By Riley Major, 2018-09-12
Clark Sell opened That Conference up this year with a video about community, reminding us that they didn’t set out to be event organizers but rather to help bring us together. For them, these three days at a water park are just the spark to ignite year-round engagement with our fellow technologists. That’s what sets this event apart for me– its inspirational and encouraging vibe. Continue reading
By Riley Major, 2018-05-09.
This month I asked the #tsql2sday crowd to make a plan to give back to the Microsoft data platform community. For those who already give so much, I suggested describing how they got started in hopes they would inspire others. I hereby submit my plan.
By Riley Major, 2018-04-04.
NDC has been “inspiring software developers since 2008”. Based in Norway, they host large conferences in Oslo, London, Sydney and for the first time this year, Minnesota. To introduce the Twin Cities to their conferences, they hosted a “micro” conference at the Saint Paul RiverCentre on Thursday evening, March 29, 2018.
By Riley Major, 2018-03-13
Midwest PHP — a Friday and Saturday $275 conference with three tracks of PHP-themed content — was hosted again at the Radisson Blu at the Mall of America on March 9th and 10th, 2018. In addition to 30 individual sessions, the conference opened and closed the event with keynotes highlighting community, inclusion, and accessibility.
(To all experienced technology speakers, especially those in the PASS community, and especially those in the Twin Cities, MN regional area…)
You have the power to help transform someone’s career. Continue reading
PASSMN’s SQLSaturday #682 on October 7th, 2017 has been published!
There are a relatively short 5 weeks for speaker submissions, which will close on July 23rd. So don’t delay! We plan on announcing selected speakers August 4th. As a reminder, the event is on October 7th.
We are looking for some unique contributions from the speaker community. In addition to 60-minute standard sessions, we’re hoping to offer one or more panel discussions, lightning talks for new speakers, and guided conversation over lunch. We also hope to host pre-cons on Friday, October 6th. Continue reading
“When are we going to see you up there?” Mark Vaillancourt had just finished presenting DANGER: The Art and Science of Presenting at SQL Saturday #238. He and Mike Donnelly had put the question to me as they were packing up. I demurred; surely that was best left to experts like them. They persisted, noting how I was always at our user group meetings and how a novice viewpoint was often more helpful for beginners. Being an audience member was one thing, I protested, and speaking was quite another. They kept on the offensive but I managed to slink away without any firm commitments. Nonetheless, they’d struck a chord. Continue reading
After the dust has settled from our national brouhaha, the PASSMN SQL Server community will hold elections for 3 of its 6 board positions. Paul Timmerman (Board Chair), Jim Dorame (Director of Program Development), and Riley Major (Director of Technology) are ending their 2-year terms. Cecil Spivey (Director of Membership / Treasurer), Eric Zierdt (Director of Corporate Development), and Jim Horn (Director of SQL Saturday) will stay on to finish the second year of their terms. Continue reading
The last session of That Conference is about to begin. I’ve been steeped in technology for three days. I oscillate from confident and excited to overwhelmed and tired. There is so much to learn. I want to play with my nascent Swift app, but another talk beckons… Continue reading
PASSMN once again put on a great SQL Saturday. Kudos to Rick Krueger (Blog | @DataOgre) and the whole team for putting on a great event. Continue reading