A gallic adenture

It is Monday – so mike is on the move again this time to (as Lynn calls it) a ‘jolly’ in France

It seems a long way to go an a long time to be away for just 35 minutes speaking

Mike says he will do more than that (but I don’t believe him) He may be very ‘hail fellow well met’ in company but at home when working he is very quiet, unless he is talking to Sheba (the dog that would chew me if I let her).

Sitting in the lounge at Humberside Airport with the television set to BBC News during the pre-budget forecast. It was scary to note the number of faces that dropped when the chancellor announced a tax increase for those earning more than £150,000 a year, Mike was just jealous.

At ICT 2008

Tuesday lunchtime, and at this ICT event. Mike has just presented and is feeling very pleased. He was even happier this morning when he arrived to find that as a speaker he had a dark grey lanyard for his badge. This indicated he is a speaker and is the equivalent of an ‘all areas’ pass at a pop concert. It also meant he had somewhere to charge his computer, and he didn’t have to queue for lunch.

Lunch was interesting, almost biblical in the feeding of 4,000 delgates, and of course being France there was red or white wine available as well. As Mike’s session was on straight after lunch, he decided to speak quite loudly to ensure the audience were awake.

The conference was for IT researchers across Europe, and some of the prototypes in the exhibition showed a lot of ‘imagination’. First there was the robot toddler – I have enough problems with human toddlers and dogs trying to chew me, I don’t like the idea of robots doing it as well.

Then there was the sophisticated media control system for a car which meant that each of the three rows of seats in a big Mercedes could have different music/video etc. However I think the people designing it still have a way to go before they can get the boot shut!

Wednesday – still in Lyon

Mike has nearly run out of business cards and may need to book the ones he has collected as excess luggage – but he is still very dubious about the value of the event, and given that a key message is that ICT will help us all ‘go green’, how is it that the majority of the 4,500 delegates have flown in from the 60-odd countries they reside in? (Mike says that is a rhetorical question – being a bear of small brain – like my friend Pooh – I think the definition of rhetorical could be uncomfortable or even hypocritical – but what do I know?)

The place smells of Lavender – it is like living in a pomander!

Thursday lunchtime

Mike has done his second and final presentation, and collected even more business cards, and an invitation to speak at the University of Bradford. This is the third invitation of the kind he has had in two weeks. Lynn, who used to be a senior lecturer in University, says Mike shouldn’t be flattered, because the Universities concerned are only looking for free input to their courses.

Lunch was even more disappointing for Mike. Being a vegetarian (like me) he avoids meat, so imagine his rumbling tummy when all the prepared salads had either bacon or chicken in them, and even the lumps of cheese and pizza that were available on the last two days appear to be absent.

Lots of bread and coleslaw were consumed, and Mike says the apple juice is good, but the coffee is too strong.

Was the event worth being away from our home, Lynn and the young people? No.