So what exactly is Ignite? Why should I care, you ask?

The answer to the first question is simple:

Ignite is an event that assembles a fun, smart crowd in a venue that hopefully has food and drink (especially drink!). One by one, speakers have five minutes on stage to speak about almost anything, with 20 slides that auto-advance every 15 seconds. Past Ignite talks have featured topics as diverse as buying a car to social media to Hackers for Charity. With passionate support from people all over the world, Ignite has spread to over 20 cities in the past two years.

The answer to the second question? Not as simple.

It’s a chance to participate in an event that doesn’t happen often, an exciting chance to be a part of something bigger than yourself, to see the world through other eyes, and enjoy the experience with others like yourself. The word geek is mentioned frequently, but a popular definition of the word geek is a person excited by ideas. Come get excited by ideas with Ignite Anchorage!

As soon as the venue is secured, we’ll be soliciting speakers, so get ready! Until then, here’s a sample of Ignite:

Ignite: Kati London on Botanicalls: Homegrown Terra-rists

By Brady Forrest, Ignite Founder
February 23, 2009

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Today we are releasing “Botanicalls: Homegrown Terra-rists” the second episode of the Ignite Show. This week’s speaker is Kati London, the co-creator of Botanicalls, a device that will let you know when your plant needs watering via Twitter. Kati doesn’t spend much time explaining Botanicalls instead she talks about some fun(ny) uses for it.

If you want to learn more about Botanicalls check out their site. Or you can see what the Twitter feed of one Robert Plant (an orchid) is like. Or you can pick up a kit at Maker Shed or ThinkGeek. Botanicalls was created by Kati London (the speaker), Rob Faludi, Rebecca Bray and Kate Hartman.