MPICT and Google IO

There were two major and many minor opportunities for professional development the week of 25 June 2012. I ran around the Bay Area learning a lot! Here are some highlights:

1) MPICT summer faculty development week

mpict.org

I attended a week long workshop at Ohlone College on iOS Programming with Chuck Iverson as the instructor. Chuck has been teaching this class for two years at Canada College, and the other participants were mostly Java instructors. The workshop was very beneficial and at exactly the right level for me.

2) Google IO

https://developers.google.com/events/io/

This was the fifth annual conference for Google software developers, and I have been lucky enough to attend every year. This is where the Google engineers teach us how to use the tools that they create that allow people to "live online."

The keynote address for Day 1 is always given by Google's VP of engineering, Vic Gundotra. But this year Sergey Brin interrupted Vic for a most exciting stunt. Skydivers wearing Google Glass and wingsuits parachuted from a helicopter onto the roof of the Moscone Center. All 5000 conference attendees were inside Moscone and able to see what the skydivers were seeing on large screens (since Google Glass has a camera in it.) The divers then passed a package to mountain bikers and then climbers that brought the package across the roof and down the outside wall of the building. Finally the couriers burst into the theatre on mountain bikes. If you go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuC0i4xTyrI

and fast forward to about 1:27:00, you'll see that part of the keynote.

3) Tech Career Expo

http://techcareerexpo.com/talent/

This conference coincided with Google IO, and took place right across the street. Employers had booths and were hiring big time. The following local companies caught my eye:

Salesforce, Walmart Labs, Safeway, Netflix, Amazon, Barnes and Noble Nook, eLance, Ask.com