Ignite Seattle 13 – Tonight!

Whew. Ignite Seattle 13 is TONIGHT at 7pm at the King Cat Theater in downtown Seattle. Lots of good submissions, lots of deliberations and debates, but finally, read more for the speaker list for Ignite Seattle 13.

This week is also Global Ignite Week (along with 60+ other Ignites around the world). As a part of GIW, Ignite Seattle is trying to raise money for local education projects via Donor’s Choose. At Ignite we’ll be handing out donation cards that can be applied. Once you get a card you’ll be able to apply the amount to any of these projects (feel free to go there now and check them out).

It’s a bit of a competition between 9 other Ignites. You can see how we are doing compared to everyone else by clicking here.

See you tonight!

Andrew Woods (awoods) The Gentle Art of Karaoke
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.

Amanda Koster (salaamgarage) I may have had more impact on a cheeseburger…
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.

Kevin Moore (kevmoo) The Art of Engineering. The Science of Design
Science, Art, Engineering, Design are the four corners of creative culture, but they represent terms that are often misused and misunderstood.

I’d like to explain their relationship. It clarifies and distinguishes what are often blurred differences while also freeing us from the baggage of degree programs and job titles. Using anecdotes from some brilliant and diverse friends along with some lewd humor from famous physicists, I paint a pretty compelling picture.

Or at least funny and entertaining one.

Nate Beck (jnbeck) Searching for Adam Savage
Modern cell phones frequently include a camera and a GPS. Even if a GPS is not included, cell phone towers can be used to establish the location of the phone. Image formats include special headers that can be used to store this information, so called EXIF tags. In this talk, I will describe the process that was used to find the information that many consumers (including celebrities) unknowingly broadcast out on the internet.

Jonathan Evans (jhewiz) Infants: The Terrifying Danger of a UX Edge Case
Those of us in the UX world focus on how to satisfy users. However, when we use the term “user experience,” we ignore one persona: Age < 2. They are the ultimate edge case; approximately 3% of the population, but with a grand scheme to take over the planet. Right now, millions of babies are growing up in a world that appears actively user-hostile. Using my own daughter as a test subject, I’ll show you how to minimize their rage and lingering resentment and make the world a better place for the people who will be changing our bedpans in fifty years.

Jeremy Bingham (captain_tenille) Your Moral Panic Over Triceratops is Wrong
There was a lot of wailing and tooth gnashing recently about how Triceratops wasn’t real, because it was just a younger form of Torosaurus. You can all rest easy; there are rules to naming dinosaurs, and scientists have to follow them. You may be laying awake at night worrying about your favorite dinosaur being taken away, but they didn’t rename that dinosaur from your youth just to be mean. If you know how paleontologists name dinosaurs, you’ll finally be able to rest easy.

Jaime Waliczek (jerboadance) Don’t be dense: how to pick the right foods
How do you decide what and when to eat? Do you wonder how to navigate all the nutrition information out there? Do you want to be healthier, lose weight, or have more energy? Living a balanced lifestyle does not have to be hard, require a lot of time, or make you feel deprived. It turns out that the nutrient density and volume of the foods we eat affect our satiety more than the calories eaten and intuitively consuming foods will naturally decrease your intake. Find out some easy ways to shift your eating to meet your health goals.

Brett Horvath Learn Through Chaos: Why not getting a degree can be the best decision you make
I’ll touch on my own story as a drop-out, returning to university as a professor, my efforts at educational reform, how the Internet has been surprising ineffective at providing good learning, but getting better (what I call the “curriculum crisis”) how universities are about to be massively disrupted by the information revolution, and then 45 seconds on what we can do about it.

Beth Goza (bethgo) Not so down and out in the Magic Kingdom. My true adventures of flying solo at Disney World.
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.

Bradford Stephens (LusciousPear) How to Lose A Political Campaign: Inside The War Room
So many of us have done it: screaming at CNN or CSPAN (especially during election season): Who is this hack?! How could they say that? How did that Senator get re-elected after being caught in diapers with his mistress?.

I’ve run Presidential and U.S. house campaigns, and had access to the best in the business. I’ve been there, on the inside, and I want to tell you. Politics is both far more mundane than you think, and more horrific than you realize — bipartisanly.

But most of all, it’s often hilarious.

Laura Williams (laurawilltweet) The Dalai Lama’s Guide to Event Planning
In 2006, I was the Volunteer Director for the Seeds of Compassion. Seeds of Compassion is to date, the most highly attended series of events in Washington State history. We hosted 5 days of panel discussions, a benefit concert with Dave Matthews & Death Cab for Cutie, and an inter-spiritual dialogue with Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

As an organizer and a planner I needed to pull off 5 days of major events, in less than 6 months, with more than 1500 volunteers — and I had to do it all with a compassionate intention. YIKES!

Leo Dirac (leopd) Advanced Co-Housing Techniques
Living with other people is super rewarding, but comes with many challenges. I’ll present lessons from the trenches of a large group house. Including: practical advice on financial and legal concerns of buying a house with friends; how to get a crazy complicated loan; what to put in your owners’ contract; wisdom on encouraging social behavior and maintaining good relations.

Simon Winder (robotbugs) The natural gas gold rush
Oil may have peaked but natural gas is on a rise. Just a few years back people thought the US was going to have to import its gas, but from 2007 new technology has opened up vast shale deposits in Texas and Pennsylvania and small farming communities are overrun with drilling rigs. The price of natural gas has collapsed leading to a scramble to create an export industry. Internationally, the trade in liquified natural gas is expanding at an increasing pace to meet the needs of emerging markets. All this means that domestic renewable fuels investment is being crushed by the double whammy of low energy prices and political uncertainty around expired biofuel subsidies. I talk about who stands to lose and who stands to benefit.

twisted monk branding happiness or how I sold your mom bondage rope
Have an idea or new business? Understanding what you are selling, who you are selling to and where those customers are hiding. As learned by a paid, professional pervert.

erfon elijah (mighttees) My secret life as a celebrity twitter impostor
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. This is my story.

Aaron Hockley (ahockley) It Seems Everyone’s a Photographer Nowadays. That’s Important. And Awesome.
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.