2008 Year in Photos - Part 1
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One way I like to recap the year is a photo review of the events and cool places I got to see in 2008. I'm no globetrotter, but I do my best to participate in a wide variety of industry events. This goes a long way to keep me current and connected to a whole lot of interesting companies that are leading the way in IP communications. I also love photography, and try to live in the moment with whatever camera I've got.
This summarizes my travels in the first half of the year, and tomorrow I'll do the second half.
CBC's Test the Nation, Toronto, January
What a fun way to start the year. Test the Nation is a national quiz show on CBC TV, and is based on teams from various walks of life. I was invited to be on the Blogger team, and we were up against ths likes of Chefs, Pilots, Taxi drivers, and... Celebrity Look Alikes! Definitely the best perk I've had as a blogger.
The celeb look-alikes were better looking than the bloggers, but were the top team in the end. Got more pix like this in my original post.
Not only did we win as a team, but fellow blogger Rick Spence came away with the top personal score among all the contestants. Whoo hoo.
TMC's IT Expo, Miami Beach, January
Can't think of a better place to be in the dead of winter. The big giveaway prize was this red Mustang, and it sure helped bring traffic on to the show floor.
Jeff Pulver's Social Media Breakfast, Toronto, March
Jeff's never-ending world tour of social media breakfasts made a well-received visit to my town at our local deli. Definitely the shortest commute I've had outside of my home office.
eComm 2008, San Jose, March
Probably the most important event I attended all year, and it should be even better in 2009.
Above: Lee Dryburgh, me - moderating the wireless panel, Truphone's James Body helping my son Max unlock his iPhone, just bought that morning from the local Apple store
Dimension Data Analyst Day, Boston, April
Dialogic Analyst Day, New York
Really enjoyed this event, but the camera in my Nokia phone had a major meltdown, and I have no photos from the sessions. The personal highlight for me, though, was the Yankee Stadium tour they gave us. What a fantastic experience, especially for Red Sox fan like me. I was able to salvage a few shots from the tour, and here's one. You can view a bunch more on my original post.
IT360 Conference, Toronto, April
Canadian telecom conferences are few and far between, and generally smaller than U.S. events. This was one of the bigger ones, and I had my hands full chairing the tracks on Unified Communications.
MetaSwitch Forum, New Orleans, April
April was my busiest month in 2008, and the MetaSwitch Forum was the most fun. They always put on a great event, and the setting made it so enjoyable. Got plenty more photos of N'awlins if you're into virtual tourism on my original posts - view them here and here.
Above: Andy Randall, the amazing Mardi Gras World, a taste of the French Quarter
Nortel Analyst Day, Ottawa, May
I was one of only 3 analysts/media attending this event, and we got a very sneak preview at some things that Nortel had not previously shared with the public. It was quite the day, and you can read/see more about it on my original post. Things haven't gone too well for Nortel since, but they do have some cool technology that is going to find its way to your desktop sooner or later.
Above: Project Chainsaw demo, Telepresence demo
Cisco Channel Showcase, Toronto, May
This summarizes my travels in the first half of the year, and tomorrow I'll do the second half.
CBC's Test the Nation, Toronto, January
What a fun way to start the year. Test the Nation is a national quiz show on CBC TV, and is based on teams from various walks of life. I was invited to be on the Blogger team, and we were up against ths likes of Chefs, Pilots, Taxi drivers, and... Celebrity Look Alikes! Definitely the best perk I've had as a blogger.
The celeb look-alikes were better looking than the bloggers, but were the top team in the end. Got more pix like this in my original post.
Not only did we win as a team, but fellow blogger Rick Spence came away with the top personal score among all the contestants. Whoo hoo.
TMC's IT Expo, Miami Beach, January
Can't think of a better place to be in the dead of winter. The big giveaway prize was this red Mustang, and it sure helped bring traffic on to the show floor.
Jeff Pulver's Social Media Breakfast, Toronto, March
Jeff's never-ending world tour of social media breakfasts made a well-received visit to my town at our local deli. Definitely the shortest commute I've had outside of my home office.
eComm 2008, San Jose, March
Probably the most important event I attended all year, and it should be even better in 2009.
Above: Lee Dryburgh, me - moderating the wireless panel, Truphone's James Body helping my son Max unlock his iPhone, just bought that morning from the local Apple store
Dimension Data Analyst Day, Boston, April
Dialogic Analyst Day, New York
Really enjoyed this event, but the camera in my Nokia phone had a major meltdown, and I have no photos from the sessions. The personal highlight for me, though, was the Yankee Stadium tour they gave us. What a fantastic experience, especially for Red Sox fan like me. I was able to salvage a few shots from the tour, and here's one. You can view a bunch more on my original post.
IT360 Conference, Toronto, April
Canadian telecom conferences are few and far between, and generally smaller than U.S. events. This was one of the bigger ones, and I had my hands full chairing the tracks on Unified Communications.
MetaSwitch Forum, New Orleans, April
April was my busiest month in 2008, and the MetaSwitch Forum was the most fun. They always put on a great event, and the setting made it so enjoyable. Got plenty more photos of N'awlins if you're into virtual tourism on my original posts - view them here and here.
Above: Andy Randall, the amazing Mardi Gras World, a taste of the French Quarter
Nortel Analyst Day, Ottawa, May
I was one of only 3 analysts/media attending this event, and we got a very sneak preview at some things that Nortel had not previously shared with the public. It was quite the day, and you can read/see more about it on my original post. Things haven't gone too well for Nortel since, but they do have some cool technology that is going to find its way to your desktop sooner or later.
Above: Project Chainsaw demo, Telepresence demo
Cisco Channel Showcase, Toronto, May
