I hate conferences — boring masquerades whose true mission isn't collegial thinking, but business development and self-promotion. The exception is PopTech, a tiny get-together held in bucolic seaside Camden, Maine, each October at the height of the colorful autumn foliage season. Organizers Bob Metcalfe and John Sculley deliberately chose the location as the furthest possible spot from Silicon Valley's inbred excess. It's like a TED for New England-y wonks. Instead of PowerPoint or product demos, people who actually do stuff get up and present their ideas, often engaging in unscripted "gotcha" debates. This year the whole thing will be webcast live starting today at 9 a.m. Maine time. Valley snobs, wake up: Schoolkids in Maine now get free iBooks in seventh grade, thanks to former PopTech star Angus King. At this hour, they're already eating your lunch.