Audience
Originally uploaded by sfllaw.

It’s been a long time since I’ve written about our local unconferences, but a neat one coming up is DemoCamp CUSEC 2. It’s attached to the Canadian Undergraduate Software Engineering Conference, which is being held in Montréal again.

Last year, I did a demonstration on how to cook an omelette, with it being a metaphor for software engineering. This year, I’m going to do something more prosaic and run a round of Powerpoint karaoke, under the guise of getting people to practise their presentation skills.

Or it will be a convincing argument against its use.

Show up if you can! Present something you’ve been working on! (There are still some slots left.) It’ll be exciting.

DemoCamp CUSEC 2
Thursday, 17 January 2008
19:00 – 21:00
Centre Mont-Royal
2200 rue Mansfield
Free admission

( Sign up | Google Maps )

Here are some very belated photos from BarCamp Montréal 3.

If you weren't there, I'm sorry you missed it. We had a lot of fun!

Aleece Germano
Originally uploaded by sfllaw.
Two Julies
Originally uploaded by sfllaw.

Cupcakes
Originally uploaded by sfllaw.

Sylvain and Daniel
Originally uploaded by sfllaw.

DemoCamp Montréal 3 is happening tomorrow. We're going to be at the SAT from 18:30 to 20:30, holding demonstrations on a whole range of different topics.

Why DemoCamp? Well, Montrealers are some of the most creative people I know and they've got plenty of things to show and tell. DemoCamp is like a big gathering of creative minds who get to watch fifteen-minute presentations on anything. And since all you can do is demo: no slides, no gimmicks, then you actually get to see real stuff doing real things.

I'm going to be there to show you how to make a counterclock. You know, the opposite of a clock that goes clockwise. Along the way, I'll do a little explaining of electricity, timekeeping, and motors. I just have to remember to buy a clock today. :P

Come on, it'll be fun!

DmoCamp Montréal 3
Tuesday, 24 July 2007
18:30 – 20:30
Societé des arts technologiques
1195 boul. St-Laurent
Free admission

( Sign up | Facebook | Upcoming | Google Maps )

Evan Prodromou
Originally uploaded by sfllaw.

Tomorrow is the beginning of RoCoCo Montréal 2007, a three-day unconference held right here in Montréal. It starts at 9:30 on Friday at the SAT and runs until Sunday evening. It's for all who are interested in wikis, weblogs, and creators interested in collaborating in on-line spaces.

RoCoCo is organized with OpenSpace Technology, where we collectively decide on an agenda where everybody has a chance to speak. There's no artificial divide between speakers and audience, so you can lead your own session if you have something to say. Think of RoCoCo as a real-life wiki, where anybody can contribute.

A detailed explaination of what RoCoCo is about can be found on this invitation. I'm inviting you because I'm flying out on Saturday and can't make the whole conference, but I really hope you come.

There will be discussions on:

• What projects people are doing around the world
• Development of collaborative tools like wikis, free wifi networks, content management systems, etc.
• Techniques for building collaborative communities
• Best practises for inspiring self-managment and self-policing
• Starting up new projects
• Plans for future collaborations

So how can you attend? I thought you'd never ask!

RoCoCo Montréal 2007 Friday, 18 May 2007 at 9:30      until Sunday, 20 May 2007 at 18:00 Societé des arts technologiques      1195 boul. St-Laurent Free admission ( Sign up | Upcoming | Google Maps )

See you there!

Happy camper
Originally uploaded by sfllaw.

BarCamp Montréal 2 is coming up soon. Yup, our second big full-day unconference is happening next Saturday at the SAT. We're bigger and better this time, and we'd love to have you show up.

What is BarCamp Montréal? It's an unconference. It's a gathering of active, interesting people who want to get together and share our experiences. It's for individuals and groups, artists and technologists, young and old. Nominally, there's an Internet-technology feel because that's what BarCamps around the world have traditionally done. But because Montréal has such a vibrant arts scene, we've also got talks that are about anything and everything.

So how do you participate? Well, you can't just be a spectator. Nope, unabashed consumption is not our way. Show up on Saturday and give a presentation on a project that you've been working on. Or show up a little early and help us set up. Or stay late and clean while chatting with the exciting people you've met. We want you to be part of our community.

We've got fifteen-minute presentations ranging on exciting topics like:

• Taking good photographs
• Building “Web 2.0” applications
• Online multi-player games
• Lasers
• East-asian culture
• Starting a company

Have you got something to say? Or something to show? I hope so.

Now that I have you convinced, you're going to want to know how you (and your interesting friends) can attend…

BarCamp Montréal 2
Saturday, 28 April 2007
9:30 – 18:00
Societé des arts technologiques
1195 boul. St-Laurent
Free admission

( Sign up | Upcoming | Google Maps )

DemoCamp Montréal 1
Originally uploaded by sfllaw.

