Next Week, 500+ Geek Talks Around the World

Brady Forrest writes "Next week, from March 1-5 there will be ~65 Ignite events happening around the world. Ignite is an opportunity for geeks to share their passions and ideas with local peers. Each speaker gets 20 slides that each auto-advance after 15 seconds for a total of just 5 minutes. The result is bite-size chunks of information that inform the crowd on new topics. Most of the Ignites will be streamed on the new Ignite video site."

Comments

500 geeks talking *simultaneously*?

[PaulBu]

;)

Re:500 geeks talking *simultaneously*?

[Cryacin]

15 seconds per slide for a total of just 5 minutes.

It'd be advantageous to all of our family's sanity if Aunty Jane and Uncle Joe's holiday slides presentation had that rule....

Re:500 geeks talking *simultaneously*?

[Clover_Kicker]

Actually your nose shuts down after the first 150 or so.

Ever been in a modern chicken barn or (gods help you) a fox farm?

Re:500 geeks talking *simultaneously*?

[WrongSizeGlass]

Wow. Just wow. At first I thought there was gonna be a 'geek' joke in there somewhere. But after reading it several times I realized that maybe, just maybe, there was something wrong with that guy. Wow.

That's sure to take your mind of 500 geeks talking *simultaneously*.

Around the world?

[Anonymous Coward]

There are events in the US, Australia and ... that's it. Sounds like the World Series.

Re:Around the world?

[c_sd_m]

Um, what? Both the first and third links have maps with little pins all over the place including Lima, Bangalore, Madrid, Nairobi, Montreal, and Cape Town. The list of events is missing at lot of them but clicking on the towns will get you local event pages. From the third link: "Ignite is coming to 60+ cities on 6 continents during the first Global Ignite Week, March 1-5, 2010."

Let Me Calculate

[The Wild Norseman]

Fifteen seconds per geek? After the obligatory movie quotes and boastings about having a girlfriend/wife, that really doesn't leave much time for the tech talk.

Re:Let Me Calculate

[xenn]

Turn in your geek card immediately. Reading comprehension in mandatory.

Re:Let Me Calculate

[The Wild Norseman]

Reading comprehension in mandatory.

In mandatory what?

Re:Let Me Calculate

[Arthur Grumbine]

Reading comprehension in mandatory.

In mandatory what?

Yeah, he really shot himself is the foot with that one.

Re:Let Me Calculate

[The Wild Norseman]

Yeah, he really shot himself is the foot with that one.

That seems really too good to be true.

Re:Let Me Calculate

[Hognoxious]

You say that like it's a bad thing.

OMG its twitter irl

[Jailbrekr]

Can they add the rule where its kept to a maximum of 140 characters as well?

Re:OMG its twitter irl

[xenn]

... but listening to each character speak 3.571428571429 times is just silly. Why not have 500 characters speaking?

Re:OMG its twitter irl

[c_sd_m]

At the one I attended, they ran a second projector with a twitter feed. Yep, 5 minute presentations were too much and needed to be condensed into a set of tweets. Either that or people needed to be told what to think about the talks.

Well, TED did jump the shark this year

[SuperBanana]

So in other words, this will be TED without the elitism (used to be you had to get "invited", now you can't join at all except to pay $1k to get streaming video), astronomical ticket prices ($6000 to attend the conference!), etc?

Christopher Poole, founder of 4chan, was invited to talk this year at TED.

"Eyyyyy!" *splash*

Re:Well, TED did jump the shark this year

[Anonymous Coward]

http://www.ted.com/pages/view/id/185

Also, from a reddit interview with TED founder Chris Anderson:

"It's kind of a myth to think that if we would only cut the price, everyone could show up and join in. We have an event that is sold out a year in advance, and we can't make it much bigger than the 1,500 who come now (plus 400 in Palm Springs) because it would get too impersonal. If we cut the price (which is normally $6k), it wouldn't allow any more people to come, it would just increase the number on the waitlist. At the same time we'd be losing the dollars that have paid for the creation of our website and allowed free distribution of the content to the world. (TED is a nonprofit -- all the conference profits get recirculated to TED.com, TED Prize, and other programs. No one's making money.)

I agree, it's right to reserve some places for people who can't afford the admission, and that's why we introduced the Fellows program. Each year about 40 people get fellowships ... but they're chosen out of more than 2,000 who apply. And as you noticed, we offer a reduced rate to some nonprofits and educators.

Happily the TEDx program has spawned literally hundreds of independent TED events that charge $100 or less for admission. We think more than 50,000 people have attended one of these in the past 12 months, so that's a lot more TED access than there's ever been before."

Re:Well, TED did jump the shark this year

[bill_mcgonigle]

Happily the TEDx program has spawned literally hundreds of independent TED events that charge $100 or less for admission.

