I've been on the road doing conferences for the past couple of weeks. Etech first, which I'm sure has been blogged by enough people already. I was talking about Theyworkforyou.com, of course. The thing was fun, but I didn't see much that I thought was truly cutting-edge technology (with the exception of some of the hardware hackers). A lot of stuff was cool applications of what was exciting at Etech a couple of years ago. Theyworkforyou.com, I have to admit, falls into this category (although we did get to roll out a couple of neat new features while we were there - shouts to Matthew!)
Perhaps my expectations were too high for Etech. I had a great time, but found the whole thing strangely flat.
Etech is, even more than most conferences, more about the back channel than the speakers. Actually entirely so. It's slight disconcerting to speak at an event where the speakers occupy the same role as the plot in good pornography: A conference needs to have them, but they are entirely incidental to the action. I've never been a pure MacGuffin before.
Still, the session went well, I thought. It's not easy explaining the evolutionary and random nature of British democracy to an american audience, (especially when you've got James Larsson and his exploding toilets in the next room!) but I think they liked it.
Not much to say about the other sessions that hasn't been covered better in a million other places, so I'll just say: the hardware hackers stole the show, and a few words abotu one session that simply made me angry:
High Order B(ullsh)its
JC Herz' session on military technology. She talked a lot about the humanitarian applications of the technology she was showing; it was all about keeping the boys in touch with each other in the convoy, and getting civilians to hospital, and then demonstrated some tech that was essentially and obviously really clever neat ways of killing people. Be a war whore if you must, JC, but don't pretend it something that it's not. I saw your work, and it reminded of something some friends of mine knocked together about US Military Policy
San Diego to New Delhi (insert ghastly 40 hour journey here)
From Emerging Tech to Emerging Economy -
I had far lower expectations of Doors of Perception 8. I wasn't really aware of what it was when I was asked to speak (thanks Tomfor passing it on), didn't really understand a great deal of the background that I read about it. I'm not a designer, and I often find I don't get designers (or architects for that matter), when they start theorising. I just don't understand the language.
But Doors8 turned out to be the best programmed, most stimulating, eye-opening, technologically interesting, and just damn fun event I've ever attended in a professional capacity. I'll be writing up various bits over the next few days. Quite remarkable. The Burning Man of conferences.
Main differences between Doors8 and Etech.
Etech had internet access everywhere. Getting online at the conference center in Delhi was difficult and erratic (they were installing their wifi network the same week we were there).
Gender ratio at Etech: I'd guess 90% male. Doors8 was 50/50 (possible even slightly more women than men). It's still depressing that technology in the US is such a boys game.
I saw more innovative applications of technology in India - largely I think, because necessity is the mother of invention.
Etech I found extremely cliquey. I met some very nice people (Hi Meg!), and it was good to get to hang out with some people from London that I don't get to see enough of, but much of felt like a big bloggers reunion. This is fine, but Doors8 was amazing for the number of new and really interesting people I met. I think everyone felt the same: by the third afternoon the programme had more or less disintegrated, because people just wanted to sit around and chat about their work and share.
I think Etech next year needs a good shake up, and I'll be posting more stuff about Doors over the next week or so.