The First Ignite Santa Fe!

The past few weeks of rounding up speakers and prepping my talk for the first Ignite Santa Fe are now a wonderful blur. My nerves and fear of public speaking were quickly washed away last night by an awesome gathering of people, ideas, and perspectives.

What is Ignite? It's an event, a vibe, a brainstorm, and a heck of a lot of fun. Speakers are given 5 minutes and 20 slides to share an idea, experience, or passion. Yep, just 20 slides and they advance automatically every 15 seconds. The pace certainly keeps things interesting.

A great group of people from Santa Fe, Los Alamos, Albuquerque, and points between convened at the perfect venue, the Santa Fe Complex. At first I was struck at the diversity of topics but by the end of the night some common threads emerged. Focusing on what's important stuck with me, the simple display of crystals in a museum exhibit to the preservation of the core traditions of a Nepalese village.

I have a few new localized ideas to chew on too. The possibility of increased civic-awareness through live web streaming of local government proceedings and visualizing data local in more meaningful ways. I now know what makes a dinosaur a dinosaur, the steps to setup a non-profit organization, and the dimensions of sound. I got a glimpses back at 60s counterculuture and forward to the inter-reality my kids may likely know. We even had two last minute talks put together as everyone else was speaking. Everyone did a great job!

Thanks to Mick for grabbing the matches and Steve for providing the kindling. I had great time meeting and seeing everyone and can't wait until we do it again!