Rob's Guide to Entering the Imagine Cup

I'm giving a presentation today at Hull on how to take part in the Imagine Cup. This page summarizes all the links I'm going to give out, and gives some advice. First thing you do is register here:

Imagine Cup Registration

This is free and doesn't commit you to anything. Take the quiz. This is fun, you and might win a prize. I'd have a go but unfortunately I'm too old. And not a student. And I'd win anyway.

Imagine Cup Quiz

There are a number of invitationals. Each of them is a separate competition in its own right. You can enter as many of them as you like. Each of them has its own particular entry process. Here is a summary of the ones I think you should enter, and how to do it.

Software Design

You'll need to form a team for this one. Once you have up to four people (all of them registered) you can work up your idea for an entry. The Idea is what will get you past the first round. The theme for this year is "Imagine a World where technology enables a sustainable environment".

All you have to do is fill in a form with an idea and then submit it. The idea has to have an environmental feel, but it doesn't have to be directly environmental:

• Technology that lets people swap things rather than buy new ones
• Technology that changes the way (or frequency) that something is used to reduce the impact on the environment
• Technology that makes people aware of the impact of their behaviour on the environment and seeks to modify this
• Technology that improves the efficiency with which a resource is used

Once you have a team, all sit around a table (possibly in a pub) and then work through the bullet points above and see if you can't come up with something. Map the points onto your life and see if there is anything that you could do to modify the way you do things. See if you know anyone in another department (Geography, History, etc) who might have an environmental problem you could have a go at. If you want an idea of what to do, take a look at this example by Ed Dunhill.

Fill in the form here and submit it. And be quick, the entries close on the 14th Dec.

Algorithm

Remember that quiz I mentioned above? Get through that and you are into the Algorithm Invitational round 2. You get to download some code and fiddle with it.

Well worth a look if you enjoy programming.

Embedded

You'll need another team (or perhaps the same one from the Software Development invitational). This round is also idea driven, in that the first round is based on an idea that you pitch to the competition. It can be the same idea as for the Software Development round, or it can be a different one. It should be based on an embedded device and if you make it through to round 2 you will get some hardware to play with. Again, you have nothing to lose by taking part except a bit of time to fill in your entry and write up your idea. You can find the details here.

Game Development (XNA)

You'll need to form another team  (or use the same long suffering chums). You need to create a game demo with XNA and pitch it. You can find out more here. Remember that XNA 2.0 provides Xbox Live network gaming between PC and Xbox. So your game could be multi-player. You could also use a PC as a gateway between the real world and Xbox clients, so you could feed live data into the games by doing this. There might be some really nice simulation/visualisation stuff you could do with this.

Programming Battle

Project Hoshimi is great fun. Write code of your own to take on other programs and win. Get started here. I'm told that getting through round 1 is actually quite easy. Ed Dunhill has a nice post here which should get you a long way down the road.

Information Technology

This one looks to be a hoot. You have to take an on-line test to get through the first round. There are a bunch of these in the run up to the close of round 1. If you get into the final you have to set up and manage a server which must then withstand a good kicking and stay up whatever is thrown at it. Find out more here.

Interface Design

Nobody from Hull has ever had a go at this one, and yet it looks very interesting. Essentially you devise a scenario in which a system could be created to help solve an environmental issue and then build a user interface for that system. You don't actually have to write the application, but you must create enough behaviours to allow the user interface to be demonstrated. If you can find an artist to team up with you could have some real fun in this one. Find out more here.

Photography

How hard could this be? Cameras even focus for you and everything now. All you have to do is come up with a photo essay (tell a story with pictures) on the environmental theme. You can find out what a photo essay is here.

Short Film

If four of you fancy making a film then you can. It might be great fun. The standard of the film entries to the Imagine Cup is usually pretty high (and someone from Canada quite often wins for some reason as I recall). Having said that,  I'd really love someone from Hull to have a go at this, take a look here to find out how.

Is it worth Entering?

Oh yes. Not everyone who takes part wins (even if they are from Hull), but that is not the point. If I was interviewing for Microsoft people it would go like this:

Me: "So, are you keen to work at Microsoft?"
Applicant: "Oh yes, yes, yes. Keen-ness on legs, big barrel of keen, uber keen. More keen than a very keen person from Keenchester central who is keen"
Me: "And yet you didn't take part in the Imagine Cup."
Applicant:"No. Never quite got round to it."
Me: (pressing bell on desk) "Next.."

