Life is a mystery, everyone must stand alone. I hear you call my name and it feels like
Home.
- Madonna, Like a Prayer
Going to BarCamp Canberra was like coming home to old friends I’ve never met.
by laRuth
A more coherent may never be forthcoming, so I just record a few impressions now…
1. From the BarCamp twitter timeline - Main Room: Raffaele on “Using the Dark Force (sales)” and a GTD presentation by Gav and Steve in Room #2
by trib
I met Gavin Jackson at the end of his presentation @ 12.20. He’d mentioned using a GTD extension to manage Gmail. I said “Want to do a GTD presentation?” He booked the spot, and we presented on GTD. His slides, my excel timekeeper o’ doom, and group participation. Three hours is the shortest time frame I’ve ever collaborated myself into a presentation. Mad props to Gavin for being up for the challenge at short notice with a co-conspirator he’d only just met.
2. Stephen Dann (@stephendann) in Main Room presenting on … something good I’m sure! I’m in Room #2 02:27 PM April 19, 2008 from web 
Bwhahahahah! Sufficiently good, that it won a prize. Oooh wah ahh oooh know that some good is gonna happen! Slides are up on the presentation - of course, my students should feel free to poke fun of me for presenting on the challenges of teaching commerce students about geek culture and the internet.
3. BarCamp was like home. We spoke a common language, jokes I made about technology worked, and they knew about the Clint Eastwood Firefox movie. I mean, it was heaven to be amongst friends.
April 21st, 2008 - 3:15 pm
[...] enthusiastic blog posts already - Stephen Dann, Gavin Jackson, Ruth Ellison and [...]
April 21st, 2008 - 3:17 pm
[...] enthusiastic blog posts already - Stephen Dann, Gavin Jackson, Ruth Ellison and [...]
April 21st, 2008 - 6:33 pm
Nice to meet you on Saturday! You gave an interesting presentation - I was quite surprised to find out how many people were new to the whole web geek game.
I liked the Battlestar references in your presentation.
April 21st, 2008 - 10:16 pm
Stephen, thanks for coming and thanks for being so enthusiastically involved. I’m really happy you enjoyed the day. And yes, I got every one of the jokes, even the obscurest ones… I’m old enough to have seen the sources all the first time around. Only thing you were missing was a Top Gun joke…
April 21st, 2008 - 10:48 pm
[...] Stephen Dann [...]
April 21st, 2008 - 11:58 pm
@Stephen - I have an ideological objection to Tom Cruise that started back around the time he left Nicole Kidman. I knew then the man was insane. BarCamp was a really comfortable environment, and I’m just amazed about that slice of the world being somewhere so familiar, and comfortable for a new place for me.
@Ruth- I owe you one for the UX presentation, since the Gordon Ramsay line in my chart came from your piece. Discovering just how far connected into the centre of the internet I am, and how far disconnected my students are has been a real eye opener. On the upside, I find this out when my next internet marketing text is still really in design phase, and not when it’s on the shelves…