I am finally catching up on some sleep after, what was for me, the most action packed JavaOne yet. This was the most crowded I have seen the conference in quite a while and the buzz around the show was extraordinary. The breadth of Java technology demos on display was deep and focused across the board, but with a heavy emphasis on the client (finally!) As well, the show was very exciting for me as I was asked to co-host this year. To be sharing the stage with John Gage and James Gosling was a tremendous honor and I loved every minute of it. Here are the highlights of my activities for the week:
- Co-hosted the General Session kick-off
- Hosted Intel and Motorola sessions
- Hosted the CommunityOne student breakfast and lunch, where we gave away a Nintendo Wii at each for the first person to answer the following:
Breakfast question: What does the Sun in Sun Microsystems stand for?
Lunch question: Was was the original 3 letter name of the technology before it was named Java?
- Hosted the Game Technology BOF on Wed. evening. Also participating were Doug Twilleager, Jeff Kesselman, Josh Slack and Paul Byrne. The session was completely filled up and was a lot of fun. We stayed around in the main hall for an additional hour answering questions. Next year, we may shoot for a 2 hour "Town Hall" style instead. Or perhaps bring back the Game Development "mini-conference"....hmmm.....
- Participated in Games Gosling's keynote and did a Project Darkstar overview/demo with Gamalocus's "Call of the Kings" game, currently in beta. Josh Slack also presented during the session and did a FANTASTIC job.
- A personal highlight for me was spending time with Josh and discovering that, at one point, we lived within 5 blocks of each other. Small, SMALL world. Josh is an awesome guy and a tremendous ambassador for Java technology.
There were a bunch of other photos, videos, etc. that I'll provide links to later (I'm on vacation this week ). Again, amazing JavaOne and I can't wait until next year.
Last Friday evening I had the fortunate pleasure of being invited to an awards ceremony held at George Mason University, which happens to be the school I graduated from. I, along with my wife and several colleagues from Sun, were there to honor Dr. Harry Foxwell as he received an Outstanding Alumnus Award from the school. Harry is a Senior Systems Engineer and OS Ambassador at Sun Microsystems and also teaches at GMU.
(Left to right: Me, Teresa Majer, Harry Foxwell, John DiCarlo, Dave Edstrom, Pascal Girard and Paul Tatum)
From the Awards Gala program guide:
Harry Foxwell is a Senior System Engineer and OS Ambassador for Sun Microsystems Federal, Inc. in the Washington DC area, where he is responsible for solutions consulting and customer education on Solaris, Linux, and Virtualization technologies. Harry has worked for Sun Microsystems since 1995. Prior to that he worked for 6 years as a UNIX and Internet specialist for Digital Equipment Corporation; he has worked with UNIX systems since 1979. He also authors Sun's OneStop website of Linux technical information and has been a Linux user since 1995.
Harry has been influential in developing and promoting Sun's Linux and x86 strategy and messages. He is coauthor of two Sun BluePrints: Slicing and Dicing Servers: A guide to Virtualization and Containment Technologies, Sun BluePrints Online, October 2005 and the Sun BluePrints Guide to Solaris Containers: Virtualization in the Solaris Operating System, Sun BluePrints Online, October 2006.
He received his doctorate in Information Technology in 2003 from George Mason University, and has since taught graduate courses at Mason in Operating Systems and in Electronic Commerce.
Harry is a Vietnam veteran; he served as a platoon Sargent in the US Army's 1st Infantry Division in 1968-1969; (awarded Air Medal, and Bronze Star).
He is also an amateur astronomer and contributing member of the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club, a USATT member and competitive table tennis player, and a USSF (Soccer) referee.
It was a pleasure and honor to be invited to this and, again, congrats Harry!
So, I am asking my readers for a bit of help. My brother Ryan is in a contest that, if he wins, will be able to sing on stage with Rascal Flatts. Please go check out his video here http://www.brickfish.com/ryanva21 and vote for him. Thanks!
EDIT: Here is Ryan's interview on Blog Talk Radio. He did so great and I am so proud of him! If you want to hear one of the next country stars before he blows up and you have to pay for his concerts, listen to the interview!
(Of course, this is highly compressed audio, so I am working on getting the original tracks to post here.)
A lot of things have been happening since my last post. So, I thought a general update would be in order and I'm going to try to get back to a regular posting schedule in the next 2 weeks. So, here we go!
Item 1: Gary Gygax passes away
One of the creators of Dungeons and Dragons has passed on this month. His contribution to the fantasy game genre is only surpassed by Tolkien himself, and narrowly. Dungeons and Dragons has managed to upset ignorant parents and religious groups alike while spawning an incredible range of fantasy games and gajillions of man hours spent in basements by those who dwell in the realm of geekdom. Gary, you will be missed
By way of Penny-Arcade, comes this most fitting tribute:
Item 2: I did not make the IGDA Board
Alas, I was not chosen to sit on the board of the IGDA. However, the folks that were elected truly deserve to be on the board as they are all more active in the IGDA than I ever have been. Congrats to Tom Buscaglia, Brenda Brathwaite, Tim Train and my very good friend Mark DeLoura! Good luck guys!
Item 3: Keynote at the ETech 2008 Conference
I was fortunate enough to be asked to give the Sun Microsystems sponsored keynote talk at the 2008 ETech conference this year. My slides are available for those interested in seeing them. Here is a photo of me in a dance pose or something during the talk:
Item 4: NERDCORE RISING
I am a BIG fan of the hip-hop genre known as Nerdcore. MC Chris, Y.T. Cracker and MC Frontalot are all in heavy rotation in my iPhone. Imagine my excitement when I found that a movie that traces the roots of this exploding genre was shown at SXSW and is touring the country??? Mad props to the folks at Vaguely Qualified Productions for this movie. Can't wait to see it!
Now, for a taste of MC Frontalot and the kings of gamedom, Game and Tycho, check out their deconstruction of the "Penny Arcade Theme Song". Quite hilarious! (NOTE: Some rude language in here, so headphones may be in order, and not at work please!)
That's all for now. Back soon with regular blog posts!
You HAVE to check this site out. My very good friend and awesome game producer, Scott Foe, has launched Nokia's "teaser site" For the Love of Gaming, ahead of his new multiplayer, cross platform game which is code named "White Rock".
On the site, you can play a trivia game to test your gaming knowledge and post your scores to an online leader board. I'm listed as "cripticon" and hit 13 out of 15 (slow day).
You can also download the AWESOME song "2D Died" from the site. Words by Scott Foe and performed by 8-Bit Weapon. Have this song on rotation all day here
). Again, amazing JavaOne and I can't wait until next year. 
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