I'm not saying that the only way to get to work with Microsoft, either as an intern, employee or Student Partner is to sign up for the Imagine Cup. What I am really saying is that if you want a real inside track on the process you should.

And even if you don't want to work for Bill in the future, it is still worth taking part 'cos it is great fun.

Update on 2007-12-07 15:12 by Rob

We are having another meeting at Hull at 1:15 pm on Tuesday 11th December to firm up teams and bounce around some more ideas. If you want to come along and take part it woudl be great to see you. Room 312 in the Robert Blackburn Building.

Inspiration on the Road

Today we had Ed Dunhill and Ben Coley from Microsoft over to see us as part of the Microsoft Inspiration tour. These guys work hard. A five hour drive to Hull, a three hour presentation, and a five hour drive on to the next gig. Tough stuff.

Ed and Ben in the Large (lecture theatre)

Some of the students limbering up

Keeping your audience watching....

The talks, about SilverLight, XNA, Embedded Development and why everyone should enter the Imagine Cup this year, were excellent, despite some comings and goings from students who had to head for timetabled lectures.

If you are at a college or uni. and you haven't got these two coming round to visit, you are missing out. If you check on the web site, I think they have a few slots free next year.

If you were at the talk and want to find out more about the stuff they showed off the best place to look is in Ed's blog, which you can find here.

Last Imagine Cup Pics

These are the last few pictures that I've just pulled off the camera. Korea seems an awfully long way away now, even though it is really less than a week.

 
On the way to the airport. Not sure what the red stuff is

Lottery burgers. Guess which one is for the Microsoft person....

Back from Planet Imagine Cup

In a previous post I mentioned "Planet Imagine Cup". I think that is the best way to regard it. When you go to the finals you enter a strange, parallel universe where everything is posh, the people are all interested in computers and what you are doing with them, living is free and someone makes your bed for you each day.

This means that returning home requires some small amount of adjustment. Fancy having to close your curtains by hand.

Everyone I've spoken to on the planet wants to go back again next year. For us in the UK this is especially interesting, as the world finals are in Paris in 2008. So no nasty jetlag or 25 hour journeys. And if the French know anything, it is how to have a good time....

The theme for the competition next year is "imagine a world where technology enables a sustainable environment." There are no less than 9 competition strands, including for the first time a game development one. Find out more here.

Seoul Shopping

I feel rather bad about this. Rather than attend the World Fair part of the Imagine Cup awards I instead snuck out and took a trip round Seoul. I'd checked that I wouldn't be needed for anything, and it is rather unlikely that I will get to this wonderful city again in a long while, so it was into a taxi and off to the shopping district.

Taxis in Seoul are ace. They are very inexpensive and very efficient. Some of their drivers can speak English too, which is nice. And they have air conditioning, which is all important.

So, all we had was two bits of paper. One had the name of the shopping district written on it, and the other had the name of the hotel written on it. Both of them contained the only Korean language that we had on us. But at no point did this seem a problem. The sun was out, the people were friendly, and away we went. Of course I had both cameras, and of course I took loads of pictures. Most of them will be up on Flickr later, for now here are a few choice snaps.

We found this little market square area. This is the layout of the stalls.

Then we found ourselves in a video game arcade. This was tucked away in a side street. Even so there were plenty of machines.

Single player

This guy was seriously good

Draw your picture, take a call. That's multi-skilled...

The old and the new

Side street

After spending a few hours happily wandering around and steadily accumulating bits and bobs we found another taxi, gave the driver the other piece of paper and headed back to the hotel. I've got some pictures of the trip, which will appear later.

By the time we got back it was pretty dark, but the air was clear and so it was time to take some night views.

The view from the 11th floor

...and another.

Seoul is wonderful. If you get the chance to go, just go. And take me along too...

