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Jul

28

Conferences

Filed Under conferences, life, technology |

This year, I’ve been attending more conferences than I had originally expected to. Although, I was disappointed I was not able to attend cf.objective this year (probably will be next, though), I was able to find a ton of interesting conferences, without having to leave the Bay Area! Really, my biggest inhibitor is cost of flying and general expenses revolving around travel (isn’t that everyone’s problem?). So, Its been a nice surprise to see there are a few great opportunities right here.

Here is a list of conferences I’ve been to and will be attending this year:

Start Conference (August 7th, 2008, $200)
This conference is located in San Fransisco, CA (at the fort mason center). Its all about Entrepreneurs and startup-y topics. Should be a lot of fun! Not too expensive either!

Start is a one-day conference in San Francisco designed for smart, talented Web people to take hold of their ideas, follow their dreams, and start their own companies.

You’ll hear from founders of successful startups, and learn from investors, lawyers, and others who can outline potential pitfalls. They’ll give you practical advice, tell their horror stories, and maybe lend you a little inspiration. If you’ve ever dreamt of taking the plunge, don’t miss this chance to hear from the experts!

Google IO (May 28th-29th, 2008, $400)
This was a fun concert. I am hoping my entire team will join me next time. I learned all about a ton of Google technologies, and even some more generic topics such as AJAX and web optimization techniques. This is a really fun conference (at the San Francisco Mascone Center) that will definitely be around next year…probably even bigger than the last! They treat you like you work for them while you are there, all meals free (and good), tons of candy (free), bean bags everywhere, pool tables, and an amazing after party (open bar) with video games and a concert by Flight of The Conchords…it was fantastic!

Google I/O is a developer gathering focused on pushing the boundaries of web applications using Google and open web technologies. Google engineers and web development leaders will lead you through two days full of in-depth breakout sessions on the latest technologies, hands-on Code Labs, and informal Q&A at Fireside Chats.

LinuxWorld (August 4th-7th, 2008, Free!)
The attraction for me to this conference is the free price tag. Its absolutely free to just walk the gigantic expo hall, which is always filled with free handouts, software, knowledge, and fun! One year I got to ride a mechanical bull that was running on a linux-powered USB stick, I won an iPod Shuffle for my efforts :).

Next year, I hope to attend either RailsConf 2009 and/or RubyConf 2009. I’d like to see how one of these goes, maybe…if I can swing it…a conference overseas? That would be fun! We’ll see.


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1 Comment so far

  1. salomoko on July 29, 2008 12:24 pm

    Google IO sounds wicked fun!

    Flight of the Conchords that’s so sweet!!

    Man I hear ya on conferences, I so wanted to attend the cfObj. And I’m also with ya on rockin a ruby/rails conf. next year… Rails edge would be one to add to the list…
    http://pragmaticstudio.com/therailsedge/

    cheers