I just wanted to send a message announcing our new regional Ruby =
conference, for those of us who don't live on a coast:  ;)

  Red Dirt RubyConf:  http://reddirtrubyconf.com/

We're now accepting proposals for presentations.  We are working very =
hard to build a unique event with a new approach to organizing =
presentations.  Please consider joining that effort by submitting your =
ideas for talks.  We would love to have you.

Here are some details about our format from the site:

We are excited to announce the first Red Dirt Ruby Conference to be =
held, May 6th and 7th, 2010. Our goal is to create a unique conference =
experience within the Ruby community. We have crafted a two-day event =
that will provide focused and up-to-date content and related training in =
four of the most important areas of active development in the Ruby =
community, the Ruby language itself, the Ruby on Rails framework, NoSQL =
databases, and web servers and hosting. We are also very happy to =
announce that Dave Thomas of the Pragmatic Programmers and Jim Weirich =
of EdgeCase will participate as keynote speakers.

We also expect to have a vibrant and interactive hallway track. We have =
set aside a dedicated space for casual discussions, coding sessions, =
impromptu presentations, and an evening hackfest. To keep you going all =
day, we are including breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner as part of the =
Red Dirt Ruby Conference experience.

The Red Dirt Ruby Conference will be held in downtown Oklahoma City, =
which is conveniently located in both the center of the midwest and the =
nation itself, making it an ideal location for a national conference. It =
is within a days drive from Dallas, Kansas City, Austin, Saint Louis, =
Memphis, Albuquerque, and Denver. Convenient direct flights from cities =
on both coasts to the Will Rogers International Airport are also =
available.

We are actively seeking talk proposals centered on these four areas:

1. Ruby : The Ruby language still has the power to surprise us. This =
theme is focused on Ruby syntax, gems and good development practices.
2. Rails 3 : Ruby on Rails is crossing a huge milestone. This theme is =
centered on topics such routing, metal, the new response system, and =
advanced queries.
3. NoSQL : Database choice affects application performance and =
scalability. This theme will focus on databases such as MognoDB, Riak, =
Redis, and Tokyo Cabinet.
3. Servers : Ruby is well suited for web based applications. This theme =
will focus on tools such as Rack, Unicorn, EventMachine, Resque and AWS.

With the aim of maximizing the value for attendees, we have developed a =
unique conference format that pairs themed conference presentations on =
day one with related training on day two of the event.

Each conference session will consist of four talks focused on a single =
theme. A 30 minute talk will lead off the session, provide an =
introduction to the theme, and cover one or more of the most important =
developments or approaches to date. Then, three 15 minute talks will =
follow, each covering a different development, application or approach =
within the area. The session will end with a joint question, answer and =
discussion with the panel of speakers. This format affords both breadth =
and depth in the session content as well as interaction between the =
speakers and the audience.

For each theme, a three hour training session will follow on the second =
day of the event. The training sessions will give you the opportunity to =
get hands-on under the supervision and guidance of experienced trainers. =
By presenting the training on the second day of the event, you will have =
already had an overview of the most important developments within the =
area the day prior, which we hope will maximize the effectiveness of the =
training.

Our aim is to improve the conference experience for everyone, and we =
would ask for your support toward this end. Please consider submitting a =
talk proposal and attending what will surely be a unique, and hopefully =
valuable conference going experience.

Submit a talk now:  http://reddirtrubyconf.com/proposal/submit

James Edward Gray II=