I was just chatting with my mom on FaceTime. It’s constantly amazing to me that I can be sitting in my office in Huntsville, Alabama, USA using my phone, while she can be sitting in her living room in Sheffield, Yorkshire, UK, using her iPad Pro, and we can see each other and talk as if we were in the same room.
It’s unfortunate that so many of our conversations revolve around whether I’ve had a shave and if I bothered to comb my hair before leaving the house and if I’m eating enough vegetables, but that’s mothers for you.
I was telling my mom that I have been invited to give the keynote presentation entitled “Not Your Grandmother’s Embedded Systems” at the Qt Goes Virt: Embedded online event for embedded software architects, developers, and executives.
This auspicious occasion will take place on 18 November 2020 and it’s free to attend, so you might want to register now before all of the good virtual seats are taken.
As you are doubtless aware, the Qt Group, which is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, is a global software development company. The folks at Qt are renowned for bringing together the trio, triad, or troika, if you will, of graphics design, user interface (UI) design, and user experience (UX) design.
Qt’s technology enables single software code across all operating systems, platforms and screen types, from desktops and embedded systems to business-critical applications, in-vehicle systems, wearables and mobile devices connected to the Internet of Things (IoT). The technology’s wide-ranging support includes desktop, mobile, embedded, RTOS, and bare metal, and is scalable from MPUs down to MCUs.
When I told my mother about all of this, she responded as follows: “In the winter, when I woke up in the morning as a little girl, there were icicles on the insides of the windows. Our idea of an embedded system was a hot brick wrapped in a scrap of blanket that we used in bed instead of a hot water bottle.”
It’s hard to come up with a witty response to a line like that. I tell you; the guys in Monty Python could have used my mom as an adviser for their Four Yorkshiremen sketch. Be that as it may, dare I hope to see you at the Qt Goes Virt: Embedded online event? If so, make sure to wave so I know you are there. Also, be advised that the dress code is Hawaiian shirts, which is fortunate because that’s the only type I own.
A few years back, a friend of mine was using QT and introduced me to it. Sad to say, I didn’t quite manage to wrap my head around it sufficiently to do anything useful. Unfortunately, I suspect that my employer will have other things for me to do that day. Is there a chance that the material will be available to view later?
Hmm, the start time is before my normal work day begins so I might sign up on the off chance that I wake up early enough to catch the first few sessions.
I will ask them if they will be archiving the presentations for on-demand viewing later. I think my talk starts at 7:30 a.m. my time, so that would be 5:30 a.m. Pacific Time (and I’m not the first) — but they are based in Finland. I only wish we weren’t under a global pandemic because I’ve never been to Finland and I would have loved to give my presentation in person.
Having watched several Netflix police crime series set in Finland, it is portrayed as a dark society, both literally and figuratively. It would seem that there is no daylight during winter, and no building appears to have electric lighting because the police are always using flashlights.
My experience, however, is different. I spent a glorious summer’s day in Helsinki. There isn’t much in the way of significant landmarks. We only found 2 churches of any architectural significance and an interesting “design” district (mainly interior decorating but also some fashion). the oceanfront is very convivial and the locals are very friendly and all speak English.
I’ve been to Denmark and Sweden, but I’ve never made it to Finland. I’ve only ever heard good things about the country and the people, so I woudl love to visit one day — maybe to give my presentation in person.
I just heard back from the organizers who say “Yes, registrants will be able to view the session for 30 days after the event.” 🙂