Tasha Ball – @tashadoestulsa – “I’m the blogger behind TashaDoesTulsa.com, the online insider’s guide to Tulsa. The site is a source of information on local events, restaurants, shopping and local attractions that can’t be found anywhere else. I like dinosaurs, birthday cake and how the Golden Driller looks in the moonlight.”

19 Ways to Get to Know Your Town

“I’m new in town. How can I get a feel for what there is to do in Tulsa?” As a local blogger, it’s a question I get all the time. But rather than list all of Tulsa’s attractions, which is about as easy for the reader/listener as trying to remember everyone’s name at a party or networking event, I’d rather help someone new to our city discover our hidden jewels for him or herself. That’s what I want to talk about at Ignite 3 – the several proven ways to get to know Tulsa in a way no generic travel brochure can deliver – an organic experience of this great city.

Jonathan Bartlett – @jb_61820 – “I am the Technology Director at New Medio, a custom web application and web design company in Tulsa. While dealing with a son’s genetic illness, I took it upon myself to become acquainted with the latest information in biology and genetics, and the new picture astonished me, both because of its amazing intricacy and because of how much it differed from the picture presented in undergraduate science classes.”

Are Genetic Mutations Accidental or Prescribed?

Most biology textbooks are 20-30 years out-of-date when it comes to the subject of genetic mutations. As scientists probe deeper into the workings of the cell, more and more mutations are being seen as part of a system of prescribed mutations rather than arbitrary accidents. This talk presents the new picture of the cell that is emerging, one in which the cell controls its own evolution.

Jory Burson – @jorydotcom – “I’m 26, and I recently completed my master’s in Mass Communication. I teach Electronic Communication at Oklahoma State University. My true passion, though, is video production. I did the talk videos for IgniteOKC 1 & 2, and I do freelance production work for companies such as Eskimo Joe’s. When I grow up, I want to produce or direct documentaries!”

No One Wants to Watch Your Home Movie.

The slide projector has been permanently replaced by the Flip Cam. At this point, we have all been subjected to bad vacation footage, Junior’s soccer game, and Christmas and Aunt Beverly’s. Please, let me give Tulsa some tips on how to make sharing family memories with friends and loved ones a little less painful for all parties involved. I will talk about shooting video the right way, simple editing tips, and best practices for sharing & storing those memories.

Matt Galloway – @mattgalloway – Matt Galloway is the founder and Chief Technologist for Architactile LLC, a Tulsa based startup that makes iPad software for architects. While he loves food there are three things he simply will not eat: liver, oatmeal in the porridge format, and raisins.

Dispelling the Myth: There is Such a Thing As a Bad Idea.

I think brainstorming is great, essential even, for business success, but too often when people talk about brainstorming someone inevitably utters the phrase “Remember, there is no such thing as a bad idea.” While well intentioned, nothing could be further from the truth. The notion that bad ideas don’t exist is, in fact, itself an example of a bad idea. In fact this single bad idea has lead to an avalanche of broken thinking in business seminars management theories, and from crowd sourcing advocates. We need to take a stand against this modern plight of business and just say YES… there is such a thing as a bad idea.

Kate Huggins – @katespencer1 – “I’m Kate, Tulsa native and media drone. I’ve been working at FOX23 almost 7 years, graduated from the University of Tulsa and love my city. I have two dogs I spoil rotten, a penchant for saying F*** a lot and a super sarcastic streak.”

Kicking Ass in High Heels

I can teach women how to kick ass and look great doing so. Basically everything they need to know (or can learn in 5 minutes) about self defense, and not being a victim. Educational and fun… cause kicking ass can be highly enjoyable.

John Jackson – @johnjac – “I’m a Network Engineer who probably speeds too much time on twitter and Google reader.”

I Pencil

A condensed version of Leonard Read’s essay “I Pencil”. It speaks to the fact that no one, not the Pencil CEO nor the Pencil factory worker know what it takes to make a something as simple pencil yet we have them because of way the marketplace works.

George Louthan – @duplico – “I’m a Master’s student at the University of Tulsa’s Institute for Information Security; my research interests center on finding ways to build software and systems that are secure by design, which gives an interesting window into the sorts of systems that are not — and the kinds of frightfully dire consequences that can come from misusing computers.”

How Your Computer Can Ruin Your Life and Literally Kill You Dead

In the last decade or so, we’ve seen computers become ubiquitous not only in our personal lives, but also in the systems that control our critical infrastructure, medical devices, military operations, and bank accounts — and many of these are a lot more fragile than we’d like to believe. From power outages to exploding laptops to predator drones, I’ll present a survey of some of the many roles that computers can — and have — played in destroying or ending the lives of human beings.

Jessica Miller-Merrell – @blogging4jobs – Jessica Miller-Merrell, SPHR known as @blogging4jobs is an author, speaker, mother, and human resources professional with a passion for recruiting, training, and all things social media. Jessica is a leader in the HR social media community and has over 10 years of experience in human resources and recruiting.

5 Reasons Why It Doesn’t Pay to Be Funny In HR

Working in Human Resources is not as glamorous as it sounds. Jessica who has ten years of corporate HR experience under her belt will share with you 5 of the funniest HR stories with you first hand from poop smearing, to B.O. to the best resignation letter. This is not a talk you will want to miss. If fact, you might be rethinking your career strategy altogether.

Josh Mize – @jgmize – “I’m a software engineer excited about the potential combination of open source electric vehicles and alternative energy.”

My Dream Car

My dream car is 100% electric, powered by renewable, sustainable energy. Its design and development is open source and community driven, and it is built locally in a microfactory. Its battery is automatically replaceable in minutes, giving it effectively infinite range. And its purchase price is subsidized so that you basically get the car plus the charged batteries for the price you pay in gas to drive the same mileage today.

