I just added a nice command to my .vimrc file to allow me to run the current file I am working on by typing :R:

command R !./%

On the VIM note, here is a link to my current vim config (.vimrc file and .vim directory) on github: Vim config.

Barcamp Milwaukee 2012 is being held October 6th-7th. I had a good time last year, so I can definitely recommend it :)