The three days of the XML conference are just an awfully good time. This is where I come from, and in the years since I first came in 1990 I’ve worked for different companies and done different things, but the same people keep coming around in parallel orbits. In this group of people, you never have to explain why it’s OK to be obsessive about markup, about text, about language, or about meaning. Plus we had a party where security came to shut us down. Mostly this is just an excuse to post a few pictures.
First, here we have Joe Gregorio, giving what I suspect is the first-ever public presentation on the Atom Publishing Protocol. I think the protocol’s going to be huge, so this is perhaps even mildly historic.
As conference chair, Lauren gets the use of a huge suite, and we tend to use it for late-night socials. Here’s a shot from one, stacked with xml-dev heavies. The faces you can see, from left to right, are, Rob Sayre, John Cowan, Simon St.Laurent, Len Bullard, Eve Maler, and Mike Champion.
One highlight this year is that Len Bullard, a vocal but rarely-seen member of the XML family, emerged from the Alabama swamps. Here he’s seen, first attempting a mind-meld with an electric ukulele, then singing one of his own compositions; left to right are Tommie Usdin, Debbie Lapeyre, and Michael Sperberg-McQueen.
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After Len’s solo, we did a bit of singing-along and a whole lot more drinking and talking, then hotel security called, then came to the door three at a time, but that’s OK, John Cowan was bigger than them. Anyhow, thanks to each and every one of the people whose orbits are in the same plane as mine; you know who you are.
I got to give the closing keynote, which means a lot to me; I can usually make an audience laugh and clap, but this audience is like family, they start out on my side.
Then we went home.
