FOSCON III?

[Don Park]

Is there any interest in having a third FOSCON?

Yes.

I'll be out of town then otherwise I would go.

That said -- I don't think FreeGeek is the best place for the type of
event we had for FOSCON II. If we plan to do mostly "serious"
presentations, someplace a little more comfortable for seating a lot
of people would be better. However, I really preferred the "party"

There are warehouses in inner SE that are good for large
meeting/party spaces. The city repair project used the disjecta.org
space for a large conference last year. The 2007 recent changes camp
used audiocinema.org which worked out well. Im not sure what they cost
and I wouldn't be the best person to investigate but I wanted to throw
that out there.

Don

[John Labovitz]

Is there any interest in having a third FOSCON?

Our event last year was successful, but I think most of us planners
considered it *too* successful for a site like FreeGeek, and
organized the way it was. We'd talked about moving it closer to the
convention center, perhaps even partnering in some way with O'Reilly
and holding FOSCON onsite. We'd also talked about changing the
format entirely, maybe making it a little more entertainment-oriented
and less of a sit-down event.

So, if we want to do FOSCON again, it'll take some planning. We have
just over three months before the conference (July 23-27). Anyone?
Anyone?

--John

[John Wilger]

Is there any interest in having a third FOSCON?

Yes.

Our event last year was successful, but I think most of us planners
considered it *too* successful for a site like FreeGeek, and
organized the way it was. We'd talked about moving it closer to the
convention center, perhaps even partnering in some way with O'Reilly
and holding FOSCON onsite. We'd also talked about changing the
format entirely, maybe making it a little more entertainment-oriented
and less of a sit-down event.

FreeGeek is, in my opinion, a big part of the draw. Out-of-towners --
especially first-timers -- spend most of their time "closer to the
convention center" -- having the event out at FreeGeek gives them an
opportunity to see just that much more of our city. As I've said
before, my first trip to PDX was for OSCON and I went to the first
FOSCON -- both the event and the venue played a pretty big role in
influencing me to move here from OH.

That said -- I don't think FreeGeek is the best place for the type of
event we had for FOSCON II. If we plan to do mostly "serious"
presentations, someplace a little more comfortable for seating a lot
of people would be better. However, I really preferred the "party"
atmosphere of the first FOSCON. Keep the presentations light-hearted
and provide some entertainment -- after all, this is Ruby not J2EE!
:-D

So, if we want to do FOSCON again, it'll take some planning. We have
just over three months before the conference (July 23-27). Anyone?
Anyone?

I'm more than happy to help out in whatever capacity I can.

[Caleb Phillips]

Post by John Labovitz
So, if we want to do FOSCON again, it'll take some planning. We have
just over three months before the conference (July 23-27). Anyone?
Anyone?

I'm going to be on a backpacking trip in the middle of the Wallowas at
that time, otherwise I'd be on-board again. I'm happy to post some
flyers when the time comes (I think the flyers were pretty successful
last year). Regarding the venue - I know free-geek is cramped, but I
really think it kind-of "makes" the event. Free-geek has something that
a stale convention center room will never have. Maybe there is another
venue that is bigger (but not too big) and has that same energy, but
nothing immediately comes to mind.

[Peat Bakke]

I'm all for it, and I'd like to help plan the event. :) I think
going with light hearted presentations, or sneak previews, would be
really great.

It's probably better to get started sooner than later. I'm definitely
interested in learning what the expenses and turn out were for the
last two FOSCONs.

-Peat

Is there any interest in having a third FOSCON?
Our event last year was successful, but I think most of us planners
considered it *too* successful for a site like FreeGeek, and
organized the way it was. We'd talked about moving it closer to the
convention center, perhaps even partnering in some way with O'Reilly
and holding FOSCON onsite. We'd also talked about changing the
format entirely, maybe making it a little more entertainment-oriented
and less of a sit-down event.
So, if we want to do FOSCON again, it'll take some planning. We have
just over three months before the conference (July 23-27). Anyone?
Anyone?
--John
_______________________________________________
PDXRuby mailing list
IRC: #pdx.rb on irc.freenode.net
http://lists.pdxruby.org/mailman/listinfo/pdxruby

[Raymond Brigleb]

I like the idea.

http://www.disjecta.org/main.php

They have a rad entrance right on the east side of the burnside
bridge. It would be o so cool a space. I wrote today to see if they'd
be interested in working with us. I have other space ideas too, but I
think having a place folks could walk to would be the very best.
Also, somewhere people could drink, relax, and socialize, and maybe
have cool events like _why's one.

