ETech 2009 Schedule Posted; Early Registration Ends Monday

ETech is a technologist's playground. We specifically design the conference to expose new ideas and learn from the people behind them. This year the focus is on how the way we live is changing -- through policy, technology and ideas. The proliferation of sensors, advances in materials and manufacturing, the changes in government and the financial market will all have a profound effect on our industry.

ETech is a four-day conference that runs from March 9-12 in San Jose, CA. Early registration ends on Monday. Use et09rad at checkout for an additional 10% off (this will work even after early registration pricing ends).

ETech is a broad conference. The first day is filled with three-hour tutorials that range in topics from Refactoring Your Wetware (by Andy Hunt), Lilypad Arduino (was sold-out, but we were able to free up some new spots), an RFID-Arduino project, mapping with Stamen Design, 3D printing with the Reprap, and programming with MIT's Scratch. The following three days will be mix of plenary and breakout sessions. Here's a listing of all the talks and speakers. They'll be focused on:

• One of the major focuses is on the changing tech of cities - how sensors can track the real time city to how mobile phones can reveal habits of its citizens to Dubai's new location-aware playground.
• It's not just cities exploring the use of sensors, companies like the New York Times will share how they have been exploring their use in content delivery, Herman Miller is examining worker controlled sensors in the workplace, and Nike Techlab's has already selling sensor-laiden fitness equipment. Wired's Gary Wolf will expand on the Quantified Self and how personal sensors can teach us about ourselves.
• Many entrepreneurs are moving from virtual goods to physical ones. Bunnie Huang is going to lead a session on manufacturing in China, in another we'll learn about a new high-tech system for manufacturing chocolate. On Monday there is a workshop on 3D printing at home with the Reprap. Tom Igoe will examine where items go at the end of their lifecycle.
• New materials are being developed that will change what products can be built, what biomaterials can be sourced and how flexible screens will be developed in the coming years.
• We're not turning a blind eye to politics and finances this year. We're taking a geeks-eye view at credit risk and the financial markets, at the money in politics, and synthetic biology policy.
• We can't ignore engergy this year. There's a chance for America to become sustainable, for an electric grid to change the tech industry, for each of us to own our energy identity and how we can crowdsource energy-awareness.
• Constraints drive innovation and we can look to developing markets to find progress in action (such as the Playpower 8-bit computer from India). We'll learn about healthcare clinics and mobile versions of Mechanical Turk in Africa. Julian Bleecker of Nokia will share how fictional worlds can help us create new designs.

I hope to see you there.