Sillyness, werd

The end of all things Dutchy

Tonight is my last night in Amsterdam, and I plan on passing it in quiet and reflection.

Mostly due to the fact that I am at the end of the money I budgeted for this trip. This has been one of the more difficult, and most enjoyable trips I have taken. It was difficult because I had to leave my wife and son behind. I have felt their absence very acutely these last few days.

But in many ways it has been one of the best trips I have taken. Amsterdam is a beautiful city full of life, energy and beauty. Walking the streets here one can easily get lost in the hum of the city, the many side streets that bridge wide canals filled with boats, and the smells of a thousand different cuisines. Just don’t get too lost and end up in the Red Light district.

But most of all, it was great to be able to spend time with the folks who make Apache so great. I feel privileged to be able to sit and listen to them discuss the future of our industry. Because make no mistake, these people are the ones who made it possible for everything we hold dear on the web. And let me tell you, they aren’t going to be sitting on their laurels.

Another highlight for me was the talk I gave this year. I think I have found the topic that I can really own. I am passionate about meritocracy, and the ways it can revolutionize both open source and closed source development. Not to mention that it makes us all better people. Clicking on the cover will take you to an HTML version of the presentation.

When I gave this talk at OLF, one of the audience members asked me if I had this all documented somewhere. They wanted a “manual” that they could download, print out and hand to their employers. I think that after giving the talk again, and again having someone ask this question, I am finally convinced that there is a real need for it.

So yeah, I am going to write a little booklet about meritocracy, the way we use it in Habari, and how it can be applied in businesses to make the world a better place.

Should drive me crazy. We’ll see. Oh yeah, and I helped launch a new Apache.org site. Not too shabby for a week in Amsterdam.

Last day in Amsterdam

I must say that my last day in this fine city has not been my best. I woke up, had an over priced breakfast and then got down to some hacking. Things went fairly well until I needed to go out for some lunch. Walked for an hour trying to find a place that served what I wanted to eat and took plastic. No luck. I am very ready to be at home again with my family.

ApacheCon Day 2

It’s Day 2 of Apachecon, and things are going fairly well I think.

I spent some of yesterday, and all of the morning working on a project with a couple of the big brains here at the conference, and I must say it was fun and gratifying feeling I finally had something of real value to contribute.

I often feel like the mentally challenged cousin that everyone tolerates at these conferences, so to feel useful was a nice change of pace. Today is my day to speak, and as in Stuttgart I have been placed opposite a talk that I would like to attend.

I will be surprised if I have 5 people in my talk. Le Sigh. On a high note, I got out yesterday and did some sketching. You can see the one sketch I like in my Flickr stream.

Day 2 in Amsterdam

Today was a good day.

I slept on a decent schedule, and was up at 8:00 am for a delicious, but over priced breakfast. Next was a bit of a nap, and then I moved on to doing some hacking on a side project I am working on with a certain someone, finishing up said work in time for the members/commiters reception (I was a guest of course).

Then it was off into the city with a group of geeky types for some Chinese:

Along the way I saw some killer graffiti:

All in all, a very good day. Tomorrow starts the conference proper, so no more touristy/hackiness for Chris. I speak on Thursday this year, so I am going to attend some talks and polish up my own tomorrow. Or at least that is the plan!

Day 1 in Amsterdam

So my first day in Amsterdam in drawing to a close (it is only 8:00pm here, but since I didn’t get much sleep today I am planning on retiring early) and I have to say, I am very impressed with this city.

The architecture is a rich mix of classic and modern sensibilities that would be at odds with each other one would think, but in actuality complement each other quite nicely. I am looking forward to seeing more of the city tomorrow.

You can follow along with my flickr stream to see what I see… mostly.

The Wild World of ApacheCon

In just a little under 3 hours I will be winging my way towards Amsterdam, Holland for ApacheCon EU.

I am very excited to hang out in Amsterdam for a while. I have passed through the airport there a couple of times, but I have never had the chance to stick around. Should be fun.

I think I am most looking forward to the chance to visit some of the museums and galleries there. I picked up a 3 pack of extra large Cahier’s from our good friends at moleskin to do some sketching. I might share some of those sketches when I get back.

Well, I think that is it for now. I need to go and spend some more time with Jakob and Heather, and then get on the road.

Come to ApacheCon

The call for papers is now open for ApacheCon US 2007.