Update on 2007-08-13 07:51 by Rob

I've been thinking about this post. I'm wondering if it makes me seem more brave/stupid than I actually am. We did go off without much backup, but we had made sure that people back at the hotel knew where we were going and when we were due back. We also made sure that all the taxis that we took were proper ones, stayed in sight of each other and never strayed too far off the main streets.  My impression is that Seoul is no more dangerous than any big city, but that is not a reason for taking undue chances.

..and the winners are....

Thailand, Korea and then Jamaica. Wonderful stuff. And Ireland (who were also splendid) were amongst the winners of a special BT award that will help them take their idea even further. The top six teams of the Software Development Challenge all produced entries with genuine "wow" and the standard has been excellent. You can find out more here.

This morning I got to wander round and chat with the entries. I saw quite a few that had been presenting to my group of judges, and lots of other ones which I'd not seen before. There are some very clever people out there. Everyone I talked to was very keen to come back again next year and was asking out ways that they can make their presentations better. I'm going to have a trawl through the comments that I noted down and put out some general points in a later post.

The Power of W

I'd never heard of W hotels before I came to Korea. I have now. This place is amazing. I could (and probably will) devote an entire post to my room. I've no idea how I managed to merit such lavish accommodation, but since it will probably never happen again, I'm making the most of it.

On the way to breakfast you pass this "wooden video wall". A camera in the middle grabs a video frame which is then used to orient thousands of little wooden blocks to show the picture. It does work, and the blocks make a super trickling noise as people walk past and the picture changes. I want to build one.

This is the view from the hotel restaurant. I suspect it looks even better by night. Say hello to Dennis and Nannette.

These are made of logs which have been sliced and fitted together to make art. Amazing.

Sometimes it feels like you've strayed onto the set of a sixties spy movie.

The lift has these amazing hanging lights. They are red when you are going down....

...and green when you are going up.

I'm sure I could get tired of living here. Maybe in 100 years.

Imagine Cup Top Six Rock the House

Today was the day that the top six contestants in the Imagine Cup Software Development Challenge got to strut their stuff in front of hundreds of students, a bunch of VIP judges and press from all around the world.

And by gum they were good. I was very pleased that a few of the teams that I thought were excellent had made it through to the final. Frankly, I wish they could all get first prize.

Rogerio gets things going

They guy in front of me was certainly on message.....

All the top teams at the end of the auditorium.

Very well done people. Your lives just changed a little bit....

Culture vs Gadgets

After lunch, and an ice cream, we set off on the next stage of our trip, which was a cruise on the Han river.

All aboard

Apartments

The captain, looking cool in white gloves

This bridge has a name, but I've forgotten it
Do I get any marks for composition?

Once we got off the boat we headed for a market street.

The pastel umbrellas are Imagine Cup students. Bless.

At this point I'm ashamed to say that I deviated a little from the enlightened path of culture when someone mentioned leaving the tour and heading for the electronics district. I'm afraid that I weakened and we headed off for the nearest subway station.

Route Planning

Hmm. Or we could just buy at the window...

Thank heavens I didn't pack my heels..

Not our train.

Tube travel

branded handrail

Now this is what I call a subway station

On the way to the mart

Mobile phones anyone?

Pink is the new black

Component heaven

Gadget happy team

People in Seoul are very obliging. I got the camera out and the guy in the booth instantly struck a pose.

Indeed it is

There is a Marks and Spencer coming soon...

Obligatory taxi shot

... and when we arrived

We found this amazing Italian place for tea. With the most wonderful artwork on the walls.

..and the calzone was wonderful too

Finally we got a taxi back to the hotel (taxis are amazing value here) and staggered into bed.

Museum, Palace and Lunch

(This is a very graphics heavy post. And there are literally hundreds more pictures on Flicker if you want to see them)

Today was culture day. So early in the morning we headed off to the Seoul Museum of History in a bus with very funky ceiling

 

Rather sadly it was raining heavily, but fortunately we had each been provided with an umbrella. When we got to the museum they had set up a super little machine which provides you with a little bag to put your wet umbrella in, which was very cute.

 
Students in search of culture (shurely shome mishtake?)

The museum was great, although we didn't really have time to do it justice. In Europe we like to lord it over our American cousins, because we have stuff which is hundreds, nay thousands of years older than most of the history that they've got. Well, the Koreans have got us beat hands down. On the evidence of the museum they were building rich and complex civilizations whilst us brits were living in caves and running around painted blue.   

