Imagine Cup 2011 Opening Ceremony

Today the competition proper got under way. This is Jon Perera getting the competition started.

Steve Balmer, CEO of Microsoft, was in his element surrounded by a bunch of tech-enthusiasts.

At the start of every contest they cut a ribbon in half. I’m not sure why, but it makes for a good picture. Actually, perhaps that’s way. Anyhoo, this is Jeffery D. Sachs, Steve Balmer and Jon Perera doing the business in New York. We start the judging tomorrow. This is going to be great fun.

Coming to America

This is the view from the hotel window. Not too shabby eh?

The 2011 Imagine Cup World Finals are in the USA this year. New York City to be exact. I remember the excitement when this was announced last year in Poland, and I remember really wanting to go. And here I am. Thanks to Microsoft for inviting me. Planet Imagine Cup in New York. Great stuff. The hotel is right next to Times Square. We had a bus ride from the airport.

This is a dodgy panorama of the bus ride. I think that dodgy panoramas might be a trademark of my imagery for this year.

 

This was our first view of the New York skyline.

Once we had checked in I went over to see Lisa and the rest of the Microsoft team in the crew room.

Behind the scenes in the Microsoft crew room. Lisa says hi!

We start the briefing and preparation for the competition tomorrow. Can’t wait.

Packing for New York

Stretching a bus with a Panoramic Camera in Hull. Going to try this in NYC

I’m packing for New York at the moment. I’m taking a bunch of cameras, computers and loads of power supplies. Mustn't forget the adapter plug too.

Imagine Cup Video Round Judges Comments now Available

I’ve just finished spending a few hours in the Imagine Cup Judging tool. I’ve been going through the judges comments on the Video Presentations that we’ve been reviewing. The idea is that we can get some feedback to the teams in advance of the finals in New York next week. This will allow them to add some detail to their presentations and make sure they can give their best.

With over 60 teams it has been quite a challenge to summarize all the comments and get them distributed but I hope the teams find the information useful. I was very impressed with the videos that I saw, and it was good to see comments from other judges saying how much they enjoyed seeing theirs as well.

Remember that these comments are there to make good things even better. If we have mentioned that you could add some coverage to particular aspects of your presentation this means that we liked what we saw, and we want to see more.

I’m really looking forward to New York next week. It is going to be super great. Come and say hello if you see me. I’m the tall bloke wearing the Lego watch….

Imagine That Judging

Did the exam board (portable worked very well as a tablet, I was able to flick up and down my notes very easily) and then shot back to Hull in time for an Imagine Cup Judging Live Meeting.

We are busy briefing all the judges for the Imagine Cup World Finals next month. We have 67 (yes, sixty-seven) teams to judge. Every year Microsoft say they are not going to have as many as last time. And then they end up with even more teams taking part. Which must say something for the popularity of the competition around the world.

The finals are in New York, and it looks like it is going to be an amazing event. Find out more, meet the teams taking part and see how the judging works at www.imaginecup.com

Imagine Cup Live Meetings Next Week

I’m running two more Live Meetings next week, all about the Imagine Cup Software Design judging process.  The first one is on Monday, I should have recovered from my jet lag by then.

If you are entering, or thinking about it you really should come along. Here’s how:

The Live Meeting will be Monday, March 7, 2011 at 19:00 GMT and again on Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at 6:00 GMT. The same content will be reviewed at both sessions, so choose the time that works best. To join:

1. Install Microsoft Office Live Meeting. We recommend that you do this several hours in advance.  
2. Join the meeting on March 7, 2011 at 19:00 GMT. Find out what time this is in your country/region.
3. Join the meeting on March 8, 2011 at 6:00 GMT. Find out what time this is in your country/region.

You can find more details, and recordings of the earlier meetings, here:

http://www.imaginecup.com/competitions/software

Why You Should Enter the Imagine Cup

If you are thinking of getting involved with the Imagine Cup Software Design competition I’m hosting a couple of Live Meetings where I describe why you should.  The meetings both contain the same content, one is in this evening and I’m trying not to think about the time of the second one…

You can find details of how to sign up on the Imagine Cup Software Design page or you can follow these simple steps that I’ve stolen from it.

1. Install Microsoft Office Live Meeting. We recommend you do this in advance to avoid technical difficulties.
2. Join the meeting on February 7, 2011 at 19:00 GMT. Find out what time it is in your country/region.
3. Join the meeting on February 8, 2011 at 6:00 GMT. Find out what time it is in your country/region.

