15/06/05
13Th@t w@s @media
(Are you finding the use of @ in posts about @media annoying yet?!) Sorry to be late with this post, but this is the first chance I’ve had to write up something about the UK’s first web standards and accessibility conference.
I travelled down early on the Thursday morning with Denis (designer of the @media branding), and the first thing that struck me was how slick the operation was. Patrick had done a stellar job in organising all of this – I’d expected the first conference to be ‘testing the waters’ with a basic venue, but that wasn’t that case. It was a swish location in London’s south bank, with the 2 days being very slickly organised.
The presentations were excellent, and in particular Jeremy Keith’s ‘Using Javascript for Good (not Evil)’ floated my boat. Joe Clarke was as engaging and entertaining as ever, and it was a thrill to see Zeldman speak in London. Was everyone else as amazed as I was at Malarkey’s transformation from Mod to sharp dressed man?
If I had one complaint, it would be that there wasn’t enough time to talk. Breaks and lunches were carried out a breakneck speed (although maybe this helped to disprove the myth of Brits always taking breaks for tea?). The party on the Thursday needed to be in a large beer garden with food served, so that we could mingle and talk easier. Then again, I come from the shires, where every pub has a garden, and these big cities just ain’t got room for such niceties.
Sadly I had to leave fairly early on the Friday evening, and didn’t manage to find everyone I’d met to say goodbye. I met a lot of great people, but I won’t attempt a list, for fear of missing someone out. However, I would just like to say how great it was to finally meet Roger Johansson, Pete Lambert and Veerle Pieters (You see the problem? There was also Patrick Lauke, Mark Boulton…). We’re all a nice bunch aren’t we? Unfortunately, my photos were generally really poor, and my flickr set isn’t up to much.
Now then Malarkey, what’s all this about my ropey old socks appearing on ebay ?
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Peter J Lambert said 1136 days ago:
Good to have finally met you too, Jon. Hope we get to meet up again before next years conference.David M. said 1136 days ago:
Hmm, not holding my breath for @media 2 to be held in sunny Canberra. Maybe it’s time I moved back to London again …Faruk AteÅŸ said 1136 days ago:
ohmygodit’s JON HICKS!It was great meeting you, and I completely agree that there wasn’t enough time for mingling and such. Not enough time at all.
Here’s to @media 2006 being an even bigger success, because yes, this was one damn good conference!
goodwitch said 1136 days ago:
Ropey old socks….pleeeeease! I sense a new adventure of the “The sisterhood of the traveling socks” coming on.Zach said 1136 days ago:
Was fantastic meeting you!HAHA @ the socks being currently $102.50
Mike Stenhouse said 1136 days ago:
Loads of people had left by the time I made it down to the Novotel for the post-conference drinks. Shame – I was hoping to spot a Hicks and a Malarkey. Maybe next time…John Oxton said 1136 days ago:
Maybe I’ll pitch in at the last minute, but them socks, wash ‘em and give them back—acutally I have never owened a pair of Next socks… hmmm… thinking, thinking…John Oxton said 1136 days ago:
Not that I know how you “owen” a pair of socks… when’s someone gonna do a TXP spellcehck glupin?Reverend Dan said 1135 days ago:
thatt wats atmedia?;¬)
Stephane Deschamps (nota-bene.org) said 1135 days ago:
bq. Was everyone else as amazed as I was at Malarkey’s transformation from Mod to sharp dressed man?Darn. He’s less Mod than he was, you mean? I thought he was incredibly Mod. I mean, in France we’ve almost never had that trend, so it really looked like the real thing.
You know what? In three years’ time, people won’t talk anymore about the conference content, they’ll talk about Andy Clarke’s style ;)
paul haine said 1135 days ago:
“Breaks and lunches were carried out a breakneck speed (although maybe this helped to disprove the myth of Brits always taking breaks for tea?).”Well, it wasn’t through choice that they were carried out at breakneck speed. I know I could have happily drunk at least one cuppa per presentation.
I would have liked to have seen longer breaks, just so I could have had more time to go and thrust my hand in front of people and demand that they give me a shake.
Mike, Slayer of Warriors said 1135 days ago:
Missed the darn thing, I was meant to get work to sort it out for me. Ah hell, here’s to @media 2k6.dotjay said 1124 days ago:
T’was lurvely to meet you, Jon, although I only really got to talk to you when you were on your way out the door on the Friday night!Here’s to next year!