According to KGW last night, Ignite Portland 4 was a ‘hipster event’ (cough, cough). Really? I had no idea I was now part of the hipster scene! But while we did have a fair amount of black on display, I’d like to think that the offerings were far more nuanced. I mean, really – a fat, forty-something corporate type talking about management using toddlers and/or Machiavelli as an example? Doesn’t quite scream hipster, does it?

toothpastefordinner.com

(Check this out for more fun graphics – thanks, @clarkus!)

Weeelllll-we all may not have totally lived up to our media billing (who can possibly compare to CamiKaos’s cleavage?), but if you were there, you know a rockin’ good time* was had by all. Even me.

As I told my young son — the unwilling star of my presentation — “hey, I didn’t suck!” His response? “Eh, whatev.” He also chose to disabuse me of my avowed ‘non-hipster’ status this morning: “You’re hipster-esque, but not in a good way.” Whatev right back at you, dude…whatEV.*

Now that I’ve had my five minutes of fame, though – it’s your turn. Ignite Portland 5 will be held on February 19th at the Bagdad; and they’ve already opened up speaker submissions almost four months in advance!

So if you want to join the “hipster brigade” — or, more accurately, push yourself to the limit while risking humiliation in front of 800 people — well, jump into the ring yourself.

I’m here to tell you that it’ll be fine. More than fine. In fact, it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done.

Right up there with giving birth to what will someday turn into a snarky, pain in the ass teenage son who’d rather die than admit that you might sorta, possibly, kinda be, um, cool.

* Note use of stilted and/or out of date slang in a vague attempt to be “cool” as proof positive of my non-hipster status.

(If you want to follow the Twitter stream from IP4 attendees, check this out. I’ll update this post later on to link to other presenter’s posts, video when it’s available, and more on IP4 throughout the day.)

Update – Post Roundup:

CamiKaos: My Bluff, Called.
Whoa – @linuxaid is already posting individual presentation videos via YouTube! Thanks, AJ!
Melissa Lion: Did We Get Married?
OnPDX: Ignite Portland 4 Hits but KGW has an Epic FAIL
Flickr photos from IP4. And the Ignite Portland Flickr Pool. Go tag yourself!
Rabbi David’s update: Life’s Busy But Good
Ignite Portland Open Thread: What Could We Have Done to Make Ignite Portland 4 Better?
Aaron Hockley’s Ignite Portland photoset on Flickr

Related Posts

• November 9, 2008 -- Let the Craziest Week of the Year Begin! (5)
• August 2, 2009 -- SLL: When the Bloggers Come Home (0)
• October 22, 2008 -- OurPDX shared links (0)
• October 20, 2008 -- Ignite Portland 4 lineup announced! (4)
• February 2, 2010 -- LOST? Found… (1)

Christmas? Thanksgiving? Summer vacation? Nope, they all pale in comparison to this crazy November week. Here, take a peek…

• Monday: Portland Public Schools has the day off; so I must scramble to get Kid #2 to all-day aftercare without the prod of ‘we’ll be late for school‘ to get her motivated. (Thankfully, the WordPress 2.7 party’s been cancelled since 2.7 itself has been delayed, so don’t show up at Cubespace, ok?)
• Tuesday: Veterans Day. School closed yet again (kids have at least five days off this month alone.) Kid #2 has Red Cross class in the morning; will come with me to work in the afternoon until I can drop her off with teen so I can attend this: Thrive PDX, billed as a meeting of the minds between old tech (as embodied by the SAO) and new tech (Beer & Blog, Legion of Tech, Ignite, etc.) RSVP on Upcoming and join us at Kell’s, won’t you?
• Wednesday: It’s the OurPDX meetup at Thatch! Yes, we jammed it right between Thrive and Ignite — but do drop by for some munchies on us & buy yourself one of the best MaiTai’s in town. (RSVP on Upcoming.) I can’t stay late myself, since…
• Thursday: …I’ll still be in mad preparation since I’m one of the presenters at Ignite Portland 4 at the Bagdad Theater (along with this lovely lady.) 550 people have already scored the much-coveted ticket (they were out within 3 1/2 hours once announced, which only served to ramp up my ‘I’m so not worthy’ presenter’s agita), but you still may be able to get in via general admission.
• Friday: What better way to kick off a kid-free weekend than Beer & Blog, of course. (If I dare show my face in public after Thursday’s possible debacle, of course.)
• Saturday: I sleep in!

What does your week look like?

Related Posts

• November 14, 2008 -- Who Knew I Was a Hipster? (6)
• October 22, 2008 -- OurPDX shared links (0)
• October 20, 2008 -- Ignite Portland 4 lineup announced! (4)
• February 2, 2010 -- LOST? Found… (1)
• February 1, 2010 -- Fight! Fight! (0)

Here’s what we’ve found as we’ve traveled the local PDX web (complete with our comments):

• Victory Bar Blog: Board Games in the Corner – What board games do *you* want to see at the Victory Bar? And – how cool is it to see a bar asking this question, anyway…?
• How to Give a Successful Ignite Presentation :: User First Web – My favorite part?