Anyway, I think FreeGeek is appealing too, this is just a suggestion.

Kindest regards,
Raymond

Is there any interest in having a third FOSCON?
Our event last year was successful, but I think most of us planners
considered it *too* successful for a site like FreeGeek, and
organized the way it was. We'd talked about moving it closer to the
convention center, perhaps even partnering in some way with O'Reilly
and holding FOSCON onsite. We'd also talked about changing the
format entirely, maybe making it a little more entertainment-oriented
and less of a sit-down event.
So, if we want to do FOSCON again, it'll take some planning. We have
just over three months before the conference (July 23-27). Anyone?
Anyone?
--John
_______________________________________________
PDXRuby mailing list
IRC: #pdx.rb on irc.freenode.net
http://lists.pdxruby.org/mailman/listinfo/pdxruby

--

Raymond Brigleb
Needmore Designs, LLC
http://needmoredesigns.com/

[Ben Bleything]

Is there any interest in having a third FOSCON?

Yeah!!

Our event last year was successful, but I think most of us planners
considered it *too* successful for a site like FreeGeek, and
organized the way it was. We'd talked about moving it closer to the
convention center, perhaps even partnering in some way with O'Reilly
and holding FOSCON onsite. We'd also talked about changing the
format entirely, maybe making it a little more entertainment-oriented
and less of a sit-down event.

I'm all for this last suggestion. Like John said, I much preferred the
feel of FOSCON I. Maybe we could get people together at Free Geek to do
some sort of fun thing (_why concert-style) and then split off? Who
knows.

So, if we want to do FOSCON again, it'll take some planning. We have
just over three months before the conference (July 23-27). Anyone?
Anyone?

Yeah, I'm in :)

Ben

[Phil Tomson]

The location of Disjecta is nice - it's an easy walk from the
convention center. Do they have WiFi? There seems to be more room
there than at FreeGeek. It also retains FreeGeek's "rustic" feel.

You gotta get a different MC this year, though.

Phil

Post by Ben Bleything

Is there any interest in having a third FOSCON?

Yeah!!

Our event last year was successful, but I think most of us planners
considered it *too* successful for a site like FreeGeek, and
organized the way it was. We'd talked about moving it closer to the
convention center, perhaps even partnering in some way with O'Reilly
and holding FOSCON onsite. We'd also talked about changing the
format entirely, maybe making it a little more entertainment-oriented
and less of a sit-down event.

I'm all for this last suggestion. Like John said, I much preferred the
feel of FOSCON I. Maybe we could get people together at Free Geek to do
some sort of fun thing (_why concert-style) and then split off? Who
knows.

So, if we want to do FOSCON again, it'll take some planning. We have
just over three months before the conference (July 23-27). Anyone?
Anyone?

Yeah, I'm in :)
Ben
_______________________________________________
PDXRuby mailing list
IRC: #pdx.rb on irc.freenode.net
http://lists.pdxruby.org/mailman/listinfo/pdxruby

[Caleb Phillips]

Post by Phil Tomson
The location of Disjecta is nice - it's an easy walk from the
convention center. Do they have WiFi?

Disjecta /does/ have WiFi. We (Personal Telco) had to do a bit of a
guerrilla node there for City Repair, but since then, I've heard they
have had a professional installation. AudioCinema on the other hand,
does /not/ have WiFi and it was a huge pain getting WiFi setup for the
Recent Changes Camp. Although AudioCinema is a cool space, I'd advise
against it for techie events for this reason...

[Thomas Lockney]

Is there any interest in having a third FOSCON?

Although I've got a lot on my plate, there's no way I would pass up another
FOSCON opportunity!

