A very quick look at some photographs from the Southern Illinois University Innovative Systems conference, SIUIS4.
Flyover Country No More!!!
Tight security involved gas powered weaponry capable good for three to five rounds of T-shirt bombardment in this backpack-mounted platform. I'm sure 2.0 will be good for ectoplasm.
I'm all for elegant code, but there's something about cannon that just says one *really* cares about the project.
See also http://www.punkinchunkin.com/ for more insights into the Sport of Geeks. Now *that* is art.
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
Anil Mehta, sweating the small stuff to make a good conference even better.
The weather's been outstandingly North Sea here in the Carbondale Illinois area, but I say that will make the Seattle area visitors feel right at home.
There was a nice level of enthusiastic chaos amongst the student volunteers pulling together services for the conference, and a pretty comfortable, smiling group of people moving through the event.
Like a said in another post: World View, Intimate Venue. Nice, bright folks pumped about what they're doing and the potential of it all.
Cheeze Pizza Cheese Pizza Cheese Pizza
The "Green Room" loaded with Pizza, coffee, and volunteers. (And hungry people like me sneaking pizza.)
Logistics were a little shaky, but this is the kind of conference where a few more bucks would really make it sing. Parking permit in advance would have been nice, 'frinstance.
I want to see another conference here in six months, oh please.
Low cost, low hype, high content, real people. Sahweet mercy what a refreshing spin on tech. All here in Southern Illinois.
Robots? Got 'em. UAVs? Sure.
These guys had just torn down a 4H robotics demo from the night before and bless their cotton sox were back putting it together for this conference. The group's also working on some interesting UAV concepts and I hope DARPA, et.al, pick up on the potential.
All for now. Two more good days of the SIUIS4.
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