I spent last Saturday in London at OpenTech 2008, an event organised by UKUUG “and friends”. There were lots of interesting talks—allowing fifteen minutes per speaker ensured a variety and that no one got bored listening to one voice for too long—across a range of subjects from green IT to accessing “freely available” government data. I was also asked/volunteered to chair one of the sessions, which was enjoyable—even though the “projector and laptop failing to talk to one another” beast reared its head at one point.
For those of you who weren’t able to attend the conference itself, recordings of some of the talks should be available in the next few weeks – keep your eyes on the OpenTech 2008 website for details. Already there are some photos available, including several of me—chairing a session puts you at the mercy of the camera far more than just milling around in the audience!
The only downside to the whole day was a five hour train->bus->train journey back, as engineering works on the West Coast Main Line forced me to go via Northampton and Birmingham International. Luckily I’d set off earlier than normal—someone else (who unfortunately I didn’t know was in London) ended up having to book a hotel after missing the last train…