Providence-based Axon Labs, who presented at the September Providence Geeks Dinner, is taking their product development process to the next level, and is looking for folks (healthy adults ages 30+) to test their next-generation alarm clock:

The trial involves a comfortable night asleep in our lab with our sophisticated bio-alarm system. Fair compensation is provided for those who spend a night in our offices. This is an exciting and unique opportunity. Please email
sleep at axonlabs.com for more information.

I, for one, have signed up as I think the Axon guys are up to some very cool stuff, and, of course, because I could use the shut eye.

At the last Geek Dinner, we bid farewell to Providence Geek and e-government advocate/expert extraordinaire Jim Willis.

The Providence Business News’ David Ortiz has written an excellent article highlighting Jim’s tenor at the helm of RI Secretary of State’s e-goverment services initiative. Here’s an excerpt:

[Willis], who was recruited by Brown in 2003 as director of e-government services, transformed the inner workings of the office’s Web site – www.state.ri.us – from the standard proprietary software to open-source code. The results have won national recognition while also making official information more accessible to the state’s citizens – exactly what Willis had in mind when he made the switch. “If you want a transparent government,� he said, “well, let’s run it on transparent software.�

Going forward, we’re going to call out new job postings on the Providence Geeks’ ad hoc Job Board. We’ve got some very cool ones here:

• The RI Economic Development Corporation is looking for a Science & Technology Research Analyst
• Newcomer Upswing needs a .Net Web Developer 
• Axon Labs seeks an Embedded Software Consultant

Have an local info-tech related position that you’re looking to fill? Register here and post under the “Help Wanted” thread.

Our first two Geek Dinners of 2007 are scheduled for the evenings of Wednesday, January 24th, and Wednesday, February 28th. So mark them down—we want you there!

The Providence-Based American Mathematical Society just published an article detailing Google’s PageRank algorithm, How Google Finds Your Needle in the Web’s Haystack.

[Via Infoworld: Google’s Search Secret Revealed]