Happily you can go to a LUG meeting in a thousand places every month, almost always for free, and learn something neat and engaging about technology.

Come on by DLSLUG on Thursday if you're near New Hampshire, James Murdza is presenting the Awesome window manager, some kind of GUI you customize with Lua scripts. Free, of course.

If you want the bigger-picture philosophical discussions, you'll have to come to the pre-meeting dinner and beer drinking event.

And we don't have the highly impersonal barrier of 1500 attendees. :)

TED puts out some great prezos, but let's not pretend it's not price rationed. If there's such a big waiting list they're throwing away money by not raising the price further.

Re:Well, TED did jump the shark this year

[afabbro]

I wouldn't pay fifty cents to see another TED video. They're all the same. Someone who is famous for something stands in front of a pretty slideshow and states 3-4 little-known facts that are interesting and draws obvious inferences from them. He then says thanks and that's it. Heck, I could read the backs of Trivial Pursuit cards and get the same thing. I have yet to see a TED video where the presenter ties all of his ramblings together into a prediction, or a new synthesis. They are all just regurgitated fact-sharing.

It would be all-right if the fact-sharing was educational or comprehensive. "I'm going to explain the housing bust to you" or "let me explain how X works". Great. But TED is neither comprehensive nor educational. It's just random observations, hypothesis, exposition, and "let me tell you a story" stuff.

I watched one by Misha Glenny not long ago. I've read and enjoyed his books, but the TED video was like sitting with him after he's had a few beers and listen to him talk stream-of-consciousness. Kinda interesting but after a few minutes you start to think "where is all this going?" and it turns out it's going nowhere. His books told the story of post-war Eastern Europe and had a definite goal. The TED video felt like "they paid me to stand up here and entertain you for 10 minutes".

Every single video is like that! TED is waste of time.

Re:Well, TED did jump the shark this year

[indiechild]

I don't see what your problem is. They're telling their stories, what's wrong with that? You didn't expect them to solve all the world's problems in a 15-minute talk did you?

Re:Well, TED did jump the shark this year

[hoofinasia]

The TED video felt like "they paid me to stand up here and entertain you for 10 minutes".

Every single video is like that! TED is waste of time.

Unless you enjoy entertainment.

Re:Pointless

[WrongSizeGlass]

Seriously. How pointless. Posts are cheap. Posts are free. Posts are a dime a dozen. Posts are [insert cliched metaphor about overwhelming abundance here]. What a waste of time.

You get the idea.

Re:Pointless

[Anonymous Coward]

Seriously. How pointless. Ideas are cheap. Ideas are free. Ideas are a dime a dozen. Ideas are [insert cliched metaphor about overwhelming abundance here]. What a waste of time. We have the Internet. We have freakin' Slashdot. Ignite is not only redundant, it's likely to be a freak show. Full of otaku and Timecube types.

Ideas are worthless without execution, and execution doesn't happen without money (with the sole exception of open source software). I could give a 20 slide 5 minute presentation about 40 different tech-related things but I'm not even going to bother to watch the online video of that event because I've heard it all before, just like all of you have, and I'm getting heartily tired of having my face pressed up against the glass of the candy store wishing I had a nickel in my grubby little hand.

I'll keep reading Slashdot, keep wading through all the stories about the advancing copyright police state to find the few interesting stories about hardware being built by people who do have a few nickels. But I won't listen to a bunch of losers just like me, full of ideas and enough technical know-how to be dangerous, but going nowhere fast.

1. Networking: find people who are interested into tech and want to HIRE!
2. Geek Gals: find a lovely maiden who will not resist intellectual talk.
3. Something to do: fighting boredom.

I thought that's called:

[Hurricane78]

IRC! ;)

It's a ton of fun - highly recommended

[xmas2003]

Very well organized and lots of fun - here's the presentation I did on Antarctica at Boulder Ignite a few months ago.

Re:It's a ton of fun - highly recommended

[MrCrassic]

I really liked your photography. Excellent work!

Geeks Vs Nerds

[markass530]

I've maintained for a while, that I am a nerd, into computers, and tech stuff etc.I Also say that I am not a geek, because "Geeks" are Star Trek, anime, and get dressed up as such characters (and other things I think are retarded) . I point to Slashdots title, news for nerds, as exhibit A. (A majority of stuff on the site is about nerd stuff, not geek stuff). Anyone agree/Disagree?

Re:Geeks Vs Nerds

[aldld]

I disagree. But that's probably because everyone has their own slightly different definition of geek and nerd.

I consider myself to be a geek, but I don't get dressed up as characters, I don't like anime at all. Star Trek is okay, but I'm not anywhere near being obsessed with it.

