Brooklyn Beta 2014

A few years ago, I met Cameron Koczon and Chris Shiflett for the first time over lunch at Superfine in Brooklyn. I think our mutual friend Jason Santa Maria introduced us, but none of us could either confirm or deny that. Cameron and Chris told me about an idea they had to bring designers and developers together to talk about things we often don’t: products, collaborations, funding, creating. I was awestruck and excited. Months later—with no involvement from me—they launched a conference called Brooklyn Beta, the best industry event I’ve ever attended. The recent fifth year of Brooklyn Beta is the final event, so I’m taking a minute to reflect on what I enjoyed so much.

My favorite thing about Brooklyn Beta—which Cameron also celebrated in his closing talk—was the amazing group of people they brought together. Here are some of my favorite moments from this year:

• Holding down the back row with David Yee
• Taking to Jenn Lukas about the awful food in Italy
• Celebrating dad status with Chandler Van De Water
• Planning Git walkthroughs with Rob Weychert
• Watching John Maeda talk about anything
• Having the badge name flip reinstated
• Lamenting gray hair with Brian Hoff
• Resuming my role of official “speaker clicker provider”
• Road tripping with Jesse Gardner
• Contemplating agency exits with Dave Rupert
• Finding out that Geri Coady hates Web design
• Sriracha pomegranate wings with Michael Johnson
• Able Parris and I trying to convince Ben Peck and Alan Dangerfield from Experticity to pivot into a magic startup
• Soulfully challenged by Elle Luna
• Catching up with Marco Suarez
• Chatting with Jamin Jantz about the butterfly effect
• Discussing pricing models with Andy Budd
• Celebrating the luckiness of finding the right person with Simon Collison
• Beating Ismael Burciaga at shuffleboard
• Deliberating the merits of mentorship with Dave Dawson
• Talking camping with Josh King
• Thanking Chris Armstrong for making Niice so nice
• Stumbling upon Jim Jones, Samantha Warren, and Steph Hay in the hotel lobby
• Discussing small intimate conference-like events with Ian Coyle
• Making FAQ suggestions to Reuben Ingber
• Talking about falling out of trees with Jonny Gotham
• Discussing light bulb warmth with Ryan Essmaker and Jason Santa Maria
• Taking about unlocking people’s potential with Elliot Jay Stocks
• Learning about Camp Tech from Avery Swartz
• Getting advice on apprenticeships from Ben Blumenfeld
• Chatting with Chris Fahey about mentorship booths
• Discussing monopolies with Jake Stutzman
• Celebrating online friendships with Duane King
• Discussing teaching models with Jeremy Keith
• Talking scale with Mark and Paul Johnson
• Talking baby cuteness with Tash Lampard
• Taking freelance with Ian Patrick Hines
• Weighing the pressures of being in charge with Ben Jackson
• Sidewalk talk prep with Cameron Koczon
• Talking “revenge moves” with Chris Shiflett
• Discussing the drawbacks of consulting with Josh Brewer
• Checking out Hunger crunch with Rob Wright and Bryan Martin
• Finally being able to give Josh Corliss a big hug in person
• Taking street fighter with James Hall and Jonnie Hallman
• Missing seeing Joshua and Mandy Blankenship here
• Fantasizing with Steve Ng and Patrick Johnson about attending Comic-Con
• Congratulating James Widegren and Tore Holmberg on their new baby
• Missing my annual chat with Jon Tan

Did I miss a moment with you? Remind me and I’ll add it!

Another thing that I was pleasantly surprised by was the amonut of book recommendations I received from a lot of people I talked to. Here are some books that I’ve added to my reading list:

• S/Z: An essay Recommended by MJ
• On the Road Recommended by Mike Fortress
• Batgirl #35 Recommended by Linn Farley
• Lumberjanes Recommended by Linn Farley
• The Next Story Recommended by Jesse Gardner
• A Meal with Jesus Recommended by Jesse Gardner
• How to Speak Money Recommended by John Maeda
• Crisis Management Recommended by John Maeda
• The Bottom Billion Recommended by Jamin Jantz
• The Paradox of Choice Recommended by Jamin Jantz

What books have you been recommended? What books do you recommend to me? Tell me and I’ll add it to the list!