The Call For Participation for CAST 2013 is out and includes
We would like to hear your experiences, stories, thoughts, observations, demonstrations around the lessons that you have learned in Software Testing, as well as how these could influence the way that we approach testing in the future.
And I expect a lot of interesting experience reports from interesting people (it is CAST after all). But how much really, really, new stuff will be added to the craft. I’ll be my normal cynical self and suggest that it is likely not as much as one would hope.
What I would love to see is a CFP that looks something like this.
We would like to hear your experiences, stories, thoughts, observations, demonstrations around the lessons that you have learned outside of Software Testing, as well as how these could influence the way that we approach testing in the future.
My talks a couple years ago all fell into this form. Kids in Armor and Testing Inspiration When You Least Expect It are both examples of what I want to hear people talk about. I want to hear Alan Page discuss how Orchestra composition helps him test better, how Ben Kelly tests better due to years of thwacking people in the head with bamboo, etc.
I also want non-testers to be brought in as the keynotes. Sure, I enjoy listening to James, Michael, Cem, Matt and company, but if you are keynote-ing, you are up against an astronaut in my ranking scheme (Keynote vs. Track). Now I am a baseball fan so opinions are skewed but I think the Garfoose or Shawn Green could also be great. Though they likely cost more since its an actual speaking gig rather than just the prime audience grabbing moment. Or Mary Robinette Kowal about puppetry. Or a Buddhist monk about meditation and breathing. Or. Or. Or.
That there is a speaking circuit where one can recycle topics is a smell I think …
… and another smell is that I essentially wrote this same post back in April including some of the same speaker suggestions; The ‘Un-Testing Conf’. That’s just silly. I should do some work…
Categories
- Android (2)
- BITW (5)
- Books (21)
- CAST2008 (2)
- GLSEC2008 (14)
- Housekeeping (22)
- Interviews (1)
- javascript (1)
- marketing (1)
- Podcasts (28)
- Process (23)
- Python (19)
- Quality (400)
- Ruby (7)
- s3cr3t (1)
- Selenium (10)
- Star West 2010 (8)
- subversion (1)
- Uncategorized (402)
- Video (54)
Find things by
- Browsing...
- Searching...
Miscellaneous
Books
-
Skeptoid: Critical Analysis of Pop Phenomena by Brian Dunning -
Systematic Process Improvement Using ISO 9001: 2000 and CMMI by Harvey Stromberg
Hi Adam,
For what it’s worth, I’d be happy to consider any of the above suggested talks. I know the theme says lessons learned in software testing, but the lessons themselves don’t necessarily have to be FROM software testing. If you (or anyone else) has a burning desire to share cool stuff that made them a better software tester, I don’t care if it came from high-stakes origami tournaments. Put in a proposal.
Funny you should mention non-testing keynotes. I have some irons in the fire on that front too.
Not silly at all…
I once once saw a keynote from an explosives expert at a testing conference. It was all about an experience he had bombing his way to trapped miners so many hundred feet under ground. It was amazing, inspirational, and could easily be linked to testing (given the right thought process). It’s about the only keynote that I truly remember.
I say no more.
Hi Adam,
I totally agree with you and David. Usually ideas and talks that are on the ‘intersection’ of different fields and disciplines are the most interesting – and hence the ones we remember the most!
I read a book about this very subject called The Medici Effect – about how there is an explosion of ideas and lessons to be leaned at these ‘intersections’. I hope we’ll see more of those in testing conferences in the future.