What I don’t understand
What I don't really get: Ikea calls back 36 million chests and dressers in the USA, because 6 children died. But how many children died because of gun accidents again?
Notes
Events you can meet me at in the third quarter of 2016
I want to continue what I started with my first and second post about which events I’ll attend in 2016. This time it is the period from June to September, or in other words, the third quarter of the year.
As I mentioned in my first post already, there are a lot of great events happening and in addition to the lists I mention there, Jan Constantin created a new list with events taking place from June to December 2016.
With this said, I just want to mention that the list below is not a list with recommendations, where to go to, but simple a list of events where I attend and where you can meet me … I mean, if you want … ;)
IndieWebCamp New York
From August 26th to 28th, another IndieWebCamp is taking place. This time in New York and I try to attend. I was not able to attend the IWC in Nuremberg this year, because it was too close to my beyond tellerrand in Düsseldorf and I was busy with final bits and pieces for it. I also wasn’t able to really attend the IWC in Düsseldorf either, because I was setting up beyond tellerrand. I am not sure, if I really will make it – New York is not cheap, you know – but I hope I gonna make it.
Registration is free and space is limited.
NightlyBuild
NightlyBuild is taking place for the third time. A one-day, or lets say, a one-evening event in Cologne, Germany on September 2nd. Tickets are only €49 and this year’s theme is “The Simplicity of the Web combined with the latest Technologies”. First speakers are announced and I am already looking forward to meet Stephen Hay again – haven’t seen him for a long time. MC of the event is Bruce Lawson and of course I am also always looking forward to hang out with him either.
Reasons To
This is going to be a big birthday party … festival … event – call it whatever you want. Fact is that, if you take Flash on the Beach, the precursor of Reasons To, then this event turns 10 this year. Can you believe this? 10 years and I did not miss a single one, which shows how much I like it. I think the mix of speakers is special every year, but this year, from September 5th to 7th, it is extraordinary. Just take a look at the line-up that is announced so far and you’ll see what I mean.
John also changed the format a little bit. In the past years it always used to be three theatres on three days. This year it will be three theatres each day in the morning and single track in the afternoon. Maybe that serves the wish of those, who only like single track events.
Smashing Conference Freiburg
Another birthday party from September 12th to 13th: Smashing Magazine also turns 10! Of course this is something they want to celebrate in their hometown at their 5th SmashingConf in Freiburg. This is special not only because Vitaly and I started SmashingConf in Freiburg 2012, but also because you can expect a lot of nice extras during this conference.
A sad part is, that Cat, who was part of the team since 2013, just left the Smashing Events team. Good news though is, that she is now working for Shopify, a long time partner of beyond tellerrand, which means, I might see her even more than before ;)
Typo Day Köln
The people behind the Typo Berlin conference are also setting up smaller events called “Typo Day”. One of them takes place in Cologne at the end of September. I am looking forward to it a lot. I think there are still tickets left for it.
That is what’s planned so far for June, August and September. If you wonder, why June and August look pretty much empty: it is Summer and holidays season and I am very much looking forward to spend time with my Family.
But then I am happy to meet the one or other of you at any of these events. If you happen to attend one, let me know and we might have the chance to catch up and chat during while having a drink …
Update September 26th, 2016: Added Typo day Köln
My photos from SmashingConf New York 2016
Just a week ago Smashing Conference in New York took place for the third time. For the second time it was the New World Stages where it happened after moving away from the Time Center Stage.
Sadly it turns out, that my CF card is broken. Like last time I had issues getting the photos from it and lost a good bunch of shots of the second day again – amongst them talks of Aaron, Mat and Frances. I directly got rid of this card and ordered a new one. Two times is enough.
But being back in New York was wonderful and I met a lot of great people. The content of the event was diverse and mostly well presented. Chris Heilmann did a great job as MC and you can see that SmashingConf NYC is now established as all seat had been taken.
In July I will be in Freiburg for a board member meeting and then back in September for Smashing Conference Freiburg, where the Smashing Magazine celebrates the tenth birthday. Will we meet?
