How I'm spending
some of my time lately...

FastRoot is my primary business focus... helping to transform the $350 billion dollar software industry, delivering the platform for technology-enabled service providers. As Chairman, the Illinois Technology Association -- and related community involvement, channels my attention.

Chicago Public Schools
Career Academy of Advanced Technologies

I'm co-chairing the advisory board and creating a new high school, opening in Fall 2009. CAAT is a charter school for CPS that will teach technology and entrepreneurship. I'm excited to work with Mayor Daley's office and a broad group of local executives that are committed to support this Academy.

 

CAAT is a new kind of high school based on an apprenticeship and mentoring model: each student will be paired with a local technology professional that takes an active interest in the student’s success. More than 600 local volunteers are lining up to play an important role in the education of tomorrow’s tech leaders.

 

 

FastRoot Agility

A FastRoot business, with data centers in Chicago and Milwaukee and engineers that manage complex hosted environments.

managed hosting
Illinois Technology Association

The Illinois Technology Association champions the interests of 500 tech companies based in Chicago and the region, building a more connected, collaborative economy for entrepreneurs, investors and executives. I am the founding Chairman of the association, and work with a great Board and management team.
Some other companies I'm interested in or a part of at the moment...

IL-CELERATE

Incubating five early stage companies within TechNexus in partnership with ITA and Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Security.

 

ContextMedia

Builds patient education media platforms that educate and inform patients as they make decisions about their clinical treatment.

 

TechNexus

I cofounded TechNexus, a shared office, conference and incubator space for the technology community in downtown Chicago. TechNexus is now home to 18 early stage companies and used by more than 1,500 local execs each month.

The concept for Phase III expansion of TechNexus into a 300,000 sq ft new construction facility in downtown Chicago:
Zealous Venture Partners

I am a partner in Zealous Venture Partners, a venture development and capital partnership focused on early stage and emerging growth software and technology companies.
FastRoot Software Labs

With offices in Chicago and Kiev, Ukraine and started in 2002, FastRoot software engineers provide R&D for FastRoot businesses and our clients.
Other groups that I serve...

Board Member, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce

 

 

 

Welcome to my little corner of the web, a place to post some of what I'm up to at the moment, random thoughts on random subjects and generally be more pretentious than I have any right to be.

My Android Apps list

August 31st, 2010

I’m a gadget geek, and nowhere is that more evident than in my need to have the latest, best phone on the market. Right now I’m convinced that is my HTC EVO. Eventually people around me start to adopt the same phone and want to know the apps I recommend, so a few weeks in to using my EVO (and making the jump to Android), here is a reference list of the apps I’m currently running:

