I just got back from a business trip to Portland, Oregon, where I got to spend four virtually uninterrupted days designing RESTful web services with some excellent developers. Staying in downtown Portland was a treat; the city was gorgeous, the weather was delightfully mild and walking through the city was a lot of fun. I also got to try out a bunch of really nice restaurants at company expense. I even managed to catch a glimpse of the majestic Mount Hood from my hotel room.
RubyNation Tickets Selling Nicely
Tickets for RubyNation 2008, a new regional Ruby conference that I’m helping to organize, are selling briskly. We’re at about the 75% mark, with ticket prices due to increase by $25 on July 16th. By my calculations, we’re already in the black based on ticket sales and sponsorships, which is always a vital milestone. My guess is that RubyNation will be sold out at least a week before the conference.
Scotland Trip
David and Sally Keener toured Scotland, Sally’s homeland, from May 14th to May 27th. Highlights included a highland journey to scenic Loch Lomond, dinner at the famous Drover’s Inn, a guided tour of the Cruacha Power Station (a water-based electrical generating plant tunneled into a granite mountain), shopping in Glasgow and many pubs. The top restaurant for this trip was the River House, situated next to a small lake and literally within view of Stirling Castle.
Note: (2018/01/13) The River House was an elegant restaurant in Sterling, Scotland. It sat on the shore of a small lake with Sterling Castle looming beside it on its steep, commanding hill. I was sad to learn recently that it had closed.
RubyNation 2008 Registration Now Open
Registration for the 2008 RubyNation Conference just opened today. Join the nation! Get your ticket for the DC area’s very own regional Ruby conference.
RubyNation 2008 Progress Report
Plans for RubyNation, a new regional conference serving metropolitan DC and surrounding areas, is progressing nicely. The venue and budget have been finalized. The Call for Papers just closed earlier this week, and final selection of speakers will be done in a couple of days. Finally, registration will be opening shortly for this two-day conference, which will start on August 1, 2008.
On the Steering Committee for RubyNation
I was honored to be asked to join the Steering Committee for RubyNation.org, which is a new, regional Ruby Conference that will be held in the DC metropolitan area this year. The organization is headed up by a sterling group of people, who I have already worked with in various capacities. Naturally, I accepted, even though I realize it’s going to be a lot of work. We’re expecting not only to run a successful conference this year, but we’re also hoping to make it an annual event.
JFreeChart Presentation for NovaJUG
I will be presenting for the Northern Virginia Java Users Group (NovaJUG) on April 9, 2008. The topic will be “Creating Dynamic Charts With JFreeChart.” I’ve given this talk several times for AOL during my recent tenure there, so the presentation is already available in PDF form on my Presentations page. See the NovaJUG web site for directions to the meeting location at the FGM headquarters in Reston. The talk begins at 7:00 PM, although the (optional) networking activities begin around 6:30 PM.
Regional Ruby Conference (2008)
The as-yet-unnamed regional Ruby conference being planned by the NovaRUG has been tentatively scheduled for June 28th. Right now, it’s planned as a one-day event, although I’m hopeful that it will expand to a two-day event. Expansion to two days would, of course, increase my chances of being one of the speakers.
Shenandoah Speaking Engagement
I have been asked by the Shenandoah Ruby Users Group to give my OpenID/Rails presentation to their membership. I’m scheduled for June 24, 2008 at their regular meeting locale, which is the headquarters of Rosetta Stone in Harrisonburg, VA.
Temporarily Unemployed
As of today, I am temporarily unemployed. Yes, this means that I am yet another ex-AOL employee, although my separation was voluntary rather than being the result of one of AOL’s notorious rolling layoffs. Fortunately, my unemployment will only last three days, after which I’ll start my new job as a Technical Architect for Voxant.