Interested in what our presenters spoke about? We had everything from the science of good luck to kayak racing and how to play the didgeridoo. You can see videos of each of the presentations here: http://www.youtube.com/user/IgniteSebastopol. Enjoy, and we hope to see you next time!

First, a recap of the details: Ignite Sebastopol 2 is on Wednesday, October 28 at the Hop Monk Tavern. Doors open at 6:00pm, MAKE contest is at 6:30pm and talks start at ~7:30pm. Reserve your spot, it's filling up fast.

Here's a sampling of the talks:

* Al Katkowsky (@QOfTheDayBook) - How To Make Something Out Of Nothing, And Then Make That Into An iPhone App
How "Question Of The Day" grew from a group bonding tradition at work, to a self-published book, to an iPhone app. Highlights include Speed Dating, being temporarily banned from iTunes for objectionable content, and removing all of the vowels from a restaurant menu.

* Andy Graham - How to Play the Didgeridoo
A demo and explanation of the aboriginal wind instrument called the didgeridoo--its origin, how to produce that unmistakable didg drone and other sounds, circular breathing, and putting it all together to make music.

* Carlos McEvilly (@panopy) - Making Reading Difficult for Children
How to set up a difficult challenge that's fun for kids, and that results in some learning about a topic not necessarily related to the mechanics of the challenge.

* Chance Massaro - How Your Brain Works and How to Work It
A quick exploration of how to learn about your brain from the inside--principles and behaviors that help you find your brain's strongest abilities.

* Dale Dougherty (@dalepd) - Blessed are the Cheesemakers
The ancients made cheese, and so can you. Join the "secondary" products revolution, a number of innovations that shaped agrarian society when domestic animals who were kept primarily for meat production began to be exploited for "renewable" secondary products such as milk and wool.

* Danese Cooper (@divadanese) - From "Interwhat?" to Open Everything
How the Open Source movement arose, took hold, revolutionized the development of software, and is now influencing everything from journalism and science to politics and philanthropy worldwide...

* Jeff Williams - Branded Together: How Brands Have Become an Expression of Identity
A short overview of how people define themselves through the places they shop and the things they buy and wear, from the middle ages to the present.

* Sky Nelson (@skynelson) - Synchronicity: The Science of Good Luck
How quantum mechanics may contain the framework for describing synchronicity in a totally rational way.

We had a full house for our first Ignite, so sign up early.

Want to get on stage and talk about your passions for exactly 5 minutes? You'll get 20 slides and exactly 15 seconds per slide (they auto-advance). Share your cool ideas, hacks, "war stories," and whatever you're obsessing about now, whether at work or play. What lights you up? Submit a talk by October 19.

*Zoe Keating (@zoecello) -- Should you quit your tech job to become a professional musician?
Our local avant cellist and amateur nerd has the answer.

* Julie Delaney (@julie2point0) -- Eco Island Inspiration
Learn how the Green Island is saving our planet, and find surprising ways to be eco-friendly while abroad or at home.

* Joan Marler -- Writing in the Stone Age
The earliest farmers of Europe were not a collection of hicks. How Balkan Neolithic societies during the 6th and 5th millennia BC developed a sophisticated system of sign use that represents the earliest stage of writing--the communication of ideas.

* Tim O'Reilly (@timoreilly) -- In classic Tim fashion, it'll be mindblowing--and a just-in-time entry. :-)

Doors open at 6pm, the fun starts with a MAKE contest at ~6:15, and Ignite talks kick off at 7:15pm. Be there!

A recap of the details: Ignite Sebastopol is on Wednesday, June 10 at the Hop Monk Tavern. Doors open at 6:00pm, MAKE contest is at 6:30pm and talks start at 7:15pm. Reserve your spot, it's filling up fast.

A sampling of our illustrious speakers:

* Nathan Halverson(@ewords) How remote-controlled helicopters, etc. will save my job: An economic argument to rescue regional journalism
Local ace tech reporter re-thinks the news from the ground up. Way up.

* Rich Gibson (@RichGibson) -- Gigapixel images for everyone
Tired of your 10 or 12 megapixel camera? How about 1,000, 2,000, or more megapixels? You can create massive explorable images!

* Dylan Field (@dylanjfield) -- How to Win Board Games Using Math
Everyone likes to win. However, some games combine chance with strategy, making victory uncertain. This talk will explore strategies to increase the chances of winning three popular board games with probabilistic elements.

* Alexis Bauer -- How to Work a Crowd
Wouldn't it be nice to always have something to say? To be perceived as witty and clever? To subtly control conversation in order to win favors and good reputation? Training people to expect a great time whenever you are around is a skill, learned just like any other with a few basic steps and a load of practice. Transform from bumbling geek to fun stranger! Easier than algebra, kayaking or chess, people will soon be eating right out of your hand!

* Collen Wheeler (@akacolleen) -- Travels Beyond Colleen-O-Vision. (Or How I Learned to Occaisionally Shut Up and Draw a Picture Instead)

Self-proclaimed wordygirl says, "Recent exposure to a group of folk who call themselves Visual Thinkers has made me appreciate the value of the picture in communication, and they even encouraged me to shut up and draw on occasion as well." You can do it, too.

* Michael Slater (@mzslater) -- A brief history of the web and a glimpse of its future

The web has become so pervasive that it's tempting to think of it as something established and stable. Yet a quick look back shows how dramatically the web has changed during its short history, and recent developments in social media, streams, web applications, and mobile devices give a hint of where it's headed--at least in the near term. Like all technologies, the way people use the web will eventually settle into a stable pattern, but that's well in the future: We're still in a phase of rapid evolution, making for lots of opportunity and a fun but challenging ride.

* Alexis Persinger -- Das Energie, free yourself from energy oppression.

Modern life needs power to run. To run our cars, our dishwashers, our laptops our I-Phones. The way power is produced and distributed has made us slaves to multinational corporations, to governments that don't represent us and to destruction of our environment. Wars are fought in the middle east for oil. Vast areas of the continent are polluted to mine and burn coal.

Making power at home whether with photovoltaics, wind generators, etc.. is a radical act. The hardest part is to take the red pill. Stop being an energy sheep waiting for the government or big business to take care of you and take charge of your own energy reality.

* Peter van Gorder (@GrooveFarm) -- Advanced Worm Composting

You've heard of "composting". You may have heard of "worm composting" aka "Vermiculture". Easy as it can be, composting takes a while, has some minor complications, and worms are expensive: $25 a pound - so making mistakes is costly. The advanced worm composting station solves many problems while also accelerating the composting process by a factor of 10. This "advanced worm composting station" is something anyone can build and is an amazing addition to any serious gardener's tool set.