[Sketching23] Sketching in Hardware 2023: Update #2, August

Sat Aug 26 18:15:32 PDT 2023

Hi! You're getting this because you've confirmed that you're coming to 
Sketching in Hardware at the ATLAS Institute at the University of 
Colorado, Boulder, CO, September 22-24, 2023.

We will send updates until the event, and each one has important 
information in it (this is Update #2). Please take a few minutes to read 
them. If you did not get Update #1, please let me know and we’ll send it 
to you.

CONTENTS
  - Hotel reservations by August 31 to get our rate!
  - A/V needs
  - Childcare
  - Presentation format and topics
  - Thank you to our sponsors: University of Colorado Boulder, Sparkfun,
    Modular Robotics, Seeed Studio, and ThingM!
  - Contact information

HOTEL RESERVATIONS
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
You only have until August 31 to get our special room rates at the 
meeting hotels. If you plan to stay in one of the hotels, please book your 
rooms ASAP. Thank you!

Our room blocks are with the Embassy Suites by Hilton [2601 Canyon 
Boulevard, Boulder, CO 80302] and the Hilton Garden Inn [2701 Canyon Blvd, 
Boulder, CO 80302]. We confirmed that we were able to get something close 
to the best possible rate for the event weekend. Both hotels are about a 
25 minute walk away, through the lovely CU Boulder campus.

Click here to reserve your room: https://tinyurl.com/sketching23-hotel

Note: the cut off date for our room rate is Thursday, August 31, 2023, but 
please book as early as possible so we can plan with the hotel for how 
many rooms we need.

AUDIOVISUAL NEEDS
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
We are lucky to have the event in the ATLAS Institute’s Black Box theater, 
which has great A/V capabilities. Their technicians would like to know in 
advance if you have any special requests for media, sound, lighting, etc., 
so they can plan for it in advance.

Please email us at rsvp at sketching-in-hardware.com and we’ll make sure 
everything is set up for you.

  CHILDCARE
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
As in previous years, we’ve secured childcare for the duration of the 
event. If you plan to bring kids to Boulder and would like them to join 
the other Sketching children, please let us know ASAP so we can make sure 
everything is arranged.

PRESENTATION FORM AND TOPIC
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The primary goal of Sketching in Hardware is to create a community that 
extends beyond the dates of the event. I ask everyone to present so by 
the end of the event everyone knows something about everyone else and 
there’s no distinction between presenter and audience. The format of the 
presentation is very flexible.

I assume most people will be presenting on their own, but you are free to 
present with others. This year we have a really full house, which is 
AWESOME!, but it does mean the schedule will be tight, so if you want to 
join up with other folks attending the event to present as a team, or to 
interview each other, or to have a discussion with the audience, we will 
work with you.

The tl;dr version of the guidelines: talk/show for 18 minutes, about 
something you're incredibly excited about RIGHT NOW, please fill out the 
form below.

Here's the somewhat longer version:

- The format is quite open and the content is up to you.
- The two most important qualities in the presentation should be that you
   talk about something that is exciting to you and, if possible, something
   that you haven't talked about elsewhere.
- Your presentation should be 18 minutes long, and no longer. We are going
   to be strict about time limits because the schedule is packed.
- Your presentation doesn’t have to stick closely to the theme of this
   year’s event, but I will be grateful if you weave it in somehow.
- 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.
- 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 can
   play it for 3 minutes.
- If you would like to team up with someone and present together, we can
   give you a little extra time to present together.
- Please contact me if you have any questions about what a good topic
   would be. I'll be happy to jump on a call or bounce ideas in email.

Your audience will be technically sophisticated, but not necessarily 
engineers, so please calibrate the technical content of your presentations 
accordingly.

You don't need to provide an abstract, but I would really like you to give 
me a tentative title and short description. Since we don't publish any 
paper guides, these will be flexible until the minute you step on stage, 
but it really helps when I'm creating the schedule.

The form: https://forms.gle/dAPCQLNKJxjnbmHdA

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I am very honored that so many companies answered my request for 
sponsorship this year. We are incredibly grateful for your generosity in 
helping make this event possible, and to keep it affordable (or as 
affordable as we can make it). This year’s sponsors (and, fyi, we could 
always use more!):

The University of Colorado Boulder: https://www.colorado.edu/
Sparkfun: https://www.sparkfun.com/
Modular Robotics: https://modrobotics.com/
Seeed Studio: https://www.seeedstudio.com/
ThingM (as always!): https://thingm.com/

CONTACT INFORMATION
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Throughout the conference, if you have any questions, please feel free to 
email us at mikek at sketching-in-hardware.com or 
leah.mckibbin at utopiaprojects.llc. If you need an urgent reply, Mike’s 
mobile phone number is +1-415-235-3468 and Leah’s is +1 650-868-2974.

Thank you!

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