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360iDev – The Speakers – Robert Strojan

January 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment

It’s amazing who you run into in the most random places. As an example I bumped into Robert Strojan the other day, in of all places, the DMV. I know! Who’d have guessed two people suffering the same fate at the same time.

Robert was already inside when I got there, but there was a seat next to him. I grabbed my number, which I’m pretty sure is the same number Beetlejuice had at the end of the movie.

I sit down between Robert, and … well I think he’s human, but could easily pass for either vegetable or mineral.

Me: Hey Robert how are ya?

Robert: Great John, you? Stuck renewing your license too I see.

(I nod)

Me: Yeah. Hope you’re excited about 360|iDev, I  know I am, I can’t wait for April.

(They call number 365, a large black woman gets up. I’m not entirely sure, but I think they might be covertly filming a “Martin Lawrence dressed like a black woman” movie at this DMV. I keep an on eye on “her”)

Robert: Yeah I can’t wait. this is my first 360|iDev. I spent the early part of my career working as a hardware engineer so I’m really looking forward to Michael Gile’s session about the External Accessory Framework and finding out more about how to get the iPhone to communicate with custom hardware via the 30 pin connector.

Me: Yeah the hardware stuff has some promise. I can’t wait to see what products start surfacing for the iPhone, hopefully we get more than 30 different universal remotes. What do you think people who attend your session will be most surprised by/about?
The maybe-it’s-martin-lawrence-woman is throwing some kind of fit and flailing her arms. It’s looking more and more likely that Robert and I are now movie extras. Robert notices too and tried to not pay attention.
Robert: There’s something for everyone. If you’re a novice or intermediate developer you’ll appreciate the points on AVAudioPlayer and the intro to OpenAL. If you’re an iPhone guru you’re going to love the precision audio control you get after we unravel the mysteries behind Audio Units.
(Now a tiny white guy is crawling around on the most-likely-martin-Lawrence-woman. She’s swatting at him, takes out the DMV lady behind the desk, the ‘security’ guard is keeping a safe distance as this unfolds. Most-likely-Martin-Lawrence-woman gets a hold of tiny white guy (Rob Schneider?) and tosses him into another DMV customer.)
(Robert and I stand up and move to the side as the scene(?) unfolds)
Me: What are you most looking forward to at 360|iDev San Jose?
Robert: Meeting other iPhone devs, presenting my session, and learning. (He has to duck as what looks like a bowling ball flies past. Who brings a bowling ball to the DMV??)
(Looking-more-and-more-like-it’s-Martin-Lawrence-woman is swinging a broom handle at Has-to-be-Rob-Schneider. For some reason I guess he’s trying to tackle ‘her’ he’s dressed like a carrot, did I mention that?)
(The other tellers are trying to work, god bless them, they call 381.)
Me: What would you tell someone that was on the fence about attending 360|iDev to convince them to come?
Robert: (He thinks a bit, again dodging something airborne) Four days jam-packed with powerful info you can’t get anywhere else; surrounded by some of sharpest minds in iPhone development. Why haven’t you signed up?
(the action up frontis getting a little frenetic, Rob-Schneider-dressed-like-a-carrot is getting thrown around by There’s-no-one-else-it-could-be-but-Martin-Lawrence-woman. She’s really mad, not sure what he did, but she does not like it.)
(Finally the security personnel get the upper hand and manage to escort There’s-no-one-else-it-could-be-but-Martin-Lawrence-woman and I-thought-Rob-Schneider-was-dead-guy outside. I’m sure after that one of them died, or the director yelled cut. In any event the finally called Robert’s number)
Me: (as Robert gets up to go to the window) Dude, who do you think would win, Lion Voltron or Vehicle Voltron?
Robert: (As he approaches the wind0w) Lion Voltron by KO in the third round.
Robert finished his business and I sat back down. I was surrounded by people, I’d be more comfortable with not driving, as I waited for them to get to the 600′s. Robert waved as he left.
Don’t miss 360|iDev San Jose. We’ve got great things planned. I’m not even talking about the 40+ sessions that you won’t see elsewhere, at a level you won’t get elsewhere. I’m talking about the Touch Arcade Game Jam, The awesome panels. The Appfigures party, and more! Register now! Don’t miss the best iPhone Developer conference ever! :)








Filed Under: Drinks, Gaming, Geeking Out, Reasons to Come, The Speakers Tagged With: , , , ,
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360iDev – The Speakers – Noel Llopis

January 14, 2010 By 1 Comment

If you attended 360|iDev Denver, you know Noel was the mastermind behind the Game Jam, which will be back in San Jose, sponsored by Touch Arcade! Which means it’s gonna be even better than last time!

