[TriZPUG] Python Hack Night

[Mark Lavin]

Well that was a lot to take in but I think we can make it work for this
Thursday. I can round up some more power strips, network switches, and
network cable. I can be there by 6 and help let people in.

I can't believe how hard it is to find free public space. Color me amazed
that you get TriZPUG together each month. Thanks for the help and the space
Chris!

On Tue, Mar 9, 2010 at 10:55 AM, Chris Calloway <cbc at unc.edu> wrote:

> On 3/9/2010 9:41 AM, Mark Lavin wrote:
>
>> Thanks for all the great responses. I'm glad so many people are excited
>> about Hack Night as me. Unfortunately as you might have seen on this
>> mailing
>> list, there is another meeting at CCC this Thursday so I'm still
>> scrambling
>> to find a space. I've talked to a number of the public libraries in the
>> area
>> with meeting rooms but so far all have been booked. If you know of a space
>> that can hold a dozen or so people with their laptops and has internet
>> access please let me know as soon as you can.
>>
>> On a happier note for those that might be interested, I'm going to be
>> playing around with MongoDB (PyMongo and MongoEngine) and seeing if I can
>> get it to play nicely with Django.
>>
>
> Mark,
>
> Thanks for pushing this.
>
> I always have a conference room that can hold about twelve available at UNC
> at a moment's notice. It has a nice laptop projector and plasma display.
> We've used it several times.
>
> Downsides we've worked around in the past:
>
> a) Parking: you'll need to park in a municipal lot or deck three blocks
> away and hoof it most times, unless you are lucky and there are spaces
> available in the Swain lot across the street. Both require $s per hour.
>
> http://www.unc.edu/visitors/parking.html (Swain Lot)
> http://www.ci.chapel-hill.nc.us/index.aspx?page=192 (Wallace Deck)
>
> b) Network: UNC requires MAC address registration to access the network. It
> only takes about twenty minutes. But that's twenty minutes you wait and
> somebody has to do it for you. Also, it's wired only. You'll need to bring a
> Cat 5 or 6 cable. I have a few.
>
> Wireless access is not allowed for non-UNC personnel. And setting up your
> own ad-hoc wireless on campus will result in extraordinary rendition to a
> secret prison in Bulgaria.
>
> Also, the room only has two network ports (the university ran out of money
> just as the building was being finished). I bought a five port GigE switch
> last fall for a sprint. I can go get a larger switch if necessary. I have to
> buy about eight twelve port GigE switches for a PyCamp this year anyway.
>
> c) Power: there are more power outlets than network ports, but not enough.
> I have one large outlet box, but need another if we have twelve people.
>
> d) Access: it's not the easiest place to find in the world. It's surrounded
> by other buildings and has no street access. It's so new it's not even on a
> lot of UNC maps. And after 6 or 7pm, it requires card access to get in the
> door. I don't think it's a problem for a 6pm start time. But stragglers
> would probably need a cell phone and somebody to call inside.
>
> http://trizpug.org/Members/cbc/chapman-map.pdf (red blob on map)
> http://marine.unc.edu/DrivingDirections/chapman
>
> Other than that, it's an awesome place with an ice machine, a small
> kitchen, and clean bathrooms.
>
> If I have, say, maybe a month's advance notice, I can usually reserve a
> high-tech conference-style classroom with seating for at 40 or 60 (and even
> 125 with about three months notice) in other buildings. These rooms have
> power and network at every seat. They only have the parking downside (and no
> kitchen).
>
> TriZPUG used to meet every third month in these classrooms before we
> started meeting at CCC. We've had huge week-long training events in these
> rooms. Sometimes they are even just empty and we've crashed them when
> running out of room in the twelve seat conference room. So keep those in
> mind. I have no problem reserving at least the 40 or 60 seater. I just have
> to jump through dean's office kind of hoops to get them. The 125 seater
> takes a little more wheel greasing.
>
> These classrooms are more geared for a talking head at the front of the
> room rather than everyone facing each other. Although, I have been to
> several large (100+ people) sprints in such rooms. They just require
> breaking into smaller groups that can work side by side.
>
> Lack of affordable and usable public space is our society's greatest threat
> to democracy. I'm just particularly reminded of that today, because this
> evening is a precinct meeting night in North Carolina. There are about
> 10,000 meetings taking place tonight in the state, most at polling places.
> Most of these places, the publicly owned ones, are "free" by law for one
> annual party meeting, but require anywhere from $60 to $200 in janitorial
> and police "fees" after the "free" reservation (Carrboro Schools began
> waiving the fee only last year). Many of the places (churches, civic clubs)
> are not free, though, and some will not even allow political party meetings.
> It's a nightmare to try to organize just one county's worth of meetings.
>
> --
> 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
>
>
>
>
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