Nerd fun in Boston

This time next week I’ll be packing for Design Days Boston, made up by UBM’s ESC, Designing with LEDs, DesignCon East, and DesignMed events. I’m really looking forward to the trip, first because the shows will make up a great event and second because in all the places I’ve dragged my suitcase to on business, with the exception of a one night flight delay, I’ve never been to Boston.

I’m looking forward to exploring the city. So I’ve been researching “Boston fun” on Google. Some really interesting stuff came up, including this Nerd Fun meet-up site. The site advertises itself as a good place for those who “went to engineering school, but use hair conditioner anyway.” Despite the harsh description, locals might want to check it out for some great group or solo activities, like expert lectures and sci-fi movies.

My search also brought up Sky Zone, an indoor trampoline park that uses the tag line “Don’t let gravity hold you down” (if you are in an office, you might want to hit mute before you visit the Web site to shush the loud music). While trampoline dodge ball does look fun, I think I’ll pass.

Truth be told, I won’t have much time for bouncing about or nerd fun while in Boston. I will, however, have business diners and lunches to set, so I put out a post on Facebook asking for restaurant suggestions in or nearby Boston. Sonia Harrison of Mentor Graphic suggested Tapeo Tapas Restaurant in Newbury, simply describing it as “yum” (again, if you are in an office, you might want to hit mute before you visit the Web site).

Please share your recommendations on restaurants, must sees, and what to do in Boston in the comments field below.

Other than scoping out what looks like a fantastic city, I’m, of course, planning my Design Days schedule. Bernie Cole at Embedded outlined can’t miss ESC Boston classes here. Be sure to read that blog post before you finalize your schedule. Here are a few more things you should notch out time for.

Embedded Design in a Black Hat World: I had the pleasure of speaking with Joerg Borchert, vice president of chip card and security ICs for Infineon Technologies North America, about his upcoming ESC keynote in advance of the show. He’s the new version of the white-hat wearing cowboy on a horse. As attacks on embedded systems spread, security becomes more essential as designers and consumers fight back against bad guy hackers. His presentation promises to be a must see. ESC, Tuesday, September 27, 9:30-10:30am http://esc.eetimes.com/boston/speakers

Mentor Meet-up: We will be hosting our first “mentor meet-up,” a networking event where ESC Boston attendees can connect with their peers and spend a few minutes helping to build the next generation of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). The event is in recognition of the fact that the next generation of STEM professionals will not come about without a helping hand from experienced engineers. We encourage attendees to pre-register for this, in addition to registering for ESC. ESC, Wednesday, September 28, 3:30-5pm

And over at the Designing with LEDs event, there are tons of must sees, including the keynote roundtable “Intelligent Lighting” that will focus on how solid-state lighting enabled by high-brightness LEDs will creep into every facet of daily life within a few years. Also, check out the new LED light bulb from Philips Lighting, winner of the $10 million, 2011 Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prize from the US Department of Energy, that will be on display. Tuesday, September 27 http://e.ubmelectronics.com/LED

There’s tons more going on, so visit theDesign Days site more for info on each event.

In other preparation for the trip, I’ve been practicing using “wicked” as a positive adjective, one that does not refer to a witch, and reminding myself that when “patriot” comes up in conversation, the discussion could be on a Benjamin Franklin type or a Tom Brady type.

Share your thought son Boston, Design Days, or the wicked awesome Patriots below.