TK08 kicked off on a fine note when NYTimes tech columnist David Pogue opened the conference. With humor and music (great takeoffs of famous songs to bemoan technologies problems, e.g. I Got an iPhone to the tune of I Did It My Way), he talked about several megatrends, which while not really new were well presented.
I was least impressed with Phone & Internet (VoIP), though I hadn’t known of Google Info (you can send text message to Google – 46645 – and get a google answer). He had a unique take on ubiquitous WiFi (e.g. we’ll be telling our kids “when we were kids we had to drive to the coffee shop to get to the internet”), and he ‘got’ the user-generated content movement that’s a significant part of Web 2.0. I was more impressed with the intersection of on-demand TV and movies (I think that while the MacBook Air is quite the coolest laptop out there, the more game-changing announcement at the MacWorld expo was iTunes movies via AppleTV).
Actually, the conference started for me the day before as I ran my simulation game design workshop, and then took off with some elearning gurus including Lance Dublin, Bob Mosher, Jim Javenkoski, and Michelle Lentz (who I hadn’t met before, though had read some of her writing; now in my blogroll) for some Unibroue tasting (yum!). Also in the ‘meeting folks’ section, today I met Karl Kapp, the author of Gadgets, Games, & Gizmos. I’d heard good things about him, and he’s weighed in insightfully on the previous learning theory for ID discussion (hey, he likes my post ;) . Also now in my blogroll.
A quick side note: at the Flying Saucer (venue) for the beer tasting, they have a local club for fans of their massive beer list. There’s a computer and printer in a cabinet that people queue up to, enter a beer (or several) identifier, and take away a printed list of tasting notes to match with the beer they order. A whole different form of eLearning, but valuable!
All in all, a good start to what’s looking to be a good conference. Looking forward to Joe Miller‘s presentation tomorrow!
Clark,
It was great to meet you at the conference, I enjoyed our discussion. Take care,
Karl
Hello, Clark:
I’m so pleased that you, Lance, Bob, Michelle and Kevin participated in the Unibroue tasting seminar at The Flying Saucer on Monday evening. Great venue, great crowd of loyal customers eager to learn more about our beers. There is no better way to kick-off a conference than with a goblet or two of distinctive refermented ales. Santé! =)
Jim
Clark:
It was fantastic to meet you and join everyone at the Unibroue tasting. I enjoyed our various discussions. Take care!