Podcasts I listen to
My friend Vasilis has listened to his first podcast and liked it and was asking for recommendations. I took this as a chance to start a new list of podcasts. Some I listen regularly to, some I listen to from time to time, some in German even. I’ll update this post as soon as I find new podcasts. Also I am happy if you send recommendations my way.
Before I start, I have to say, that I am not focused on a certain kind of show. Some are tech related, some are gadget and hardware based podcasts and some are more design oriented. I simply list all I like and you pick and choose. The order is completely random.
Life + Limb
The Life and Limb podcast is a show by designer Chuck Anderson from Chicago, in which he interviews other creative people. The episodes are quite long with mostly over an hour and sometimes even close to two hours, but I like listening to it, while I am working. Sadly Chuck recorded the last issue in November 2014. I hope he is doing some more.
ShopTalk
ShopTalk is a live show by Dave Rupert and Chris Coyier. In over 200 shows – all about one hour long – they have a mix of having guests and a variation called Rapidfire in which they answer as many questions as possible (sometimes also with a guest). ShopTalk deals with topics around front end web design, development and UX.
Hired
Hired is a podcast by Cameron Moll about work life, company culture and hiring. Cameron just started the third season of his show, usually always having a very interesting guest in on his virtual couch. With around 25 to 40 minutest for each episodes it is a great show to listen to not only in your studio or at home, but also on the bus, train or during a walk.
Creative Coding Podcast
Seb Lee-Delisle and Ian Lobb are recording their Creative Coding Podcast since 2011 already – another fact that shows me how fast time is ticking. They had a short gap between 2013 and 2015, but are back on a regular basis now. The name states, what the show is about: programming for creative applications. Sometime Seb and Ian have guests, sometimes they don’t.
Unfinished Business
Unfinished Business is a show, which started 2013 with Anna Debenham and Andy Clarke and is now hosted by Andy only. It started as a more business oriented show, went through a time when it was a more personal show of Andy’s interest only and is now back to topics dealing with creativity, web design, work and life and much more. Usually with some interesting guests and mostly quite entertaining.
Let’s Make Mistakes
A podcast about design – that is what the tagline says about Let’s Make Mistakes. Hosts are Mike Monteiro, Liam Campbell, Steph Monette and Seven Morris. They have changing guests and each show is about 50 to 70 minutes long. Attention: very inspiring conversations …
Working Draft (German)
Working Draft is a weekly German Web developer and Web designer podcast by six fantastic people. Usually the podcast is completely in German, but sometimes they have guests like PPK, Chris Heilmann and Jeremy Keith, which makes them switch to English. In over 260 episode, they usually discuss current topics and/or recap the past week.
Back to Front Show
The Back to Front Show is a podcast hosted by Keir Whitaker and Kieran Masterton. In 2015 they more or less took a break, but they are back now and do not focus on a certain area in particular, but discuss a number of regular topics.
dConstruct 2015 Podcast
Not really a podcast, but maybe something like a small-batch podcast. In 2015, before dConstruct, Jeremy Keith interviewed the speakers of the event. I really liked the loose and nice atmosphere during those interviews and can recommend listening to them.
The Big Web Show
Who else then Jeffrey Zeldman could host a show named The Big Web Show? Usually Jeffrey invites an interesting guest to have a conversation about all things web. Each episode is roughly an hour long and the pace of the show is quite laid back, which I enjoy while having a glass of red whine for example.
The Web Ahead
Like The Big Web Show, The Web Ahead is 5by5 network. Jen Simmons, known to the web industry from many articles and speaking at a lot of events, invites experts of a variety of technologies and always with an eye on the future of the web.
Style Guide Podcast
I am a bit sad actually, that this very nice podcast with a lot of useful insights by Anna Debenham and Brad Frost came to an. They did 12 episodes and decided that a small batch series would be enough to cover this topic up to now. But who knows: maybe they are back sooner or later. Fingers crossed.