  • Android Froyo 2.2: significant improvement over previous OS, though many of the features were already present in HTC Sense
  • HTC Sense: several of the user interface and functional improvements to the phone are really from HTC, and not part of the base Android OS
  • Swype: better input than the plain keyboard
  • Advanced Task Killer: much debate over whether it’s good or bad to use a task manager; I decided it’s worth it, occasionally, and this one seems to be about the best
  • Android Banking: decent (but not great) banking app, until my bank finally releases an Android app similar to their iPhone app
  • AppBrain App Market: better interface to the Android market
  • Android System Info: better interface into the various system functions and data
  • Astro File Manager: for managing files on the SDCard
  • Audible: audio books (still have to use the website)
  • CardStar: manages barcodes for restaurant and shopping clubs (better in theory than practice)
  • ChompSMS: better than the stock SMS message system; alternate between using this a Handcent SMS, not sure which is better
  • Compass: for when I am lost in the woods with my EVO
  • Congress: quick details on various bills and how different Members are voting
  • Craigsphone: when I want to search for a deal on Craigslist
  • DirecTV: for managing my DVR at home
  • Dolphin Browser: replacement for the internal browser; faster, and more features
  • DroidAnalytics: good interface to Google Analytics
  • Ebay: for when I want to search for a deal on eBay
  • Epicurious: love this on my iPad, so had to have it on phone as well.
  • Evernote: trying to decide if this is my preferred Note manager
  • Facebook: alternate between this and the touch.facebook interface
  • FCCTest: speed test, but since I have mostly given up on 4G it’s not very important
  • Flashlight: handy
  • Fandango: handy
  • Fring: video conferencing
  • Google Goggles: for cheating on pub quiz images
  • Gmail: probably better than the HTC Sense email app (I also tried Touchdown, but there wasn’t enough value)
  • Google Sky Map: very cool when out around the campfire
  • GotToDo: GTD-based task manager that I sync on the back end
  • Grooveshark: best music solution, with subscription I get any music I want, and offline listening. Why buy music?
  • Groupon: good app for local company
  • Handcent SMS: this, or ChompSMS
  • Kayak: shopping for travel
  • MeeboIM: for occasional IM access
  • Metal Detector: funky
  • Mint.com: tracking money
  • Multicon: a must have, for creating smaller icons and shortcuts
  • NewsRob: not my favorit RSS reader, but synched with Google Reader
  • NewsRoom: my favorite RSS reader, but not synched with Google Reader
  • OpenTable: for booking dinner
  • Pandora: when I want the music picked for me, and streamed
  • PayPal: for access to transactions
  • Peep: Twitter
  • PureCalendar: widgets for displaying schedule and tasks
  • Qik: doesn’t work well (yet) for video conference, but is good for video record and publish
  • ESPN ScroeCenter: good access to sports scores
  • SheadSpreet Pro: spreadsheet program on my phone
  • Taxi Magic: for booking a cab
  • Ted Mobile: watching TED videos; wish I could queue and download
  • TripIT: use it for all my travel details (and for keeping trackof other people’s travel arrangements)
  • Urbanspoon: same as the iPhone app
  • WaveSecure: if I lose my phone, I can track it or kill it remotely
  • WeatherBug: better weather app and widgets
  • Wordfeud: if I wanted to play Scrabble like games with random strangers that sometime stakes days or weeks to finish (I usually lose interest)
  • World Series of Poker: actual, online head to head if I am mindlessly looking to play while on the train
  • Yelp: Yelp
  • YouMail: all my voicemail is translated and sent to phone; better translation than Google Voice

There are a few other apps, but these are the ones currently installed and mostly being used.

Battery life is the biggest drain (pun intended), and I find that I usually carry around a second, charged battery to swap out. I bought a charger that lets me charge the spare and the phone at the same time.   I generally leave Bluetooth, GPS, WiFi and background sync disabled, unless I need it or don’t care about preserving the battery.

4G sounds great, but is generally worthless to me (it’s still spotty, even in Chicago where the network is “deployed”, and at the end of the day I find I don’t need it that often. I do have the Hotspot configured to turn on when I want to tether my iPad, but 3G is fast enough (I can’t believe I’m saying that).

Posted in Misc

We’ve successfully launched Genesys Works internship program in Chicago

August 25th, 2010

Very proud to support the work that Eric and team have done in launching Genesys Works internship program from the ITA’s Chicago offices. We just finished a full summer training at Chicago’s TechNexus for the first 40 high school students, and they are now being placed in internships at leading companies throughout Chicago.

“Support for Genesys Works is important to the overall development of a talent pipeline for our region, identifying and mentoring students at all levels to expose them to future careers in our community,” says Terry Howerton, Chairman of the ITA and member of the Genesys Works Board of Directors. The ITA has more than 700 member companies, and is helping to align Genesys Works with complementary local initiatives for academic and industry collaboration.

Rafael Alvarez is the founder and CEO of Genesys Works, and has done wonderful things with the program in Houston. His passion convinced me to help bring the concept to Chicago, and the team he assembled did a remarkable job identifying and training the first class of interns. The concept is simple… we take kids following their junior year and spend the summer coaching them on life skills, office etiquette and IT skills, then place them in internships at leading companies like Accenture. Most of these kids come from inner city schools and are being exposed to opportunity for the first time.

Posted in Misc

more »

© Terry Howerton
RSS