Camping, Bean bags or hotel?
Bletchley Park by Draco2008, on Flickr
The greatest thing about proper hack days is that you get to work as long, or as little, as you like. I find the small hours of the morning my most productive time - hanging around Bletchley Park overnight at Over The Air is going to be one of the coolest work spaces I've ever used.
The problem is at some point I suspect we'd all like to get our heads down for a couple of hours - so to aid in that I've had a little dig around to find some hotels, and even better, we've arranged with Bletchley Park to allow you to pitch tents on the front lawn. (yeap that nice green bit right in front of the house). You'll also be able to grab a bean bag and find a quiet corner inside the mansion or the marquee - so don't forget your sleeping bag.
If camping is not your thing then there are a few hotels nearby that may be worth considering - we're in no way recommending any of these places - they're just near.
Hotels:
- The Park Hotel - about £40 per night
- Milton Keynes B&B - from £25 per night
- Campanile - about £40 per night
- Hilton - £77 per night
- Hilton Milton Keynes - £55 per night
- Travel Lodge in Milton Keynes - £32 per night
Ignite Bletchley Park
Even if you can't join us for the full OTA11 event, you should definitely try to make it out to Bletchley Park for Friday evening, as we will be introducing an exciting new element to the programme:
Ignite is a global event, organized by volunteers, where participants are given five minutes to speak about their ideas and personal or professional passions, accompanied by 20 slides. Each slide is displayed for 15 seconds, and slides are automatically advanced. The Ignite format is similar to Pecha Kucha, which features 20 slides displayed for 20 seconds each. The presentations are meant to "ignite" the audience on a subject, i.e. to generate awareness and to stimulate thought and action on the subjects- Wikipedia
The event-within-an-event is being organised by Ignite Cardiff's very own Claire Scantlebury, and the submission form is still open for speakers to come along and volunteer to give a five minute talk. The rule is - you can't talk about yourself or your job (so no blatant self-promotion is allowed) but if you're passionate about something or want to talk about something cool and innovative then just fill in the form behind the link above and we'll be in touch.
See you on Friday night!
Opening Speaker - Bill Thompson
We are thrilled to announce that our opening speaker is Bill Thompson of the BBC, who will be taking a philosophical look at the way the proliferation of online and mobile has changed society and will introduce the Digital Public Space as a concept which will potentially change the landscape of society and the internet.
New media pioneer Bill Thompson is a journalist, commentator and technology critic based in Cambridge, England. He has been working in, on and around the Internet since 1984. He contributes to other publications both on and off-line, including The Guardian and The New Statesman. He writes a monthly column for new net users for BBC WebWise, and a technology column for Focus magazine
Bill appears weekly on ‘Click‘ (formerly ‘Digital Planet’ and ‘Go Digital’) on the BBC World Service and occasionally on other BBC radio and television programmes. You can find him online, working in one of Cambridge’s many cafés, or at the bar of the ICA.
Ewan Spence
Ewan is known for his strong views on mobile technology and ensuring assessibility to it all; a love of trivia; the new media landscape on the internet; the effect technology and communication will have on the public conscious and existing businesses.
He has been active in this space for over ten years, working for a number of sites, publications and media companies, some for long periods of time, others for commissions, one-off pieces or a series of articles or shows.
As Scotland’s first podcaster, he's been a prominent voice in the rise of podcasting and new media online, picking up a BAFTA nomination for my coverage of the Edinburgh Fringe along the way.
At Ignite Bletchley Park, Ewan will be talking about 'Everything I ever needed to know about European politics I learned from the Eurovision Song Contest'
www.ewanspence.com
http://twitter.com/#!/ewan
Alistair MacDonald
Alistair is a self-confessed geek with a fascination for transport. By trade he is a real-time software developer and radio travel presenter, two completely different skills that often get mixed up in his "pet projects". Currently Alistair is working with the start-up Usable HQ Ltd.
At Ignite Bletchley Park, Alistair will be talking about 'The Metro Simulator. Simulating a light transport system on a web server'
http://www.agm.me.uk/blog
http://twitter.com/#!/alistair
Terence Eden
Terence Eden has been working on the mobile Internet since long before it was fashionable. He consults on QR codes, mobile strategy, and mobile security matters.
His work has featured in Wired, The Guardian, The Register, and Now Celebrity Weddings.