Simple Podcast
Developer Kahlil Lechelt is part of a few podcasts dealing with web design topics. This one, called Simple Podcast, is a personal podcast of him and what I like about it is, that every episode is only 3 minutes long. That makes it really easy to listen to it and sometimes get a nice view on things, a suggestion for something or similar and it does not even harm if you don’t get anything out of an episode as you only spent 3 minutes listening to it.
The Bureau Briefing
Beginning of 2016 the The Bureau Briefing was started. It is a podcast with 20–30 minutes episodes and the host is Carl Smith, whom I happily met at one of my conference trips. The show consists of interviews lead by Carl. In a very calm and nice way Carl has a conversation with someone out of the Bureau of Digital community.
The Path to Performance
Katie Kovalcin and Tim Kadlec hosting a show dedicated to fostering a culture around web performance in organisations … but not only. Every episode is transcribed and in each episode they have a guest with whom they discuss a specific topic. Sadly they did not produce any new episodes since November 2015 after ten episodes, but I simply hope they continue the show.
Presentable
The Presentable Podcast is a podcast by Jeffrey Veen in which Jeffrey and his guests set their focus on how we design and build the products that are shaping our digital future. In his charming and gentle way, Jeffrey is interviewing and chatting to people for about 45–60 minutes.
… to be continued…
Updated on June 2nd, 2016: added a few podcasts and added RSS feeds in addition to the websites of each show
Updated on June 9th: added more podcasts to the list
Updated on June 17: more podcasts
Good Bye Flashforum
I was thinking about what I did within the last couple of days for such a long time already. But I decided it was about time to do this now. If you don’t feel the love and the passion for something anymore and also are not able to justify any time you put into it (not to speak about money), then – I think – it is about time.
The Flashforum and FFK (the Flashforum Konferenz) have been a big part of my life from 1999 up to 2010 (and longer even). It was the home of many people in the German Flash community. With over 115000 members, over 266000 threads with over 1703000 posts and sometimes between 1500 and 2000 people in the forum at once, it was a platform for everybody who was in the Flash-, Design- and Web-Scene in Germany.
From 2001 to 2010 we also organised an event for and around this community with sometimes around 500–600 visitors and even 1500, when we did the Flashforum and Studio 8 Tour in 2005.
The Flashforum never was just about Flash and questions about how to do something or Tutorials and alike. It was about the people as much as about things left and right from Flash. Many talented designers used it as a tool, many careers started in and with the Flashforum and many friendships had been build during all those years.
But if something wonderful like this slowly becomes something that is more like ball and chain, then you should better stop it and take all the good memories with you.
This is what I did now after thinking about it for month, if not years. I was thinking about the possibility to keep the content alive at least, but up to now I haven’t found a good and cost effective solution. Therefore I made a backup of the database and the project folder and downgraded the whole server to a simple one-page website.
With a happy-sad feeling I say good bye to you, my good old Flashforum. Happy to have so many lovely memories. Sad to let you go.
Thanks for a fantastic time and all the wonderful people I got to know because of you!
Leaving for btconf
Good night drink before I leave the house in the morning for a couple of days to meet some lovely people. #btconf
Material Conference 2016 not taking place
Sadly the promising looking event called Material, that was planned to be held in July by my friends Brian Suda and Joschi Kuphal is not taking place. The reason is that they only funded 1/3 of what they tried to get through their Kickstarter campaign. Their website states:
ATTENTION: This conference will not take place in 2016!
Thanks for your support — we'll be back in 2017 ...
I haven’t seen a post with Brian’s or Joschi’s view on things about why they think it wasn’t reaching the goal they set, but in my opinion reasons could be, that it was set in the wrong time of the year. In Europe July in most countries is holiday season already where people take time off and where flights are more expensive than usually. Also, for an event like this one, being in Iceland, maybe 4 months are not enough to make a decision whether to go or not. It might be the time most people need, like seen in the survey I did, but maybe for a trip like this, being special (in a positive way) in my opinion, it could be different.
Also, as I stated before, Kickstarter is not my favourite choice for backing an event. It works if you already have a huge network to spread the campaign and where you can be sure that it will work out in the end, but otherwise I think it leads more to a “I wait and see how popular this is” mentality than to being quick to get your ticket. People maybe wait and see instead of grabbing a well-priced ticket to reserve their seat. But maybe I am wrong … just my guess and opinion.
