Deadline to Submit a Talk is Midnight

Today (Oct. 11th) is the last day that you can submit your idea for an Ignite talk. At midnight tonight we will no longer be accepting talks and we will begin deliberating on who will make it into the next batch of presenters. Next month, November 20th, we will be back at Town Hall and we are looking forward to seeing everyone there, whether you are giving a talk or not.

Click the Submit Talk link and fill out the form and voila!, you’re done! It’s never too late to submit your talk. Well… until midnight tonight, then it definitely will be too late. Good luck!

Videos from Ignite Seattle 21 are up

We have finally posted the videos from the last Ignite, held at Fremont Outdoor Cinemas in August. We had a fantastic crop of talks, including The Geek Diet, Being a Tech Entrepreneur in Baghdad, and How Video Games are Like Kissing. Check out the entire playlist for a view of all the talks.

The next Ignite is Wednesday, November 20th and today is the last day to submit a talk. Get yours in tonight before the deadline!

We Want YOU to Speak at Ignite 22!

Complete this form to submit a talk or nominate a friend. The next Ignite Seattle is November 20th. Details below.

Pre-show Ice Breaker with Justin Martenstein

This could be you!
Photo Credit: Morgen Schuler

Submission deadline: Friday, October 11th.

Event Location: Town Hall Seattle.

Tell us about your cool idea, hack, lesson, or “war stories.”

Don’t worry if you’re shy or an inexperienced speaker! We provide a couple speaker training sessions to help you craft your story and feel more confident about giving your talk.

We really want to hear from you! So complete this form and enlighten us (but make it quick!).

Guide to Outdoor Ignite 21 – Bring your chair!

We’re looking forward to our 3rd Annual Outdoor Ignite this Sunday!

Below is a handy list of Things and Stuff you should know:

  • Located at Fremont Outdoor Cinemas (3501 Phinney Ave. N, across from Brouwer’s and Theo Chocolate).
  • Doors open at 7:00, talks start at 8:30(ish). Feel free to come and go.
  • Admission is $5. If you bought a pre-sale ticket, please print out the ticket and bring it with you. Tickets are available here.
  • Bring your own chairs and blankets!
  • The event is all ages. Bring the kids!
  • You can bring food and drinks, but no alcohol please.

You can check out the list of speakers here. See you Sunday!

Speaker Lineup for Ignite 21

The next Seattle Ignite is Sunday August 18th at the Fremont Outdoor Cinema. Tickets are $5.

Here is our list of amazing 5 minute talks and speakers:

  • How video games are like kissing – Jenny Kuglin (@jenkuglin)
  • Getting geeky about Civics – Web Hutchins (@civicsforall)
  • Where my girls at? (Or, How one obvious “discovery” revolutionized my world view) -Maris McEdward (@mmcedward)
  • Gleaning molten lessons – What I learn from Glass – Pallavi Garg
  • Wobbling Is Normal – Laura Lantz
  • High school majority: I like pink, but I that doesn’t mean I cant think – Riyanka Ganguly-
  • Going Fast on One Wheel – Bruce Dawson
  • Being a Tech Entrepreneur in Baghdad – Othmane Rahmouni (@othmaner)
  • The Geek Diet – Dan Shapiro (danshapiro)
  • From Refugee to Technologist: How I’ve Used Software to Persevere – Tai Pham
  • Tap me on the shoulder if you’d like to chat –  Jason Simon (@jasonasimon)
  • Urinals. A Political and Aesthetic Expression – Christian Hagel-Sorensen (chrhage)
  • How to write your own user manual – Heidi Miller
  • An hour of coding for every student in America – James Gwertzman (gwertz)
  • Baby, I Was Born This Way! (Or Why A Polish Psychologists Let Me Know I’m Sane Amy Voros (coachaddamy)

(Note: this is not necessary the order speakers will appear)

Talk Submission Closing on Monday

If you would like to speak at the next Ignite (Sunday, August 18th), you’ve got a little bit less than a week to submit your talks. The talk submission form will be closing at 11:59pm on Monday, July 8th. That should give you plenty of time over the holiday weekend to finish up your best talk proposal.

This is our annual outdoor Ignite, and we’d love to make use of the outdoor space. If you have any suggestions for somebody you might like to see on-stage (acrobatic, fire eater, etc), the please fill out the nominations form.

Surviving as an Introvert in an Extroverted World – Jonathon Colman

What exactly *is* introversion? It’s commonly misunderstood as shyness or a misanthropic desire to be left alone. Many extroverts mistakenly assume that introverts hate them. And that’s simply not true (well, most of the time). And many introverts think that there’s something wrong with themselves, something broken that they can’t seem to fix. And that’s not true, either.

We can do better. In this talk from Ignite Seattle 19, Jonathon Colman dishes on what introversion is, what it isn’t, and specific tactics to hack ourselves and our interactions with others in order to survive in our extroverted world.

Jonathon Colman is a content strategist, SEO & Internet marketer, speaker, and Returned Peace Corps Volunteer living (and drinking coffee) in Seattle, Washington. For over 15 years he’s helped people and organizations build, find, and use the best stuff on the Web.

You can reach him at www.jonathoncolman.org.