Next stop was Gyeong Bok Gung. This is a royal palace of the Jaseon Dynasty (it says here). All I know is that it was fantastic, and I got some lovely pictures.

Mist on the mountains

The team with their new best friend

Courtyard

Perhaps my favourite picture so far

I don't know what they are, but they look nice

After the palace we moved on to Bibimbob Olympic Stadium for lunch.

Big place....

The food was prepared in an enormous wok, big enough for the chef to actually get into.

I cooking with a step ladder...

Then some of the competitors were invited to have a stir with the biggest wooden spoons I've ever seen.

Stirring stuff

While we waited for the food too cook the Egyptian team managed amazing feats of balance...

Big Wok Lunch

Now, anyone who knows me well will have encountered my massive conservatism where food is concerned. I'm just not adventurous when it comes to eating habits. Steak and chips is about as exotic as I get most of the time. Having said that, I did my best and Matt Steeples from our team managed to excel himself by just about clearing his plate. Then it was on to the boat trip.

Greetings from the Future

It is now Wednesday morning. Except that it isn't where you are reading this. Probably. Because of the time difference thingy I find that I'm in tomorrow, whereas the readers of this might blog not be. Until you  catch up of course.

Very confusing, and yet somehow appropriate for Korea. I've had time to take a few happy snaps around the place.

Korean ganja fizzy grape juice.....

...with Korean ingredients (I wonder which one is sugar?)

the longest bar in South Korea. So they say.

Future phone, and a more traditional one

What we are here for

We are going out today (or is that tomorrow) for some culture. I hope that too much doesn't rub off on me. I'll post some more pictures from the future later.

Imagine Cup Update

Korea is an amazing place. I know we are getting 90% posh hotel and 10% Korea, but it is still amazing. Tomorrow we take a break from the competition and go for a look around Seoul, so that will be a chance to try and see what the real place is like.

For me, formal involvement in the Imagine Cup 2007 is pretty much over. Today, after a very intense but hugely enjoyable set of judging rounds I've completed my duties. In all I've sat through 22 team presentations, and I've enjoyed every one. I've a whole bunch of comments for each team and I plan to go round and try to have a chat with each at the World Fair at the end of the week.

Sadly,"The Seedlings" are also out of the competition. I've not seen their final presentation but I do know how hard they have worked and how much they put into their entry. Very well done guys for getting this far. It is a perhaps a bit of a cliche to say that "Nobody leaves the competition empty handed" but, in terms of the value of the experience and the way that having taken part in will change their lives, I reckon that for the Imagine Cup it is definitely true.

"The Seedlings" - Master of Complications all

I've got a garden shed full of respect for you guys, and your mentor from Black Marble, Robert Hogg. (You must come round and get it soon - I can't reach the lawn mower).

Here Comes the Judge

First day of judging today. I've watched 9 presentations in the Software Development category of the Imagine Cup. Wonderful stuff. So many keen people with the nerve to stand up in front of an audience and make their pitch.

I think I get involved with these things as a kind of assurance. I want to be able to convince myself that the future is in capable hands. Well, on today's evidence it is. Well done people.

I was a bit nervous, since I've never judged at one of these events before. Fortunately, thanks to detailed briefing, being in pool with a bunch of great judges and the fact that I've had a bit of a practice at this kind of thing in my time at Hull it all went swimmingly.

If you want to pick up some presentation tips you can find some words of wisdom here. 

Imagine Cup 2007 Launch

I feel a bit of a fraud. I'm here at the Imagine Cup Finals in Seoul, in the poshest hotel I've ever stayed in (the room itself is worthy of a whole bunch of pictures - and it will get them) and all I have to do is watch some student presentations and write down how good I think they are.

I was lucky enough to go to the world finals last year in India, and they were incredible. The place and the people combined to give a once in a lifetime experience. And here I am again in the same position, but as a judge this time. I wonder if this means I'm getting two lifetimes?

We given a warm welcome when we arrived and that has continued right through the day. The organization has  been faultless and, like last year, everyone you meet is determined to do everything they can to make this a special occasion.