So, regarding possible locations, I think looking into alternatives to
FreeGeek would be a good thing. I talked to many people from OSCON who left
as soon as they saw how crowded it was. I also heard a few reports of people
getting confused about the location and not being sure if they were in the
right place.

[Thomas Lockney]

I'd second the suggestion of Disjecta -- the simple fact that they
have a stage (and can serve alcohol, if the event is 21+) puts more of
an "entertainment" spin on the whole event. Plus, it's an easy walk
from the convention center, without the antiseptic ambiance.

Sounds like an ideal spot, I'd say. Who has contacts there?

Does anyone know of a good Portland nerdcore act? It might be pretty

cool to have an honest-to-goodness musical number or two...or maybe
Thomas and his Dorkbot cohort want to contribute some
robot-art/combat/construction-as-performance goodness to the mix?

Nerdcore would be cool. I'd also be happy to talk to the Dorkbot crowd and
see if anyone wants to participate somehow. There's at least a few of us in
the Ruby scene, so maybe we can spin it in a Ruby-esque direction.

(Not that I'm suggesting we totally de-emphasize the Ruby-centric

part, but I wholeheartedly support the idea of making it into a
*party*.)

Yes, making it more of a chance for some social interaction would be a good
thing.

[Rich Breton]

Man I wish daily that I lived in portland :)
If you put nerdcore together,, I'm there :)

Post by Thomas Lockney

I'd second the suggestion of Disjecta -- the simple fact that they
have a stage (and can serve alcohol, if the event is 21+) puts more of
an "entertainment" spin on the whole event. Plus, it's an easy walk
from the convention center, without the antiseptic ambiance.

Sounds like an ideal spot, I'd say. Who has contacts there?
Does anyone know of a good Portland nerdcore act? It might be pretty

cool to have an honest-to-goodness musical number or two...or maybe
Thomas and his Dorkbot cohort want to contribute some
robot-art/combat/construction-as-performance goodness to the mix?

Nerdcore would be cool. I'd also be happy to talk to the Dorkbot crowd and
see if anyone wants to participate somehow. There's at least a few of us in
the Ruby scene, so maybe we can spin it in a Ruby-esque direction.
(Not that I'm suggesting we totally de-emphasize the Ruby-centric

part, but I wholeheartedly support the idea of making it into a
*party*.)

Yes, making it more of a chance for some social interaction would be a
good thing.
--
_______________________________________________
PDXRuby mailing list
IRC: #pdx.rb on irc.freenode.net
http://lists.pdxruby.org/mailman/listinfo/pdxruby

--
--
Cheers,

Rich Breton
Community Architect | MenloPrk LLC.
404 S 8th st #310-7
Boise Id 83702
cell: 208.989.8164
mail: ***@menloprk.com
skype: rich.breton
tags: del.icio.us/digitalrealist
site: www.menloprk.com
blog: www.digitalrealist.com

"Blessed Are The Geeks,
For They Shall Internet The Earth"

[Scott Willson]

Post by Rich Breton
Man I wish daily that I lived in portland :)
If you put nerdcore together,, I'm there :)

Don't be so sure -- it rains here ALL the time. Today is especially
rotten.

[Thomas Lockney]

Post by Scott Willson

Post by Rich Breton
Man I wish daily that I lived in portland :)
If you put nerdcore together,, I'm there :)

Don't be so sure -- it rains here ALL the time. Today is especially
rotten.

Oh god, the weather is just TERRIBLE today!

[Tim Dysinger]

Post by Scott Willson

Post by Rich Breton
Man I wish daily that I lived in portland :)
If you put nerdcore together,, I'm there :)

Don't be so sure -- it rains here ALL the time. Today is especially
rotten.

I moved to Hawaii from PDX. It'll probably rain and be 49 the entire
week when I come back for RailsConf. Brrrr!

[Phil Tomson]

Post by Scott Willson

Post by Rich Breton
Man I wish daily that I lived in portland :)
If you put nerdcore together,, I'm there :)

We could try to get Why to do a repeat performance?

Post by Scott Willson
Don't be so sure -- it rains here ALL the time. Today is especially
rotten.