At Ignite Bletchley Park, Terence will be talking about 'QRpedia - linking museums and Wikipedia with QR codes'.
http://shkspr.mobi/blog/
http://twitter.com/#!/edent
James Hugman
James is a geek living in Brighton. Despite being on the internet since 1991, he doesn't have a tan, and is not an anarchist. At Ignite Bletchlye Park, James will be talking about 'The Technologies of a Modern Revolution'.
http://hugman.posterous.com
www.twitter.com/jhugman
Chris Monk
Chris is a carer, educationalist, once a teacher and now volunteer at The National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park. He is keen to encourage young people to learn about computing and whenever possible to get them to experience learning outside the classroom.
At Ignite Bletchley Park, Chris will be talking about 'Kids can't code' and has asked that you show your support for the National Museum of Computing by tweeting using #tnmoc.
www.tnmoc.org
www.twitter.com/ChrisMonk_oo
Dr Alex Blewitt
Dr Alex Blewitt is passionate supporter of both OSGi and Eclipse, having first been introduced before the release of Eclipse 1.0, and getting involved in the open-source project just before the OSGitransition happened with the release of Eclipse 3.0. He was nominated (and a top three finalist) for Eclipse Ambassador in 2007, as recognition of his contributions as chief editorEclipseZone.
Alex spent many years working with Java, having founded International Object Solutions Limited in 1997, just after Java 1.1 was released. Now he spends his time development on mobile platforms at Bandlem Limited, which he founded in 2010. Alex currently writes for InfoQ covering both OSGi and Eclipse, and continues to develop modular applications in his spare time. His ObjectivEClipseproject was used as the basis for the Sony Snap Developer IDE, and many are using the ZFS port on OSX, which he maintains. In what little time he has left over, he spends with his young family and has been known to take them flying if the weather's nice.
At Ignite Bletchley Park, Alex will be talking about 'Git and Gerrit for Distributed Code Review'.
http://alblue.bandlem.com
www.twitter.com/alblue
Imran Ghory
Imran used to work in the city figuring out how currencies worked, until he discovered that it was much more fun to make up your own job. He now focuses full-time on geeky side-projects, drawing a web-comic and blogging. He accidentally built up expertise in the startup world so occasionally does consultancy and lecturing in the field.
At Ignite Bletchley Park, Imran Will be talking about 'Cracking Cryptics'.
Get ready to hack at OTA11!
A key feature of every Over the Air is the hacking competition, which opens after the Keynotes on Friday morning and closes shortly before the Demo's on Saturday after lunch. There are always a number of general categories, sponsored categories, and thematic or problem-solving challenges.
As we finalise the schedule for OTA11, we are also starting to finalise this year's competition categories, and can have lots of amazing prizes to tell you about as well!
The details of the OTA11 Hackday categories and prizes have now been posted. Time to go make cool stuff!!
The competition entry form is live online, and you have until lunchtime to get your entry in.
Droidcon Partners with Over the Air
As many of you alert Mobilists will know, the annual Droidcon Android Conference is a mere 5 days after Over the Air, and we're pleased to announce that we've partnered with WIP to be the official Android Hack Day that they always organise before their big event.
If you haven't heard of Droidcon, it is the UK's largest Android conference exclusively covering the Android, Android Development, Android Applications and the ecosystem that has grown up around Google's Mobile Platform.
Droidcon 2011 will take place at Islington Design Centre on the 6th-7th October 2011 and will feature the cream of the Android Developer world. Day One will be a community-led Android Unconference with a full day Barcamp and Democamp. Delegates will take to the stage to give talks, participate in discussions and showcase their Android applications. Day Two will be an Android Conference. Android Experts from around the World will present on every aspect of the Android and its many uses. Around 40 speakers on 4 Tracks will cover Android Development, testing, Marketing, and lots, lots more.
The OTA Hackday Android Category
Droidcon will be supporting the Best Android Apps hackday category by offering free tickets to Droidcon for the winning team as well as a slot to demo their winning app at the Democamp on Thursday.
(That shouldn't be an excuse not to get your early bird ticket now before they disappear...)
But that's not all.... Droidcon will also be giving away 2 Sony Ericsson Xperia Play devices (the first PlayStation certified Android smartphone! w00t!) to the 2 best teams. So don't just sit there - start thinking of a great Android hack to enter!
