Salt Lake City Utah FantasyCon 2014 Ticket Giveaway #1

 

FantasyCon is coming to Salt Lake City, Utah on July 3-5, at the Salt Palace Convention Center. This is going to be an amazing event, something you have never expereienced before. This isn't ComicCon at all, it's a unique fantasy adventure. From fantasycon.com web site:

FantasyCon brings you the next biggest thing in fan conventions: a fully immersive, interactive experience that turns fantasy into reality and attendees into participants. More than a con, it’s a circus, a Las Vegas show, movie theater, battle arena, major theme park ride, a living dreamscape—designed and created by world-renowned fantasy artists, set designers, and professional costume and makeup artists. At FantasyCon, you’ll be surrounded by live performers, realistic battles, jugglers, magicians, professional cosplayers—and a towering, smoke-breathing dragon. Oh yeah, we also have quality dealer booths and exciting panel sessions like the other cons—if you have time to squeeze them into your action-packed weekend.
Now’s your chance to live in your fantasy world and become the hero, wizard, commander, princess, or sneaky villain you’ve always wanted to be. #Jointheadventure

I'm really excited to attend FantasyCon, and I want to share my excitement with you. I have several tickets to give away, and here is what you need to do to be entered in this fun give away. Here are the rules:

• I will randomly pick one person from the comments below


• You must have followed all the instructions if your name is selected to win the tickets


• I get to make the final decision if you get the tickets, because, well, this is my contest


• I'll mail you the tickets, it's easiest for me


• If you comment more than once, you'll be eliminated, once is all you need


• If you win a ticket, you aren't eligible to win any more tickets

I'll be giving away TWO separate Adult General Admission tickets for Thursday July 3rd. The instructions are easy; comment below why you're excited to attend FantasyCon. Next share this post on at least one of your social networks (using the buttons provided at the top of this post). I'll randomly pick a winner from those who comment below on Friday 6-11-2014.

More ticket giveaways over the next few days. Also, this is a new video just released, and gives you an inside look at what to expect at FantasyCon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2mzxgB0-pQ

Disclaimer: This ticket giveaway is sponsored by me, and I have the final say in who wins the tickets. The tickets were provided by http://www.fantasycon.com

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Out And Back Southern Utah

Gina and I had to pick up our Daughter from college today. We made a few detours along the way. It was nice to get out after a crappy previous few days.

[pe2-gallery album="http://picasaweb.google.com/data/feed/base/user/117805269367460608808/albumid/6009739274202595281?alt=rss&hl=en_US&kind=photo" ]

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Late Night Salt Lake City Photowalk

Gina and I went out for a really late night photowalk. It was more like a photo drive. Wanted to get something from the Salt Lake City skyline, but didn't really know where to go. Stumbled upon this area above Memory Grove park. Seemed as good as it was going to get.

[pe2-gallery album="http://picasaweb.google.com/data/feed/base/user/117805269367460608808/albumid/6007844124458546561?alt=rss&hl=en_US&kind=photo" ]

 

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Salt Lake Comic Con FanX 2014 VIP Pass

All that's left is to show up.

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Team Victories

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Snow Stream

#photography

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Salt Lake Comic Con 2013 - Photos

Sharing some photos I took at Salt Lake Comic Con 2013.

[gallery ids="2749,2753,2751,2755,2756,2757,2758,2759,2760,2761,2762,2763,2764,2765,2766,2767,2768,2769,2770,2771,2772,2773,2774,2748" orderby="rand"]

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Salt Lake Comic Con 2013

Comic Con in Salt Lake City was certainly a success for sponsors and more or less for fans. The mother of Comic Cons in San Diego California had approximately 130,000 attendees, and Salt Lake, a first year con, had nearly 80,000 attendees on the final day. By noon on Saturday, the fire marshal threatened to shut the Salt Palace down because of potential safety risks. Some ticket holders were turned away, what a disappointment.

Generally I was pretty impressed with the organization and the quality of artists and panel speakers. There were several instances of confusion, especially the registration system meltdown on Saturday, and lack of attendees willing to pay additional money to high-profile celebs speak (William Shatner being one).

Now on to the positive. The art displayed was amazing. The image above is a life-size replica of the White Orc from The Hobbit, created by Weta Workshop. The New Zealand company had a great showing. There were also a number of well-known artists and just as many indie guys showing off their wares.

Overall I would say as a con goer this was an impressive first showing. There are obviously kinks to work out, and the group has a year to make it happen. I purchased some books and comics which I'll link to below.