It's been a week since DemoCamp Montréal 1. We held it last Tuesday at the SAT, which had generously donated a venue for this event. I arrived three minutes early, knocking on the door while juggling the supplies I had bought. A few power bars, some name tags, and various pieces of paper.

I entered, drew a few signs, and left the "Hello / Bonjour" stickers by the door. Then I ran around for a while until I realized that there was really nothing to do. Those SAT people were really efficient.

I pulled out the camera that diluvienne lent me and fired off a few test shots. Not being used to this camera in low light, I think things were a little overexposed. But a little photo-editing brought out the details, so I'm pretty pleased.

Audience
Originally uploaded by sfllaw.

There were five demonstrations, lasting less than fifteen minutes each. The presenters took a few questions and then got shooed off the stage for the next bunch of people. John Kopanas did an excellent job playing MC, which helped things along smoothly. I spent some of the time talking to people, taking photographs, and heckling.

In the end, we had a big group of people just meeting other people. A sizable number went with John to Le Sainte-Elizabeth for some post-conference drinking. It was getting late, so a bunch of us broke off from the splintering islands of conversation and headed for dinner. All and all, I'm very happy with the results.

Reports about the event are all over the Internet now: Montreal Tech Watch, Evan Prodromou, YashLabs (parts 1 and 2), Silicon Island, Growwwing (parts 1 and 2), and Midnight poutine.

I'm going to put on my organizer hat now and talk about the things that didn't go so well. This is not to say that I'm think we did poorly, but there is room for improvement. It was the first DemoCamp we had with only people from in town, so it seems to be pretty representative of the crowd we'd draw.

First off, the biggest complaint among people was that the presentations weren't very interesting. I know that sounds a bit harsh, but it's not that far off the mark. Technical people don't get a lot of practise at public speaking and I think we need to address this.

One of the first things I'm going to propose is to contact speakers before their talk and offer them tips on how to give a good demonstration. You know, stuff like "get to the good stuff quickly", "engage your audience", and "speak to their interests". Not having slides is one way of preventing people from losing the audience. But also showing something that your audience finds sexy is a good technique.

Many of the presentations were pitched as if they were technologies looking for funding. Although there were a couple of investors in the crowd, the vast majority of attendees were technologists, artists, and people interested in seeing cool stuff. There's no way you can please everyone, but getting people excited about what you're demonstrating is a good start. And even if you are pitching a technology for investment, isn't it good to be able to get people interested in your product?

One last thing, before I forget, is that sexism is probably not a good idea. One of the presentations showed a potential advertisement that was in questionable taste. When a woman in the crowd brought up the fact that it could be rather alienating, the discussion did not go to addressing the faults of the ad, but rather into humour. Although jokes can diffuse a tense situation, in this case it seemed to make things quite worse.

I'd like to hear your thoughts on DemoCamp and how to get you to attend, or to return to another event. Please feel free to comment in this entry or to e-mail me privately.

Dear Lazyweb,

I'm working on the logos for DemoCamp Montréal and I want to be able to make them open content. Unfortunately, the original logos were done in Adobe Illustrator CS2 and I don't have a copy of that.

Would someone with a copy be able to take those files and export them as SVG? If so, I'd be most grateful.

Many thanks!
Simon

Sun Day Brunch
Originally uploaded by darkmatter.

What's interesting about Montréal, as a hub city, is that it doesn't have a lot of geeks in it. Yes, we do have people working in tech, and yes there are people with geeky interests. But compared to other large cities that are full of universities, there really aren't that many. And worse, there aren't many jobs for these people, so geeks aren't even encouraged to stay.

Since I'm not one to complain about things, I'd like to point out that interesting things are afoot.

This evening, the Canadian Undergraduate Software Engineering Conference will be hosting DemoCamp CUSEC 1. A bunch of techie friends of mine will attend and I hope you do too.

What's a DemoCamp? It's an evening of presentations where you're encouraged to show projects that you're working on and discuss the things you're shown. Everybody has a great time since it's all about participating in a community of peers who are active.

To sweeten the deal, I'll even be presenting a talk. It's entitled:

The stupidity of crowds
— or —
You have to break a few eggs to make an omelette

Don't worry if you don't know anything about software engineering. After all, I'm not even an undergraduate so why should I follow convention? Rest assured, though, I'm going to be pretty geeky.

The relevant details

Blur
Originally uploaded by sfllaw.

It occurs to me that Montréal doesn't have enough public gatherings.

Oh sure, Montréal has its festivals during the summer. We're famous for them. In fact, that's one of the reasons as to why I moved to this city. Our vibrant street life is very attractive and very healthy.

But sometimes, this seems too organized. What happened to just getting together to do something fun, without having to pay a fee or get a programme? What if you could just pop in and participate? What if you were roped in, as you were walking down the street?

