— Since Silicon Valley became home to the development of computer chips, tech has grown into something that’s seamlessly woven into just about everything we do. The history of that growth and how it’s changed things is the topic of a book called The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America by University of Washington professor Margaret O’Mara. The Cloud City Tech Meetup Group is hosting O’Mara as a speaker in Seattle on Sept. 26 when she’ll talk about her book and the research she did while writing it.
— Sept. 21 is the National Day of Civic Hacking and events are being held around the country, including one at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond. The event is designed to bring together people from multiple disciplines to help create projects for the greater good. Local projects include creating a streamlined way for voters to learn about candidates and initiatives; a home screen app for students with blindness; and a game about managing transportation in a large city.
Here are more highlights from the GeekWire Calendar:
- Impact Pitch: An event where startups focused on community initiatives can pitch their company’s idea and win prizes at 415 Westlake in Seattle; 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 19.
- Let’s Get in Formation: Empowering Girls and Women in STEM: An event featuring a laser show, VR activities, and games at the Pacific Science Center; 7 to 9:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 19.
- Science Fiction Double Feature: A performance from two artists about science fiction and tech at Copius in Seattle; 7:30 to 10:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 19.
- Storm Area 51 at Vertex Arena: A space-themed event featuring music, dance, trampolines and NERF Wars at Vertex Arena in Redmond; 9 to 11 p.m., Friday, Sept. 20.
- Workshop: Become a Winning Woman at Work: A workshop to help give women the skills to succeed in their careers at The Riveter in Seattle; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 21.
- Genome Startup Day: A presentation featuring talks by the founders and CEOs of local genomics startups at William H. Foege Hall in Seattle; 12:30 to 6 p.m., Monday, Sept. 23.
- Toast of Seattle at the Space Needle: A networking event for local businesses at The Space Needle in Seattle; 7:30 to 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, Sept. 24.
- Speculative Fiction Trivia Night: A trivia night focused on speculative fiction in books, TV, and film at Lagunitas Taproom in Seattle; 6 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24.
- Hockey Analytics: The Numbers Behind the Game: A panel about how player data and statistics are used to shape hockey at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle; 7:15 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25.