Re:Geeks Vs Nerds

[mirix]

People that play dress up aren't just nerds or geeks, they're dweebs.

Re:Geeks Vs Nerds

[DerekLyons]

I mostly agree. I've been saying for some years now that back in the day, geeks/nerds were people who were passionate about some out-of-the-mainstream interest. SF, computers, model railroads, real railroads, chess, war games, obscure bits of history...
 
But nowadays 'nerd' is synonymous with what would have been called a 'computer geek'.
 
The meaning of geek has suffered an even worse fate - geek now means conformity. It's not just about being into Star Trek or anime, it's about having seen and being into the right anime. About knowing the popular cultural references. About having read the right books and seen the right movies. (Hence the phrase "geek cred" and "turn in your geek card")
 
I don't call myself a geek or a nerd nowadays, because both terms have been rendered essentially meaningless.
 
Hmm... I guess I don't agree after all.

Re:Geeks Vs Nerds

[slack_prad]

I am a human being ..
Labels like these are for soup cans. Not me and you. I am what I am. Social categorization like this disgusts me. Sadly, people in USA are brought up that way. They have to belong to a group which does certain things.

Just because you are part of a social label you are supposed to bahave and dress and act in a way? Fuck that.

Re:Geeks Vs Nerds

[jonaskoelker]

Geek now means conformity [...] it's about having seen and being into the right anime [...] I don't call myself a geek or a nerd nowadays, because both terms have been rendered essentially meaningless.

Heretic! Turn in your geek card!

Re:Pointless

[Khyber]

"Uh, tech economy's in the shitter, nobody's hiring unless you count Best Buy"

Maybe your specific area of the tech economy is in the shitter, but I'm sitting nice and happy in the specialized-application semiconductor sector.

"They don't exist."

If I weren't married I'd bone the shit out of a ten years younger Kim Komando.

Why not Pecha Kucha?

[lennier]

15 slides for 20 seconds... this sounds like an unbranded knockoff of Pecha Kucha, which has 20 slides at 20 seconds.

I know the PK crowd is haunted by architects and designers and artisty Mac-using types... and maybe they're a bit tight with control of it... but why not just join/run PK events in your area, or create more? Why does the world need two names/brands for what's the same idea?

Get out of the house for a few hours.

[Ifandbut]

Finally, an event in my area (Salt Lake) that actually appeals to my interest. Maybe I'll actually leave the house for a few hours next week.

Figures, no geeking out here....

[macraig]

It figures: my town (and state capitol) has no Ignition event planned. Nope, the only ignition we have here is the variety that begins with a match and lighter fluid.

Did I mention our town had a Slashdot Meetup (meetup.com) some years ago, but it fizzled for lack of interest? *sigh*

Re:9M reasons why no lottery with cheaper tickets

[SerpentMage]

>I'm sure the $9M in ticket sales also has nothing to do with it. Folks: it doesn't cost $9M to put up a website and hold a conference or two a year.

I am sorry, but having been in the conference business for 15 years, you would be surprised what it costs to host an event...

Let's start shall we:

1) Food: You got to feed the people, and that costs at around 100 to 300 per day per person. You think this is crazy? Absolutely it is, but if you are in any hotel or conference center they will explicitly force this on you.

2) Venue: You need a venue, and to get a venue for 1500 people is not easy. You are in what one can call middle league. It is the last step before you have to go to the really big venues, which cost even more.

3) Accessibility, Helpfulness: You need people to make the place accessible, and you need helpers saying, "oh you didn't look on the map and you are asking me where a room is because you are too lazy? Its right in front of you, and have a good day."

4) Tech and Internet crew: If you think food is expensive, wait until you need tech, and Internet. Welcome to the world, "I am going make you bend over and it will hurt!"

The problem is that if you get 3000 to 4000 people you need a much bigger venue, which is more expensive and less personal.

You call it elitist, they will call it quality. And Ted is doing the right thing, by making all of the materials available for free.

So sorry I think you are wrong...

Re:Pointless

[sictransitgloriacfa]

Hur hur hur! Thag have silly idea to make cave from wood! Where Thag going to get wood? How Thag going to cut wood? Thag wasting time. No pay attention to Thag.

Re:Pointless

[ElectricTurtle]

You're just a huge douche aren't you? No wonder you're unemployed... 'hur dur intelligent women don't exist!' You might think so I suppose, because when they see you coming they run .

Fova.tv

[uncledrax]

Might I suggest Fova.tv as an alternative?

Fora has less of the 'look at my gadget|idea' but more 'panel discussion on topic X'.. and they aren't put on by Fova.tv themselves.. they just web-air panels from other organizations. Some videos are interesting, some not, but all are usually longer, and in more depth, then the ones on TED.

Re:Slides?

[ElectricTurtle]

Kodachrome.