I'm thinking we could use the Tam Tam Jam as a staging area for some of the public events. It'd be easy to get people interested in a party we hold in a corner of the park.

Here are some of ideas for things that I've been kicking about:

DemoCamp — An idea started by TorCamp, you show up and have fifteen minutes to demonstrate something you've made. I think TorCamp people demonstrate programs, but I don't see why you couldn't show off something you've built, or some art you've done.

TuneCamp — In a city that's so full of music, wouldn't it be great to have a collection of people who are enthusiastic about it show up and just play? I suppose it'd be a disorganized concert, much like one held at a house.

Métro party — Get on the last car at Côte-Vertu, decorate it, and ride it all the way to the other side, picking up party-goers along the way.

Picnic in the park — Get a massive, red-checkered cloth and spread it out on the grass. Have people show up with picnic food and have the biggest potluck we can find.

Ice disco — In the winter, they flood bits of Parc Jeanne-Mance to make ice rinks. Wouldn't a skating dance party be just the thing? I think arranging some hot chocolate would be good too.

Pillow fight club — A classic event, we should find a sunny day to do it next year.

Disc swap — How about an impromptu music swap? Have people show up with CDs and DVDs they are bored of to exchange with a random one. Setting up players with speakers would be good, so people can enjoy the music together.

Dancing in the street — On the next car-free day downtown, we should try to get people to just dance in the streets. You know, "a chance for folks to meet?"

Strawberry social — People meet in the park bringing strawberry-themed treats. I think dressing up in hats and gloves would also be appropriate. And maybe horses.

Masquerade — A ball! Where everyone has to show up in costumes and masks.

Santa Claus parade — Doesn't dressing up as Santa Claus and going around town giving people candy canes sound fun? How about going on a pub crawl while we're at it? This shouldn't be restricted to the Christmas season, after all, candy canes go on sale on boxing day.

Free hugs — Get a few people, lots of signs saying "Free hugs / Câlins gratuit", and stand on Ste-Catherines giving people hugs as they go by. We could even augment this with buttons, that we could give away.

Guerrilla gig — Arrange for a band or two to hold an impromptu concert in one of the gazebos at public parks. Just show up with an amp, plug in, play a short set and leave.

Snapshot — We organize a tableau somewhere in the downtown core, where people show up dressed a particular way to do particular things. Then photographers show up to take pictures.

Flash rave — Invite some people to show up with their portable music players, take over a building and dance. We should look for a place that can provide free water.

Theme days — No pants day, Talk like a pirate day, whatever zany day comes up, let's set up a little zone in the city where this kind of behaviour is normal. Most of the time, people saying "yarr" are irregular, but what if we turned the tables?

Who thinks these might be fun?

Nametags
Originally uploaded by sfllaw.

I was one of the people who was supposed to help peaceful_dragon organize BarCamp Montreal. But this came up and that came up, and I was basically not useful. Still, I managed to borrow a digital SLR and got myself appointed Official Photographer. So I don't feel too bad about it.

The day started off slowly, with people arriving in ones and twos. gorbash_dragon, who had been doing tons of grunt work, had managed to lasso a few minions to do her bidding. They were managing the registration desk, where I signed up, and then claimed my nametag.

I entered the venue, which is actually a dance studio by night. Cat's Corner is a swing dancing school that Fred keeps trying to get me to attend, and I keep on meaning to. But the only times I ever show up have been to do lifting. I'm sort of weird that way. But they've got plenty of lighting, a good sound system, and fairly large space.

Hugh McGuire
Originally uploaded by sfllaw.

We had a bit of trouble getting the equipment set up, but then we were off to the races. The schedule was rather tight. We had a whirlwind of fifteen-minute talks, ranging across fields of art, technology, and business. Still, I like this format of talk, because there is no time for the talk to get painfully dull. Plus, because there was only one conference room, you have no choice but to attend the current talk, so it exposes you to lots of different ideas that you'd never think about.

We had a reasonably tasty lunch, provided by the various sponsors of BarCamp. Actually, I'm pretty amazed that people would just offer up money so that a bunch of people could socialize, but I suppose there is some value in meeting up to exchange ideas. I certainly learnt a lot from lots of people, and I spent most of my time obsessing about light.

After all the sessions were over, we all pitched in to clean up. Then, some of us took the leftover food to a shelter, donated it and met people at the bar for the after-party. Everyone seemed pretty tired, so there weren't a lot of people who remained.

I think I've volunteered to assist in running the next BarCamp. Which we'd better start planning, since it's only six months away. I'm sort of dreading this, because I saw how tired our fearless leader got. But then he was pretty pleased, so I suppose it balanced out.

Thanks Fred.

I'm at BarCampMontreal right now, taking photographs, giving a talk, heckling, and such.

There are still a few hours left. You should come.

At least to protect me from gorbash_dragon's minions.