Wow….that was a party!

The Location: August Capital

What a great location. The outdoor patio was packed for the entire event with people enjoying a california evening on the patio. The guys from August were great hosts! throwing caution to the wind and risking a great art collection in the name of a great party. I had the opportunity to chat for a bit with David Hornik. Dave had the right attitude about the party and as a sponsor we were taken care of.

Demo Space: Chaos

The demo area was a hub of activity, a place where those who weren’t ‘just there to be there’ spent alot of time looking at what was coming down the pipe. We managed a great spot where we managed to demo all night long.

Bernie and I had planned to split up and mix around the room. Well that didn’t happen. To many people to talk to. When the activity started outside we figured it might cool down for a bit but we had an even bigger rush of people who wanted to see what ConceptShare was. I couldn’t even guess how many people we talked to on Friday night but were doing our last demonstration at 11:45ish.

There were alots of interest and lots of people really got what we were trying to acheive. Thanks to everyone who stopped by.

The People:

There was so many people there. The evening was filled by great conversations with tremendously interesting ideas and great insights.

- Rob Christensen from Adobe came by and really enjoyed what he saw. He followed up with a great write up. thanks for the very gracious words. Rob’s Blog here .

- Mario Sundar from Navajo who really understands the need we are filling was a great person to demo. He knows the pain…he sees haw we are going to streamline the process. Mario’s Blog

- I had the opportunity to show Guy what we were up to …that was pretty cool. When he found out we were Canadian he wanted us for his hockey team …..great to meet him.

- Chris and Tara ….oh oh they have reached single name status …haha. They were able to join us after the motherF**king screening of the motherf**cking movie. It was great to hook back up see what is new from the Citizen Agency. Both Chris and Tara have been very patiently awaiting our product as they got an early early look at ConceptShare back in Toronto at BarcampTdot and Mesh. Thanks for the support and …it is coming ….
- I had a chance to really talk with Tracy from waxxi …cool gal for sure! They are doing some cool stuff and we hope to keep in touch with those guys!

-Alex Moskalyuk took the time to review all of the people at the party and we were really happy that he did. He had some great questions and I am glad he had the chance to see it. He has probally the most complete review of the demos. thanks.

Tangler’s Martin Wells was a very interesting conversation …. i know i will be talking to him again.

The Result: We are very happy ….the interest that was sparked was great to see. We are trying to get back to everyone as quick as possible.

there is so much more to say ….and i will.

As Alex put it

“ConceptShare’s Scott Brooks is the ultimate evangelist for the company, surviving quite a few demos with the same vigor and vitality.”

cheers

Scott

Posted in ConceptShare ~ 5 Comments
Written by Scott

So …..we are ready to launch ….well not today but we will be launching at TechCrunch/August Capital Party August 18th.

The party is being held here….

Stay tuned for more ……

Cheers,

Scott

Posted in Business, ConceptShare, Innovation ~ 8 Comments
Written by Scott

Sponsor Update:

That MySudbury.ca has come on board as a sponsor for BarCampSudbury.

Thanks for the help guys

Cheers

Scott

Posted in Technology ~ No Comments
Written by Scott

Posted in Innovation ~ No Comments
Written by Scott

I love great products. I feel a sense of accomplishment when I get home and the thing I bought is as good as it thought it was. Nothing burns me more then having one pulled over on me.

A few weeks ago I needed a new drill to do some work around the house I headed over to the local Canadian Tire …(they sell alot more then tires)

As I looked through the different drills i found a skil drill and I figured the price was right and i looked pretty dam cool.

What they did right

• they put a light that actually works ….lights up the work area
• they intergrated a removable stud finder
• they intergrated a removable laser level
• arrows that tell you which way the drill is going

What is the one thing i would change in version 1.1

The light goes on when the trigger is pulled. That being said the light should go on before the bit starts turning….

Here is to great product design and having no excuse not to do the work around the house.

Cheers

Scott

Posted in Product Design, Usability ~ No Comments
Written by Scott

Yes …..i finally won. I bought a Herman Miller Aeron for $20CDN

I felt like one of those people who have bought a precious painting at a yard sale. I know there is no way that I would have bought one of these at full pop ….
But you never know what you will find at your local office surplus place. This one was piled amongst chairs needing some repair before being resold. When i spotted the webbed back and seat rest I instantly knew what I had found.

When I asked the guy at the place how much he looked at me with a puzzled look …..”it’s broken …..you want a broken chair? …I can let it go for twenty bucks …..twenty bucks I respond ……is that too much, he quips …….i couldn’t get the 20 spot out of my pocket fast enough.

I will probally have to spend a hundred for a new lift cylinder ….but aside from that the chair works well.

So …. I wanted to know a bit more about my chair. My gut told me it was a left over relic from the internet boom bust …..I really wanted to confirm. I did some checking on the chair …..to know the history and to find it’s part in history.

…..and the chair is from a company Accelight Networks Canada Inc.

January 2000

” Although AcceLight Networks is young – born December 1999 – the company is ambitious. Their goal is to be the world leader in all-optical Internet switching. By the end of the year, AcceLight plans to begin manufacturing the “core optical switch” that will route the flow of data over the Internet faster and in greater volumes than eve
before.

November 2001

AcceLight Networks Raises $60 Million for Photonic Service Switching
AcceLight Networks, a start-up based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, announced $60 million in new equity and debt financing to support its development of its photonic service switching platform. The funding will also be used to expand the company’s sales and customer engagements in key North American and international markets. In addition to AcceLight’s initial investors, Menlo Ventures and Venrock Associates, the company attracted new venture capital from the investment firms CDIB Ventures, Granite Global Ventures, Mitsubishi Corporation, NIF Ventures, Stonewood Capital Management, Western Technology Investment, Whitecastle Investment and Vertex Management.

January 2003

AcceLight Networks Inc. closed its doors for good last Friday and sent its last 60 employees home, according to industry sources. Word is that in the end, the company’s photonic switch fabric didn’t work as advertised; and the company even tried to replace it with an electrical fabric in a last-ditch attempt to raise more money and keep potential customers interested. The company’s managers did not return phone calls. Short of an official casket viewing and ceremony, several Light Readers have already started chiseling AcceLight’s tombstone.

From what I can see they raised well over 100 million ……and all that is left is my $20 Aeron …..

I suggest you check your local surplus suppliers …..but don’t bother going to mine ….

Cheers

Scott

Posted in Product Design, Usability ~ 3 Comments
Written by Scott

BarCampEarth got some great coverage in the Canadian Media this week.

Hi Chris, Hi Scott and Hi Ross,

Thanks very much guy for taking the time to talk to me about BarCamp.

I’m sure our readers will be very interested to know more about your movement. And maybe BarCampers will be interested too.
You’re doing a great thing and helping a lot of people.

Here’s the links to the story I was quoted in:

ITWORLDCANADA Article Part 1

ITWORLDCANADA Article Part 2

PS. Nice photo Chris

Nestor

There was also some great coverage in ITBusiness also …..no quote from me ….but a article none the less.

ITBUSINESS CANADA Article

Thanks to all those who have taken the time to cover the goings on.
And if you haven’t signed up for your barcamp ……sign up

BarCampSudbury

Cheers

Scott

Posted in Community, Technology ~ No Comments
Written by Scott