Downright Dreary. (especially if you've got alergies)


Phil

[Bryan Donovan]

I've never been to Disjecta, but I'll throw another place into the
ring.. Lucky Lab in Northwest (19th and Quimby). It's got a private
room with a projection screen (not sure if you have to bring your own
projector or not). Plus they have the best beer in Portland :)

http://www.luckylab.com/html/parties.html#beerhall

$150 (includes private bartender)
$50 extra for outside food catering

Capacity: 75 people with seating for 60
Availability: Any time during our regular hours of operation
Minors: Minors are welcome until 9 p.m.

The private room is much bigger than the one in SE.

-Bryan

Post by Thomas Lockney

I'd second the suggestion of Disjecta -- the simple fact that they
have a stage (and can serve alcohol, if the event is 21+) puts more of
an "entertainment" spin on the whole event. Plus, it's an easy walk
from the convention center, without the antiseptic ambiance.

Sounds like an ideal spot, I'd say. Who has contacts there?

Does anyone know of a good Portland nerdcore act? It might be pretty
cool to have an honest-to-goodness musical number or two...or maybe
Thomas and his Dorkbot cohort want to contribute some
robot-art/combat/construction-as-performance goodness to

the mix?
Nerdcore would be cool. I'd also be happy to talk to the Dorkbot crowd and
see if anyone wants to participate somehow. There's at least a few of us in
the Ruby scene, so maybe we can spin it in a Ruby-esque direction.

(Not that I'm suggesting we totally de-emphasize the Ruby-centric
part, but I wholeheartedly support the idea of making it into a
*party*.)

Yes, making it more of a chance for some social interaction would be a good
thing.
--
_______________________________________________
PDXRuby mailing list
IRC: #pdx.rb on irc.freenode.net
http://lists.pdxruby.org/mailman/listinfo/pdxruby

[Thomas Lockney]

Post by Bryan Donovan
I've never been to Disjecta, but I'll throw another place into the
ring.. Lucky Lab in Northwest (19th and Quimby). It's got a private
room with a projection screen (not sure if you have to bring your own
projector or not). Plus they have the best beer in Portland :)
http://www.luckylab.com/html/parties.html#beerhall
$150 (includes private bartender)
$50 extra for outside food catering
Capacity: 75 people with seating for 60

We had quite a few more people than that in FreeGeek and people left because
it was too crowded. We really need a location with more room than that if
possible. Also, I would think the NW location would not be ideal for people
at the convention center (whereas Disjecta, if available, would be ideal --
it's just a couple blocks away).

[Mike McAulay]

I'd like to see more of a party atmosphere than last year but at the
same time I don't want to lose the focus on Ruby. I did taxi duty
last year and got in too late to grab a seat. That was kind of a
drag but I really enjoyed the presentations. If I'm remembering
correctly most or all of the presos were "rejects" that didn't make
the OSCON cut, right? I'm definitely in favor of retaining that
format - just maybe adding a break or two to let folks stretch their
legs, and having more open space for mingling and imbibing.

Ruby's getting more popular daily, and both of the previous FOSCONs
have generated buzz. I think it's reasonable to expect significantly
more people this year than last.

So in summary: larger venue yes, dilution of crunchy Ruby content no.

And I'd love to help out again.

Mike

Post by Bryan Donovan
I've never been to Disjecta, but I'll throw another place into the
ring.. Lucky Lab in Northwest (19th and Quimby). It's got a private
room with a projection screen (not sure if you have to bring your own
projector or not). Plus they have the best beer in Portland :)
http://www.luckylab.com/html/parties.html#beerhall
$150 (includes private bartender)
$50 extra for outside food catering
Capacity: 75 people with seating for 60
We had quite a few more people than that in FreeGeek and people
left because it was too crowded. We really need a location with
more room than that if possible. Also, I would think the NW
location would not be ideal for people at the convention center
(whereas Disjecta, if available, would be ideal -- it's just a
couple blocks away).
--
_______________________________________________
PDXRuby mailing list
IRC: #pdx.rb on irc.freenode.net
http://lists.pdxruby.org/mailman/listinfo/pdxruby

[Thomas Lockney]

Post by Mike McAulay
So in summary: larger venue yes, dilution of crunchy Ruby content no.

