So this weekend BarCampAustin3 (held during SxSW) featured a ton of amazing things including some fantastic sessions, a mini iPhoneDevCamp, and a singing Unicorn at Karaoke Apocalypse.

All went well save one small incident involving a 340lb BattleBot malfunctioning and then taking off as fast as it could for the closest Microsoft employees (including Josh Holmes who you see leap out of the way). Thankfully no one was hurt or injured and they were amazingly good sports afterwards:

Many thanks to the folks at Viewzi.tv for the amazing editing job. And, yes we still love Brady and TeamDX! Good luck in the new season on ESPN guys!

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Many of you have asked for alternative ways to include the "open source candidate" poll in your blog or website. Apparently some sites don't allow java script. So here are a few alternative bits-o-code that you can use:

The Original JavaScript Poll Method
For most websites and blogs.

Flash Poll Method
For sites that dont allow JavaScript.

The WildFire Method
Just click on your blogs icon and follow the directions.

As I've said, the goal here is to get as many people involved as possible. So hopefully some of these alternative methods for including the poll will help those of you wanting to participate but finding yourself JavaScript challenged.

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I wanted to provide an update on who had decided to participate in the "open source candidate" poll. Here is a list of the first 10 websites/blogs to add the poll code:

• Linux Journal
• Factory Joe (Chris Messina)
• Laughing Squid (Scott Beale)
• LinearB (GeekAustin)
• Botchagalupe (John M. Willis)
• Dawn Foster (Jive Software)
• Chris Brogan
• Todd Nienkerk (Drupal.org)
• Boneless Monkey (Johnny)
• Michelle's Blog

This is a really good showing for the first day of the code becoming available. So why haven't you added the poll code to your website or blog? While link backs are appreciated, they aren't required. It's truly open source. You want to take the poll code and write your own slant? Do it. Want to add the poll code without a link back? Go for it. Here's the code again for those of you just now joining in on the fun:

The goal here is to get as many people involved as possible. Let's see if together we can get 100k people in the technology and open source software community to participate. Like I said, steal this blog, steal the poll. Just help us get as many people as possible involved. There's one simple price for using the code and all related blog materials as your own; participation. So just do it.

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With the first 526 votes in, Barack Obama is dominating the "open source candidate" poll. Obama has a commanding 267 votes or 51%. Here's a look at the results after the first 500 votes came in:

I'd still like to see more votes. Go see the original post for the code to add the poll to your own blog or website. Link backs are nice but not required. This isn't about traffic, it's about measuring the community's opinion. So we can all share the polling script and the results. Later tonight (after midnight) I'll post a list of the other websites and blog currently participating in the poll. Hopefully we can expand on these as we enter the weekend. However, you can go vote now.

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Several people are asking why I posted the "Open Source Candidate" poll. Well, it's time to provide some insight. The idea behind the poll is simple:

So for those of you who asked "why" the answer is simple. Open source is in a position to influence patent reform and help the small businesses that drive our economy. Shouldn't we consider taking a look at the candidates from this perspective? I thought allowing people to share their opinion on who they see as the best "open source candidate" would be a good way to start a larger discussion.

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