I am back from Picnic, already feeling like I was suddenly put back into an motionless environment after three days of intense visual, mental and social stimulation. I saw the future of digital cinema, rode a segway, met Alex Steffen, hugged LIFT07 speakers like Adam, Ben, Sugata or Stefana, discovered Uffie and Man like me (two live acts that you should really attend if they come to a club near you), saw walking aliens and giant chickens, had a drink on the supperclub boat, etc etc… I owe Guido, Monique, Bas, Marleen and all the organizers a big box of chocolate for taking such great care of us.

Pictures by Guido Van Nispen (more).

Next conference is Stream, then Sime, Leweb and we’re up!

We are in Amsterdam to attend Picnic. Many LIFTers are here, and I am looking forward to finally spend quality time with some of the LIFT07 speakers like Sugata Mitra or Ben Cerveny. Now that I am not the organizer of the event it gets possible! There is even someone from Daum, our main partner in Korea, attending the conference.

And if all things go as planned we will make a big announcement about LIFT in the coming hours… Stay tuned!

I will be organizing and moderating a panel about the potential downsides and problems of our open web at Le Web, Loic’s great conference in Paris on December 11 and 12. The first version of the program is out and features big names like Joi Ito, Dave Winer, Clay Shirky, Philippe Stark, Esther Dyson, Dany Rimer, Arrington, Calacanis, etc etc… As usual a very impressive lineup of speakers, it seems the whole silicon valley comes to Paris for a few days.

Cathy Brooks, Leweb’s program manager, gives more details in a YouTube video. I can’t wait for that speakers’ diners, I’ll get my camera ready this time.

My fingers were almost shaking when I posted the news. We are doing a LIFT in Asia in 2008. This is amazing! More info on the conference blog.

If you are in Zurich, this looks interesting.

The DIGITAL ART WEEKS program is concerned with the application of digital technology in the arts. Consisting of symposium, workshops and performances, the Digital Art Weeks program offers insight into current research and innovations in art and technology.

Link

As usual we never heard of the event back in Geneva. This country is really divided, which puzzles my French side big time.

Update on July 12: 10 seats remaining hurry up if you want to join!

One of my oldest ideas was to invite the persons who cook the best food on earth (i.e. our grand mothers) to the city’s restaurants, so that instead of sharing their talents with no-one or just a few lucky family members, they would finally get the credit they deserve from the masses.

My idea was to function in the following way: a grandmother comes to a restaurant, she is helped in the kitchen by the restaurant’s team and chef. A nice and traditional meal is served at a fixed time for a reasonable and flat price. Then at the end of the night, anybody can recommend his or her own grandmother who will be invited for the next time.

Thanks to my friend Aymon of the Cheval Blanc, this concept will come to life in ten days! And it is my own grand mother who will open the festivities, cooking traditional food from my family’s native Alsace.

Come and join us on Monday, July 16th, for the first grand mother diner!

The concept:

• we invite a grand mother – carefully selected by professional eaters like Laurent Haug and Aymon Choisy – who will cook for the evening with the help of the restaurant’s team.

• you show up at the Cheval Blanc at 18h30 for a drink.

• the food (35CHF without the drinks) is served between 19h30 and 20h30.

• we install big tables to create a friendly atmosphere.

• at the end of the night, you can propose your grand mother and if she makes unforgettable food, she might be the next star!

The grand mother of the day: Amélie Haug

Amélie Haug lived all her life in Alsace, first around the tiny village of Reinhartmunster, then moving to Strasbourg for a few decades to work in the city. She now lives in Ostwald, surrounded by her 4 children and 7 grand children.

A five star chef for her family and friends, she prepares all the local specialties, and will cook a menu based on the famous grundbaerkichele, small potato cakes who rendered a countless number of people completely addicted to Alsatian food.

The menu:

• grumbaerkichele (Alsatian speciality made from potato and persil)

• Alsatian salad

• meat bread

• liver quenelles

• lemon tart

The practical informations:

When: Monday, July 16, 2007 from 18h30, food served between 19h30 and 20h30

Where: Le cheval blanc, 15 place d’armes, Carouge, 022 343 61 61.

Map: here

How much: 35CHF, drinks not included. We will propose you a selection of wines and soft drinks to accompany your meal.

CAUTION: Booking is MAN-DA-TO-RY and we have a very limited number of seats!

tel. 022 343 61 61 or email info@lechevalblanc.ch

Mise à jour 12 Juillet: plus que 10 places libres dépêchez-vous!

