[TriZPUG] BootCampArama 2008 Information

Wed Jul 23 23:51:13 CEST 2008

Hello,

You are receiving this because you are enrolled in a 2008 TriZPUG 
BootCampArama class (or because you are a member of TriZPUG copied on 
this email). That would be one or more of:

PyCamp
Plone Boot Camp: Theming Plone
Advanced Plone Boot Camp: Plone 3 Techniques

If (and only if) you need to reply, please reply only to the lists for 
the boot camps (or TriZPUG) for which you are enrolled. There are 
separate email lists for each boot camp.

This email is to provide you with some pre-class information and to ask 
you for some information. This email comes to you from a local TriZPUG 
organizer, Chris Calloway. I am helping coordinate hospitality during 
BootCampArama 2008 (as well as instructing PyCamp). That is, 
"coordinate" in TriZPUG-speak means "do."

1) If you expect to have network access during BootCampArama (a 
necessary thing for PyCamp, and probably a nice thing for Plone Boot 
Camps), then you *must* have the *wired* (ethernet) MAC address of the 
laptop you will be using in class registered on the university network 
in advance. No wireless will be provided in the classrooms during 
BootCampArama. You must bring an ethernet cable to class with your laptop.

You were asked for your wired MAC address during your BootCampArama 
registration. But not everybody filled that part in on the registration 
form, or knew it that far in advance, or knew how to find it. Now is the 
time we need to fix that. Take a look at this list of names:

http://www.openplans.org/projects/bootcamparama-2008/delinquent-mac-address-registration

If your name is on that list, please follow the instructions on that 
page by end of business Friday July 25. The people taking care of your 
network registrations are volunteers. Please don't make them sweat too much.

2) If you are flying into the Triangle (RDU Airport) for BootCampArama, 
we (TriZPUG) need to know about it. Please let us know here:

http://www.openplans.org/projects/bootcamparama-2008/flight-board

You can edit table that by accepting the invitation to join the 
bootcamparama-2008 project on openplans.org you should have received 
already.
You don't need to fill in the column for "Volunteer." That will 
hopefully be filled in later.

The reason we want to collect this information is because it is 
expensive ($40 one way) to get a taxi from the airport to the official 
boot camp hotel (and possibly hard to find the hotel). TriZPUG is going 
to do everything it can to pick you up at the airport and bring you to 
the hotel.

This is dependent on a couple of things: a) how many people need a ride, 
and b) how many TriZPUG volunteers we get to make pick ups. TriZPUG will 
make a best effort to pick you up. But in order to do so, we would like 
to know your flight arrival time as early as possible. TriZPUG is having 
a meeting tomorrow night to plan this.

Unless you get a confirmation email from a volunteer or see a volunteer 
name and phone number on the flight board beside your name, do not 
assume you will get a ride from the airport. Assume you will have to 
take a taxi.

You may want to check out the Flight Board to see if there are other 
people arriving at the same time as you and share a cab. If you do take 
a taxi, be sure and tell the driver you want to go the Hampton Inn at 
1740 Fordham Blvd in Chapel Hill. This is because there are two Hampton 
Inns in Chapel Hill and the other one is closer to the airport (but 
farther away from class).

3) TriZPUG will also make an attempt to pick up as many people at the 
Hampton Inn each morning to take to class as possible. This is another 
reason you need to sign up on the Flight Board, so we can see how many 
people to expect.

We have one large van for the first week and a large and small van for 
the second week. We need to see if the van will need more than one trip. 
If you can take the bus, that will help. But expect that the first van 
will leave the Hampton Inn at 8:00 am *sharp* on Monday morning, with a 
possible second trip if there is time.

Some TriZPUGers coming to camp from Durham and Raleigh may also stop by 
the Hampton Inn to pick up out of town campers in their cars. If you are 
coming from out of town and renting a car, please let us know how may 
people you can also carry, if you feel like pitching in.

This is a volunteer community operation to provide extra hospitality to 
boot campers that wasn't promised in your registration. Your happiness 
with your stay is our priority. TriZPUG has normally have provided this 
shuttle service for our annual boot camps. But we've never had as many 
people coming to boot camps before.

4) There will be a free snack and beverage service all day each day 
providing coffee, bottle water, sodas, and various nibbles. 
Unfortunately, food and drink is not allowed in the classroom this year. 
But the snack and beverage service will be just outside the classroom. 
There will be breaks during the class day.

5) There will be people to lead an expedition to the closest campus 
eateries each day. You will be free to go elsewhere if you wish. 
Normally there is one hour for lunch, which is about enough time to walk 
to a fast food joint, order, and come back.

6) Social events are planned during the week after class. Each Monday 
will be a social at the pool hall beside the Hampton Inn. Another social 
event will be announced for each Wednesday here:

http://www.openplans.org/projects/bootcamparama-2008/social-events

After accepting your invitation to join the BootCampArama wiki, you can 
also post your own social outings on that page. This is especially 
encouraged if you are going both weeks and will be here over the weekend.

7) There's a lot of information about places to eat and parking and bus 
routes and the like linked off the front page of the BootCampArama wiki:

http://www.openplans.org/projects/bootcamparama-2008/project-home

8) I'm sure I'll think of some more things to tell you later. But for 
now, welcome to BootCampArama.

9) I sure hope I got all this right.

10) A bunch of project managers are coming to visit me at my job on 
Friday. The more of this MAC address and flight board stuff we can get 
taken care of by the end of tomorrow (Thursday), the better.

11) Any TriZPUGers who want to join the BootCampArama wiki, or help 
manage it, please have at it.

-- 
Sincerely,

Chris Calloway
http://www.secoora.org
office: 332 Chapman Hall   phone: (919) 599-3530
mail: Campus Box #3300, UNC-CH, Chapel Hill, NC 27599