Did you know that there's a whole conference devoted to Human Resources technology? I didn't, but I do now!The 10th Anniversary of the HR Technology Conference is in Chicago this week, and apparently it's a big deal.

It's got everything from PeopleSoft founder Dave Duffield challenging Oracle to a software duel to sessions on business intelligence in HR, "hybrid outsourcing," "talent management suites," "learning and performance systems," and more HR tech trends. I didn't know there were trends in HR tech. And I wonder if this kind of expensive technology gives big companies a hiring edge over small and midsize firms.

I really don't know. In fact, the only way I even heard about the whole to-do is because SilkRoad Technologies graciously sent me an invite to a conference party they're hosting at the infamous Billy Goat Tavern. As a native Chicagoan, I wondered why they were messing with the curse of the billy goat even as the Cubs were getting denied a World Series ring for the 99th straight year?

But then I realized that there are now multiple Billy Goat taverns to serve the Cubs nation where-ever they may roam. And then I remembered that I'm a White Sox fan so it doesn't matter anyway!