I myself have to blame me as well for not backing the event though I was planning to got. Only the time was difficult for me as well, as I have a family who loves to spend time with me (obviously) and where everybody is happy, if I am not attending events in July and August. Therefore I wasn’t sure either and did not back it … shame on me.
I do like the idea Brian and Joschi had and I hope they’ll give it another try in 2017. Let’s help them and spread the word even more next time.
My photos from SmashingConf San Francisco 2016
I just arrived back from San Francisco and am done sorting the photos I took at SmashingConf. Usually I am a bit faster, but at the weekend I took time off with my family and then I had to get directly to work for the upcoming beyond tellerrand in Düsseldorf as it is less than 4 weeks to go.
The first event in San Francisco was a great success for Smashing Magazine. A good set of speakers, a great venue, Tim Kadlec was – in my opinion – ace as MC of the event and even the weather was playing nice and the sun was out all of the event days, which is not often the case in San Francisco during this time of the year. I guess the Smashing circus will be back to this city next year again.
Events you can meet me at in the second quarter of 2016
Wow! Is it already three months into the new year and the events I have written about, I gonna attend are already over? Tell me that time is not ticking fast! While I’m writing the delayed, first update to the beyond tellerrand Düsseldorf attendees, I decided to quickly update my own blog with the events, I plan to attend during April, May and June (ordered by date):
SmashingConf San Francisco
At the end of this week I take my flight to San Francisco to be part of the first Smashing Conference in SF. From April 5th to 6th with workshops on 4th and 7th, the first SF SmashingConf is opening the doors. Many old and new faces on the speaking circuit are going to give the attendees a great time. Expect photos from e after the event.
IndieWebCamp and beyond tellerrand // DÜSSELDORF
Apart from this, I am not able to attend more events in April as my own event is coming up quickly and a lot of stuff is to be done still. May 7th and 8th, we run the IndieWebCamp Düsseldorf for the second time as part of #btconf. It’s a free event for everybody interested in this topic and I, together with Aaron Parecki and Jeremy Keith, would be happy to welcome you. beyond tellerrand in Düsseldorf is sold out and about 70 people are on the waiting list. So I better get my act together and get it rolling.
Typo Berlin
I attended Typo Berlin last year and have a ticket to do so again. Sadly it is so close to my event, that I never really know until very short before the event. This year Typo Berlin takes place from May 12 to 14 and tickets are still available. It might happen that I am not able to come, but I try to make it over at least for one day. A lot of good speakers and friends are going to speak.
OFFF Barcelona
After a few years of not being able to attend, I hope to be back this year. But same here: too many other events and this is so close to mine always. Just crossing my fingers, that I am able to make it to OFFF this time from May 26 to 28.
Smashing Conference New York
From June 14 to 15 the event I started with Vitaly Friedman is back in New York for the third time. Tickets for SmashingConf New York are still available. Of course I am back with photos here as well.
awwwards New York
Right after Smashing Conf, the awwwards Conference opens the doors from on 16th and 17th of June. The list of speakers looks great (as with most of the speaker lists from the above) and I am looking forward to a busy week in New York, meeting and chatting to a lot of people.
And that is it in short for the next three months. I anything adds to this, I’ll update this post. If you are at any of these events, let me know and we can have a chat and hang out!
Update: Obviously I totally forgot to list ConfConf amongst the events I’ll be at. Not attending but speaking, but that is not changing the fact, that I am there … and you?
My photos from SmashingConf Oxford 2016
Last week I was part of the third SmashingConf in Oxford. In my opinion the best edition in Oxford so far. Not from the topics and speakers, but from the overall atmosphere and feeling. Over two days we have again seen a great mix of topics in a wonderful atmosphere of the beautiful Town Hall in Oxford.
I had a great time speaking to new and old friends and being part of the steady growing and great team behind SmashingConf. Check my photos and meet me soon at SmashingConf in San Francisco.