Harvesting the Ephemeral
Wednesday June 29, 2005
JavaOne 2005: Behind The Scenes of the Java Card ... in Work
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Each JavaOne attendee has been issued a Java Card with an embedded
contact-less MIFARE (rfid) chip, the same configuration as the Sun
employee badges. The badges of each attendee are scanned as they
enter the breakout session rooms.
We've partnered with Business Objects (http://businessobjects.com/) to analyze the data (only badge numbers are captured, there's no association with names or other identifying data.) They're generating reports such as the 10
most popular sessions, breakout of attendance by attendee type, time,
etc. The charts/reports will be accessible over the show web at
Moscone.
There's Java technology all over the place: on the card scanner systems (all Sun
hardware) capturing data from the physical readers. There's also Java technology
at the middle layer gathering the data and preprocessing it for
Business Objects. And Business Objects themselves use Java struts,
servlets and jsp at their presentation layer, all running on a W2100zM
in the Moscone NOC.
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JavaOne 2005: Connections ... in Work
And now, time for some words ... In the morning I tag along with Kevin onto the Pavilion floor. Someone needs help configuring a storage unit. It needs to be configured via the serial port, and the process reminds me of my BBS hacking days. I bump into Patrick Chan - he's there for the birthday celebration. During the day I continue to meet new people, as well as former colleagues. I really enjoy the social aspect of JavaOne. I usually tend to be shy, but not in this setting. As we walk the halls we constantly stop to chat. Someone comments that we are a "magnet" for meeting people. I recognize many faces, even though I don't know their names. I have worked on several of the Technology showcases - Java Ring, Zaurus, Palms (I was uber sync master 
). One of the great perks of working on these projects was that I got to meet and talk to a great deal of people. There have been many wonderful conversations.
Later on in the day I run into Martin, and roam around with him taking pictures. FYI - he did the narration for the video playing at the ONE booth. We hit up the retail store and score some phat lewt. I really dig the new colors, and pick up a week's worth of new shirts (I've been modeling them back in the office.) Then we're off to the blogger's party. It's definitely not a time to be shy - plenty of conversation and new faces await us. It's a great time and the time flies. We decide to have dinner and reluctanly leave for much needed food.
I head off to use the restroom, and on the way back to my table - a fellow walking ahead keeps looking back at me. Finally he stops and turns and says while looking down at my badge (which only identifies me as Technical Staff 1) "so you are here for JavaOne as well?" I respond yes, and the conversation begins. His name is Victor, and he's from Hungary. He's lived in New York for the last five years. "So where do you work Viktor?" He tells me that it's an online grocery place, and I probably haven't heard about. I then proceed to describe "a large refrigerated warehouse, and everything is done to order?" He's surprised. Turns out that I have heard about it, and actually seen a show on it. The conversation ends, but I'm smiling. How many times do you meet a stranger in a crowded restaurant, and strike up a friendly conversation? But that's JavaOne for you.
Dinner is great (tapas! yum!), and on the way out we run into Gonzo. Conversations with him are always a treat - because he multithreads. He immediately starts talking about JXTA - because that's what he's passionate about. And if you have any doubt about that passion - you need to talk to him. Because I guarantee afterwards you'll walk away talking to yourself "damn! why am I not using this?" He's fantastic, and it's comforting to know that people like him work at Sun.
Before we head out the door, we check in on the bloggers. Yep, they're still going.
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JavaOne 2005: People In Motion ... in Work
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JavaOne 2005: Happenings ... in Work
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Tuesday June 28, 2005
JavaOne 2005: Photo Resources ... in Work
There's plenty of resources for JavaOne photos this year - and that's a good thing. Martin has listed a few places to check out, and I have a few more for your clicking pleasure:
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JavaOne 2005: People Making Contact ... in Work
JavaOne 2005 begins in earnest. The doors open and Moscone sputters then crackles with life. People make contact, and the conversations begin. Hands reach out, pats on the back, hugs, hello's and heart-felt smiles. Words are spoken for real, real organic questions are asked instead of the standard plastic ones, and there's a pause for answers as we shift into another gear. A thoughtful gear. Thousands of people concentrated in these halls for a common reason, so it's not a time to be shy. Words are spoken with a passion, and people listen in earnest. Contact! Action, reaction ... synergy.
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Monday June 27, 2005
JavaOne 2005: Thrasher Duke ... in Work
Here is this year's Duke for the JavaOne 2005 Conference. Thrasher Duke sporting a killer board with the sweet 10 year anniversary logo for Java Technology. Righteous!
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JavaOne 2005: So It Begins! ... in Work
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Friday June 24, 2005
JavaOne 2005: Colors ... in Work
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JavaOne 2005: Hands-on Lab Awaits ... in Work
100 systems for your hacking pleasure await you at JavaOne's Hands-On Lab.
