What it is: If you had five minutes on stage what would you say? What if you only got 20 slides and they rotated automatically after 15 seconds? Around the world individuals have been putting together Ignite nights to show their answers since 2006 with Ignite Bay Area now hosting a regular local series.

Why you should be involved: Great talks we’ve seen in this format include how to run a marathon, why e-literature is compelling, and everything you can learn about relationships from roller derby. But we haven’t seen yours yet.

How to take part: Send a brief paragraph description of your idea to ignitesf@gmail.com by January 31. We’ll let you know the lineup in early February and speakers will have until February 22 to create their slides to be presented to technologists, entrepreneurs, sponsors, and pals.

We’re excited to hear your ideas and see your name among those people are sharing support for in advance of the next @IgniteBayArea event.

http://www.expediajobs.com

Search select Bellevue, Washington and enter Linux as the search criteria.

Expedia has, historically, been a Windows shop. But the Linux presence is growing fast.

Feel free to contact me if you have questions.

And FWIW, Sarah’s Ruby training has my endorsement — she and Sarah Mei and others in the Ruby community are doing awesome things to bring Ruby and/or Rails to women who might not otherwise think of taking a course.

Smart phones, social networking and the “internet of things” let us integrate the online world and computers more deeply into our lives. Should we have to give up our freedom and privacy in to reap the benefits of a constant connection to friends and information? How are attitudes towards freedom and privacy changing for those who have grown up so accustomed to an always-connected environment? What about those who aren’t participating because they lack access to technology and knowledge — or who simply prefer more traditional forms of connection? How do we take advantage of the power of computers to improve freedom and privacy online and off?

To address those critical questions and more, the ACM Computers, Freedom and Privacy conference converges for the first time ever in Silicon Valley, June 15-18 2010.

The deadline for proposals is January 31, and the early-bird proposals give an idea of the topics that are covered — and where the gaps are. We’re especially looking for proposals that include a diverse set of panelists and new voices, feature multiple perspectives on challenging issues, and look to the future by exploring cutting-edge technology, legal, and policy issues.

Our page on How to submit a proposal to CFP 2010 has a description of how to use the CFP 2010 submission system to propose suggestions for speakers or topics, proposals for 90-minute sessions with three to five speakers, half-day or full-day workshops or tutorials.

One of our goals for CFP this year is to improve the diversity of speakers and topics, and so we’d especially like to encourage Geek Feminism Blog readers to pass the word on to friends and colleagues as well as proposing your own ideas.

We’ve also put together a very diverse planning team, and welcome more volunteers interested in helping organize the conference (including online participation). If you’re interested, please tweet us at @cfpconf, or email me at jon {at} qworky {dot} net.

So anyone who is interested is more than able to drop out if we can’t get them that kind of stuff.

Scholarship Available. If you feel that your presence will increase diversity in the Ruby on Rails community and that taking this class could have a positive impact on your life and you would not otherwise be able to afford the class, please fill out this short form. Our decision on the candidate will balance your need, how much taking this course will have a beneficial effect and your potential impact on the community. Bonus points for bloggers and twitterers or people who otherwise spread their know-how.