I'm here to lay to rest the scurrilous accusations that I only show up at events like the recent Itanium Innovation Awards because the food is good -- and free.

To set the record straight: Yes, I had a shrimp cocktail and yes, two glasses of tonic water. But I was on the job. I was working. Really hard.

For starters, I was one of a "distinguished" (their word, not mine) panel of judges who selected the winners. Not that I had to defend my vote. All of the finalists were gracious and kind even after they figured out I didn't vote for them.

But it was still work, hard work as witnessed by this photo.

See the guy behind the guy -- that's me at work. I deal with this foolishness so you don't have to. For a look at the all the finalists and the winners, I put together this brief slideshow which gives you the opportunity to congratulate all the winners.

What struck me most about the event was the international flavor of the software development world. It really is a global community. Finalists and winners were from Canada, Japan, Finland, Russia, and Spain, among others. Yes, the U.S. has its Silicon Valley, but you can also find similar environments worldwide; Argentina's Palermo Valley, Spain's Boecillo TechPark, and Czech Technology Park, among others, all come to mind.

So the real reward in attending events like the Itanium Innovation Awards is that we're reminded that this is a global community and true innovation can come from the dardnest places which, as luck would have it, have pretty good food at the right price.

— Jonathan Erickson
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