I agree. Also it would be great to see more of the edge cases for content.
For instance, I remember seeing a video of a presentation from RubyConf (I
believe -- not sure what year) where Ruby was being used for undersea
exploration (or something like that anyway). That sort of thing would be a
lot of fun to have and less likely to get much attention at OSCON, etc. Just
a thought... might be hard to put in action.

[Eric Wilhelm]

# from Bryan Donovan

Post by Bryan Donovan
Lucky Lab in Northwest (19th and Quimby).

...

Post by Bryan Donovan
Capacity: 75 people with seating for 60

What was the headcount at FOSCON last year? I was doing the "walking
bus" while the chairs were being setup (so I'm just going by hazy
pictorial memory), but I'm thinking there were close to 120 seats and a
lot of people standing.

--Eric

[Ben Bleything]

Post by Eric Wilhelm
What was the headcount at FOSCON last year? I was doing the "walking
bus" while the chairs were being setup (so I'm just going by hazy
pictorial memory), but I'm thinking there were close to 120 seats and a
lot of people standing.

At least. I would say we had, at minimum, 150 people. I remember doing
an approximate count and being blown away. Maybe closer to 200.

Ben

[Lennon Day-Reynolds]

Post by Thomas Lockney
So, regarding possible locations, I think looking into alternatives to
FreeGeek would be a good thing. I talked to many people from OSCON who left
as soon as they saw how crowded it was. I also heard a few reports of people
getting confused about the location and not being sure if they were in the
right place.

I'd second the suggestion of Disjecta -- the simple fact that they
have a stage (and can serve alcohol, if the event is 21+) puts more of
an "entertainment" spin on the whole event. Plus, it's an easy walk
from the convention center, without the antiseptic ambiance.

Does anyone know of a good Portland nerdcore act? It might be pretty
cool to have an honest-to-goodness musical number or two...or maybe
Thomas and his Dorkbot cohort want to contribute some
robot-art/combat/construction-as-performance goodness to the mix?

(Not that I'm suggesting we totally de-emphasize the Ruby-centric
part, but I wholeheartedly support the idea of making it into a
*party*.)

-Lennon

P.S.: I'm stupid-busy right now, but after mid-May, I should have
quite a bit more time to contribute to the cause.

[David Turnbull]

If music is on the menu this year, I can probably get my friends to
perform:

http://themetalband.com

-david

[Thomas Lockney]

Post by David Turnbull
If music is on the menu this year, I can probably get my friends to
http://themetalband.com

Music would be great, but I think we should keep it techie/geek themed. I
mean, there clearly is a geek element to their approach, but I'm thinking
something a little more overt.

[John Wilger]

Post by Thomas Lockney
Music would be great, but I think we should keep it techie/geek themed. I
mean, there clearly is a geek element to their approach, but I'm thinking
something a little more overt.

Agreed. We should offer the necessary bribes to get _why to perform again, IMHO.

[Topher Cyll]

Post by Thomas Lockney
(Not that I'm suggesting we totally de-emphasize the Ruby-centric
part, but I wholeheartedly support the idea of making it into a
*party*.)

Wish I still lived in Portland!

One way to help give it more of a party feel might be to lower talk
times to 15 minutes and encourage speakers to think of themselves as
entertainment that happens to be talking about Ruby. Also allow time
before and after all the talks the mingle.

Hard to say if it would work, but I bet it could be a blast.

Toph

[Raymond Brigleb]

Incidentally, I did write to both Disjecta and _why this morning, so,
waiting to hear back.

I'm not sure that _why is in the agenda this year, since RailsConf is
so similar, and coming up before OSCON. So not sure about that.

Disjecta does have a projector, and it would be an awesome venue.
Walking-distance is so perfect, such an enticement. While I think
having talks is awesome, I think having some music and stuff is great
as well.

I will ask around a bit, and see if there aren't some geeky bands
that would be interested. There was a band that would have been so
perfect, but they broke up a year or two back I think (The Planet
The). It would just be nice to have some beer and some music, and
have people loosen up and socialize a bit. Something that lacks at
the convention center.

