If you're in New York, out of work and looking - or freelancing, looking for new ideas, new contacts and maybe the opportunity to get away from your desk for a while - check out LaidOffCamp NY, happening this Friday evening and Saturday. It's free, but you have to register. (Full disclosure: Dice is a sponsor.) You can find details of where and when here, and notes on what to expect here. (LaidOffCamp is based on San Francisco's BarCamp, so don't be confused if you jump around a bit between Web sites.) The New York Post's feature, which provides a good overview, is here.

Says the event's Wiki:

Panels, workshops, demonstrations, and discussions topics include: The art of interviewing, legal and accounting needs of new businesses, alternative working spaces, budgeting for the downturn, building your personal brand, affordable health insurance, implications of accepting a shorter work week, unemployment insurance, and becoming a freelancer.

-- Mark Feffer