  Your Audience Will Be…Well…Drunk. Plan Accordingly. — The audience is expecting interesting ideas, but they are also expecting to be entertained. This isn’t the audience for a serious academic speech. That’s not to say you can’t have deep and incredibly thoughtful presentations. Some of the best presentations cover complex subjects. It just means don’t be dry. Be energetic. Be funny.

  You Shouldn’t Be Drunk — Feel free to take the edge off a little, but you’re going to need to be sharp to be the best improvisational editor you can."

Note: you can share bookmarks back to our site if you have a Mag.nolia account – just join our group and then send relevant links to that group when you mark a site, article, or post!

Related Posts

• November 14, 2008 -- Who Knew I Was a Hipster? (6)
• November 9, 2008 -- Let the Craziest Week of the Year Begin! (5)
• October 20, 2008 -- Ignite Portland 4 lineup announced! (4)
• November 16, 2008 -- SLL: Bancroft, Josh Bancroft (0)
• October 7, 2008 -- Tell a Story in Five Minutes or Less… (2)

Ignite Portland 4—held at the Bagdad Theater on Thursday, November 13th—will definitely, positively, ABSOLUTELY be worth your while.

Why? You’ll get to hear our own lovely CamiKaos share how to ‘Bluff Your Way Through Life or a 5 Minute Presentation.’ You’ll learn about Cooking with the Seasons, Story as Bloodsport, and Dating Rules for the Actual World.

There’s the 10 Karaoke Commandments. Five things Portland can Learn From Kentucky (given by my friend and former colleague Jeff Hardison, who will Rock the House!) And more…

If you’re not yet familiar with Ignite, here’s the format: You present for five minutes, tops. Your 20 slides will march on behind you in inexorable 15-second increments. And you’ll have an audience of up to 600 properly-lubricated people ready to cheer you on.

Or—in the case of one hapless speaker—ready to openly scoff and call her out as a fake and a total fraud.

Wha-huh? Hostility towards an Ignite Portland speaker?

Weeeeeelll…if you’re talking about Yours Truly and her proposed ‘How to Get People To Do What You Want Them To Do……without drama, meltdown, coercion, bribery or tactics better reserved for Gitmo detainees‘ presentation, it’ll be wholly justified and well-deserved.

At least if her two children —who were rolling around the floor in hysterics last evening after hearing the news that their own mother was a supposed expert on the topic—are to be believed…!

(Ticket availability should be announced soon, follow @igniteportland on Twitter for details.)

Related Posts

• November 14, 2008 -- Who Knew I Was a Hipster? (6)
• November 9, 2008 -- Let the Craziest Week of the Year Begin! (5)
• October 22, 2008 -- OurPDX shared links (0)
• November 16, 2008 -- SLL: Bancroft, Josh Bancroft (0)
• October 7, 2008 -- Tell a Story in Five Minutes or Less… (2)

You have less than a week to submit your presentation idea for Ignite Portland 4! (Submissions are closing at midnight on 10/14; presenters will be announced on 10/20.) The latest in a string of excellent Portland events will take place on Thursday, November 13th, starting at 7 pm at the Bagdad Theatre (Upcoming link).

What is Ignite about, anyway? It’s your chance to tell a story. Inspire a crowd (and yep, there’ll definitely be a crowd on hand.) Your only accompaniment? Your prepped slide presentation – no more than 20 slides. This presentation will show up as you speak, automatically timed to show the slide for 15 seconds before moving along to the next one. Total time? Five minutes.

Are you up for the challenge? (I think I am—have already tossed my hat into the ring, in fact…)

And while you’re at it? Check out this video valentine from the Legion of Tech folks, and help them find some sponsors to help subsidize this free event, put on with 100% volunteer labor.

Related Posts

• September 29, 2008 -- OurPDX shared bookmarks for September 29th (0)
• May 6, 2009 -- Time is Running Out: Submit your Ignite Portland 6 Proposal! (2)
• April 28, 2009 -- OurPDX shared links for April 28th (1)
• April 23, 2009 -- Give Some Love to BarCamp Portland (1)
• November 14, 2008 -- Who Knew I Was a Hipster? (6)

Here’s what we’ve found as we’ve traveled the local PDX web (complete with our comments) for September 29th

• WordCamp Portland (#wordcampdx) 2008: Ironically, words escape me » Silicon Florist – Rick's left speechless; while the rest of us aren't!
• Like WordPress and OpenID? wp-openid 3.0 to launch at Demolicious » Silicon Florist – Mark your calendars and show up on 10/1 at Nemo Design to see what Will Norris has cooked up for the next iteration of the WordPress openID plugin!
• Ignite Portland 4 Submission Opens! at Ignite Portland – Deadline's October 14th; will need to huddle with 10 year old to figure out how best to bring the bling…!

Note: you can share bookmarks back to our site if you have a Mag.nolia account – just join our group and then send relevant links to that group when you mark a site, article, or post!

Related Posts

• October 7, 2008 -- Tell a Story in Five Minutes or Less… (2)
• September 21, 2009 -- SLL: Martini Lesson for Matt Mullenweg (2)
• August 17, 2009 -- SLL: WordcampPdx 2009, Urban Airship and PIE (0)
• June 23, 2009 -- What’s Your $$$ Situation? (4)
• June 12, 2009 -- PDX in Your Pictures: Tickets to Ride (0)