Once again, I'll be chairing the XML track for Software Development 
2005 West in Santa Clara next March. The Call for Proposals for is 
now live.

http://www.cmpevents.com/SDw5/a.asp?option=N

Besides XML, tracks include Web Services, Java, Emerging 
Technologies, C++, Requirements & Analysis, .NET, and Mobile 
Development. Plus we have two new tracks this year: System Security 
and Scripting. Most sessions are 90 minute classes, but we also have 
room for half and full-day tutorials (I prefer half-day tutorials in 
the XML track), Birds-of-a-feather sessions, and panels. Submissions 
are due by August 6th.

For the XML track, we're interested in practical sessions covering 
all aspects of XML. This is not specifically an XML show, so we tend 
to find that our audience responds better to more practical, how-to, 
basic sessions as opposed to more theoretical, high-level sessions. 
For instance, a simple introduction to XQuery would go over better 
than a detailed comparison of XQuery optimization techniques. One 
thing previous attendees have told us is that they'd like to see more 
new sessions at each show, so we're going to be looking 
preferentially for talks that have not previously been given at SD 
West.
-- 

   Elliotte Rusty Harold
   elharo@m...
   Effective XML (Addison-Wesley, 2003)
   http://www.cafeconleche.org/books/effectivexml            
   http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN%3D0321150406/ref%3Dnosim/cafeaulaitA