There will be fun, jokes and some rare Imagine Cup pictures from way back. Oh, and if you sign up and enter it might just change your life forever.

Update on 2011-02-07 20:00 by Rob

One presentation down, one to go. Thanks for being a good audience and staying to the very end. Some great questions too.

Update on 2011-02-08 08:49 by Rob

...and we're done. Did the second meeting at 6:00 am this morning. Thanks for being another great audience. With a bit of luck we might meet up for the next meeting. Stay tuned for dates and times.

Imagine Cup Poland Final Pictures

Maria took this picture. Brilliant.

The Imagine Cup World Finals in Poland seem a very long time ago, even though they were just last month. If you were there and want to relive the moment, or you just want to see some excellent photographs, head of to here:

http://mariabielik.zenfolio.com/imagine-cup2010

Maria was one of the judges, noted for her ready smile and the Nikon SLR that was always around her neck. She has posted some of her shots and they are really, really good.

Free Windows Phone for Imagine Cup Students

We found this phone in our dressing room at the Warsaw Opera house. The design and style are fantastic. But I think on balance I’d rather have a Windows Phone.

One statement by Jon Perera on Thursday got the biggest cheer of the night. All the students who attended the competition, in all the teams, are getting free Windows Phone 7 developer devices as soon as they become available. Bearing in mind he had just given two real devices to the winners of the Imagine Cup Windows Phone RockStar competition I reckon this will be quite soon. Must find out how I can get hold of a device myself….

Flying Back from Poland

Flew back from Poland today. Very sorry to leave, but at least I don’t have much jetlag when I get home. Thanks Microsoft for setting up such an amazing competition.

Everybody liked my Lego watch. Get yours from the Lego store.

Whenever I go through Schipol airport I always take a picture of the Seafood bar. I love the organisation and colours. There was someone buying stuff this time.

Imagine Cup Awards Night

Opening the ceremony with some Polish Traditional Dancers.

Imagine Cup awards night tonight. Great fun. The evening started with some dancing and then we got down to business.

Jon Perera opening the evening. There were lots of awards, and loads of happy teams crowding the stage with their flags.

Jas Sandu with the Interoperability Award winners. I helped to judge this one. Excellent entries, with a worthy winner from Jamaica.

Then it was time to announce the Software Development winners. These were the names all the judges have worked so hard to find.

Here are the top three. Well done Thailand, Serbia and New Zealand. For a full list of all the winners and links to their project details you can go here.

Then it was time to announce where the competition was going to be based in 2011.

I’ve hidden a clue to the venue for next competition somewhere in this picture. See if you can find it.

Yep, it’s USA, New York to be exact. And we had a very familiar face give us all a welcome to Imagine Cup 2011.

Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States of America, reckons it is a good idea for you all to take part next year. And so do I. You can sign up and look at the shiny new Imagine Cup website here.

I’d like to thank Microsoft for setting up and running this fantastic competition that brings so much to competitors and judges alike. People ask me why Microsoft spend so much effort on this competition. I have to answer that I don’t really know. But I’m really glad that they do.

Imagine Cup Judging

prof. dr hab. Maria E. Orlowska Secretary of State, Ministry of Science and Higher Education. And really nice person.

We did our judging today. I had what can only be described as a “Rob moment” right at the start. We were standing in the lobby of the Warsaw Opera house and someone said “Right, let’s head up to the backstage dinner”. “Hang on” I replied, with my usual attention to detail". “We’re missing the Polish Secretary of State.”

Who was of course standing right in front of me.

Oh well. Fortunately the lady in question dismissed this massive gaffe with a wave of a hand and a smile. One way to break the ice I suppose.

We had dinner on the actual stage of the Opera House, behind the backdrop, with the final going on all around us. Then, at around 6:30 we were ushered to our seats at the front of the hall and the judging began.

And it was great.

Jon Perera opening the judging.

All the teams brought their best game. They were fantastic. The judges came in at the end of each presentation with excellent questions and Roger kept the affair rolling along with style and panache. I’ve never known three hours go by so fast.

After that we retired to the judges room for our deliberations. At this point I’d like to thank the teams for making our lives so difficult. The standard was so uniformly high that we had to work really hard to determine the winners.

The judging team, from left to right:

Tom Keller, Gwendolyn Tan,  Rob Miles, Maria Orlowska, Dennis Anderson, Roger Lawrence and Rand Morimoto.

