Intel Compute Stick: : The Incredible Shrinking Computer

Those computers hooked up to TVs at your conference? It looks like they’re about to become a lot smaller—almost invisible even.

And you can thank Intel for that. On Tuesday, in Las Vegas, the giant chipmaker announced at the International Consumer Electronics Show that sometime in 2015 it would start selling the Intel Compute Stick  (opens in a new tab), an HDMI dongle that turns any HDTV into a fully functional Windows 8.1 or Linux computer.

Devices like this already exist, admittedly—Google’s Chromecast  (opens in a new tab) and the Roku Streaming Stick  (opens in a new tab), for example—but unlike other such products, Intel’s Compute Stick is meant to be a computer first, rather than just a fancy media player that hooks up to Netflix (though it can do that, too). It has a quad-core Atom processor and storage of its own—not much, mind you, but more than enough to run a presentation or create a kiosk for attendees.

The device is fairly cheap  (opens in a new tab), too—just $149 for the Windows 8.1 version and $89 for the Linux version—making it a nice little tool to have around at your next conference.

Leverage Your Personal Brand

https://twitter.com/MemberClicks/status/552857947043528705

Having a “personal brand” doesn’t mean you’re gunning for a new gig.

In fact, there’s a lot of value in becoming an industry expert—for one, it can help your association’s bottom line, says content strategist Christina Green.

“If you leverage your personal brand to become a thought leader in your industry, people will naturally look to you for solutions, content, and help,” Green writes on the MemberClicks blog  (opens in a new tab). “This cultivates more awareness of your association, which, in turn, means a higher number of people interested in membership. People want to surround themselves with subject matter experts and knowledgeable industry representatives. Your personal brand helps them recognize you as one.”

To underline the point, she adds: “Creating and growing a personal brand is less about job hunting and more about leadership.” Do you have a tribe of your own? (ht @MemberClicks  (opens in a new tab))

Other Links of Note

Good cop, bad cop: It’s a strategy so well known that it’s almost cliché, but it totally works. io9‘s Esther Inglis-Arkell explains why  (opens in a new tab).

If you want to become better at programming learning labs, it may be high time to unlearn what you already know about conference education, Velvet Chainsaw Consulting’s Jeff Hurt says  (opens in a new tab).

Looking to initiate a Kickstarter campaign for your association? Good news on that front: A new payment setup with Stripe has streamlined the process  (opens in a new tab).

(Intel)