I am planning to attend my first developer conference (Microsoft TechDays 2008 in Toronto). I have been looking around for suggestions so that I can prepare and make the most out of my first developer conference. Many articles make suggestions about asking questions, getting involved, being social. These are great! I am also wondering about physical items. I have seen many conference photos with most of the audience having their laptops. Are they just taking notes? Are they working on a problem during the session? Are these photos just during a break and everyone is catching up on blogs/email/outside contact? Thank you StackOverflow-ers (StackOverflow-ites?)