Ignite Fort Collins was last Thursday; it’s one of my favorite events in Fort Collins. My second talk ever at Ignite, “I Speak Klingon: Love 101 For Ubergeeks” is nearing almost 10,000 views on YouTube – which is humbling to say the least.

I had given the intro for the last three (Ignite Fort Collins 5-7) and decided this time to give an actual talk. My topic - Technobabble: The Language of 1337; a skewed, out-of-order view on social media:

(The link for my newsletter subscribers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u40Dhp0Pzbw)

I also designed the slides for my friend Kevin Buecher’s intro to Ignite Fort Collins:

(The link for my newsletter subscribers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJhbBDuVPII)

Let me know what you think!

My favorite Fort Collins event is coming up – Ignite Fort Collins. This will be the eighth Ignite event here and every time is packed full of #winning. Instead of giving an intro this time, I wanted to pitch a talk – so I’ve pitched three ideas:

• How To Get Turned Off (your tech is trying to kill you),
• Technobabble: The Language of 1337 (a guide to internet vernacular), and
• iRock: A Guide to #Winning with your own Awesomesauce (you really are that cool)

If you could vote for and/or share my talks (one or any of ‘em) – I’d really appreciate it. Be sure to check out all the great spark submissions too and pitch your own if you’ve got the speaking bug!

(Header photo: Untitled by Yann Ropars)

It’s one of my favorite nights in Fort Collins – Ignite night!

You can see me on stage giving the Intro: http://bit.ly/ifclivestream.

It promises to be an amazing night filled with great geeky passions!

It’s no secret: I love Ignite. I’ve been lucky enough to speak at Ignite Fort Collins, Ignite Boulder, Ignite Denver, Ignite Spatial NoCo and Ignite Cheyenne. I’ve even met Brady Forrest – one of the creators of Ignite.

5 minutes – 20 slides – 15 seconds per slide. A venue packed with people just waiting to hear your geekdom. I’ve seen some very impressive speakers in my life – but the people who rock the Ignite stage are beyond phenomenal. Global Ignite Week is coming February 7th to 11th – a lot of cities around the world are going to be hosting Ignite events.

My challenge to you: find one and pitch a topic. Something geeky. Something fun. Don’t hold back!

Here’s my second (and favorite) talk from Ignite Fort Collins:

(Header photo: Ignite Fort Collins by Yann R)

Last month I had a great time speaking at Ignite Spatial NoCo #2 and Ignite Fort Collins #6. Next week, I get to speak at Ignite Cheyenne, marking the first time I get to wax geeky out of state. I’d like to pay tribute to 13 of the best Ignite Fort Collins talks I’ve ever seen and the people behind them.

A quick note: there are people I skipped who ALSO have amazing talks. To see them all, go to the Ignite Fort Collins YouTube channel. And, since I’m a whore for Ignite and I promised you 70 minutes of enlightenment, I’m including a talk from Ignite Spatial NoCo #2.

1. Sarah Jane Griesemer (@SavySarah) – How Kale Can Save The World

2. Kevin Buecher (@KevinBuecher) – Lifehacking – Throw Your TV Off The Roof

3. Steve Martin (@CleverCubed) – How To Learn a Foreign Language

4. Phil Earnhardt (@FloatingBones) – Effortless Green: Three Easy Pieces

5. Erika Napoletano (@RedheadWriting) – Go Figure: A History of the Female Form

6. Chris Vieville and Jaime Vieville (@Ruckus) – ‘Til Death Do Us Part, or at least until I get to my next save point…

7. Ryan Wanger (@RyanWanger) – My Mom’s On Facebook, Now What?

8. Patrick Quinn (@YouDidWhatBook) – Solving America’s Healthcare Crisis in 5 Minutes (or less)

9. Vi Wickam (@ViTheFiddler) – The Difference Between a Violin and a Fiddle

(as an aside, if you liked this, check out Vi’s YouTube channel for more music!)

10. Jochen Wolters (@JochenWolters) – How Gestalt Psychology Can Help You Make Better High-Tech Purchasing Decisions

11. Rob Klein (http://humanandearth.com/) – What I Learned After a Year of Combat Against Phone Books

12. Bill Tucker (@I_Saw_Bill) – Six Thinking Hats

13. Christina Gressianu (@PhotoCG) – Eating Towards Enlightenment

14. Brian Timoney (@BrianTimoney) – Life Lessons From History’s Great Cartogrphers

It’s no secret. I love Ignite. I love everything to do with it. And I especially love speaking at Ignite.

I’d love your vote for me to speak at Ignite Boulder! There are a ton of other great topics too, so be sure to vote for ‘em as well!

And, if you didn’t know – Ignite Fort Collins talk submissions are open! Get your idea in today – especially if your name is Sean Macready, Cali Harris, or Katrina Pfannkuch.

Here’s me at the last Ignite Fort Collins:

I dare you to spend 5 minutes in a room with Bill Tucker.

Not only will you learn something new, you’ll likely make a new friend. Bill Tucker is undoubtedly one of the smartest people in Fort Collins. Don’t believe me? Check out Bill’s presentation on Six Thinking Hats from Ignite Fort Collins #4

This one is much the same.  Armed with a Flip Ultra and instructions to “Go make something cool for Ignite in the theme of ‘How Are You Getting To Ignite’” I created this 1 minute short intro which debuted at Ignite Fort Collins #2.  It features the music of Post Paradise – whose new CD, From Here to Anywhere, is releasing at Hodi’s Halfnote on September 25th at 8PM.  Enjoy!

Today I’m giving a talk at Ignite Fort Collins #2 – and very excited about it.  My topic: I Speak Klingon. Love 101 for Uber-Geeks.  This comic, from XKCD, is the perfect example of Geek love.  Every time I see it, I think of my special someone and that desperate feeling to spend every possible moment with her.