In an effort to help strengthen the local software development community, the High Tech Development Corporation (HTDC) and Blue Planet Foundation are launching a monthly series of networking events called "Thirsty Third Thursday."

The first "Triple T" event is taking place Thursday, July 21, at P.F. Chang's China Bistro.

Henk Rogers is the founder and chairman of the Blue Planet Foundation, and while the organization is focused on advancing clean energy technology, its roots stem from Rogers' success in software and business. Indeed, Rogers is directly responsible for spawning most of Hawaii's video game industry, starting with securing key rights to the globally popular game Tetris, and most recently, through his appointment as CEO of Avatar Reality.

Of course, Hawaii is home to many independent game developers. Off the top of my head, there's friend and Apple guru Brian Dote, co-creator of Sushi Star, Denise and Henrik van Ryzin, who created Bartleby's Book of Buttons, David Nolte, creator of word puzzle game Pathem, and Lishan Chong and her team at Edutainment Resources.

And Gorm Lai of Kotori Studios, who is one of the founders of the Global Game Jam, is working to start a Honolulu chapter of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA).

Of course, there are plenty of other developers besides those focused on games, including specialists in PHP, Rails, WordPress, and Drupal. "Thirsty Third Thursday" will hopefully bring everyone together.

It's free to attend, with free appetizers and validated parking, plus happy hour drink prices. Those interested in attending are encouraged to register through Eventbrite.