Noel and I went out for Pizza the other day and had a chance to chat about 360|iDev

Me: Haven’t you been at all 360|iDev’s to date?

(We take a seat at a booth, each with two slices of pizza. Me double pepperoni, Noel some kind of pizza with chicken, artichokes, and sardines… to each their own)

Noel: I was there from the start. San Jose 2009, baby! :-)

(We high five, then wipe grease off our hands. Pizza, yummy, but messy)

Me: What do you think people who attend your session will be most surprised by/about?

(Noel takes a bite of his chicken, artichoke thing)

Noel: That UIKit actually mixes quite well with OpenGL. Apple has been quietly improving how the two interact and it’s totally reasonable to use them both unlike the initial warnings from the 2.0 days when Apple warned against mixing UIKit and OpenGL.

Me: That’s good to know! Glad Apple’s been working on that. What session are you most excited about, besides your own of course :)

(I order another slice as the waitress walks by, Noel does too. This time he asked for a slice with anchovies, onoins and rosemary)

Noel: The parties, of course! OK, if that doesn’t count, then I’m going to have to go with Owen’s Improv Prototyping session. I have this thing for prototypes (and I can never do as many as I want).

Me: It’ll be good to see Owen! We missed him in Denver. I need more polar bear stories. I hear they walk the streets like people where Owen lives.

(Noel laughs and drops his slice)

What are you most looking forward to at 360|iDev San Jose?

Noel: Can I say the parties now? Seriously, the thing I’m most looking forward to is seeing all the other iPhone devs in person again, and meeting a bunch of new ones. A lot of them I already “know” through Twitter, but I’m definitely looking forward to meeting them in person. The parties are a great setting to mingle and get to know everybody.

Me: (Our slices arrive) The parties will be off the hook that’s for sure. What would you tell someone that was on the fence about attending 360|iDev to convince them to come?

Noel: That 360iDev is a conference like no other. Top-notch content, but small enough that you get to know everybody, including the speakers. If you can only do one iPhone conference, this is the one to go to.

(Raising my slice in a toast)

Me: Damn straight!

(We chat some more, talking about iPhone development, Android phones, smurfs, you name it, we’re heading opposite ways to our cars, when I ask)

So who’d kick ass more, Lion or Vehicle Voltron?

Noel: Neither. Mazinger Z would fly in and kick both their butts (that’s Tranzor Z for you yanks)

Me: I dunno, without Aphrodite A, I’m not sure he could take them both.

Join Noel and all the other awesome community leaders who’re speaking and attending 360|iDev. Register Now before the last of the early tickets is sold out! Don’t miss the best iPhone conference in the world!



Filed Under: Community, Geeking Out, Parties, Reasons to Come, speakers, The Speakers Tagged With: , , , ,
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360iDev – The Speakers – Marcus Zarra

January 13, 2010 By 2 Comments

I was at Cocoaheads the other night, and Marcus had come up from Colorado Springs to attend, and sign some books.

We got to chatting a little bit about 360|iDev (Of course!)

Me: You’re speaking in San Jose right (He nods) which 360|iDev was your first?

Marcus: Denver this past year.

Me: Ah nice. You’ll like San Jose, it’s a great place, Ebay has an awesome campus.  What do you think people who attend your session will be most surprised by/about?
(One of the other cocoaheads comes over, book in hand, kinda gushing, but that’s to be expected and Marcus handles it with aplomb. He signs the book, chats a bit about Core Data and turns back to me)

Marcus: The ease of use of the API I am presenting and how valuable it is to the iPhone community.

Me: (nodding) I’m a nut for synchronization. Regardless of the situation, i want data in sync, whether it’s shopping lists, contacts, or whatever. What session are you most excited about, besides your own of course :)

(Another cocoahead comes over, i don’t recall seeing him earlier. He looks like an Android developer. He holds out his copy of Marcus’ book for signing, asks that it be made out to Sergey…. weird)

Marcus: (Handing the book back to Sergey) Nathan’s talk on Core Animation, Brent Simmons on best practices, Ashley Streb on team development

Me: All good choices, great guys too, that always helps.

(We order more beer, after all it’s a cocoaheads meeting)

What are you most looking forward to at 360|iDev San Jose?