In memory of Tony Sale – the Mastermind behind the rebuilding of Collosus
Many of you may have heard the sad news of the death of Tony Sale, one of the founders of the Bletchley Park Trust and a key campaigner for its rescue and restoration. Mr. Sale had a long career as a talented engineer with an avid interest in computing, and he dedicated himself tirelessly to the rebuilding of Colussus, the world's first operational computer.
As the BBC Reports:
Tony Sale built a working robot out of scrap from a crashed bomber
Tony Sale, the brilliant engineer who led the rebuild of Colossus, the first modern computer, has died aged 80. The mammoth project to recreate the code-cracking Colossus capped a career built around electronics and computers. Most recently, Mr Sale drove the campaign to save Bletchley Park, where Colossus aided Allied code-cracking efforts during World War II. At Bletchley he also founded the National Museum of Computing to help preserve the UK's ageing computers.
Born in 1931, Mr Sale displayed his talent for engineering at an early age by building a robot, called George I, out of Meccano. One of the later versions of George was built from the remains of a Wellington bomber. Instead of going to university, Mr Sale joined the RAF, which nurtured his engineering talent, and by the age of 20 he was lecturing pilots and aircrew about advances in radar.
Tony Sale describes how the Colossus worked
His career also included a six-year stint as a scientific officer at MI5. He rose to become principal scientific officer of the intelligence agency and aided the work of spycatcher Peter Wright. On leaving MI5 he established, ran and sold a variety of software and engineering firms.
During the late 1980s Mr Sale's job at the Science Museum nurtured an interest in old computers. This led to the creation of the Computer Conservation Society which leads efforts to restore many key machines. His interest led to the 14-year project that saw the re-creation of the pioneering Colossus computer. During wartime, Colossus gave the Allies an insight into the communications of the German high command.
The rebuilding work was difficult because the original Colossus machines were broken up at the end of WWII and all plans for it were destroyed. The rebuilt Colossus became the centrepiece of The National Museum of Computing (TNMOC) that Mr Sale established at Bletchley Park.
"Tony Sale's passing is a tremendous loss to us all on a personal and professional basis," said Andy Clark, chairman of the TNMOC trustees. "Tony's contributions to The National Museum of Computing have been immense and I am quite sure that without his remarkable talents, enthusiasm, and drive, the museum would not have come into existence," said Mr Clark.
And as the Inquirer reports:
The rebuilding of Colossus was a monumental challenge involving much research and a solid understanding of very advanced mathematics as well as the engineering skills to assemble such a machine. The machine had played a vital part in the war effort from 1944 onwards.
Sale worked tirelessly to ensure that Bletchley Park was preserved for the nation and, along with his wife Margaret, was part of a small team that started the campaign for Bletchley Park and ultimately saved it for the nation. He dedicated his long retirement almost entirely to his work at the Trust and subsequently the National Museum of Computing based at Bletchley Park.
Bletchley Park houses the National Museum of Computing. During World War II, it was the site of the UK's main decryption establishment, the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS), where the ciphers and codes of several Axis countries were decrypted.
Simon Greenish, director of the Bletchley Park Trust, paid tribute to Sale's work, saying that "Tony's contribution to the early days of the development of the Trust when the site was under very real threat of development was fundamental and without him, the Bletchley Park site and its hugely important history would perhaps not have survived. His work on re-building Colossus was an enormous challenge and took many years to complete."
Sale's achievements have been recognised in recent years with Honorary Doctorates from three Universities. He also met the Queen on a recent visit when she unveiled a memorial at Bletchley Park to honour its wartime veterans.
Sale is survived by his wife Margaret, their three children, seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Do watch the video posted on BBC Technology to fully appreciate his accomplishments. We hope that when you come to Bletchley Park for Over the Air, you will spend some time in the National Museum of Computing admiring Colussus and his efforts. Be sure to check out his robot George while you're at it!
If you're looking for a bit of inspiration for the Hack-a-thon, get yourself in the Code-breaking mood by reading Tony's notes about his contributions to the 'Enigma' movie (pop quizz - what's the connection between Mick Jagger and Bletchley?)
