The #140conf Blog « 140 Character Conference

The #140conf Blog

Jeremie Miller’s – @jeremie Vision of What’s Next – #TeleHash: Distributed Apps Without The Need for Servers

Jeremie Miller has a pretty good track record at having a vision and making it a reality.

As the creator of the XMPP open standard, he’s the reason IM works the way it does across platforms on your computer or wireless device.

On the #140Conf Road Trip, Jeff Pulver, let the Twitterverse know that we’d be at the Field of Dreams. Who shows up? Jeremie. He happens to live on a farm in Iowa near the famed baseball field in a corn field and came over to visit us.

Jeremie’s next big thing is something he calls TeleHash. The idea is to exchange JSON in a real-time and fully decentralized manner so that applications can connect with each other without the need for servers.

Jeremie is passionate about protocols. In the video above, he talks about his vision of decentralizing information and having information free and open to everyone.

Thank you Jeremie for joining us briefly and connecting at the Field of Dreams. You’re proof that if you build it, they will indeed come.

Posted on Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

How the AirBox X2 Slide Cellular Router from WAAV Provided Connectivity and Broadcast Innovation on the #140Conf Road Trip

Traveling 3,100 miles in 7 days, through 12 States meant we were mobile to an extreme.

Thanks to product sponsorship from WAAV, we were able to broadcast a real time reality show on UStream using their AirBox X2 Slide Router. WAAV’s traditional market includes federal agencies and bus/train companies to first responders to Fortune 100 companies.

Small business clients use mobile internet for reliable Internet access in remote locations and fleet management – WAAV’s award-winning technology is changing how and where people access critical information anywhere, anytime.

Our application of the AirBox X2 was really meant to understand, and apply real time social mobile broadcasting at 70 miles per hour. Using traditional data cards still work to some degree, but they are really meant for fixed mobile applications – for places such as an airport, hotel, or office where you may not have access to WiFi. We did have a redundant solution with a Sprint Overdrive, but the AirBox X2 was our core application for the broadcast shown above.

Even in more remote areas such as Nebraska, North Dakota, Indiana, and Minnesota, the AirBox X2 performed. It had dual Sprint broadband cellular modems and can actually handle cellular modems from competing carriers.

Thank for you for being a product sponsor and have a technology platform that really performed.

Posted on Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

Engaging with Kodak’s Brand On the #140Conf Road Trip – @kodakevents @kodakcb #140KodakMoments

Having a sponsor like Kodak provide guidance, support, and product that we can not only use, but give away as gifts during the #140Conf Road Trip, brings an opportunity to engage a brand into the experience of an eight day moving road trip.

I would be overstating the obvious to say that Kodak is a perfect match for an event like this. But there is more to this process than just sticking their logo up during our events.

At heart, it’s about the Characters, and there is no better way to illustrate the Characters we meet and the stories they tell, with photography and video.

We had a Kodak Zi8, Playsport, and Z950 Digital Camera to use. We also gave away several Zi8 and ESP 5250 Printers to winners along the way. Product winners went to worthy causes including an Iraqi War Veteran, a new Co-working Space in St. Louis, and a parent in Minneapolis who had a college bound son who had just asked his Dad for this product.

On this road trip, we were lucky to have Mo Krochmal join us as an embedded journalist who did much of the video story telling using the Kodak Zi8. The photo gallery in this post has several photos of Mo using the Zi8, capturing stories which you may view on his Facebook page.

Thank you Tina Clark, Kodak’s Interactive Marketing and Brand Manager.

Thank you Jenny Chisney, Kodak’s Chief Blogger.

You’re both great story tellers in your own right!

Posted on Monday, August 30th, 2010

Thank You To All of Our #140Conf Road Trip Sponsors!

It’s one thing to have a sponsor for an event and slap their logo on a wall. It’s another to really use, benefit and apply a sponsor’s product, service, and technology on an on-going road show like ours. We made it a point to not only help further the brand’s awareness, but make them a very critical part of our execution and delivery of the experience and evangelism in support of the upcoming #140Conf Detroit on October 10, 2010.

In the case of the #140Conf Road Trip, we…

Stayed, rest and were cared for by Doubletree Hotels.
Kept hydrated and avoided sugary carbonated drinks at gas stations by drinking Glaceau Smartwater.
Story telling, and product giving were provided by Kodak.
Transportation in a comfortable to drive and very dependable Buick Enclave from GM. Buick also gave us gift cards in $25 denominations that we gave out so that winners could do social good and donate to a cause of their choice.
Communications technology that enabled our Realty Show broadcast on UStream were provided by Sprint and Waav Technologies.

We thank you all not only for your support, but your belief in what Jeff Pulver is doing by bringing communities together in America’s heartland.

Posted on Monday, August 30th, 2010

Meet Leah Jones. No Ordinary Character.

During the #140Conf Road Trip TweetUp in Chicago, I met with with Leah Jones who is on a new adventure with an undisclosed startup.

I met Leah last year in Tel Aviv, where we were both co-sponsors of Tweetsgiving. Be sure to follow Leah on Twitter here.

Posted on Sunday, August 29th, 2010

GM’s Director of Social Media – @cbarger – Christopher Barger on Engaging Communities with #140Conf

Posted on Sunday, August 29th, 2010

A Chance Meeting with @minnemom and @jeffpulver at the Field of Dreams

You never know who you are going to meet at the Field of Dreams in Dryersville, IA. On the #140Conf Road Trip, we visited the famous site where the movie was filmed. Recognizing the #140Characters name and references to Twitter on our T-shirts, we met @minnemom, who travels with her children and writes about it here on her blog.

Posted on Saturday, August 28th, 2010

Doubletree Shows Some Love for @jeffpulver with Chocolate Chip Cookie / Milk @doubletreehtls

Jeff Pulver travels, travels and travels. And with Doubletree Hotels being the hotel sponsor of the #140Conf Road Trip, Jeff, Mo Krochmal and Alan Weinkrantz (that’s me) were well taken care of during the 8 day journey in which we explored the State of Now in support of the #140Conf Detroit, taking place, October 20, 2010.

Jeff has a way of doing business in which “Hugs Over Handshakes” is the norm. Mix a hug with a great Doubltree chocolate chip cookie, and a glass of milk, and you’re set for a good night sleep.

Thank you Doubletree for being our sponsor and taking tender loving care of Jeff and the crew.

The team in St. Louis Rocks!

Posted on Friday, August 27th, 2010

How Doubletree Hotels REALLY Takes Great Care of Its Guests – @doubletreehtls @jeffpulver

OK, so maybe you really don’t get a good night story read to you by a Doubletree Hotel team members. But when we were traveling during the #140Conf Road Trip, the wonderful people at the Doubletree St. Louis – Westport, greeted us with open arms and made sure Jeff got a good night’s sleep.

Posted on Friday, August 27th, 2010

Thank You Glaceau Smartwater @smartwater For Your Support During the #140Conf Road Trip

Thank you Glaceau Smartwater for your support during the #140Conf Road Trip.

Posted on Wednesday, August 25th, 2010