I'm off to Belfast this week to give a keynote at the newly opened Titanic Suite at the Titanic building in Belfast. This is going to be a first for a couple of reasons: the building only recently opened, so this will be the first Java (and JBoss) presentation there, and the organisers have arranged a Google+ hangout with the speakers after the event. We're also going to spend some time visiting the Northern Island Science Park, meeting some of the companies there and seeing what's happening in the area. I'm looking forward to that very much because I think it's a great opportunity for me to learn about some areas of our industry that I might not see otherwise. And of course I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little excited about the venue: I've been interested in the story of the Titanic since I was a child and watched the original A Night To Remember (I'm a long time fan of Kenneth More and those "classic movies" where fairly modern when I first saw them!) Growing up I've read a lot about the Titanic, seen various films and programs, and of course built the model (several times.) So it'll be great to see what they have in the Titanic building and I'm fairly sure I'll have the opportunity to take a few photographs of the event. So if you're in the area, come along and hear the presentations, ask some questions, have good food and drink, and soak up the atmosphere.