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If you’re very lucky, once in a while you’ll get to be part of something really great. This happened to me in September when I was privileged to be part of a fantastic team that worked feverishly to create a groundbreaking new iPhone application. The Obama ‘08 iPhone application launched yesterday (10/2/08) to a flurry of excitement and activity. Regardless of your personal take on politics, the idea of a presidential candidate using a platform such as the iPhone to galvanize voters is pretty damn sexy — at least in a geeky kind of way. You just know that future campaigns will have to make something even better and more compelling to offer us. Excellent!

Okay, so the real Portland angle here is that half of the Obama ‘08 iPhone team, five of us, are based right here in Portland, Oregon: Aileen Jeffries, Lyza Gardner, Jason Grigsby, Raven Zachary, and yes, me. The combination of politics, web technology, mobile development, and a desire to make a difference really came together here. I think it speaks well of our community and I think we’re pretty lucky to live here.

To celebrate we’re inviting people to join us on Tuesday, October 7th, for an Obama ‘08 iPhone App Launch Party and Presidential Debate Party at the Mission Threater and Pub. Doors open at 5pm so we can all get properly situated for the debate. I hope you’ll come join us for an interesting evening!

Today while having lunch at the Side Door cafe in SE, I was fortunate to watch what must be the hardest working tow truck driver in the city. This gentleman from Retriever Towing was literally running between his truck and the soon-to-be-towed Mercedes! I know there have been many, many articles written about the topic of parking lot towing in the city, but this is really about his amazing work ethic. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone hustle that much, and I have to say I was impressed. The entire effort to hook up to the car and tow it away could not have taken more than two minutes. You should have seen the smile on his face. It’s truly great to see someone who enjoys their work and is so very competent and fast at it.

I really get a kick out of walking on railroad tracks — heck I’ve been doing it since I was eight years old. The tracks in SE Portland, about a block from Water Ave., are great for this because they’re conveniently located between where I work and where I park. It’s kind of nice to zone out a bit while walking to and from my car. And therein lies the problem.

Today I parked as usual on Water Ave. and began the short walk to work. It was a nice day, so I thought “why not walk on the tracks for a block or so?” Like most people, my concentration was largely focused on walking-without-falling-off-the-track, so I was quite taken aback when two uniformed men leapt out of their SUV and ordered me to halt with my hands in plain sight. What?

They began hitting me with questions: “did you happen to see the no trespassing sign?” and “do you walk on the tracks often?” and “are you aware that this is dangerous?” No. Yes. Yes. I guess I should have been paying a bit more attention. The encounter continued, taking on a more personal bent: a mild pat-down to see if I had any weapons (they temporarily confiscated my knife), more questions regarding whether I watched the news and knew that more than a dozen people had been killed in Washington at some point. Sadly, I do not watch much TV and did not know that. They shook their heads in mild disbelief that someone would walk on the tracks in this day and age.

If you like to walk on the railroad tracks, especially in SE Portland, please don’t zone out as much as me. Keep an eye out for moving trains and stationary railroad cops. One or the other is bound to get you.