…..a group of Digital Surrey enthusiasts gathered on October 20, 2011 in a Jedi-like fashion at the Old Republic (or in this case the European Innovation Centre (EIC) in Aldershot) to embark on a fascinating journey back in time; exploring the world of Collaborative Technologies.

They will boldly go, where no man has gone before….

…..or perhaps they have?!

Earlier this week, I (along with 29 other very lucky Digital Surrey-ites) attended the October Digital Surrey event; which took place at the CSC European Innovation Centre in Aldershot, Hampshire. This was my first visit to the EIC; and my first impression was one of immense anticipation – I felt a bit like a member of the Imperial Senate on a diplomatic mission to Alderaan as I entered the venue which had a very bat-cave feel to it….

….but the best was yet to come….

Over the next few hours, we were taken on a phenomenal and a mind-blowing journey through time by Lewis Richards (@Stroker) examining collaborative technologies through time; looking at a vast array of technologies from the Sensorama, to a star-trek style holodeck to more generic touch screen technology (iPad anyone?!)

It was surprising to learn that we don’t appear to have progressed all that much in the last 200 years, it seems that we’ve just changed the way in which we use the technologies. A recurring theme was Technology Immersion which explored the many ways in which technology is being developed in such a way that it makes people feel like they are part of the action and even led to a rather unexpected detour: the concept of using gaming technology (specifically World of Warcraft) for Corporate Training.

Be sure to check out Lewis’ presentation “Virtual Worlds” as nothing I can say will do it justice. I think that Lewis (@Stroker) just became my new idol.

This is only my second Digital Surrey event and already I am hooked. To see some of the commentary from the event by attendees check out the #digitalsurrey hashtag on Twitter.

I left the presentation buzzing and with a renewed passion for all things digital.

Roll on next month’s event.

“This will be a day long remembered. It has seen the end of Kenobi, and will soon see the end of the rebellion.”

Check out this blog by a fellow Digital Surrey-ite (Mark Wilson).