Extreme Blue: now the real work starts

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So here we are, after weeks of wild brainstorming and discussion to select and shape the final idea we are going to work on as teams. The moment has come to put the hands on the keyboard and lay the foundations of the project we will deliver by the end of the summer.

From a technical point of view, this means software selection and server setup. The latter task was eased by the support of the IBM SmartCloud team, providing us with state-of-the-art server solutions (yet giving some hard time to the non-linuxers). While the software selection part turned out challenging for two main reasons: first of all, it was difficult to vocalize and layout exactly what we needed to prototype. Secondly, IBM is the second biggest software company in the world, meaning that the amount of software on the menu is just… enormous.

Meanwhile, on the business end of things, the business and the business/tech students have started working on their case. On Friday morning, Roeland Nagel came by to provide a useful framework to guide them towards a strong business case. Just before his presentation started, each of the extreme blue students were brought into a room separately for a surprise, where their media skills were put to a test!

Three representatives of Ketchum Pleon were waiting with a camera; and did not hesitate to start firing questions and assertively holding up the microphone. After each of us had been kindly interrogated, we anxiously awaited the calendar entry for the afternoon: Media Training.

In a three hour session on elevator pitching led by Ronald Velten, we were given advice on how to present yourself, your work, and your company in 30 seconds. This would be both helpful in media and getting more people interested in our project. To make it stick, they showed us what not to do with the aid of the footage that was shot in that morning’s surprise interview. After this confronting yet constructive session, we kicked off the weekend with a sunny friday afternoon drink, relaxing before the next week came and we had to practice out elevator pitches on IBMers around the office.

On Monday we got back to an office and proceeded to the IBM teleconference room. It is something quite surprising if you are used to Skype with your friends. First of all, because it actually works, then because of its shape: two rows of desks arranged in a semicircle facing the wall, where three big screens complete the circle with the mirroring structure with whomever you were conferencing with. We had the chance to have a discussion with the Belgium Extreme Blue team. We chatted with the students, telling each other about projects, and actually saw their faces (after someone wisely suggested them to turn on the lights in their room, which happened somewhere in the middle of the conference).

The rest of the week is for techs to start prototyping and business working out the business plan: wish us good luck!

Written by Dario Chiappetta and Tim Steinkuhler