I really thought I blogged more from PDC....

Man, this past week just flew by. I really thought I had blogged more about it. There were a few times where I went to post from the Internet Alley, and I stepped away from the machine for a few seconds to talk to someone, and it automatically logged me out. Oh well, I'll give your aggregators a rest and bring the blogosphere up to speed on my exploits next week. I must say that it was probably one of the best experiences of my life, and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting everyone that I did. I met some outstanding individuals that really have a passion for this stuff, and it was great to talk and share experiences.

I see people are posting PDC wrapups, and describing what PDC was all about. Having just attended my first major developer experience, I can say that, for me, this year's theme sad it all: “Make The Connection”. It wasn't about new technologies or sessions, it was about meeting people, swapping developer horror stories over a few beers, and planning together for the future. It was about the random meetings that take place and the really cool conversations that follow.

Perfect example. Day Two saw keynotes from Eric Rudder and Gordon Mangione. I had excellent seats in the fron section, and who happened to sit down right next to me but Erin Joyce, Managing Editor for InternetNews.com A week earlier, she had wrote a fabulous store about blogging and its effect on the next version of Windows. It was a great article. Well, we introduced ourselves, and were both surprised to find out who each other was. She said she loved the LonghornBlogs.com site, and we talked for about 30 minutes during the keynote about various things. Afterwards, I found myself quoted in her article on WinFS.

Tons of other ridiculously cool conversations happened at PDC as well. I spent an hour with the woman from Microsoft Research that built the really cool blog application that was demoed on Day 3. I had some great conversations on Wednesday night at the Wilshire Grand that went until almost 3am. I talked with the Segway guys, and the guy the wrote the Google Toolbar (which is now running on my machine after I finally gave in). I talked with Chris Anderson (he's hilarious), Chris Sells (man that guys is tall), DonXml (yes that was really what was on his badge), Steve Maine (helluva guy), Rory Blythe (who had an excellent answer as to how the Apollo moon landing was the product of the Porn industry), and Kirk Allen Evans (next time I'll buy YOU a drink).

So, what did I learn from PDC 2003? Next year, I will be attending 3 sessions tops, and I'll spend the rest of my time walking around meeting people. Then, I'll order the conference DVD, watch the Powerpoints that are uploaded and available to the public, and blog like crazy. And it will be the best $2000 I will have ever spent.