Facebook Hack London 8AM Sunday morning and I’m on my way to the East End of London, to the very trendy Brick Lane for the first leg of the Facebook Hack Road show.
So what is the Facebook Hack Road Show? Well, it’s a competition and seminar all rolled into one. It allows for some of the worlds most gifted coders to come together for the day to discover new tools and techniques for developing apps for the Facebook mobile platform. Once the delegates have attended technical sessions they are encouraged to “Hack” away, coding as if their lives depend on it and assisted by Facebook engineers if need be. The team with the best APP wins. It’s that simple.
So why are F1 Consultancy here? An event like this requires a solid Internet connection and a robust WIFI network. Connectivity options at the venue are a little limiting, so we arrange for an External ISP to install a WIMAX radio link. We add three floors within the venue to our WIFI network to get the 200+ users the event attracts connected. Monday, time for the main event. All goes well, the day flies by and it’s over before you know it. Time to pack up and load up for Stockholm.
Facebook Hack Stockholm Tuesday; It’s my first time visiting Stockholm. First impressions are good, the trip from the airport to the town centre via the very comfortable Arlanda express is quick and easy. We check into the uber stylish Lydmar hotel and settle in for the night.
Wednesday; We get to the venue, unload then start to rig. This time we have a 100Mbit fibre internet connection, so no need for the extra WIMAX link. The event space is open plan, so the WIFI deployment is a little more challenging than London, but the installation goes well and we are ready for the main event the next day.
Thursday; The morning sessions pass without a hitch and we are soon thrown into the main event. The atmosphere is pretty chilled, music plays and pizza and beer are served as the 170+ developers “Hack” away. All goes well and we pack up and load for the last time, as the Road shows next destination is Tel Aviv Israel.
Facebook Hack Tel Aviv Early Sunday morning again, and we’re sat on the tarmac at T5 Heathrow. Today’s destination is Tel Aviv, which turns out to be a very warm and sunny 30 degrees as we step off the plane.
Monday; F1 have been engaged to manage the in house WIFI suppliers so there is no equipment for me to install or configure this time. We have pre booked a 60Mbit Internet link for the 300 “Hackers” that will attend.
The hotel in Tel Aviv is right next to the beach, making the 30 minute walk from our hotel to work every morning along the sea front a brilliant start to the day. You would never think we were only 30 miles away from the recent rocket attacks and bombings at the Gazza Strip but life goes on here. .
Tuesday; and the Hack is on, so far so good…
Grant Wescombe Senior Technical Consultant F1 Consultancy
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