Marcus: The networking. It is always great to meet the other iPhone developers in the community and share a conversation with them. You never know what is going to come out of it but it is always interesting.

Me: (nodding vigorously) Yeah the presentations are awesome, and we strive for the best tech talks around, but the awesome is often the community interaction. Meeting new friends, business partners, publishers, etc. You can’t put a price on that aspect of the event.
(Marcus nods)
What would you tell someone that was on the fence about attending 360|iDev to convince them to come?
Marcus: (takes a sip of his beer, buying some time to think. He’s probably finding more PC words than the expletives that come to mind for these fence sitters)
That if they want to be a part of the iPhone community and not just an iPhone developer, they need to be there.
Me: Well said. Anyone can start coding, buy a book, etc. but to get the most out of the experience and process of being an iPhone developer, get involved in the community. No one can exist and thrive in a vacuum.
(The meeting is wrapping up, every is paying their tabs)
So who do you think would win in a fight? Lion Voltron or Vehicle Voltron?
Marcus: (Not even needing a second to think) Lion, without a doubt.

Whether you’re new to the iPhone community, or been here a while, you’ll be kicking yourself for missing 360|iDev San Jose. It’s gonna kick ass. Join Marcus, Brent, Ashley, Nathan and almost 40 other speakers in San Jose for the best iPhone conference around. Register now! Don’t miss out!






Filed Under: Networking, Reasons to Come, San Jose, speakers, The Speakers Tagged With: , , , ,
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360|iDev – The Speakers – Ashley Streb

January 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment

I met Ashley in Denver at 360|iDev Denver 2009, it was his first 360|iDev.

I was hanging out at an In-N-Out a few days ago and guess who walks in. Ashley Streb.

Me: Hey dude! How are you?

Ashley: Oh hey John! I”m good you? Mind some company?

(I put my Double Double Animal Style down)

Me: Of course not, go get your food and have a seat.

(Ashley goes and places his order. Thankfully the mysterious rush that often hits In-N-Outs at random times through-out the day, had just passed.)

(he sits across from me)

Me: So… Excited about San Jose? (He nods) What do you think people who attend your session will be most surprised by/about?

Ashley: My representation of engineering excellence through interpretive dance. Also, how easy it is to integrate Xcode into automated code coverage checks should be pretty nifty.

(I put my burger down, so I wouldn’t drop it, laughing as hard as I was)

Me: awesome! Will you need anything special for the dance? pieces of lace or sheer fabric, a baton or something? (I smile, he laughs) I’ll have to make sure to pop my head into your session. ha!

The code stuff sounds good too of course. I can’t wait so see how you interpret function names.

What session are you most excited about, besides your own of course

Ashley: (he gets up when they call his order and comes back with a double double protein style, Fries well done, animal style and a neapolitan shake) 200 – Jonathan Saggau – I can has coverflow? Exploring third party libraries that closely mimic Apple’s UI.

(My own fries well done are calling my name so I munch a few of those.)

Me: (finishing my chew) What are you most looking forward to at 360|iDev San Jose?

(I’ve never understood the Protein style. Meat wrapped in lettuce leafs. Really? )

Ashley: The entreprenurial vibe and excitement around the iPhone platform!

(He takes a bite of lettuce wrapped beefy goodness)

Me: Yeah iPhone devs are a great group and very entrepreneurial. Get a game idea, start a company do their thing. What would you tell someone that was on the fence about attending 360|iDev to convince them to come?

Ashley: (between bites of fries, and a shake chaser) Fool.

(I wait for more, but no, that’s it. Can’t say I disagree, though I try to refrain from calling people… no, no I don’t. If you’re an iPhone developer, it’d be foolish to miss 360|iDev. I agree with Ashley)

Me: Fo’ Shizzle.

(we’re gathering up our wrappers, and such so I ask)

Who’d win? Lion Voltron or Vehicle Voltron?

Assley: (First he kills his shake and tosses the cup) I’m more nostalgic for lion voltron, but when vehicle voltron forms he looks like a super duper bad ass ninja. I think Vehicle voltron would dominate.

Me: He does have helicopter blades.
Don’t miss Ashley’s talk, and his interpretive dance. Register now before the price goes up! Don’t miss the only iPhone developer conference, that’s exclusively iPhone.
Filed Under: Geeking Out, San Jose, speakers, The Speakers Tagged With: , ,