It really is shaping up to be a bumper festival and along with silicon chip design, another major theme this year is the Internet of Things (IoT) and crowdsourced data network for IoT, The Things Network. Two hot topics which have featured at the festival in previous years.

We're excited to be able to announce two new additions to the programme: a hands-on IoT Build and Deploy workshop which will be hosted at local hackerspace, Bridge Rectifier, on Sunday 3rd September. Followed on Monday 4th by the Things Happening conference at The Town Hall, a chance for the UK Things Network and LoRaWAN community to come together share ideas, discuss opportunities and challenges, and build projects.

For those not in the know, LoRaWAN is a groundbreaking wireless technology that allows you to send and receive small amounts of data over distances of up to 15km, using only tiny amounts of power and without the need for a SIM card, cellular contract or WiFi etc. It's a key enabler for delivering the IoT at scale and The Things Network builds on this, to create a free and open data network for use by everyone.

What can you do with LoRaWAN and The Things Network? Well, one great  example is to support the creation of a crowdsourced Flood Network. But this is only the beginning. And whether by accident or design — OK, it's by accident... — there is a great deal of activity in the north of England in particular, with networks being built across Calderdale, Leeds & Bradford, Manchester, Liverpool and other areas.

Finally, registration has now opened for ChipHack EDSAC Challenge, which will take place at the Town Hall between Wednesday 6th and Friday 9th. if previous ChipHack events are anything to go by, this will get booked up fast and so early booking is advisable!

For further details and to register for the above events, see What's On.