[Sketching15] Sketching in Hardware 2015 Update #1

[Mike Kuniavsky]

Hi. We're incredibly happy you can join us at Sketching this year! Here's 
the first big batch of what you need to know about logistics and what we'd 
like to know about your plans.

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 Dates/Times
- Please pay for Sketching if you haven't
- Hackathon payment
- Staying at Biosphere 2
- Travel to/from Biosphere 2
- Many things we'd like you to tell us to help with logistics
- Presentations
- Bringing new technology?
- Contact information
- Thanks

THIS MAILING LIST
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This list has just the confirmed participants in the conference.  Based on 
past years' experience, expect a handful of updates before the conference. 
You should also feel free to use the list to coordinate transportation, 
casita 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 DATES/TIMES
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Our tentative schedule will be as follows:
Thursday, July 30: pre-event dinner. Probably delivery to B2, since there 
are no restaurants nearby.

Friday, July 31:
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 probably B2)

Saturday, August 1:
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 probably in 
Tucson, we'll provide transportation)

Sunday, August 2:
Breakfast: 8:30-9:00AM
Presentations: 9AM-noon
Lunch: noon-2PM
Secret activities: 2PM-5PM
Conference ends 5PM
Hackathon briefing : 5:15PM
Post-event drinks immediately after in B2 casitas.

Monday, August 3
Breakfast: 8:30-9:00AM
Hackathon starts 9AM
Lunch: noon-1PM
Hackathon ends 5PM

PLEASE PAY FOR SKETCHING IF YOU HAVEN'T
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If you haven't paid for Sketching yet. Please pay! Here's a link:

http://sketching-in-hardware.com/2015/index-paypal.html

Payment is refundable until June 30, 2015. If the conference price is an 
economic hardship for you, please let us know and we'll work it out.

HACKATHON PAYMENT
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
We're still working on the budget for the hackathon, but it looks like we 
may need to charge a small amount for it to cover food. We'll let you know 
what that is when we've figured it out, but we don't expect it to be more 
than $50-75. Again, if that's an economic hardship, let us know.

STAYING AT BIOSPHERE 2 AND PAYMENT
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Because Biosphere 2's casitas were set up as extended researcher housing, 
they are not set up like a hotel, but a series of shared small houses with 
2-3 bedrooms, and shared living areas, bathrooms and kitchens. We have 
reserved about half of the 104 available rooms, mostly as individual 
bedrooms, but with some shared rooms. Closer to the event we'll set up a 
method for people who would like to share a casita to do so, otherwise 
we'll randomly assign folks.

The cost for the casitas will be $85/night and because B2 is not set up to 
collect payment from 50 people, it will be payable by Paypal to ThingM.

If you are staying Thursday-Sunday please use this link:
http://tinyurl.com/obm7sp9

If you are staying Thursday-Monday please use this link:
http://tinyurl.com/nm8dy5m

If you plan on staying less than 3 nights, please Paypal the appropriate 
amount to paypal at thingm.com. If you would like to pay in some way other 
than Paypal, let us know.

TRAVEL TO/FROM BIOSPHERE 2
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Biosphere 2 is fairly remote and there is no convenient public 
transportation to it. We will organize shuttles to and from Phoenix and 
Tucson airports, but we will likely not be able to conveniently 
accommodate every departure and arrival time. In the survey linked below, 
please tell us when you will need a ride from the airport and what airport 
you will need a ride to, and we will try to organize shuttles on Thursday, 
Sunday and Monday that work for as many people as we can.

THINGS WE'D LIKE YOU TO TELL US
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
To help us plan the logistics of the event, we need to know some things 
from you. Follow this link

http://goo.gl/forms/xlZb1IqYmJ

In the form we ask:
  - Would you like a ride to/from the airport? When? Which airport(s)?
  - Will you be at the informal Thursday evening pre-conference gathering
    (i.e. if we get pizza, how many pizzas should we get)
  - Are you staying for the hackathon?
  - Are you traveling with a partner or children who won't attend
    Sketching?
  - Do you need onsite childcare? We are organizing nannies for our
    children and will organize childcare for anyone who is interested.
  - Do you have dietary preferences/restrictions?
  - What size shirt do you wear? This is important since we only order as
    many shirts as we have people. If you'd like a shirt that fits you need
    to tell us. Otherwise we'll guess and we'll probably be wrong.
  - What you're going to speak about. (more on this below)

PRESENTATION TOPICS
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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.

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 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 
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. 
There's a space in the information form for it. 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.

BRINGING NEW TECHNOLOGY?
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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
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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
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Intel is our main sponsor this year. THANK YOU!

Sparkfun is sponsoring the hackathon with a generous donation of their 
awesome products. THANK YOU!

Greg Schomberg of Brand New School is designing Sketching in Hardware's 
website and t-shirt. His work is awesome, as always.

http://brandnewschool.com/

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