[ale] Fwd: [Dragon*Con] Atlanta area meet/greet/eat - Sunday, Aug 19th, 1:00pmish - ???

[Pope jonnyX]

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FYI.

Short version: Geeky social gathering this Sunday, focus on DragonCon
planning. There are also slots open for panelists on "hacking/EFF" related
talks, and space for folks with flashy projects to demo them at a
mad-science(ish) event.

- -------- Original Message --------

Howdy folks,

I've gotten a decent response to the proposed Science, Space, and maybe
Skeptics & EFF Tracks unofficial "meet & greet & eat" pre-con gathering &
planning session. Here's when & where:

Sunday, August 19th, 1:00pm 'til ??? (probably no later than 5:00pm, unless
there's reason to stay later)

Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant
848 Peachtree Street Northeast, Atlanta, GA
(404) 870-0805

http://www.gordonbiersch.com/locations/midtown-atlanta-ga

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=848+Peachtree+Street,+NE,+atlanta,+ga&om=1

It's an easy walk from the Midtown MARTA station. Once there, look for the
people in Dragon*Con t-shirts. We'll go over talks, logistics, planning,
take questions, offer advice, etc., which will probably be especially
useful for first time or new con-goers.

If those planning to attend could shoot me an email, I'd appreciate it (so
would the Gordon Biersch, so I can tell them how large a table or possibly
how large a private room we'll need).

Thanks!

~~Dru Myers
~~Dragon*Con Science Track Director

PS - For those participating (or wishing to participate) in "Evil Geniuses
for a Better Tomorrow," we'll definitely spend some time covering that
event. It's shaping up to be a monster.

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PPS for dc404/ALE - I also run the "Hacking 101," "Hacking 201,"
and "Hacking 301" panel discussions on Dragon*Con's EFF Track. Panelists
this year include Elonka Dunin (cryptographer & game designer) and Randal
L. Schwartz (perl author/guru). I've got a few slots still open for anyone
who'd like to participate. Here's the where/when:

Hacking 101
Sept 1st, Sat 07:00 pm, Marriott A601 - A602
Hacking 101 returns for another glorious year! Just what is a hacker
anyway? Culture, history, contacts, resources, and pointers for more info.
[This is the big one, audience of ~400-500. Think of it as "a history and
intro to hacking-in-the-original-non-criminal-sense-of-the-word culture,
and recruiting session.]

Hacking 201
Sept 2nd, Sun 10:00 pm, Hilton 201
Q&A from our panel of experts. Play "stump the hacker", maybe you’ll win a
prize! Brought to you by se2600.org.
[This is the all-night, much more technical but also much more informal
"party panel." Important note: After 15 years, I can no longer provide
"prizes" - someone else has to pick up that ball and run with it. Email me
privately if you're interested in taking over that function & I'll advise ya.]

Hacking 301
Sept 3rd, Mon 10:00 am, Hilton 201
~and~
Hacking 301, continued
Sept 3rd, Mon 11:30 am, Hilton 202
[In the last few years we've tended to do hardware/project demos and
workshops. Feel free to bring in anything interesting.]

Another note re: "Evil Geniuses" - We're in an even bigger room this year
(seating ~750, IIRC), and I want to take advantage of the extra space and
eyeballs. I've decided on an "open door" policy for any group or
organization (or individual) that wants to show up, set up in part of the
room, demo anything flashy/interesting/scary, recruit for their group or
organization, etc. I'm hoping for a sort of
free-for-all/carnival/mad-science-fair-run-amuck vibe, with as many
different activities and demos taking place at once as possible. The more
weird stuff we attract, the better. Here's the where & when for anyone
interested:

Evil Geniuses for a Better Tomorrow 10th Anniversary MegaMayhem
Destruct-o-Fest!
Sept 1st, Sat 2:30pm, Sheraton Capitol Ballroom
Amateur nuclear reactor demo (Yes! It's really real!) and other unsafe
acts, plus surprise guests! And liquid nitrogen ice cream! Bring the kids!

...and here's an email from Dr. Stephen Granade, the event moderator, with
a little more detail:

Dragon*Con is fast approaching and it's time to plan the Evil Geniuses
panel!

As you may have seen from Dru's email, we're looking at expanding some of
the madness/carnival atmosphere from last year's panel, especially since
we're in an even larger ballroom. Here are some of the topics I'd like us
to do, and I'm looking at y'all for even more ideas!

* Cool science from this year that has a mad science slant. Last year we
had how you can change someone's moral judgments with magnets and a group
that was working on a cure for cancer that was piggybacked on the AIDS
virus. As the token roboticist, I figure this year I'll talk about
catcopter, the quadcopter over which a taxidermied cat was stretched.

[edit: I saw that thing; WTF?!? Hit http://srl.org if you want to see larger
part-animal robots fitted with military surplus hardware and homebrew
weapons. And no, DragonCon will not invite those guys, believe me I've
tried.][srl.org is probably not NSFW, btw.]

* Speed eviling. Get volunteers from the audience (ideally ringers that we
plant ahead of time :) to come up on stage with us and have a "speed date"
of evil.

* DEMOS! Chad, your reactor was awesome. Last year, Paul, you electrocuted
a pickle. What other demo could we do?

Ooo, I just realized: we have liquid nitrogen, right? I'm willing to don
glasses and gloves and, given a small beaker of it, offer liquid nitrogen
marshmallows or graham crackers.

[edit: Yes, we should have ~20 gallons onhand, possibly more.]

Right, other suggestions?

~~~end of Stephen's email

Anyone who wants to be involved with the EFF Hacking panels and/or Evil
Geniuses, please drop me a line & we'll go from there. Thanks.

~~Dru

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