Good grief — I'm all of a tiz-woz — I'm in a complete state of tohubohu — I don’t know whether I'm coming or going — the Embedded Systems Conference (ESC) is everywhere I look.

I've only just recovered from ESC Boston, which took place in April. Now my main focus is the forthcoming ESC Minneapolis, which will take place September 21-22. Having said this, however, I'm also deep in the throes of preparing for ESC Silicon Valley, which will occur December 6-8.

I'm too young for all of this excitement. Speaking of which, we're closing in on your last chance to submit a speaking proposal for ESC Silicon Valley. The portal is set to close this coming Friday, June 24, but this isn’t as bad as it seems because all you have to do is submit a 100 to 200-word abstract, which hardly takes any time at all.

Also, don’t forget that, if your proposal is accepted, then as a speaker you get a full conference pass that will gain you access to any of the other technical sessions.

In addition to the ESC Engineering Theater, this year's event will boast three main tracks:

• Embedded Hardware Design and Verification
• Embedded Software Design and Verification
• Connected Devices and the Internet of Things

Sessions range from 45-minute technical presentations to two-hour and half-day tutorials, so you can choose which format best suits your topic. The main thing to note is that the sands of time are rapidly slipping through the hour glass and the last few Pooh Sticks are about to pass under the bridge, so now is not the time to dilly-dally or shilly-shally; instead, it's the time to bounce over to the ESC website and submit your proposal. I and the other members of the ESC Technical Program Committee are eagerly awaiting your submission(s), and we very much look forward to seeing everyone there in December.