[Sketching17] Sketching in Hardware, Detroit, July 28-August 2 CONFIRMATION and Update #1

[Mike Kuniavsky]

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 several things 
that we would like to know from you.

CONTENTS
  - This mailing list
  - THANK YOU!
  - THANK YOU, Knight Foundation!
  - Dates/Times
  - Payment details
  - Many things we'd like you to tell us to help with logistics
  - Childcare
  - Hotel information
  - 2017 Event format: talking + thinking + making
  - Bringing new technology?
  - Contact information

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

If this is going to the wrong email address, please email 
mikek at sketching-in-hardware.com

THANK YOU!
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First of all, THANK YOU for participating in Sketching in Hardware this 
year. We’re making some big changes in Sketching this year and I’m 
incredibly excited to see all of you.

THANK YOU, KNIGHT FOUNDATION!
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This year we are very fortunate to have the Knight Foundation ( 
http://www.knightfoundation.org ) as our primary sponsor. We approached 
them with what we thought was a somewhat crazy idea to sponsor a hardware 
toolkit summit, and they were incredibly supportive and generous. With 
their support we’re able to do many more of the things on our wish list 
for this year’s event, and we are very grateful.

Thank you, Knight Foundation!

CONFERENCE DATES/TIMES
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Sketching in Hardware is divided into two 3-day halves this year: a summit 
during which all attendees will have the opportunity to present (more on 
presentations below) and a design charrette, during which we plan to go 
into depth to create design and technology responses to the ideas 
presented during the summit. Think of the first as the Talk half and the 
second as the Do half, though in practice I hope to have a mix of both 
kinds of thinking in both halves of the event. We are labeling the 
charrette as optional, but we really hope you stay for some or all of it, 
especially because it will take place inside The Henry Ford Museum, an 
amazing national treasure, which is extending its hours for us (so, yes, 
you may well be able to spend all night hacking in a museum if you really 
want).

Summit: July 28-30, Detroit Masonic Temple
Charrette: July 31-August 1 (optional, but highly recommended!), The Henry 
Ford Museum, and other locations
Detroit, Michigan

More info: http://www.sketching-in-hardware.com/2017/

PAYMENT DETAILS
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Although you have given us email confirmation, we would like you to please 
reserve your spot at the event as soon as possible, so we have an accurate 
count of who is attending.

The cost of the event is $750 and you can send us the money using PayPal 
here:

http://sketching-in-hardware.com/2017/index-paypal-750.html

Thanks to the generous grant from the Knight Foundation, we are offering 
discounts up to 100% on the event fee and travel assistance for students, 
teachers, startup founders, artists and independent practitioners. If you 
have not already done so, please contact us and we’ll send you a different 
payment link.

HOTEL INFORMATION
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The conference hotel is the Detroit Marriott at the historic Renaissance 
Center, the tallest building in Michigan:

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/dtwdt-detroit-marriott-at-the-renaissance-center/

We are still negotiating rates with the Marriott and we will send out a 
code for special Sketching in Hardware rates in the near future.

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

https://goo.gl/forms/MhCKs45wFPLanrHj1

In the form we ask:
  - Are you staying for the charrette? (it’s going to be awesome!)
  - Do you need childcare?
  - 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 do you want to talk about? Do you want to do something other than 
a presentation?

CHILDCARE
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We are planning to have childcare available at the event. We don’t yet 
know the costs, but hope to be able to cover all the costs as part of the 
conference budget to make it free to all attendees.

2017 FORMAT: TALKING + THINKING + MAKING
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Everyone at Sketching is required to talk about their work and their 
ideas. We believe this helps break down barriers between disciplines and 
to create a community where everyone knows something about everyone else. 
Traditionally we have required everyone to present, but this year we are 
trying a variety of additional ways for everyone to broadcast their ideas. 
We're also open to suggestions that are not listed here.

The first three days (July 28-30) everyone will share their work and ideas 
with everyone else, with a mix of other ways to interact (hands-on demos, 
small group discussions, and of course catered meals morning to night). We 
will send out more information about presentations later. For now, think 
about what you’re really passionate about, what’s really exciting to you 
right now. This is the Think/Analyze portion of the event.

The design charrette (July 31-August 1) will combine tours of significant, 
unexpected, Detroit points of interest, with collaborative creation in 
small groups, supported by and with the participation of members of the 
Michigan hardware/maker/designer community. The goal of the charrette is 
to think with our hands to explore and respond to the ideas of the first 
three days, digging in and stepping back, simultaneously. This is the 
Do/Synthesize portion of the event.

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.


-- Mike Kuniavsky, Sketching in Hardware host, ThingM co-founder, PARC 
Inc. researcher

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