The third installment of Ignite Portland went off at the Bagdad Theather, one of many awesome venues in the McMenamins' empire or "the Kingdom", as they affectionately term it.
The line was much smoother this time, no waiting. At least that was the case for those who had pre-printed their tickets. I breezed right in and was getting beer and food from the killer buffet in not time. It also wasn't wall-to-wall geeks. It was all geeks but it wasn't standing room, bursting the doors off hinges, breaking freaking fire-codes, like Ignite II.
Ignite Portland is put on by the fine folks of Legion of Tech. And they did a great job. My only regret is that I am not a geek and so I miss out on the networking aspect of the event. This was made painfully clear while waiting for the presentations to begin.
I was sitting, scarfing some tasty, delectable buffet items, when the guy next to me starts quizzing me on who the various sponsors are. The only one I sort of knew was Intel Software Services. And that was only because Intel was in the name. Then he starts naming them and saying what he knows about them , Silicon Florist. He tells me oh that is Rick Turoczy's blog, as if I am in the know, as if this name means something-sorry Rick, I know who you are now. And then this dude, he is older with grey hair and bread, does the same with Strands and Toonlet. When I confess my profound ignorance regarding these companies, he turns to me and asks, "What then, do you expect to get out of this?"
Now I am use to being out of place, and being in places or events, that I don't quite fit into. For instance the WTO protests in Seattle. I keep ending up behind the police lines. Or the time I ended up in a Chinese Karaoke box, while some business men were bribing the judge sitting next to me, as I tried to hit on one of the girls sent in to "comfort' the judge. And this event at the Bagdad. I am not a geek, or a techie. I dont have a job in the "industry." But I like to go to eclectic events. And by going to Ignite Portland III I get to go to an event where smart and cool people are hanging out and I might just learn something.
And I did. I learned about buying a car for under a $1000 bucks. I learned how eggs are grown and labled. I learned about "jumping the rails" and I learned about cognative development and how it relates to robots' "learning." There were many other great presentations which should be up at the web site soon; if they are not up already. Some presentations were more polished than others, but they all did a great job and presented information on some great topics. So I salute the presentors of Ignite Portand III. I can't wait for Ignite Portland IV. I hope it takes place before my planned trip to China. I need to visit my girlfriend and her family.
Entertained. If you couldn't guess the answer. It was " I hope to be entertained." For me that is usually enought, for others I guess they need more.
The line was much smoother this time, no waiting. At least that was the case for those who had pre-printed their tickets. I breezed right in and was getting beer and food from the killer buffet in not time. It also wasn't wall-to-wall geeks. It was all geeks but it wasn't standing room, bursting the doors off hinges, breaking freaking fire-codes, like Ignite II.
Ignite Portland is put on by the fine folks of Legion of Tech. And they did a great job. My only regret is that I am not a geek and so I miss out on the networking aspect of the event. This was made painfully clear while waiting for the presentations to begin.
I was sitting, scarfing some tasty, delectable buffet items, when the guy next to me starts quizzing me on who the various sponsors are. The only one I sort of knew was Intel Software Services. And that was only because Intel was in the name. Then he starts naming them and saying what he knows about them , Silicon Florist. He tells me oh that is Rick Turoczy's blog, as if I am in the know, as if this name means something-sorry Rick, I know who you are now. And then this dude, he is older with grey hair and bread, does the same with Strands and Toonlet. When I confess my profound ignorance regarding these companies, he turns to me and asks, "What then, do you expect to get out of this?"
Now I am use to being out of place, and being in places or events, that I don't quite fit into. For instance the WTO protests in Seattle. I keep ending up behind the police lines. Or the time I ended up in a Chinese Karaoke box, while some business men were bribing the judge sitting next to me, as I tried to hit on one of the girls sent in to "comfort' the judge. And this event at the Bagdad. I am not a geek, or a techie. I dont have a job in the "industry." But I like to go to eclectic events. And by going to Ignite Portland III I get to go to an event where smart and cool people are hanging out and I might just learn something.
And I did. I learned about buying a car for under a $1000 bucks. I learned how eggs are grown and labled. I learned about "jumping the rails" and I learned about cognative development and how it relates to robots' "learning." There were many other great presentations which should be up at the web site soon; if they are not up already. Some presentations were more polished than others, but they all did a great job and presented information on some great topics. So I salute the presentors of Ignite Portand III. I can't wait for Ignite Portland IV. I hope it takes place before my planned trip to China. I need to visit my girlfriend and her family.
Entertained. If you couldn't guess the answer. It was " I hope to be entertained." For me that is usually enought, for others I guess they need more.
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