Follow me to F O S and E – and say hello
Connecting state and local government leaders
The GCN Lab staff abandons its cave to go looking for the best new technology being introduced at FOSE.
The GCN Lab this week is going to be unusually quiet. Printers won’t be racing each other across thousands of pages to take the checkered flag. Projectors won’t be displaying complicated images on screens while a horde of labbies measure the results with oddly shaped scientific tools. Desktop PCs – whether all-in-ones or those in traditional form factors -- won’t be chugging along with the Passmark Performance Benchmarks http://www.passmark.com/ trying to eek out a better score.
All will be quiet on the Western Front. But a little to the east of the lab’s headquarters, things will be jumping at FOSE.
March 23 to 25 will bring anyone who’s anyone in government technology to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center for FOSE, which is put on by the 1105 Government Information Group, which publishes GCN.
The show this year is huge. Just look at the interactive floor plan. The show is filled with both intriguing conferences and cool technology to see, touch and experiment with. And the best part: if you’re a fed, you can get in for free! When was the last time you got something this cool for nothing? Even if you aren’t a fed, you can still get into all the action for $50, which is worth the price of admission for the three-day event.
As in previous years, the GCN Lab staff will be leading an elite cadre of technology judges looking for the Best New Technology being introduced at the show, which won’t be an easy task if even some of the early announcements about what will be on display holds true. Winners will be announced on Wednesday at 2:30 in the GSA Alliant program theater. Please come by and see the best of the best get their crown (or at least their trophy).
All of us from the lab will be crazy busy during the show, but that’s no excuse for us to ignore our fans. So I’m inviting all of you to stop me, or any of the labbies, and say hello. We’ll be easy enough to spot in our dark blue lab coats. Even if you’re horrible at “Where’s Waldo?” you should be pretty good at “Where’s The Labbie?”
We will likely have our heads buried deep in our clip boards, trying to figure out which technology at the show is the best. But we’ll be more than happy to stop and chat. I’ve even been known to pose for pictures for those who ask. FOSE really is a great show and a great time, and we look forward to seeing you all there.