Channon Monroe – @channybobanny – “I am a surgical R.N. that has been in the area of robots since 2006. I have been part of the initial teams that helped pioneer robotic surgery. We have since shared our trials and errors with new robotic teams trying to impart the our knowledge to ensure patient safety and good outcomes.”

Robots IN YOU. How Technology is Changing the Way You Have Surgery.

Robotic surgery is a relatively recent option. In the last five years, Tulsa has gone from having 1, to 4 robots in area operating rooms. The specialties which utilize the robot have also increased. As technology increases, we are going to see less and less invasive procedures being preformed over more traditional “open” ones. I will show you what the robots actually look like, how they’re utilized by area surgeons, what their potential benefits are, and what questions to ask when considering robotic surgery.

William Paiva – @williamdpaiva – Dr. William Paiva, Partner at Sevin Rosen Funds, joined Sevin Rosen in 2006 and is based out of the Dallas office. In addition he manages the Oklahoma Life Sciences Fund which invests in early stage healthcare opportunities resident in the State of Oklahoma. He currently serves on the boards of several private healthcare companies and aides Sevin Rosen in identifying early-stage venture opportunities at the intersection of traditional technology sectors and healthcare.

Top Ten Entrepreneur Lies

After 10 years of being in the venture capital industry and hearing thousands of entrepreneurs pitch their ideas, I am going to give you the top ten most frequent lies told investors.

Michael Patton – “I work for an environmental firm that promotes composting, recycling, etc. I love to make new dirt. People think I care about the whole earth, but in reality I only care about topsoil (it’s because I am shallow).”

Confessions of a Dirt Farmer

This talk is designed to convince everybody to start composting their leaves, grass, and food scraps. I hope to motivate, educate and through crazy talk, fascinate others to care about this as much as I do.

Ed Sharrer – @edsharrer – “I’m currently a city planner and recovering web designer. I’m curious about the world around me… specifically finding the humor in serious situations.”

It’s Complicated Living Simply

Even the simplest decisions are paralyzing these days. With every purchase, action, and statement are you doing all you should? Are the products you buy fair trade? What’s the packaging? Too much packaging? Any packaging? Is it food? Was it locally grown? Organic? Direct from the farmer? But wait, is it healthy for you? Does it have antioxidants? Is it carb-free? Have good cholesterol? Bad cholesterol? Is meat? Is it free range? Hormone-free?

Karl Siewert – @yoyology – “I’m a librarian, father, knitter, and former professional yo-yo player. I’m passionate about advocating for libraries and spreading the word about what they have to offer.”

Fix Your Car with the POWER of Your MIND!

Libraries aren’t just about books and entertainment. Car repair is just one example of the wealth of practical information you can get there.

Larry Straining – @larrystraining – Larry Straining, CPLP, is the founder of Larry’s Training, LLC, and a certified innovation trainer and facilitator. Larry is also an adjunct professor at Tulsa Community College and Brown Mackie College.

All I Ever Need to Know About Leadership I Learned from WoW (World of Warcraft)

Immersion learning is learning while controlling an avatar in a 3D environment. Many companies today are using immersion learning technologies such as SecondLife, VirtualU and BlueMars in order to train their workforce. World of Warcraft (WoW), a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) is generally thought of only as a game. But what happens when a group of trainers from across the country get together and form a guild for the purpose of developing leadership training within the existing 3D environment? In this presentation we will look at some of the events and learning activities that have taken place in WoW over the past nine months.

Mana Tahaie – @manatahaie - “I was the first person in my Big Fat Persian Family born in the US (in Oklahoma no less), and now I serve as the Director of Racial Justice at the YWCA Tulsa. Our mission is to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. I’m also a social media evangelist and a TED-junkie.”

“They’re Stealing All Our Jobs!” and Other Myths About Immigration

That immigration is way more complex and way more simple than most people think — and most people aren’t hearing the truth.

Vicki Thorne – @vickimaeisOK – “I am an Okie native, although I tried really hard to get out of Oklahoma for graduate school. But it turns out that ‘being stuck’ in Oklahoma has been the best development in my life, as I met my husband and have found my personal life mission here. I do development and PR for a local nonprofit, and I love doing work that matters. I am passionate about living the small adventure, because it helps me focus on what I have been blessed with, rather than what I don’t have.”

The Importance of Small Adventures

Small adventures are the key to living a content life. We can’t always go on BIG adventures when we want to (new house, new car, around the world cruise) but we CAN live in the small adventure- riding a scooter in the spring, eating cold ice cream on a hot summer evening, luxuriating in a Sunday afternoon nap- and be thankful for the everyday adventure. In a culture where we are shouted at every day that if we don’t have the latest and greatest, we are MISSING OUT. Choosing to focus on the small, unique and everyday is a radical act.

Brad Vernon – @iBspoof – “Since the first Ignite Tulsa event, at which I spoke about something geeky, I have gone from a programmer who spends his days wasting away at my desk to being a beginning triathlete, runner and bicycler, lost over 70lbs and reversed my diabetes issues in the process.”

We Can All Be Athletes

My talk will focus on how anyone including me an out of shape programmer who would rather spend time drinking beer can go from not being able to run down the block to finishing a 1/2 marathon, triathlon sprint and a duathlon in less than 6 months.

We’re excited to see Ignite really take off here in the state and we’re even more excited to set an example of how Oklahoma City and Tulsa can work together for the good of the state.  Too often these two cities choose to compete instead of cooperate and we’ve committed to working together hand in hand to coordinate and cross-promote Ignite events in Oklahoma.

Congratulations to the whole IgniteOKC crew for an excellent Ignite event!