Image : (CC) Randy Stewart, blog.stewtopia.com.

If you are an internet lover, you probably know about O’Reilly Media, and their deep connections to the social web.  Today we bring you one of our favorite events, which was birthed there, and a wonderful example of why we attend whenever we can.  According to Ignite, it is:

…a geek event in over 100 cities worldwide. At the events Ignite presenters share their personal and professional passions, using 20 slides that auto-advance every 15 seconds for a total of just five minutes. Ignite was started by Brady Forrest, Technology Evangelist for O’Reilly Media, and Bre Pettis of Makerbot.com, formerly of MAKE Magazine.

Speakers are given 20 slides, each shown for 15 seconds, giving each speaker 5 minutes of fame. Ignite was partially inspired by Pecha Kucha Nights. The first Ignite took place in Seattle in 2006, and since then the event has become an international phenomenon, with gatherings in Helsinki, Finland; Paris, France; New York, New York; and many other locations.

You can host an event by going here, but here is one of our favorite presentations by Karen Cheng on How to Solve a Song with Math.  See more episodes here.