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JavaOne 2005: Beginnings ... in Work
Kevin, Vernon and I emerge from the bowels of BART into a cold, grey San Francisco morning. Destination: Moscone. We enter the North Side, and immediately check on the network. Conversations with the conference folks. I look around and notice the new Sun brand colors are everywhere. Off to the Ops room to check in with Steve, and see what needs to be done. The usual gang is there, and hellos and how ya doings are exchanged. I'm off to Room 130 to help with the hands on lab. 102 machines await. Kevin the intern has already started, so Rich and I start grabbing monitor cases to unload. The cases are freaking massive (excuse my poetry) and before I know it, I'm huffing and puffing. We learned a lesson from last year - so we're sure to keep the monitors from their respective cases next to each other. We get to the end and are puzzle by the table configuration. Rich finally figures out that when we had moved tables to get the cases in position, the electricians had laid cables to wherever they found the tables. Laugh. We move the tables back into position and finish the monitor layout. Empty cases need to go back to the Ops room for storage. The trip back is interesting and a challenge. Once the cases get going, it not so bad. The steering sucks - and you really only offer them suggestions on where they should go. I manage to get mine back without crushing anyone or colliding with a speeding forklift. Those dudes haul. Time has flown and its lunch time. Off to Chevy's. We talk about our kids, and Peter the lone single guy at our table end probably wished he was at the other end. Back to work. Registration is next. More lifting and running around. I assume the gopher role and get cokes and longer ethernet cables and ask Dale where to store the cases. I almost take down the temporary walls trying to get the cases throught the door. By the looks I got, the two fellows balancing precariously while they tried to get the signage up really appreciated my tender touch. 
Or maybe it was my colorful and inventive exclamations. Storage of cases completed, and registration declared complete by Kevin, and I'm off to see what Steve has next. There's some downtime, so I'm off to snap pictures. After a bit a guard stops me and informs me that I need a permit. I'm tired and don't feel like arguing, so I put the camera away and head up to the South Lobby to help with the systems there. We're limited on what we can do - there's no network and no holes drilled in the tables to drop the power. For fun we try to see if we can cram a case into the elevator, but no dice. We contemplate the escalator, but finally agree that would probably be a bad idea.
The day is over. I tell my friends goodbye - they're moved in for the week and will spend the majority of their time living in the depths of Moscone until next Friday. Sleep will be scarce. Me - I'm off to BART and a long ride home.
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Wednesday June 22, 2005
JavaOne 2005: Anticipation ... in Work
Well, tomorrow I will return to the depths of an empty and barren Mosone Convention Center, and help transform it into the 2005 JavaOne Conference. This will be JavaOne #8 for me, and I'm bringing my camera.
Last year I did a photoblog, trying to capture the spirit of the conference through photos and imagery. I'll be doing the same thing this year, except I'll be posting here.
Anticipation ... well, yeah, what exactly have they concocted for this year's t-shirt hurling contest? I really need to figure out how to be there to witness the chaos, er I mean, the innovations in action first hand. 
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The Genius Factory ... in Reading
What if I told you an eccentric millionaire, having decided that America was heading down the genetic tubes (pun intended), went on a crusade to artificially inseminate women with the sperm of geniuses? You probably would tell me that I should stop reading so many scifi books. When I read about "The Genius Factory", I immediately thought of the movie The Boys from Brazil, starring Gregroy Peck. "What a rip off" I thought initially. But then, as I read on, I realized it was true. Holy crap!
"The Genius Factory is the story of the most radical human-breeding experiment in American history: the Nobel Prize sperm bank. It opened to notorious fanfare in 1980, and for two decades, women flocked to the bank from all over the country to choose a sperm donor from its roster of Nobel-laureate scientists, mathematical prodigies, successful businessmen, and star athletes. But the bank quietly closed its doors in 1999--its founder dead, its confidential records sealed, and the fate of its children and donors unknown. While researching Nobelist William Shockley, a donor to the bank, award-winning Slate columnist David Plotz kept coming across references to the Repository. He realized that no one knew how this audacious venture had turned out. So in early 2001, Plotz set out to solve the mystery of the Nobel Prize sperm bank."
Great Divide Race ... in Distractions
The Great Divide Race, the world's longest non-stop mountain bike race is now underway. There's a blog with the rider's updates (cool!), as well as a map of the waypoints (click on them to see the comments.) Nobody has made it to Wyoming yet. The route they are following is the Great Divide Route, which the Adventure Cycling Association claims is the world's longest off-pavement bike route.
Friday June 17, 2005
Song of the Day ... in Music
I'm closing out the week of females not with a song, but with an artist. I'm not sure what it is about Billie Holiday, but her voice takes hold of me and holds me like a gentle lover. Before I discovered her recordings by accident, I had heard of her but never listened to her music. On a whim I picked up an unknown Jazz compilation of various artists, and she happened to be on it. The compilation itself was fantastic, and but she made it even greater. So, make a fire, open a bottle of wine, and let the voice of Billie Holiday soothe you as you head gently into the night.
