Cybera Summit '08 in Banff

Any innovator got inspired after attending Cybera event that took place at the picturesque Fall setting in Banff, Canada. The summit gathered Alberta's researchers across national institutions, startups, and entrepreneurs to discuss innovation, trends, challenges, and the future of the Cloud Computing. Among topics we've covered were Grid, Cloud, Open Social and Social Networking, scientific computing and its evolution, how today's technology help us to be more productive, be more social, and nevertheless be aware of the privacy and other risks that are still being addressed as we speak. We had an interesting panel, that I was part of, discussing trends of Cloud Computing, whether it's relevant to us and how startups, end users, corporations and researches view and participate in the trend. A few times, the discussion turned into an open forum with the audience expressing their opinion and impact of modern technology on society as well as the role of the government, particularly in Canada. Interestingly, in Canada, unlike in the US, government plays a significant role in connecting with startups, helping with funding, and jointly working on innovation. I think it is a great way to boost the technology advancement in the local community.