HacDC held a sixth round of lightning talks back in November, and this time we allowed a few minutes after each talk for Q&A. If you missed these talks or you’d like to relive the experience, please enjoy this video footage of the event:

These links will take you directly to the indicated lightning talk:

• Next Generation Robotic Ocean Sampler
• My First Patent
• Van Living
• The Planted Aquarium
• Deep Space Network
• Rapid Robot Prototyping with ROS
• DC Community Access Network (DC-CAN)

If you couldn’t make it to HacDC’s fifth round of lightning talks back in June—or you’d like to relive the experience—please enjoy this video footage of the event:

These links will take you directly to the indicated lightning talk:

• Building a Software Synthesizer in 5 Minutes
• Language Learning in the Digital Age
• Robotic Ocean Sampler
• Cycling the C&O Canal
• Amateur Radio
• The Day That Took SOPA Down
• Open Source Hardware for CNC
• Are We Living in the Cyberpunk Dystopia?

HacDC Lightning Talks are back! Our fifth round of talks will take place at 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 9, 2012, in the auditorium at St. Stephen’s Church (1525 Newton St. NW, Washington, DC). Twelve speakers will talk for five minutes each on a wide range of topics – in the past we’ve had talks ranging from digital signal processing and DIY cyborg implants to the best food near HacDC and the evolution of death. Anything is fair game, and hey, five minutes goes by in a flash - anyone can do this!

To submit a talk topic proposal, please email hidden; JavaScript is required with a title and brief description.

Why would you want to do a lightning talk?

• To show off a project
• Let people know what you’re into
• Get feedback on an idea
• Practice talking about a particular topic
• Practice public speaking in a nonthreatening way
• Find project contributors/volunteers/members

We’ll have a projector, microphone, and speakers set up. You’re welcome to use (or eschew) any visual aids, including slides and physical objects. We would like to record (video and still photography) talks when speakers are amenable, but if you’d rather not
have your talk recorded, you may opt out and give an off-the-record talk.

We packed the house with smiling hackers at the first monthly HacDC Lightning Talks. The talks were awesome and so were the cookies. Thanks to everyone who participated and made this event such a success! Next month will be even better organized with more space, better arrangement, more advance scheduling, video recording, and publishing of slides and speaker content.


If you’re interested in giving a talk at the next Lightning Talks (November) please send me a proposal with a title and description. Slides are optional – and you get to talk about whatever interests YOU. Date and time TBA. See http://wiki.hacdc.org/index.php?title=LightningTalks for details.