C’est une de mes plus vieilles idées: faire venir les grands-mères dans nos restaurants pour qu’elles puissent vivre un de leur plus grand plaisir – à savoir préparer de bons petits plats – tout en en faisant profiter un maximum de gens. Avec mon pote Aymon de l’auberge du cheval blanc, nous lançons donc les soirées grands-mère, et c’est la mienne qui ouvrira le bal le 16 Juillet.

Venez nombreux!!!

Le Cheval Blanc va enfin mettre un terme à l’un des plus grands scandale de notre temps. Avec votre aide, nous allons enfin rendre aux grands mères ce qui leur appartient, à savoir le très convoité titre de meilleures mitonneuses de bons petits plats du monde.

Le concept:

• nous invitons une grand mère (préselectionnée à grands renforts de dîners gargantuesques) qui viendra, aidée de notre équipe, préparer un menu spécial pour les participants à la soirée.

• vous arrivez au cheval blanc à 18h30 pour l’apéritif.

• le menu (35CHF boisson non comprise) est servi entre 19h30 et 20h30.

• nous installons de grandes tables pour favoriser les rencontres et créer une ambiance conviviale.

• à la fin de la soirée, vous nous suggérez votre grand mère si elle fait des repas inoubliables, nous l’inviterons peut-être à la prochaine soirée!.

La grand mère du jour: Amélie Haug

Amélie Haug a vécu toute sa vie en Alsace, d’abord du côté de Reinhartmunster, puis ensuite à Strasbourg pendant quelques décennies avant de venir s’installer à Ostwald ou elle vit actuellement entourée de quelques-uns de ses 4 enfants et 7 petits enfants.

Cuisinière confirmée, elle prépare toutes les spécialités locales. Elle viendra nous mijoter un menu spécial à base de grundbaerkichele, ces petites galettes à base de pommes de terre qui ont rendu plusieurs générations de personnes totalement dépendantes de la cuisine alsacienne.

Le menu:

• grumbaerkichele (spécialité alsacienne faite à partir de pommes de terre rapées mélangées à du persil)

• salades alsaciennes.

• pain de viande

• quenelles de foie

• tarte au citron

Les infos pratiques:

Quand: lundi 16 Juillet 2007 à partir de 18h30, le repas étant servi entre 19h30 et 20h30.

Ou: Auberge du cheval blanc, 15 place d’armes, Carouge, 022 343 61 61.

Plan: ici

Combien: 35CHF, boissons non comprises, à vous de voir quel vin ou soft drink vous préférez déguster pendant le repas

ATTENTION: Réservation O-BLI-GA-TOI-RE et places très très limitées. Appelez-nous au plus vite!!!
tél. 022 343 61 61 ou par mail info@lechevalblanc.ch

I regularly inform you of the events the CERN is organizing, bringing amazing speakers like Mark Shuttleworth or Richard Stallman to Geneva.

The events are taped, but I never found the link until today. Finally, here are the videos of the presentations on what is certainly one of the less usable website still online.

Richard Stallman, the initiator of free software movement (full bio here) will speak in Switzerland TWICE next Monday, the morning in Lausanne, the afternoon in Geneva.

Lausanne (UNIL)
When: Monday 18th June; 10:00-12:00
Where: University of Lausanne, Anthropole, Auditoire 1129

Abstract: Richard Stallman will speak about the goals and philosophy of the Free Software Movement, and the status and history the GNU operating system, which in combination with the kernel Linux is now used by tens of millions of users world-wide.

No registration needed. Link

Geneva (CERN)
When: Monday 18th June; 17:00-18:00
Where: CERN Council Chamber
Topic: Ethics and Practice of Free Software

Participation is open to all and free of charge. Contact Miguel.Marquina(at)cern.ch to arrange access to CERN.

The monthly great conference from the CERN:

Speaker: Paul Strong, eBay Research Labs

Title: Delivering eBay’s Virtual Economy – The Problems Solved And The Challenges Ahead

Time and Place: Wednesday 2 May, 14:00-15:00, CERN Council Chamber

Abstract: eBay’s infrastructure is perhaps atypical of those of today’s enterprises, but is typical of what many enterprise infrastructures will need to become in the future: The combination of a platform, a Grid, comprised of vast numbers of networked commodity, and notionally cheap components, delivering a more or less continuously available set of massively distributed web services. In the case of eBay these resolve to a virtual economy. This presentation will describe how eBay evolved and created this massively horizontally scaling infrastructure, delivering high quality of service and business agility, what the challenges are that arise from this success and how these are being addressed.

Participation is open to all and free of charge. To register for an
access card to CERN, please contact francois.grey@cern.ch.