[Sketching13] Sketching in Hardware Update #1

Sun May 5 18:16:55 PDT 2013

Subject: Sketching in Hardware 2012 Update #1

Hi. The following email is long. We know. Please read it, anyway. It has 
information in it that is going to be useful to you and a several things 
that we would like to know from you.

CONTENTS
- This mailing list
- Conference Hotel
- Conference Dates/Times
- Food preferences/restrictions
- Presentations
- T-shirts
- Bringing new technology?
- Contact information
- Thanks

THIS MAILING LIST
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This mailing list has just the confirmed participants in the conference. 
Based on past years' experience, there will be a handful of updates before 
the conference. You should also feel free to use it to coordinate 
transportation, hotel sharing or other activities, but please use it 
sparingly. As soon a the conference is over, I will roll the membership of 
this list into the general Sketching alumni list and this list will go 
away.

CONFERENCE HOTEL
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The conference hotel is:

Courtyard by Marriott Palo Alto Los Altos
4320 El Camino Real
Lost Altos, CA 94022

The special rate is $119/night, which is pretty good for Silicon Valley.

To get the special Sketching in Hardware rate please call Marriott 
Reservations at 800-321-2211 or 650-941-9900, and reference "Sketching in 
Hardware".

CONFERENCE DATES/TIMES
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Our tentative schedule will be:
Thursday, July 18: pre-event dinner. Location TBD.

Friday, July 19:
Breakfast: 8:30-9:30
Introduction: 9:30-10
Presentations: 10-5PM (with lunch served 12:30-2)
Dinner: 7PM (included in your conference fee, location TBD)

Saturday, July 20:
Breakfast: 8:30-9AM
Presentations: 9AM-1PM
Lunch: 1-3PM
Perhaps more presentations or another activity: 3-5PM
Dinner: 7PM (included in your conference fee, location TBD)

Sunday, July 21:
Breakfast: 8:30-9:00AM
Presentations: 9AM-noon
Lunch: noon-2PM
Secret activities: 2PM-5PM
Conference ends 5PM
Post-event drinks immediately after (location TBD).

If you are planning to fly in first thing on Friday please try to be at 
the event by 10AM. If you're leaving Sunday night, please try to hang out 
until 3PM or so.

FOOD PREFERENCES/RESTRICTIONS/GUESTS
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
We will try to accommodate a variety of food preferences, and there will 
be vegetarian options at all meals, but if you have additional food 
restrictions (allergies, preferences, etc.) please let us know ASAP so we 
can let the caterers and venues know.

If you would like to bring a guest to dinner, please let us know and we'll 
let you know what the cost is (generally around $50, but it varies and 
we're still in negotiations with the restaurants).

PRESENTATION TOPICS
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
One of the unusual aspects of the Sketching conference is that everyone 
presents (yes, that means you). I would like everyone to give an 18 minute 
talk. The format is quite open and the content is up to you, but it should 
have two qualities:

1. It should be about something that is exciting to you.
2. It should be 18 minutes long, and no longer. We are going to be very 
strict about time limits.

If possible, we request that presentations should be on something that you 
haven't talked about elsewhere, and you should try to address this year's 
theme. If the thing you're really excited about doesn't fit the theme, 
though, that's fine, too.

PLEASE minimize biographical information. If you'd like to present a 
retrospective of your work to set the context, please keep it to 3 
minutes, but the bulk of your presentation should be about something new 
or something old that's totally awesome. Think TED talk, not History 
Channel.

Likewise, please limit any video you show to 1 minute or less, unless it's 
so awesome that it can't be contained in 1 minute. In that case you get 3 
minutes.

Past presentations have been on everything from reviews of recent 
research, to descriptions of specific projects, to demonstrations of new 
devices and software, to describing the work students have done, to 
impassioned challenges to the community.
Your audience will be technically sophisticated, but not necessarily 
engineers, so please calibrate the technical content of your presentations 
accordingly.

If two people from the same organization want to team up and present a 
single thing, that's fine and we will give you a little extra time, but 
please have both people present.

Likewise, if you'd like to tap the brainpower of the group in the form of 
a discussion question or panel discussion, send me your topic and I will 
try make room on the schedule. Past discussion topics have included the 
challenges of open source hardware and teaching physical computing.

IMPORTANT: please tell me what you're going to be talking about soon. 
Abstracts are not necessary, but a title and a one- or two-sentence 
description of what you're planning will help me plan the schedule.
Finally, tell me if you have preferences to speak in the morning or the 
afternoon, and I'll try to accommodate.

T-SHIRTS
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Please get us your shirt size. If you give us a size, we'll get you a 
shirt that size. If you don't, we'll have to guess at your size, and 
there's a good chance we'll be wrong, especially if we've never seen you 
in person. So please send us your shirt size ASAP.

BRINGING NEW TECHNOLOGY?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Are you bringing things to show off? Please do! We want to see 
unannounced, pre-release, half-baked, experimental, totally great stuff. 
If you're wondering if it's ready, it is. Bring it.

CONTACT INFORMATION
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Throughout the conference, if you have any questions, please feel free to 
email me at mikek at sketching-in-hardware.com. If you need an urgent reply, 
my mobile phone number is +1-415-235-3468.

THANKS
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
As mentioned above Justin Bakse and Greg Schomberg of Brand New School are 
designing Sketching in Hardware's website and t-shirt. Their work is 
awesome, as always. http://brandnewschool.com/

SUPER THANK YOU to Sparkfun Electronics and Seeed Studio for their 
generous sponsorship this year.

If you, your company or your organization is interested in sponsoring 
Sketching this year, we still have several sponsorship opportunities 
available. Please contact Mike at mikek at sketching-in-hardware.com and I'll 
let you know what we have to offer.

-- 
Mike Kuniavsky
mikek at sketching-in-hardware.com