Great job guys.

Stepping up to the Imagine Cup Final

They have a chandelier collection at the back, just in case they ever need, well, a chandelier, in a hurry.

We went down to the Warsaw Opera House today to take a look and rehearse our bits for the Finals tomorrow. Blimey. (that is actually the most appropriate word I can find right now). Blimey. The stage is huge. You could fit all of Hull New Theatre (and I think I mean the building) behind the stage. The wings are so large I’m surprised the whole thing hasn’t flown away by now…

Anyhoo, all of the finalists will present from a platform that is moved into position and slotted into the stage itself. The are down here today setting everything up on their platform at which time the systems will be left that way until they are needed tomorrow night. I’m one of the finalist judges and I’m going to be on stage at the front viewing the presentations great fun.

Imagine Cup Tips

When you get back to your hotel room, hang your badge on the door handle. Then you will remember to put the badge back on when you leave. I’ve already gone down to the lobby twice without my badge, so I’m hoping this will help.

Warsaw Night Pictures

The sun setting behind the Palace of Culture

Warsaw station

Junction

I was hoping to go the the Institute of Industrial Design for a presentation this evening, but unfortunately I got back to the hotel with a list of things to do, and no time to get there before the event started. So, once I’d done all the bits and bobs I balanced my tripod on two chairs and a table in the hotel room and took some night shots. They seem to have come out quite well.

Imagine Cup Finalists Announced

There was something of a crush down at the front of the announcements.

 
These are the Game Development Finalists

These are the Embedded Development Finalists. Yes, that is a British flag. Well done “Team of One”.

This is the view from the stage as Roger prepares to read out the name of another finalist for Software Development.

These are the finalists of the Software Development Challenge

For the record, the finalists are as follows:

Game Design Finalists

· Belgium, NomNom Productions – Shift
· France, Green Gears Studio – Island of Nazeth
· Philippines, By Implication – Wildfire

Embedded Development Finalists

· France, GERAS
· Korea, RU Gentle
· Romania, EcoSynthesis
· Russia, MCPU
· Taiwan, SmarterME
· UK, eyesight

Software Design Finalists
· Finland, Signbook
· Malaysia, Team HDC
· New Zealand, OneBeep
· Serbia, TFZR
· Singapore, Mama-Bear
· Thailand, Skeek

The finals are on Wednesday, should be great.

First Round Imagine Cup Judging Fun

The teams at the Competitor Briefing. Can you find yourself there?

We had an early start today, what with over 60 teams to view. The judges were placed into teams of 4 and worked their way through 8 or so presentations each. And it was great. I really enjoy this part of the competition, and I love seeing the ideas that the teams have, and they way they present them.

After each presentation we returned to the judges room to write up scores and feedback. Each team will get the handwritten feedback on their entry and presentation at the end of the competition.

Imagine Cup 2010 Poland Opens

Cutting the ribbon at the start of the competition

We had fantastic weather for the opening ceremony, which was good news for everyone except Jon Perera of Microsoft who’s eyes needed protection against the glare when he gave his opening speech.

I’ve spent the day working with the judges and getting things set up. If you think the competitors are passionate about the competition, you haven’t met the judges.. There is a total commitment from them to make sure that everything is done transparently and fairly, they really are a pleasure to work with.  Judging starts tomorrow, best part of the competition for me. That’s when I get to find out what the teams have been up to this year.

Imagine Cup Setup

Rob in Warsaw. Very large building included to give sense of scale. Note that it is not smoke coming out of my head, it is a cloud (or perhaps an empty thought bubble).

Today we got a chance to look at the venue for the Imagine Cup. Astonishing. Again. Every year we go somewhere amazing. Behind me you can see the Palace of Culture, where we are holding just part of the event.

The even have “Imagine Cup” stairs.

Palace of Culture, Culture

Intercontinental Hotel, where the students are giving their presentations.

It all starts tomorrow. Can’t wait.

Imagine Cup Poland

I got a window seat

Flew out to Poland today for the 2010 Imagine Cup Final. I’m helping with the judging, which means I get to go to Warsaw, which is great. Of course, I took a camera (yet another one) and it does take nice pictures.

Sunlight at 24,000 feet makes nice shadows through your cola.

 
Downtown Warsaw

The judging starts on Sunday, tomorrow we are going to get everything ready for the judging. This evening we went out and I had groats for tea. Great stuff.