Rare is the event in this part of Texas that brings two different technology events events together with one trade show. If you are someone who wants to expand your network within San Antonio, the Innotech event (see press release below) is an excellent opportunity to meet some potential business prospects.


With the help of two local south Texas organizations, the March 6 Innotech trade show should have a program or event for every technology business leader or advocate. The event will be held at both the Norris Conference Center, located within the CrossRoads Mall, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the San Antonio Technology Center, 3463 Magic Drive.

“We are fortunate to have the help of the North San Antonio chamber and the Technology Connexus Association working with us to promote the growth of technology within the San Antonio region,” said Sean Lowery, the executive director of Innotech.

The event begins at 8:30 a.m. with the opening of the exhibit hall, and the first sessions begin at 9 a.m. Program includes: eMail Marketing, Search Engine Marketing Building Blocks, Virtualizations, Managing a Virtualized Environment, The National Security Cyber Threat and Maneuvering PCI DSS Compliance.

The North San Antonio Chamber CIO Panel will begin at 11:30 a.m. The panel features Gary McKnight, chief information officer at Frost, Tom McDonnell, executive vice president, Business Banking Administration, Frost Bank, Eddie Cuellar, CIO, Methodist Healthcare Cystem, Dean Alexander, chief executive officer, Methodist Stone Oak Hospital and Boerne Medical Center, Jerome Charleston, Director of IT, Time Warner Cable, and Jon Gary Herrera, vice president of government and public affairs, Time Warner Cable.

The last sessions for Innotech start at 3:30 p.m., and the exhibit hall closes at 4:30 p.m. The Second annual Technology Connexus Association Technology Showcase and Hi-Tech Mixer starts afterwards at the San Antonio Technology Center.

Program information is available at www.innotechsan.com.


(Note: Innotech has retained my firm as their local public relatons firm, but I believe this event is noteworthy in helping expand the growth of technology along the DCI corridor.)

DCI has known about Jim Plamondon and his new musical instrument, the Thummer, since we talked about bringing him to SXSW from his then-home in Australia in 2005. He couldn't make that trip, but since then he's moved to Austin, hoping to find interested musicians in the "live music capital of the world." The Thummer was featured in Friday's Wall Street Journal.

The idea for the Thummer began when his wife and daughter both quit piano lessons after only six months. His wife, Patti, complained that learning to play separate lines on each hand "was like reading Spanish with one eye and French with the other," she recalls.

The Thummer doesn't make any noise on its own. It must be plugged into a computer or synthesizer, which uses software to mimic other instruments. To adjust volume and pitch, players thumb a pair of joysticks mounted on the side -- hence the instrument's name. Like the Nintendo Wii controller, it has an internal motion sensor, so players can also adjust the sound by moving the instrument around as they play it.

Marc Rossi, a synthesizer specialist and professor of piano and jazz composition at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, says the Thummer sounds like a good-quality synthesizer. He says the internal motion sensor is what's truly innovative: "That could be a whole new world."

BattleZone, Luxor, Quake, Aeon Flux, First Strike and other games that people like to play on their computers and video game consoles create big business in Texas.

The state's computer and video game industry was worth $395 million in 2006, up 17 percent from a year earlier, according to a study released Tuesday by the Entertainment Software Association.

More at MySA.com: Business

If you are a cyber warrior, the Air Force is looking for you. San Antonio is considered one of the finalists for a new Cyber Command that could be located at Lackland AFB. While the Express News article that announced it doesn't mention these facts, here's some thoughts on why Texas should get this:

1) The AFCERT was created in San Antonio in 1990.
2) Much of the intellectual capital that created companies like SecureInfo and SecureLogix stayed in Texas.
3) The Center for Infrastructure Assurance Studies is up and running at UTSA
4) UT has a lot of intellectual talent in the mathematics and computer science needed to help grow this command.

One of the best technology writers and bloggers in San Antonio is L.A. Lorek. I usually like the information that she puts in her blog, but I felt that her comment on how California is discovering San Antonio is shortsighted. Yes, our cost of living is a little lower than Austin, but we at the DCI have to help writers like her to see the big picture. It's not an Austin versus San Antonio issue, but one that helps the entire region prosper. We in this part of Texas need to see the benefits of colloboration. I liken it to a galaxy of stars. Right now, Austin is a bright star, while San Antonio is a developing one. But if we can help businesses see the beauty of working in San Antonio, Seguin, San Marcos, Waco and others, it will help us the truly innovative see the galaxy of technology stars in our region.