The Event

Random Technology

"An Adventure in Technology" is a party which will be held on the 28th June at the Trinity Centre in Bristol.

We want you to create and discover new ideas using technology. Bring your unexpected toys, your creations, projects and ideas, put them together with others, and see what happens! We won't really know what's going to happen until the day, but we will be announcing any pre-confirmed items in the programme. The day will include talks, workshops, hands-on demos and presentations, and lots of opportunities to play. We are expecting visitors from all over the country and even the world bringing skills, toys and puzzles to share.

Doors will open at 10:30, admission is free, there is a licensed bar, and the party will go on for as long as we do.

What to Expect

Random Innards

Come and play with an amateur radio station and a (open source) recording studio. See the robots run around, and see even stupider things done in software. Find out how to program a microcontroller and how to cut sheet steel with a laser. We will have a (hopefully) live retro exhibition, and there will be a separate space for deep-tech talks (such as "Security and Obscurity", "Implementing NUMA" and "Hacking the JVM"). Learn the secrets of real time computer graphics, or create music with an experienced producer.

There will be a hardware swapshop for you to give away your junk and find something interesting, and a build space for you to repair it and turn it into something else. There will also be social space to sit, drink and chat with like-minded hackers, and show off your little magic boxes. We will have visitors from colleges and universities, businesses and research houses. We will be holding competitions for the coolest toy in various categories and the best demo, longest journey and the most obscure piece of hardware (and perhaps a prize for anyone who can identify or operate it!).


What to Bring

If you have something interesting to show off, please bring it. If there's something particular you want someone else to bring, please post on the blog and ask. If you have no ideas, what about:

  • Some piece of technology you want to show off.
  • A project you want help with.
  • Hardware to give away.
  • Games and puzzles.
  • A laptop or other computer.
  • A musical instrument.
  • Tools, materials, anything you want to work with.
  • Anything else!

Based on feedback from our previous event, we have made a lot more space available, and planned both presentation spaces and proper workspaces, so people can actually do what they came to talk about. We will have space for building and space for running inventions, projectors so you can display graphics and applications, and we will try to get hold of anything you need for the event. Please contact us beforehand for larger demos. Although we will welcome anything on the day, it will help our floor managers and stage crews to know approximately what to expect!

When and Where

28th February 2009 at the Trinity Arts Centre in Bristol. See our location and directions for more details.

Previous event: 28th June 2008

Programme Items

Planned Talks

Demo Sessions