This Qwest notice about the new area code coming up is sitting here on the desk staring at me, so I'm relaying the news for anyone who hasn't heard it yet: come January 10, 2010, all of Oregon outside the Northwest 503/971 area codes will have a new area code in addition to 541: 458.

January 10 is the magic date because that's the day that all calls will have to be made with the area code—even the local calls. Qwest's little info notice indicates that we should all be dialing the 10-digit numbers for local calls even now, just to get used to it.

Numbers with the new 458 code should start showing up after February 10.

At least they're not changing everyone's current numbers to the new code...

Some things beyond our general control have come up, and as a result there will be little or no blogging this week. In the meantime you can check out Bend Blogs to see what the local blogosphere is chattering about, and as always, use the contact form to send me things to write about. (I'll check in when I can.)

We're heading off to Portland for the weekend, so don't expect any posts or updates for a few. Hope everyone has a good Memorial Day!

Just a notice that this blog will be going on hiatus for a little over a week; we're heading down to San Diego for spring break, and unless something really interesting comes across the laptop screen (yes, I'll be checking periodically), I won't be blogging much. Have a good spring break, everybody!

This is just a random idea I'm throwing out there: every day I drive by the old Movietyme Video space, there on the corner of 8th and Greenwood. (Behind Papa John's Pizza, and in the same building complex as Thriftway and Rent-a-Center.) It's a big empty space and there's a sign on the window indicating that it's for lease.

So here's my thought: What about opening up a brewpub there? (Overlooking the fact that the area might be getting oversaturated with commercial beer brewers.) Think it would be a good spot for one?

I'll even throw out a name: Pilot Butte Brewing Company.

So claims the Economist in this article on Bend, which pretty much sums up their point. It's basically another rah-rah promotion piece for the area, nothing we haven't seen before in some form or another—though as Barney points out, it "might raise at least a few eyebrows, both from the vantage point and the rosy portrait it paints" since it's from the high-profile The Economist.

Other select quotes from the article:

"Bend is also economically vibrant. It typifies the changes seen in many western towns that once were sleepy backwaters based on mining or timber."

"In some areas all this translates into a city full of ageing but well-off geezers. Not in Bend."

"[A] large population of relatively young adults means thousands of children who will eventually want to create their own jobs and wealth in Bend."

Just a quick note to let everyone know that I'll be offline for the Memorial Day weekend—through Tuesday, actually. Hopefully everyone has a safe and fun holiday weekend! And if you get bored, check out some of the sites I've put below under the "Links" heading.

So what's this blog all about? Essentially, it's a guide to Bend, Oregon (and Central Oregon overall). There are a lot of Bend blogs out there already, but I want to see one that is basically an ultimate guide/reference to the area. The best way to do that? Launch it myself. :)

So why "Hack" Bend? Because I wanted to emphasize exploration, creativity, finding good deals, etc. in writing about Bend. Essentially, this is all about hacking Bend to get the most out of it. Still unsure? Some definitions of hack:

Hacking might be characterized as 'an appropriate application of ingenuity'. Whether the result is a quick-and-dirty patchwork job or a carefully crafted work of art, you have to admire the cleverness that went into it.[1]

Cribbed: ...solves a problem... that is in need of an ingenious solution, often cheaper and quicker than the "right" solution.[2]

And one definition I particularly like, originating at (and orignally applying to) MIT: To explore the basements, roof ledges, and steam tunnels of a large, institutional building.[3] See also this Wikipedia page.

And, to tell the truth, when I was brainstorming names for this blog, I stumbled into it and, being the computer geek that I am, decided to run with it.

This site is largely inspired by sites like the Metroblogging sites, Lifehacker, alt.portland, and other similar blogs. Also, since Weblogs, Inc. is starting to roll out their local blogs, I figured it's time to jump on the bus.

My goal is to get the most out of Bend and Central Oregon, and blog it. Now obviously, I can't claim to have all the answers or know everything there is to know about the area. So if you've got a good Bend hack, let me know! The more contributions, the better (and I may explore the idea of turning this into a multi-author blog, too).