Technology is a pretty freakin' big deal these days. Seems like the legions of tech geeks are ever growing, with a new techie born every time the wind blows or someone purchases a new iPhone. Friday brings the South Sound Technology Conference to the University of Washington Tacoma, a one-day event designed to bring together, "leaders from industry, education and government to discuss and demonstrate innovations and their applications," according to pre-event hype. The day-long event features a morning keynote by VP Product Development Expedia Steve Jarvis, a panel discussion on the mobile app development "explosion," and a lunch keynote by White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Howard Schmidt.

PREDICTION: A self-proclaimed "techie," the Volcano's Bobble Tiki will devote a full day to Friday's South Sound Technology Conference, only to sit in attendance and play Angry Birds on his phone.

[UWT - William W. Philip Hall, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., $20, registration required, 1551 Broadway, Tacoma, sstconference.org]