Also, I'm with Needmore Designs, and we could help to sponsor the
event. Probably some other local businesses would be into pitching
in, as well. It wouldn't take much to put it on, and there's a number
of other venues near there, as well, that could work too.

Perhaps while enthusiasm is high, we could figure out who's really
interested and take it (mostly) off here (the list). Seems like a lot
of folks are interested. We'd gladly host a Basecamp project or
Stikipad to plan it, whatever is most conducive to discussion and
planning. A simple Beast forum, like we've done on the PDX Web
Innovators site, seems quite ideal, and could be set up in an hour.

http://pdxwi.com/

Maybe we could even just set up a Beast instance at
foscon.pdxruby.org? It might be useful for the group, in general.

I really like the idea, especially since I'm skipping OSCON proper
this year. Let's do it!

-ray

[Thomas Lockney]

Post by Raymond Brigleb
Also, I'm with Needmore Designs, and we could help to sponsor the
event. Probably some other local businesses would be into pitching
in, as well. It wouldn't take much to put it on, and there's a number
of other venues near there, as well, that could work too.

Awesome, we had Planet Argon and CDBaby sponsor last year and it was great
having their willingness to help. Having some new sponsors definitely could
give us some additional possibilities.

Perhaps while enthusiasm is high, we could figure out who's really

Post by Raymond Brigleb
interested and take it (mostly) off here (the list). Seems like a lot
of folks are interested. We'd gladly host a Basecamp project or
Stikipad to plan it, whatever is most conducive to discussion and
planning. A simple Beast forum, like we've done on the PDX Web
Innovators site, seems quite ideal, and could be set up in an hour.

Yeah, we had a separate mailing list last year (if I recall correctly) --
that helped a lot. We also leeched (in a good way!) of the OSCamp wiki a
bit.

I say we get started relatively soon on this. Perhaps holding an initial
meeting in the next few weeks to get everyone who's interested in being
involved in one room would be helpful. We held all our planning meetings at
The Lucky Lab (Hawthorne) last year. Shall we plan a similar meeting there
in, say, a week or two? We can solidify plans regarding communication,
possible venues, working on sponsorships early (I think we waited a bit late
last time, but it didn't affect our plans too much), etc. Just a
suggestions. I'd love to see us get the ball rolling on this.

[John Labovitz]

Post by Thomas Lockney
Awesome, we had Planet Argon and CDBaby sponsor last year and it
was great having their willingness to help. Having some new
sponsors definitely could give us some additional possibilities.

I don't want to mention names until they feel comfortable committing,
but I heard from one other sponsor who said they'd help out with site
rental fees.

As for a wiki/website -- it was somewhat confusing last year, with
both a blog and a wiki, neither of which (if I recall) were under the
pdxruby.org domain. Let's do our best to get the right kind of
infrastructure set up sooner than later. An internal-facing Basecamp
or equivalent would be fine, but let's make sure the public sees the
event consistently.

I'd be up for a face-to-face meeting either next week or the week
after. I'll selfishly suggest the 16th, since I'll be in Portland
that day.

And thanks to everyone for throwing in their opinions and ideas! I
was a little concerned that folks weren't very interested. Glad to
see that's not true at all!

--John

[Thomas Lockney]

Post by John Labovitz
As for a wiki/website -- it was somewhat confusing last year, with
both a blog and a wiki, neither of which (if I recall) were under the
pdxruby.org domain. Let's do our best to get the right kind of
infrastructure set up sooner than later. An internal-facing Basecamp
or equivalent would be fine, but let's make sure the public sees the
event consistently.

100% agreement from me.

I'd be up for a face-to-face meeting either next week or the week

Post by John Labovitz
after. I'll selfishly suggest the 16th, since I'll be in Portland
that day.

Works for me. I'll set up a meeting on the pdxruby.org site and then send
out an email about it.

And thanks to everyone for throwing in their opinions and ideas! I

Post by John Labovitz
was a little concerned that folks weren't very interested. Glad to
see that's not true at all!

So far, at least, it appears there might be even more momentum building for
this one. I'm sure we can top ourselves from last year if we keep this up.