Not that I’m about to start writing regular weekly updates again, but here’s a quick snapshot of what’s been going on, what I’ve been up to, and what I’ve been thinking about.
ThingsCon
The Call for Proposals has ended and we’ve just notified the submitters. It’s painful to have to reject good proposals, but of course at this scale it’s impossible not to. (We had almost 50 proposals just through the official form, plus countless more on all kinds of other channels.)
Realized all of a sudden just how awesome & comprehensive the whole industry is going to be represented at ThingsCon. As far as I can tell, there will be representatives of Intel, Highway1/PCH, Bosch, BERGCloud, Good Night Lamp, reaDIYmate, Silabs, Fairphone, Phonebloks, Dustcloud, Ultimaker, Xively, Blaze, Provenance, Technology Will Save Us, Product Club, IxDS/Fritzing and many more. It’s going to be quite wild.
UIKonf
The Call for Proposals at UIKonf is still ongoing – it’s a different process altogether. First of all, it’s completely anonymous to foster diversity and give a better chance to lesser known names. It’s closed for submissions now, so we enter the phase where feedback can be given and we’ll start the voting phase next week. Check out all proposals here (all you need to vote & give feedback is a Github account).
NEXT Berlin
We’re getting to the point where a concrete program is emerging out of the mass of proposals and potential speakers.
New portfolio site
Taking a hint from both friends and clients, I am (at last!) preparing a portfolio site of sorts. Basically a quick overview of what I do, to make it easier to share with others and make introductions easier for those introducing me.
I might also transition my business into a new company of sorts, but for now it’s mainly a communications thing.
Part of this is to also make it even easier to recognize how I split my time between client work and self-initiated projects (like ThingsCon, UIKonf and a few as of yet largely announced ones). Scribbles like this one help me structure my thoughts:
Scribble: my process and value chain
So what about that new portfolio site? The draft is live at guildindustries.com:
Screenshot of guildindustries.com
Yes, it’s live, and yes, it’s a draft. If you’re wondering about the name – I wanted to reflect that I tend (and try) to work with external, trusted experts whenever possible. While my skill set is necessarily wide so I can connect the dots and discover the best opportunities for both clients and my own projects/products/services, I find it tremendously helpful and effective to work with experts whose skills go deep rather than wide. Domain experts that truly know their field inside and out, people who don’t just know the field damn well but also advance and shape it. Which is kind of what I associate with a guild in the best, traditional sense of the word.
Since a good deal – and my main motivation – of my work is knowledge transfer (aka Empowering Others To Be Even More Awesome), I find it useful as a metaphor for sharing the insights of these innovators.
What can I say? It’s a work in progress. Things might will change. Once I find it’s ready I’ll probably flip the switch and retire my other site (peterbihr.com) that currently serves the same function.
What do you think?
