BarCamp. The Movie.
At BarCamp it’s traditional to show a film that illustrates the ethos of BarCamp and then for everyone to briefly introduce themselves. At the UK ‘camps that I’ve attended, this has been in the “three tags” format; i.e. you say the three things that most interest you.
Due to the number of people attending this BarCamp and the need to discuss various housekeeping issues as well as doing the introductions, we’re going to dispense with the film.
That said, if you’ve never been to a BarCamp before it’s certainly worth watching. So rather than do away with the tradition completely, why don’t you put some pop-corn in the microwave, dim the lights and have a gander.
← Unconferencing; like fight club* but with 30 minute talksIf you only read one post about BarCampBrighton2, read this one… →
Unconferencing; like fight club* but with 30 minute talks
Photos by Tantek, Roland, chesh2000 and Ian
BarCampBrighton is an unconference where every attendee is a participant. The schedule for the two days is empty until you arrive and the grid starts to get filled with the talks and sessions that you’ll be giving.
If this is your first time, this can all sound a bit daunting! Perhaps you didn’t realise that we expect you to a give a talk? Perhaps you’re now worried that everyone else is going to have a polished 30 minute talk with hundreds of fantastic slides?
Don’t worry! We’ve all been there. The real beauty of BarCamp is that it is what you make it and some of the best talks are given by people who have never presented before.
Here are a few tips to help you out
- You have a 30 minute slot, it’s best to talk for 15-20 minutes and leave the rest as Q&A time
- Talk about something you know well or are passionate about. It’s easier to talk with a flow when you know a subject well
- Keep it loose. If you stand and read an exact script, you’ll probably end up being a bit dull. That said, do have some notes to keep you on track, just don’t make it too exact
- If you’re using slides, try to bring them on a USB key as well, in case your laptop has a funny turn and you need to borrow someone else’s. VGA adaptors for your particular flavour of laptop are also a good idea
- Don’t worry if you think no one is interested, there are lots of people coming, someone will be interested and come along. We have a variety of room sizes; the smallest capacity is 10 and the largest will take everyone.
- Try to have fun! It may seem like a nightmare, but it can be really satisfying to kick off a good discussion after you’ve talked
If you’re petrified of speaking, you can run a workshop, or why not create a game for everyone to play. One of the liveliest sessions last year was Natalie Downe’s “Show and Tell” where she showed a few tips and tricks for apps she used and then gave the floor to someone else to do the same.
Have a look at last year’s schedule to get a feel for the broad range of topics that were covered. Don’t worry if you’re planning to talk about something that was on last year’s schedule; it’s pretty much an entirely different crowd, and people rarely get to see all the talks they want to anyway, so you may actually help someone out with your particular topic!
*At fight club you must fight if it’s your first fight club. At BarCamp you must talk, regardless of how many times you’ve been before :D
Introduction to Arduino at BarCampBrighton2
Photo by Nicholas Zambetti
Lincoln Smith, a Sussex University researcher, will be doing a session or two on Arduino, the open-source electronics prototyping platform aimed at artists, designers, hobbyists and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments.
He’s going to purchase a number of the boards and bring them along to BarCamp where you’ll be able to quickly write your first “Hello World” and then get hacking. Just look what one enterprising person did with some Linden Lab schwag from the recent Wired Sussex Jobs Fair…
Lincoln will sell the boards he brings at the end of theweekend (£18.51), but they will be for general use until then.
If you’d like to install the IDE and have a bash at doing some coding or buy a board at the end of the ‘Camp, please leave a comment here so he can gage interest and know what to bring.
You can download the IDE (Linux, Mac & Windows) from the Arduino site at http://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Software.
For ideas, help and inspiration have a look in the Arduino playground.
If you’ve got an idea for a talk at BarCampBrighton and want to let others know about it here, blog it and let us know the URL so we can link to it, or send us the text and we can post it for you.
iCrossing refresh Sunday
iCrossing (née Spannerworks) – one of Brighton’s fastest growing companies – digital marketers and SEO extraordinaires are your refreshments and snacks sponsor for Sunday.
Whether it’s a flat-white, a straight black, a cap, a latte or even (the horror!) a herbal tea then iCrossing will be taking care of you. Thanks guys, it’s great to have more local support.
Silverlight snack attack
Brighton’s own Josh Russell, newly embedded as User Experience Evangelist for Silverlight and Expression at Microsoft, has come up trumps!
Your Saturday snacks and drinks will be courtesy of the Silverlight team. We’re also promised some cool schwag, although my pleadings for Xbox 360s fell on deaf ears ;-)
incase you missed it http://bit.ly/knMT8 we have a new date 2nd & 3rd October 2010
Microsponsors
We are trying to raise at least £1000 £2000 £3000 from sole-traders, microbusinesses and small companies to make BarCampBrighton a truly local affair. If you'd like to show the Brighton geek•tech•hack•startup•social•design•gaming•mobile•robot•photo•blogging scene some ♥ please consider becoming a sponsor. Microsponsorships are just £100. So far we have raised £200. Find out more about becoming a sponsor →
