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Swagging Like it's 1999: Ajax Experience Swag Report, Part 2

In this article, I continue with my look at the dot-com-bubble-esque swag and prizes being given away by the organizers and vendors at the Ajax Experience conference. If you haven't seen part 1 in this series, it's here.

Helmi

Helmi pen

Helmi, who bill themselves as “the only open source Ajax-based RIA development platform” were giving away the fanciest pens at the conference. The Helmi pens house a green LED, which gives off an eerie glow through their transparent barrels.

Google

Also present in the exhibit hall were Google, whose booth was
essentially a recruiting booth. Instead of literature about their APIs
or developer-centric events like the Summer of Code, they had half a
dozen different pamphlets about job opportunities for Java back-end
coders, UI and rich internet application developers and
researchers.

Swag-wise, these were their offerings:

Google swag

  • Google gum: Haven't tried it yet.
  • Google pen: This one was pretty popular.
  • Google key fob: Optimizes searches for your house keys.
  • Google post-it notes: Handy for reminders, comes with subtle recruiting ad.
  • Google notepad: With lenticular cover that shows a different image depending on your viewing angle.

I asked if they were giving away the heated toilet seats for which their offices are now famous. They would've come handy in the Boston Westin Waterfront's aggressively air-conditioned conference rooms.

Apparently, if you asked really nicely, the folks at the Google booth had some of their coveted long- and short-sleeved t-shirts to give away as well.

[Cross-posted to the Tucows Blog.]