks AND text/audio notes for any kind of audio recording in your iPod library: audio books, podcasts, songs, seminar recordings, and more."

Come to the expo to check it out and learn more!  

Expo Vendor: Craftsquatch

Our newest expo vendor, Craftsquatch™, makes geeky and internet themed pillows for geeks everywhere! Helping one geek at a time to sleep tight at night.

These pillows are ridiculously cute and are 100% handmade with care. Sleep tight at night knowing that your favorite internet application is right there with you. They also make great decor for your couch and bed.

Especially love this set of Google icon pillows!

If you can't make it to the Happy Go Techy Expo this year you can purchase your internet pillow by Craftsquatch here. Custom orders are also welcome!

Expo Vendor: SewZinksi

Sarah is a designer of all trades; she stitches, sews, paints... you name it!

We love her eco-friendly mugs and headbands!

{CMYK Mug}

{KAPOW! Mug}

{LIGHTENING Headband}

For the expo, she is crafting up some new geeky/nerdy designs as we speak!  Can't wait to see them!

Visit her site to view all her other lovely creations!

Meet, Greet, Create, Collaborate!

Our friends over at Handmade Spark are stirring up some really exciting things these days! They are currently building a companion site called, “Things People Make” that will allow buyers and sellers to give feedback on products they are in the making. Think of it as a working studio, but online! Before a seller releases their product to the world they can use Things People Make to refine their product by getting feedback from other sellers and buyers. Things People Make will be a social site where people can share their items before they post them on online marketplaces like Meylah and Etsy.

Signup for email updates regarding their launch if you don’t want to miss a thing at www.thingspeoplemake.com! They are currently in hardcore development mode so stay tuned for lots of exciting things to come from Things People Make!

Expo Vendor: Obvious Front

Obvious Front makes capacitor robots! They're built with lead-free solder using electronic components salvaged from discarded TVs, VCRs, and computers.  Super neat!

I love his list of favorite materials on Etsy: Televisions, Toasters, VCRs, Kibble, Computers, Lead Free Solder, Plastic, Chipmunks, Aluminum, Sculptie clay stuff

Chipmunks?!  :)

Check out his store here.