Imagine Cup 2007 Welcome Reception

Things got formally under way with a welcome reception. Joe and the rest of the team set the scene for the next few days. Wednesday looks like a particular highlight, with all kinds of cultural events planned, ending with dinner with the mayor.

Joe Wilson gets the party started...

 When a student competition is invited to eat with the mayor of a city of over 10 million you know you are in the middle of something special.

Competition proper starts tomorrow, with teams from the 100 countries taking part getting down to the serious stuff. The Seedlings will begin their progress through the Software Development Challenge with a presentation tomorrow.    

Gadget Trip

What do you do if you are in a strange city thousands of miles from home, you've had two hours sleep over the last day and you take twenty seconds to answer a hard question like "How are you?"

Well, we went gadget shopping. Having checked in, grabbed some food (in the most amazing place - pictures tomorrow) and sorted out a few bits and bobs we boarded bus "B" to the Techno-Mart. Apparently this is not the biggest one - only 10 floors of hardware -  but it is pretty darned huge. Think Harrods but with technology and you are about there. Although, unlike Harrods, there are actually lots of individual traders in there  - we saw a huge number of somewhat identical displays of hundreds of cameras.

The place to be

10 floors.

After a while we found two solid floors of computer stuff; including brand new, original copies of Windows 98. I wonder how many of them they sell a day...

These girls were outside. No idea what they were selling, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Sculpture

Seoul street

View from Bus B

Street corner

After an hour the jetlag was really getting to everyone and we staggered out onto the bus again. And I had bought nothing. I'm so proud of myself. Lots of tempting toys and and the credit card stayed firmly in the wallet.

But we are here for the next few days. And I know where it is.....

And So to Seoul

(For the next few days you are going to get some graphics heavy posts. But I hope you like the pictures people...... There are even more on Flickr.

We took off from Heathrow on time, which was nice.

Name that town, and win a prize

Leaving the White Cliffs of Dover behind...

La Belle France. Look closely to spot cars driving on the wrong side of the road....

The team make some last minute changes

Very cute airport terminal at Paris

Cactus at Seoul airport

We all wanted a go on this

Boarding the bus

The team on the poshest bus I've ever been on

Nice Bridge

Amusements

Riverside

Shiny building

Why we are here. I'm off for lunch now, more later

Team Building with Donuts

Went out with the UK Imagine Cup team this evening. Good food, good company, good stuff.

"The Seedlings": James Alexander, Matthew Steele, Matthew Steeples and their mentor Robert Hogg.

Then back to work for some finishing touches.

Donut powered programming....

Oooh. Nice sunset over Heathrow

We get up at 5:00 am tomorrow. Wish us luck....

Wonderphone

Well, I'm sitting at the Crowne Plaza in Heathrow typing on the teeny tiny keyboard on the teeny tiny machine and marveling at my little Smartphone. It is the best phone I've ever had (of course it should be, it is also the newest phone I've ever had - but I have been known to go backwards)

It can make phone calls, send sms, send mms, send email, receive active push email (like a Blackberry, but better). It has two movies and season one of Spaced on it, along with several hundred music tracks. I can browse the web, get maps, send pictures to Flickr, all kinds of stuff. In short it is pretty much everything I want in a mobile device.

As I write this it is providing a very useable Internet connection which just worked. Just worked! When I recall the grief I used to have trying to get on line with my phone I just can't believe how easy it was. Vista and Windows Mobile 6.0 really do get on well in this respect. I've had three hours of high quality music on the train on the way here too.

It is the HTC S710. And it rocks.

Very posh hotel room desk. But Internet at eight pounds an hour? I don't think so...

Travel Essentials

I'm setting off for Korea later today. So it was off to Cottingham to get a few travel essentials.

One of these items is not going to Korea....

Packing for Seoul

Today I've had to start packing for my next trip. I feel a bit like Alan Whicker with all this globe trotting. Anyhoo, tomorrow I start out for the Imagine Cup World Finals in South Korea. I always pack at the last possible minute, and this time is no exception. So it was out with Ye Olde suitcase (unfortunately it is the one that likes going off on its own) and in with the contents of various draws. Of course all the big problems were with which power supplies and mains adapters to take...

I am of course taking the big camera, and the little camera, and a piece of paper and a crayon (maybe not the last one) and so there will be pictures......