Session 1 – Care to Care about Speed

The header image of The PHP Benchmark

This informative information session by Chris Vincent explored the idea that unless you have proof about how fast your code really is, you don’t know what your talking about. His program is a prime example of how wrong a lot of code snippets are

Links

• PHP Benchmark
• The old PHP Benchmark

Session 2 – Silverlight Deep Zoom Demonstration

Presenter: John O’Brien

The ideology of Silverlight Deep Zoom is that…

• Instead of having a static gallery of photos, have an interactive one
• Your able to send a file that is initially small, but if your wanting to get more information / photos related, you can zoom in and download more information
• Cut down the the code behind an image gallery and just allow a lot of the framework to do a lot more of the work
• Allow C# developers to interact with the images and make better programs (eg, an extremely interactive street directory)
• Provide an environment on mobile devices that is more user friendly

Links

• http://memorabillia.hardrock.com
• http://www.liveside.net/blogs/developer/archive/2008/05/11/
  create-a-deep-zoom-panorama-with-windows-live.aspx
• http://www.soulsolutions.com.au/Blog/tabid/73/entryid/410/default.aspx

Other unrelated but interesting technology links

• Photosynth – http://labs.live.com/photosynth

Session 3 – Podcasting Passion from a Luddite

Presenter: Ian Kath

This is a presentation/story from a just user/non geek whom found a passion for podcasting. From the moment he found out about these he developed something within to find a way to just meet anyone through podcasting realm. He dropped his major job to start develop Your Story Podcast and now only works about 15 hours a week, and with his podcasting stories, loves the podcasting lifestyle.

His beliefs are…

• Computers are a long way off perfect "point and done" user interfaces, and he encourages those around to rush to that goal
• Computers are only a tool, he only uses it to go meet people, find out their story and share their story through his website
• To a normal person, a computer is not user friendly. You should turn off the computer and discover the real world.
• He is passionate about podcasting to keep going and not stop like other stuff he has attempted with computer stuff.

Links

• His blog: Your Story Podcast

Interlude

Presenter: Steve Dalton

We were given free technology giveaways!!! Items included many hardware, print and software items.

Session 4 – Data Portability

Presenter: Elias Bizannes

…is the idea that instead of having many many different sources of information on the internet, your able to update one website and all other websites will update by themselves.

They think that…

• Locking up data does not give a company intellectual advantage to other companies
• It’s not right for you to give up your rights to privacy to your own information on the internet, and that you should be able to alter your own data without it seeping anywhere.
• They’re challenging the notions of whom should own your data/personal information rights, and if anyone should "own" them.

Open North is trying to…

• Find a privacy standard that is good with both companies and users
• Make companies figure out that locking data is not a good idea
• Trying to get all the major companies to work together with their information, as well as keeping it quiet, and keeping identity theft at bay.
• Tell the general population that there are serious privacy issues on the internet.
• if you have a great idea to help the cause, they will try to help you out – "if you joined the mailing lists, you could be considered a pro within a week"

Links

Data Portability.org 

Session 5 – wxRuby

Presenter: Steve Dalton