The Runelords by David Farland. David is a great writer and has several books on the market. Checkout his Amazon page here. (Affiliate link)

Met an author named Michaelbrent Collins, yes, spelt correctly. A lady working at his booth sold me on a unique zombie story called The Colony: Genesis. On the back of the jacket it reads "In under 10 minutes, 99.9% of the world's population will be dead... Or changed. Conversion is instant. Headshots just make them angry. And they're getting smarter." Wow what a great hook. Had me, so I bought. Hope the story lives up to the great description.

Then I ran into a graphic novelist named Dixon Mullins, who has created a series called M.I.S//ing, a take on he IT world. Seemed pretty cool, and she had a great deal so I bought. Looking forward to reading the three volumes I purchased.

One final note, I've been to dozens of cons and I'm a little more strategic than most. I plan and plan my schedule for efficiency, giving me time to see everything, eat, drink, pee, and learn. I wish more people did this, I think the overall experience would be better.

See ya next year. (Get the VIP pass for sure).

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Opening Day For Microsoft Store At Citycreek Utah

People are lining up to be one of the first inside the new Microsoft retail store in Citycreek, downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. Here are a few pics.

[gallery]

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54 Hour Startup Weekend Ogden

I attended Startup Weekend in Ogden Utah November 1st-3rd, 2012. Check out the website, it's a very cool global meet-up.

I've read for years about small groups building products over a weekend, getting some recognition, and some even getting funding to push the product further. I had a hard time believing they had a product worth investing. And that was my naive view, and lack of understanding. What I experienced at my first Startup Weekend was the complete opposite.

Overview

Startup Weekend is like a tech conference with a rocket ship attached. From idea to product, your team build the framework of a business, including product, marketing and sales in 54 hours. What a rush.

There were so many great ideas, it was hard to pick just one. Several didn't make it past the first few hours. Other projects started from the dust of the fallen. Some didn't stay after the first day. Others changed projects (it happened to my project). Everyone wants to succeed.

Getting There Early

Those getting to the event early are smart, they get to do a little interviewing, get a feeling for those who will ultimately become team mates. I didn't understand that, and made a few mistakes when it came to introductions.

My recommendation is to arrive early and network. You won't have any time to do it once the event starts. Get to know who is there to pitch ideas; who are the developers, creatives, marketer and business guys.

I also recommend staying at the hotel of the event if possible. This will give you more time to work.

Takes notes during the pitches

I'm sure this part of the event will vary at each location, but the one I attended, everyone who wanted to pitch an idea was lined up and given sixty seconds to convince us they were the project to be part of. This was another mistake I made. With 50-60 pitches, I quickly lost track.

Once the pitched are finished, everyone gets 3 votes. After 20 minutes of voting (hearing more details of projects), votes are tallied, and the project pool is announced.

Now the fun begins. Project leaders are asked to create a project team, and get started. There was a lot of recruiting, a lot of explaining, and interviewing. This is a serious process which I wasn't expecting to be so quick. Within 30 minutes pretty much every project had a team of 5 or more developers, designers, and business folks.

Why are you there?

My original thought was to show up, learn a little, see how the process worked, watch from the fringe. But that isn't how it works. Everyone there fell into one of three different buckets; developer, designer, everyone else. So of course I fell into the developer bucket.

I recommend showing up with an agenda. Look for a project that you can relate with, and decide before hand what you want to get out of the event. Do you want to act as a developer/designer, and contribute to a project. Do you want to pitch an idea and put together a project team. Or can you help a project team with sales and marketing? Great opportunity for sales and marketing gurus to become part of a startup. We really needed more of this skill for sure.

Pace yourself

I'm not 20 any more and find it difficult to work at a high level for 24-36-48 hours straight. But some can do that. I need some sleep, water, food, and simply getting up and walking around.

Pacing your self will not only give you the ability to go the distance, but give your team better work. I promise that after 50 hours, you will be burnt out. You will want to walk away.

Just participate

You're there. Do it all. get excited. Help. Encourage. Build relationships. Network when possible. Alex Lawrence, the guy who put together the Ogden Startup Weekend did it right. He had prizes (I didn't win a thing, I never do at these things), contents, guests, mentors, and entrepreneur judges.

It's definitely a culture.

Wrapping it up

We were fed well. Hydrated well. And created some great technology. I was so amazed at what was accomplished by everyone in 54 hours. Most of the work was early stage, minimal viable product, far enough along that we could see results. But nearly every project has miles to go.

If you ever have a chance to attend a Startup Weekend, I highly encourage it. The experience alone will get your creative juices flowing. And you get to meet some incredible people.

