Live Video!
We’re going to be streaming live video from BarCampBrighton2, using Yahoo’s new Live service. This will allow anyone from around the Web to tune in and watch the talks.
Yahoo Live makes it really easy to start broadcasting your own TV channel. However, there is no option to join groups… until now.
I’ve put together a Greasemonkey userscript called YLiveGroups that lets you join a group and see who else is online, so that you can keep track of the different broadcasts. At the moment, there is just one group: BarCampBrighton2.
The script was started on Wednesday evening and has just basic functionality at the moment, but expect to see some enhancements over the weekend – the script will tell you if an update is available.
Using YliveGroups
First, make sure you’re using the Firefox browser. Next, install Greasemonkey. Restart Firefox and install YLiveGroups. Then head on over to Yahoo Live.
You’ll see people who are at BarCamp in orange and others in blue. Those who are currently broadcasting video are shown in bold. So plug in and get streaming!
For more information about the project, including some technical details about how it was built at – YLiveGroups: Live Video at BarcampBrighton2.
All Points Bulletin! Realtime Worlds recruiting across the board
We are immensely pleased to announce our final sponsor. Realtime Worlds, the independent Scottish video games company, founded by David Jones – creator of the Grand Theft Auto and Lemmings games franchises – is making sure that we’re taken care of by USSU staff on Sunday.
They’re currently recruiting for 17 positions in art, design, development, production, QA and web. You’d either be working on their recently unveiled MMO APB or their latest major un-disclosed project.
If you’re a software engineer specialising in graphics or networking, then they’d really like to hear from you. Even if none of the roles quite sound like your thing, then drop them a line anyway as they can be flexible for the right kind of person.
With only four days to go, BarCampBrighton2 is shaping up into one not to miss! It looks like we’ll have a really interesting games slant this time, given that we’ve got a bunch of Lindens attending, a presentation from TwoFour on immersive gaming technologies in education and the guys from Six to Start behind solving and creating some of the best ARGs out there.
If you’d like to attend, then we have a few places left due to last-minute cancellations. Make sure you’re familiar with the rules of BarCamp before you sign up. See you there!
If you only read one post about BarCampBrighton2, read this one…
Original photo by The GC Four
Breakfast and registration for BarCampBrighton2 opens at 10am on Saturday 15th March. The introductory talks start at 11am and the first talk of the day is scheduled for 12pm.
You’ll need to make your way to the University of Sussex, Falmer campus and head for Falmer House which is the Student Union (USSU) building. Please note that Brighton University and Sussex University are opposite each other at Falmer, so make sure you head for the Sussex campus.
Trains run from Brighton station every 15 minutes. Car parking will be available and we expect it to be free.
If you’re coming from London by train, then head to Brighton station first and get a Falmer train from there. If you’re driving, follow Paul’s directions in the comments below.
Firstly and most importantly, if you’re unsure whether you’ll actually be coming or not, then please decide now. We have a waiting-list of people who’d like your ticket. Email jay@gooby.org if you know you won’t be coming.
Secondly, if this is your first BarCamp, please come ready with a talk or topic or game or discussion idea. It doesn’t need to be polished, but as BarCamps are unconferences where the schedule is set by the you attendees, everyone is expected to contribute. If you’re stuck for ideas on what to do, or aren’t clear on what this means, then please read our previous post Unconferencing; like fight club* but with 30 minute talks.
Part of the BarCamp ethos is the overnight aspect. The Saturday schedule runs until 8.30pm. After that it’s traditional to socialise, drink a beer or two (in addition to the free beer courtesy of YDN, there’ll be a pay-bar that’ll be open until you stop buying), hack some code and play some games.
We’ll be crashing out in the comfy common room, but you’ll want to bring at the very minimum a sleeping bag. We’d also suggest something like a bedroll or beanbag. At the last BarCampLondon, Google provided tent inners to sleep in. We can’t quite stretch to that, but feel free to bring your own (inner only; there’s nowhere to bang the pegs in :P) if you fancy a little more privacy than just crashing out on the floor.
If you really don’t fancy staying overnight, then trains back to Brighton run until 00:45 on Sunday morning (arrives Brighton 01:09am) and there’s an all-night bus service.
Good places to stay are Jury’s Inn (a minute from the station) plus any number of B&Bs, although many of these won’t do one-night stays over a weekend, so you’d need to book for either Friday and Sat or Sat and Sunday. It varies so try a few.
In addition to your sleeping bag and a change of clothes, you’ll want a wash bag (sorry, no showers available), a VGA adaptor for your laptop if you want to use a projector, your laptop and its charger and some cash for the (cheap!) pay-bar that’ll be open until you stop buying drinks.
We’ll be providing you with (courtesy of our fantastic sponsors) breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and refreshments plus some beers on the Saturday. And breakfast, lunch, snacks and refreshments on Sunday.
For any of you heading down to Brighton on Friday night and wanting to have a pre-BarCamp pint or two in Brighton itself, comment below and we’ll sort out somewhere to meet. I know I’ll be wanting a beer as it’s my birthday :D
Any questions, then please comment below and keep and eye on the responses.
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.
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 →
