Event Roundup

Hi guys, I should say a hell a lot of exciting things have been happening for quite some time. Here are the list of events which has been keeping me busy.

Proto.in 2007 SE
Proto.in was a good success last time. Proto.in second edition has been fixed for 21st and 22nd July 2007 at Chennai. Exact location will be put up soon at the proto.in website. As usual, I'm taking care of the website along with Siddharta. An interim website for Proto.in 2007 SE is up at http://www.proto.in/proto2007se. You can also go through the old proto website to learn what this event is about.

If you are a product based startup company, you can nominate yourself now. The nomination closes on 5th June 2007. As last time, 30 companies with amazing products will get a chance to present them on the day of the event. Registrations for participants will start after the nominations are over. Read the blog for more information. Subscribe to the ProtoTalk group to keep yourself updated with the latest happenings.

MoMoChennai
MoMo = Mobile Monday. The venue for the first episode has been fixed as IIT and the event is scheduled for 6th May 2007, which is a sunday. Therefore, this event can also be called as MMS (Mobile Monday on a Sunday) :-). More details here and here.

PodWorks
This is a two day event, focussing on podcasts. This event will consist of crisp workshops on podcasting and hey, you will definitely walk away carrying a lot of satisfaction on acquiring your new skill :-). More details coming soon.

BigRace
This is a challenging race in which with just about Rs.1000/- you should to travel to the farthest destination possible and come back in 10 days. You are not encouraged to carry any money and in case you are in want of money, you can do small part time jobs on your trip :-). This should be very very exciting and if I get a 10 day off at work, then you can see me there. More info at bigrace.pbwiki.com.


*Wipes sweat off the forehead*

Exciting times ahead!!!

Mobile Monday in Chennai

Starting this April, Chennai is going to witness a new event called "Mobile Monday". The Chennai version of the event will be spearheaded by Varun Krishnan and interested others can pitch in. The event is supposed to be of 3 to 4 hours duration with talks on various technical and non-technical topics with new product demos etc.

You can get more info at the following places.
1. Wiki.
2. Mailing List.
3. Email Varun.

The first Mobile Monday is scheduled for 22nd April, 2007. Info on the venue and timings will be available soon.

proto.in - Second Edition

Following the success of proto.in version 1, The Knowledge Foundation team is gearing up for the second edition called "proto.in Summer Edition". The time ahead is damn exciting. You can get more information from the proto.in website. If you had attended the first edition proto.in and you have feedback to give, please mail us at admin@proto.in.

Sponsorship kit, media kit and other necessary items are on their way. They should be out in a couple of weeks. Preparations have started way ahead this time... Let wait and watch about how this event turns out to be.

Sun Tech Days & Wikicamp

Yay! the last week was easily one of the most exciting weeks for me. Three days at Hyderabad, for Sun Tech Days, was 3 days well spent. Met a lot of cool people from Sun and more importantly, Moyeen and myself provided some tips to some Hyderabad based college students who wanted to do their final semester projects on their own; using java and ofcourse netbeans.

Here are some cool things that happened at the conference:
1. There was a netbeans contest stall on day 1. Moyeen and myself participated and completed the given tasks right on time. We won the contest with full score :D
2. On the second day, right after the keynote and before the java jacket give away, we were called on stage (audience > 4000) and given a small kit that contained an ultra cool netbeans t-shirt, netbeans ide field guide, some dukes (duke is the mascot for java) and some sun bucks that were supposed to be exchanged at the stalls for more goodies.
3. Day 3 had me unexpectedly flying without wings :-). I'm a fan of Geertjan's blog since a long time and yup! I met him and had a short chat.
4. He got my tech blog URL, visited there and made a post on converting this two minute web browser into an app that is integrated into the netbeans platform :)
5. Finally, met some of my own college juniors... was shocked to see a girl in the gang though :D cos' most of the times its an all-guys show. Kudos to the girl who has shown interest in technology.

Wikicamp was an astounding success :D. It went on very well. I loved the way Jimmy Wales moved around with the crowd. Considering the popularity he has, its surprising that he is so unassuming and was always willing to join the fun, which ended up being many of us showcased in this article by The Hindu. I wasted no time in networking with the attendees, which at the end of the day proved very valuable. Photos of wikicamp.

Thus, comes to end, an excellent week. Have fun !

India's first Wikicamp

Yes!!! The Knowledge Foundation team that was behind the success BarCampChennai, Blogcamp and proto.in is now organising India's first Wikicamp :D and you know what, Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia is attending the event.

When: Feb 25, 2007
Where: Tidel Park, Chennai
More Info: http://www.wikicamp.in/

Thanks to the BarCamp phenomenon. It has transformed Chennai into THE happening place for technology.