Have you attended a Startup Weekend? What was your experience?

read more...

54 Hour Startup Weekend Ogden

I attended Startup Weekend in Ogden Utah November 1st-3rd, 2012. Check out the website, it's a very cool global meet-up.

I've read for years about small groups building products over a weekend, getting some recognition, and some even getting funding to push the product further. I had a hard time believing they had a product worth investing. And that was my naive view, and lack of understanding. What I experienced at my first Startup Weekend was the complete opposite.

Overview

Startup Weekend is like a tech conference with a rocket ship attached. From idea to product, your team build the framework of a business, including product, marketing and sales in 54 hours. What a rush.

There were so many great ideas, it was hard to pick just one. Several didn't make it past the first few hours. Other projects started from the dust of the fallen. Some didn't stay after the first day. Others changed projects (it happened to my project). Everyone wants to succeed.

Getting There Early

Those getting to the event early are smart, they get to do a little interviewing, get a feeling for those who will ultimately become team mates. I didn't understand that, and made a few mistakes when it came to introductions.

My recommendation is to arrive early and network. You won't have any time to do it once the event starts. Get to know who is there to pitch ideas; who are the developers, creatives, marketer and business guys.

I also recommend staying at the hotel of the event if possible. This will give you more time to work.

Takes notes during the pitches

I'm sure this part of the event will vary at each location, but the one I attended, everyone who wanted to pitch an idea was lined up and given sixty seconds to convince us they were the project to be part of. This was another mistake I made. With 50-60 pitches, I quickly lost track.

Once the pitched are finished, everyone gets 3 votes. After 20 minutes of voting (hearing more details of projects), votes are tallied, and the project pool is announced.

Now the fun begins. Project leaders are asked to create a project team, and get started. There was a lot of recruiting, a lot of explaining, and interviewing. This is a serious process which I wasn't expecting to be so quick. Within 30 minutes pretty much every project had a team of 5 or more developers, designers, and business folks.

Why are you there?

My original thought was to show up, learn a little, see how the process worked, watch from the fringe. But that isn't how it works. Everyone there fell into one of three different buckets; developer, designer, everyone else. So of course I fell into the developer bucket.

I recommend showing up with an agenda. Look for a project that you can relate with, and decide before hand what you want to get out of the event. Do you want to act as a developer/designer, and contribute to a project. Do you want to pitch an idea and put together a project team. Or can you help a project team with sales and marketing? Great opportunity for sales and marketing gurus to become part of a startup. We really needed more of this skill for sure.

Pace yourself

I'm not 20 any more and find it difficult to work at a high level for 24-36-48 hours straight. But some can do that. I need some sleep, water, food, and simply getting up and walking around.

Pacing your self will not only give you the ability to go the distance, but give your team better work. I promise that after 50 hours, you will be burnt out. You will want to walk away.

Just participate

You're there. Do it all. get excited. Help. Encourage. Build relationships. Network when possible. Alex Lawrence, the guy who put together the Ogden Startup Weekend did it right. He had prizes (I didn't win a thing, I never do at these things), contents, guests, mentors, and entrepreneur judges.

It's definitely a culture.

Wrapping it up

We were fed well. Hydrated well. And created some great technology. I was so amazed at what was accomplished by everyone in 54 hours. Most of the work was early stage, minimal viable product, far enough along that we could see results. But nearly every project has miles to go.

If you ever have a chance to attend a Startup Weekend, I highly encourage it. The experience alone will get your creative juices flowing. And you get to meet some incredible people.

Have you attended a Startup Weekend? What was your experience?

read more...

2011 Women Tech Award Recipients

Announcing the Women Tech Awards 2011 sponsored by the Women Tech Council. This years recipients are:

Courtney Doyle, Ph. D student, Robotics, College of Engineering - Student Award

Kate Maloney, CEO, CostumeCraze - Rising Star Award

Sarah B. Hiza, Senior Manager, Energetic Materials & Mechanical Testing, ATK - Technology Innovator Award

Jennifer Hwu, CEO, InnoSys - Technology Entrepreneur Award

Patricia Hall, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs and Co. - Technology Excellence Award

Shawn Adamson, Regional Vice President, Xo Communications - Technology Trailblazer Award

Susan Johnson, President and CEO, Futura Industries - Leadership Excellence Award

Congratulations to everyone.

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Utah Open Source Conference 2010 Wrap-Up

This year's Utah Open Source Conference was a great event. I'm still amazed this conference can pull off three days, but it some how does just that. I'll admit that on the third day, I'm pretty tired, and my brain is in information overload.