Networking: The RPG – (or Everything I Need to Know About Networking I Learned From Playing D&D) – Adam Philipp

Are you a geek? An Introvert? Afraid of the crowds? Not sure what they will make of you? But you still want to connect with people? Then you want to play: NETWORKING, The Role Playing Game.

On your very first dungeon/networking event you can go out and:

  • slay kobolds (meet technical recruiters)
  • fend off orcs (accountants and lawyers)
  • drink healing/mana/attribute potions (wine/beer/whiskey)
  • collect loot (contact information!)
  • equip your character (get dressed up and ad props)
  • form parties (agree to meet up with someone again)
  • level up (move on to talking with speakers or higher level dungeons)
  • If you apply all the skills you honed with years of playing: D&D, GammaWorld, Top Secret, etc., you will find that networking is just another great RPG except the characters are really well developed and the GameMaster is not so scary. Let’s go out and play!

    Adam Philipp (@MyPatents) is tech-savvy patent attorney and the founder of ÆON Law (), a high tech IP law firm in Seattle. Adam has a penchant for connecting with the tech community and does not hide his love of meeting smart people. He can usually be picked out at events as the lawyer with the glowing name badge.

    Announcing the Ignite Seattle 20 Talks

    We’re excited to announce the lineup for Ignite Seattle 20 on May 16th. Join us at Town Hall, talks start promptly at 8pm. Get your tickets here.

    Madeline Puckette – 7 Things You Never Knew About the Most Expensive Wines of the World
    Wine is no longer just a drink, it has become a commodity like stock. Learn seven of the more interesting facts about the most expensive wines in the world and what ties them together. Never drink wine the same again.

    Diana Vergis Vinh – My Life of Poo
    Learning kale recipes that don’t make my family gag, thinking my goat was pregnant when she was just plain fat and being surrounded by endless piles of poo – who knew that backyard urban farming could be so darned engaging? Hear from a long time urban farmer the ups and the downs of this manic pursuit.

    Jeffrey Hicks – Welcome to the Psych Ward
    This is a talk about what it actually feels like to lose your mind. It is an insiders look into madness and recovery.

    Nathan Kaiser – From Bits to Booze and Not Quite Back Again
    What I learned going from bits to booze and what I hope to bring back with me.

    Nicole Steinbok – Everyday Pitches
    Learn how to get people to like and trust you, give you time, do boring shit, reply to an email, provide great feedback, buy into plans, hire you and much more!

    Sally James – Small words
    Why keeping it short, even using shorter words, may help people understand you.

    Theresa Harris – I want to teach your child to fail
    Kids become less creative as they grow and Theresa Harris, founder of Thrive Art School, says this is due to how they experience failure. She’s on a mission to teach kids to fail enthusiastically.

    Dave Zucker – Sir Mix-a-Bot, the Robot Bartender
    In October of 2002, I picked up a surplus PUMA robot arm from a local university. I was sad to discover it didn’t work, and have spent the past 10 years bringing it back to life and transforming it into a robot bartender, dubbed Sir Mix-a-Bot.

    Whitney Mongé – Busking in Pike Place Market
    My talk will be about the basic know how’s of street performing in Pike Place Market. It will also be a short but detailed outline of how to be successful at busking virtually anywhere.

    Jack Bennetto – The Moral Clarity of Killing Ivy
    In a world of ambiguity and complexity, we can find moral clarity in killing English ivy and other invasive plants. Jack Bennetto outlines his journey as an anti-invasivist and explains how you can achieve peace and happiness through wanton destruction leading to restoration and rebirth.

    Nancy White – S#*!, is it time to think about a legacy?
    What happens when you wake up and realize you are a certain age,a grandparent, your husband is retiring and people start calling you an “elder” in your field? When you can’t even DESCRIBE your field? Come peer with me over this deliciously scary edge of considering my future. Regardless of our ages, is it time to think about our legacies?

    Joe Ludwig – The second coming of Virtual Reality
    Back in the early nineties everybody thought that virtual reality would be the next big thing. Now, twenty years later, that might actually be true.

    Frank Rogan – How Are You Not Dead?
    Everyone has a superpower, and apparently mine is “not getting killed.” I’ve escaped embarrassing death and painful dismemberment several times. It all makes for a great story, and it’s your stories that make you human.

    Randy Stewart – How to Pitch Ignite Seattle
    After reading and voting on hundreds of Ignite proposals, I can tell you about the ins and outs of what will get you considered before anyone else. I reveal the inner most workings of the secret machinations of the Ignite selection committee.

    Carmen Hudson – I Stalk Strangers Online
    Software engineers and other highly sought-after talent: you can run, but you can’t hide. Employers will go to great lengths to find in-demand talent; that’s where I come in. Armed with a few search engine commands, tenacity and a telephone, I can find anyone. People like me — known as “sourcers” — use the internet to find contact information, hobbies and interests, and other personal data in order to silver tongue our way into the lives of top talent. I’ll show you how we do it.

    Gina Phillips – The Ultimate Mistake
    Gina has competed at the highest levels of ultimate frisbee, including US Nationals 7 times. In a talk that has turned into a very different talk than the one she set out to give, she shares a look at identity, shame, and self-worth.