ACM Hosts Engadget HD Q&A

One of the things I love about Georgia Tech is how a random walk around campus can suddenly morph into taking part in some kind of interesting event.  Last spring, for example, I was walking near the Klaus building when I ventured into an information session that eventually led to me getting a research position at the Graphics Visualization and Usability center.  On September 11th, it happened again. While enjoying a burger at the Anime O-tekku cookout in front of Klaus, a friend of mine informed me the ACM was hosting a Q&A session with Engadget in Klaus at that very moment.

Having paid the Engadget blog many a visit to find out the latest opinions, surmises, leaks, and reviews in consumer technology, I decided to give the event a try.  The event featured Ben Drawbaugh and Richard Lawler, who both write for Engadget HD. They were in town for the CEDIA (Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association) conference, which was held in Atlanta on September 9 - 13. Engadget HD focuses on high-end "living room" technology, such as televisions, speakers, home automation, and streaming media.

When I arrived, I noticed ACM had secured a nice helping of Chick-fil-a sandwiches. It might seem like an asinine aside, but this was a significant moment for Ben and Richard: their first taste of Chick-Fi-La. If only there was some sweet tea around, we could have given them a true taste of the south.
The two had an easy manner about them and quite naturally slipped into an open dialogue with the audience, covering a wide range of topics while taking periodic show-of-hands polls. Unsurprisingly, in a room filled with mainly computer science majors, responses to question like, “How many of you watch TV online, have used a Linux operating system, or are familiar with Boxee?” received slightly skewed results.

Roger Pincombe, an ACM member in attendance, said, “I was very happy with the turnout and also with the quality of the questions that students asked.  
“Also, I was impressed that the audience consisted not only of students; some companies that were in town for the CEDIA conference also attended, most notably ZAGG, who gave away $500 in gift cards as well as some high-end headphones. Ben and Richard from Engadget HD were quite entertaining, and I think as a whole the event was a great success.”

In addition to receiving gift cards, those in attendance were given the opportunity to have their blog links posted on the Edgadget site. You can read the post Ben and Richard made about the event at 

HYPERLINK

"http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/09/13/thanks-to-atlanta-for-the-great-reader-meetup/"

http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/09/13/thanks-to-atlanta-for-the-great-rea...

You can also view pictures of the event on the Engadget website 

HYPERLINK "http://www.engadgethd.com/photos/engadget-hd-reader-meetup/2278752/"

http://www.engadgethd.com/photos/engadget-hd-reader-meetup/2278752/