Clint Savage (@herlo) and crew have done an excellent job brining Open Source into the spotlight at least once a year. The conference is open to anyone, and I would really like to see more Enterprises that use Open Source get involved, and I think more Enterprises should send the staff to learn about Open Source alternatives to commercial software. There are a number of OSS products that are just as good if not better than their commercial counterpart. Everything from Office alternatives (OpenOffice.org), to network administration tools, intrusion detection, and photo management.

What is really exceptional is all of the content presented by folks who use the software, and in some cases, wrote the software. You have a mix of industry experts, and passionate users, sharing their experiences, and giving attendees the inside scoop.

I volunteered this year, and helped various presenters with their room needs. It never fails to amaze me the support this conference gets. Look for it next year, and get involved.

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Fall 2010 Utah Code Camp

September and October are turning out to be a complete geek fest. With the Kynetx Impact Dev Day on 9/18, Utah Code Camp this week 9/25, and of course Utah Open Source Conference 10/7-10/9. Check out the camp schedule here.

I hope to attend these classes:

• Keynote 9:00am - 10:00am Modern Software Development, the State of the Craft -- David Starr


• 10:10am - 11:10am ASP.NET MVC 3 Razor -- Nathan Zaugg


• 11:20am - 12:20pm Internet-Enabled Applications for Windows Phone 7 -- Richard Thomson


• 12:20pm - 1:00pm Social Networking and Building your brand -- Pat Wright


• 1:00pm - 2:00pm What is ALT.NET? -- Craig Berntson


• 2:10pm - 3:10pm WPF MVVM Design Pattern -- Danny Staten


• 3:20pm - 4:20pm MVC and Entity Framework -- James Johnson

This should be a great event. Pat Wright and company do a great job. If you're Microsoft Developer, or want to learn more about Microsoft development tools, this would be a great place to start.

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Photos From WordCamp Utah 2010

The Will it blend? guy struggled to blend up a WordPress mug, but made short order of a USB drive.

I also had the best iPad and iPen, going old school.

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The Importance Of People Versus Technology

People are where it's at. Technology is just a vehicle.

Today is April 1st. Typically people see today as the start of Spring. A time to renew. A time to access our plan for the year, and make some course corrections.

PodCampSLC 2009 just wrapped up a few days ago. Having the opportunity to meet people I have only interacted with through technology was awesome. I think it is vitally important for people to meet face to face. You can't hide behind a screen. Venture out. Meet up. There are so many things going on out there, you might even discover some new friends.

Things are sort of back to normal. I don't think I'll take on such a huge project again with as little help as I did. The community is bigger than that, and the community deserves to be more involved.

Check out the PodCampSLC website for updates on this past camp and to stay current with upcoming events.

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WordCamp Utah 2008 Wrap Up

Had a great time at WordCamp Utah on Saturday. The Open Source Technology Center at Novell was great. There was plenty of water and snacks. And there were plenty of people in attendance.

I have to give thanks to Joseph Scott for pulling off such a great event.

Here are some pictures I took at WordCamp. I'm using the NextGen Gallery plug-in instead of Flickr. While I use the gallery feature to store pictures, audio and video, I didn't use it to actually show a gallery of photos.

After some struggle to get the gallery manager to work right, I think I finally have it figured out. I think the issue was more user error than application error.

[album=1,extend]

And a link to my presentation video from Ustream. Thanks to RockyMountainVoices.com and Jake Spurlock for the video.

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CouchCast Review Of Accelerando

Today we reviewed the Sci-Fi book Accelerando.

If you’ve been reading current science fiction, and particularly if you’ve been reading the discussion around current science fiction, you’ve probably heard of the concept of the Singularity. If you haven’t, briefly, it’s the idea that technological development is an exponential curve, which means that technological change will keep getting faster and faster until it vertically spikes. This is the Singularity, since beyond this point whatever exists afterwards will probably be incomprehensible to those of us who live on this side of the spike.

Visit CouchCast.org for all of our shows. Come and be part of this sometimes wacky, sometimes funny, and sometimes techie podcast. Hosted by Robert Merrill, Matthew Reinbold and Thom Allen.

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CouchCast With UTC CEO Richard Nelson

Join us as we interview Richard Nelson, President and CEO of the Utah Technology Council and also the CEO of the Technology Councils of North America, which is TECNA.



Visit CouchCast.org for all of our shows. Come and be part of this sometimes wacky, sometimes funny, and sometimes techie podcast. Hosted by Robert Merrill, Matthew Reinbold and Thom Allen.

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