Wait, we don’t code. How did we end up at this IBM Mixer? Glen Tona (pictured below) is one of our roommates at the Rainbow Mansion, and he works for “BlueMix Garage”, which is an IBM powered company dedicated to help startups develop by connecting different people with various areas of expertise. It is an innovative company that provides a platform for rapid development and change as well as an open workspace.
Glen invited us to photograph BlueMix’s rooftop launch party on July 14th. We were a bit out of place, as most of the guests were computer programmers. Yet, we were in great company, as many of the Rainbow Mansion residents attended the event to support Glen and BlueMix, which reflected the community-oriented nature of the house. In fact, several of us piled into a minivan for the hour long commute from the mansion in Cupertino to San Francisco, which couldn’t help but vaguely remind us of a hippie van! We met several interesting characters at the event, ranging from the “Community Experience Coordinator” at Galvanize SF to a professional dancer with a degree in Chemistry. Andrea Malave (pictured below) is a Rainbow resident who attended the event with us.
We met many other people at the event, including a young woman (pictured below in pink shirt) from Germany who works with Rainbow guest-resident Johannes Heidecke (pictured below, far right) as a software engineer at SAP. She will soon be moving into the mansion for a short-term stay, which brings up an interesting facet of contemporary communal living. Perhaps reflecting the “on-the-go” nature of our generation, the Rainbow Mansion often hosts young professionals for short periods of time, allowing them to frequently move and work on various projects in different locations. Despite this, many residents decide to stay for longer periods of time. Mike Grace and Diana Gentry, for example, have lived in the home for about 4 years.
Overall, we had a great time photographing the event and experiencing the BlueMix community. It was our first time going downtown with the Rainbow community, and we were more than impressed by the event. More updates coming soon!