Vodafone are a Sponsor of OTA11
We are pleased to announce that Vodafone are Sponsors of Over the Air 2011
Vodafone developer and Vodafone Foundation are working together to promote the development of IT applications designed to improve the lives of people with disabilities and older people to help them become more actively involved in society. And to support this they have launched a new competition, The Vodafone Foundation Smart Accessibility Awards with a total prize fund of €200k split equally between the four winners. The competition is open from 14 June 2011 to 15 October 2011.
The programme is supported and co-organized by AGE Platform Europe, the European network of around 160 organisations of and for people aged 50+, and the European Disability Forum (EDF), the NGO that represents the interests of 80 million Europeans with disabilities.
To learn more about this initiative and about working with Vodafone then please come speak to the team at Over the Air. You can also find out more about the Vodafone Foundation Smart Accessibility Awards and enter here - http://developer.vodafone.com/smartaccess2011/
Ericsson Labs are Gold Sponsor of OTA11
We are pleased to announce that Ericsson Labs are a Gold Sponsor of Over the Air 2011.
Today’s mobile and digital life is expanding into more areas of society and business. We now stand on the brink of fundamental innovation opportunities across industries, public services and in private life. Over the coming years, technology advances and information and communication infrastructure performance will rapidly increase. This will enable new opportunities for people to create, learn, sustain and innovate to create a positive impact on our world. We call this new emerging society, of which we have only seen the beginning, the "Networked Society". At Ericsson Labs we are using innovation to empower people, business and society. We assist innovators - application and software developers - to find inspiration and turn ideas into reality. Our purpose is to support Ericsson’s vision of the Networked Society by working with partners - technology providers and third-party developers.
Pearson is WiFi Sponsor of OTA11
We are pleased to announce that Pearson is sponsoring our WiFi coverage at Over the Air this year, ensuring that we once again have excellent connectivity throughout the event!
Pearson is the world's leading learning company and includes Penguin, the Financial Times, our Education business, and the Developer platform Plug & Play (http://developer.pearson.com).
Our education imprints combine 150 years of experience with online support for every learner. We provide education and assessment services in over 75 countries. Every day our work helps learning flourish, and wherever learning flourishes, so do people. For more information, please contact Diana Stepner (diana.stepner@pearson.com)
Security Stream at OTA 2011
Bletchley Park is renowned for its mathematics work in breaking encryption during the second world war. It is also the home of the world’s first programmable digital computer: Colossus and the National Museum of Computing. Where better to hold a security stream for Over the Air?
Security in the mobile world is increasing in prominence. Convergence of technologies within mobile handsets mean that more people have more reason to attack mobile phones and their users. From mobile payments and company emails to our photo albums, our entire lives are centring on one thing – the handset. If we lose our phone it is more than a big deal.
As we all get hooked on our connected lives, malware and virus creators are thinking of new dastardly ways to wreak havoc and steal money from us and even from the developers of the applications we download. Developers need to think more and more about how to protect their own applications and user data, alongside being responsible with the private data they have access to.
Speakers in the Over the Air security stream will be giving attendees the low-down on how to secure mobile applications, the evolution of malware and the history of codes and ciphers:
- What’s going on with security in the mobile industry and what’s coming up?
- The threat from mobile malware and how to make sure you don’t develop something bad
- Stolen and lost phones – can mobile applications help with this problem?
- Webapp security, signing and app stores
- Break the code! – A mobile application challenge for developers
Stay-tuned for Speaker Announcements....
Register for OTA 2011
For the first time, we are introducing a small £5 donation to the Bletchley Park Trust as part of the registration process this year - a tiny cost for us, but with 500+ attendees expected it's a nice little sum towards the repair and upkeep of the Park. (And of course you are welcome to donate more, if you feel inspired by the Bletchley Park story).
If everyone who attends gives £10 or more we could make a significant contribution towards the roof repair of Hut 12, where the 'From Bletchley Park, with Love' exhibit is housed ( Ian Fleming and Real Spies, Double Agents and Bletchley Park). Bletchley Park have kindly offered to give an annual season pass to all attendees who donate £12 or more.
If you prefer using PayPal you can e-mail margaret at overtheair dot org your registration details and make your donation on JustGiving
Online Event Registration with amiando
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If you don't have a credit card and need to give us cash at the door, just send margaret at overtheair dot org an e-mail with all of the other required registration detail, and we'll get you sorted.
OTA11 was on 30/09 – 01/10/2011
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