Ignite Seattle

I’m the founder of the indie clothing brand Might Tees and a writer for the technology website Cultofmac.com. I’m also an aspiring speaker, which is what led me to tell my story at Ignite 13.

Two years ago, for about 5 months, I lived a secret double life. It was at that time that, though some celebrities were beginning to embrace twitter, most still didn’t know what it was and weren’t using it. There were no verified accounts, no way to know who was who.

So, as a joke, and as a homage to one of my favorite actors, I donned my internet mask and starting tweeting under the guise of Neil Patrick Harris, or as my eventual 25k followers came to know me, @therealnph.

To be honest, when I started the account, I didn’t think anyone would follow me or care. After all, I wasn’t actually impersonating Neil and his real life, I was acting more as a caricature. I had decided to take on the character he played in the Harold And Kumar movies. I tweeted about absurd drug benders, outrageous partying escapades, and sexual conquests and escapades.

Boy, was I wrong….

What occurred between the account’s inception and eventual shutdown by twitter (twice!) was a wild ride fueled by controversy, tweets from actors Nathan Fillion, Felicia Day, and even a direct message from Late Night’s Jimmy Fallon.

I’ve never told the story publicly, and would like to recount my adventure for all the world to judge at the feb 13 ignite.

I’m definitely not the first or the last person to spend a significant amount of time at Disney World alone. However, I’m probably one of the few people who has dissected every aspect of my trip to discover what amazing secret benefits there are to doing the Disney solo. From the “single rider line” to “crowd parkour” there are definitely some perks to being a party of one. I’ll be sharing all these benefits as well as some snapshots of this last visit (benefit #62: you can stop any time you like to take as many pictures as you want). Finally, and probably the best benefit of all, I discovered that I can pretty much do anything on my own and still have a seriously kick-ass time doing it.

About Beth

Beth is a self-described gadget loving, game playing, movie junkie who reads, skis, knits, sews, solders and spends far too much time on the internet. She lives in the Seattle neighborhood of Wallingford with her dog, Willie and cat, Pixel and loves to have people over to @casagoza for a night of German Board games or yet another viewing of the *real* Star Wars trilogy (complete with rifftrax). Follower her adventures by following @bethgo!

I love karaoke. I do it often and with vigor. A lot of people believe they cant sing, and therefore never try to karaoke. I believe differently. Everyone has the ability, they just need a little strategy and guidance. I’ll give them some so they get started, with some infographics and humor for good measure.

Doral Chenoweth: a viral video (made by a flip camera) of a homeless guy with a great voice spread like wildfire and his life was changed forever. A very simple act of grace, a few hours on the computer and pow, massive impact. SalaamGarage: thousands of dollars spent, thousands of miles traveled, pro gear and award winning media makers with social media at their fingertips capturing stories of people in dire need. Where is the impact? What’s wrong with this company? SalaamGarage, several years later.

About Amanda

Amanda Koster is an acclaimed photojournalist, founder of SalaamGarage.com, pubic speaker and author who can’t spell worth beans. After speaking all over the country about how to combine media making and giving a darn, she still calls Seattle home and the Ignite Stage her playground. Her talk “I May Have More Impact On Cheezeburger” was a short story that made a big difference for women dealing with fistula in Ethiopia .

A note from Amanda: Thanks Ignite! You raised $2600 in 5 minuets and paid for 8. 5 fistula surgeries!

As a hobbyist-turned-professional photographer, I’ve heard all sorts of folks in the photo industry lament the fact that it seems everyone thinks they’re a photographer. Whether it’s an iPhone with Hipstamatic or a sub-$500 DSLR, photography has never been more accessible and shareable. Amateurs aren’t going to put the good professionals out of business, and instead of sitting around telling the damn kids to get off their lawn, the pros should recognize how great it is that so many people are participating in such an important activity that shapes how we remember our family, our friends, and our history.

If you have been around the Seattle geek community for long, it is likely that you’ve run into Tom Music. Tom is a developer, writer, speaker, musician, and one of the nicest guys you are ever gonna meet.

A couple of years ago, Tom was diagnosed with double lymphoma. He had been in remission for a while, but just took a turn for the worse over the last couple of weeks.

Tom’s wife Jana posted an update over the weekend and things are not looking good.

Tom gave one of my favorite Ignite talks of all time last year about his experience with lymphoma. He called his talk “Lymphomartini” and delivered it complete with double rainbows! I’ve embedded the video below.

So hang in there Tom. There are a lot of us who are better for having you in our lives/community. We want you to be around for a lot longer!

Phil, a bartender from the 25th nationally ranked bar Tavern Law, will discuss the chemistry and history of the cocktail, the flip