Paul Fenwick, Perl Training Australia: "An Illustrated History of Failure"The average individual is given little scope for failure, at least not the type that really matters. The opportunity for catastrophic failure, that influences nations or continents, has been traditionally reserved for royalty, parliament, and others in a position of great leadership.However in recent times we have developed a profession who have the opportunity to fail like never before. A profession that can make mistakes that are so monumental, so wide-reaching, and so costly they can shake civilization to its very core. This elite group, rarely seen by every day society, are the foundation upon which modern society depends. The few, the proud, the Software Developers.Join us for a voyage of discovery, as we travel back through history to some of the most monumental failures the world has ever seen. From the O'Reilly Open Source Convention, Portland, OR, July 25, 2008. Less