Over the weekend we attended
BarCampMilwaukee5 at
BucketWorks in Milwaukee. BarCamp is a self-described "unconference," meaning that it is essentially sourced ad-hoc the day of the event by its own participants. Being totally free, there is no barrier to entry, so absolutely anyone was able teach, learn, and share in an open environment. The attitude is equal parts positive and relaxed, and the participants seemed to be shining stars in their fields. It was inspiring and humbling to attend.
At the end of the night, while sitting at a table covered in Lego, we listened to the endlessly enthusiastic
James Carlson discuss his overarching plans for the community he was bringing together. During this five minute "lightning talk" we saw a glimpse of what the future of learning and collaboration could be like. What we witnessed there drew strong (positive) parallels to the communities depicted in Daniel Suarez's
Freedom. It was an absolutely thrilling and inspiring experience when I realized the power of the community we had just become a part of. Thank you, BarCampMilwaukee.
