[wplug-plan] Meeting place issues.

[John Lewis]

I am moving this conversation to WPLUG plan because it is far more
appropriate there.

On 09/21/2015 07:19 PM, Pat Barron wrote:
> The interruptions and noise are part of it - but only part.  I don't
> think the seating is adequate for a presentation (though I have to
> admit, the way the tables were rearranged for the last GUM made things
> better) - it's uncomfortable.  I would personally rather see
> presentations happen in a facility that has rows of seating that all
> face front.  When you were giving your presentation this past
> Saturday, you had to balance your laptop on a ladder because there
> wasn't a better place to put it...  I think HackPittsburgh is fabulous
> as a workshop, as a place to do hackfests and to get "hands-on" and
> work on projects.  But it's noisy, and disruption-prone, because we
> have to share the shop with other users (the "real" HackPittsburgh
> members - I acknowledge that we're just guests there, and I'm grateful
> for their hospitality...).   Given the nature of HackPittsburgh's
> mission, I can definitely understand that they can't just "shut the
> shop down" for 4 hours on a weekend afternoon (prime project time) to
> accommodate us, they have stuff they need to get done.   I just don't
> (personal opinion...) think it's a good choice for doing a
> presentation, if there are any better options available.   (And
> admittedly, sometimes there aren't....)

These problems have a simple solution. I would need someone to come in
early and help me prep the shop. We can arrange the tables how ever we
want. I was doing setup or the event, clean up for the event, and I was
the event.

You could see how factoring in all of that, I can have the slight
oversight of table arrangement.

Also Justin and Gene are dealing with their own problems and are no
longer active members so I can't get help from them. If you think more
needs to be done, then you need to go ahead and help me.



On 09/21/2015 07:19 PM, Pat Barron wrote

> Point Park isn't available to us (PACC can only meet there because
> they have a faculty sponsor, and the university actually makes them
> carry a pretty big liability insurance policy in order to meet there -
> that is why they are starting to think about other space, with their
> faculty sponsor getting ready to retire), so at least that is one that
> we don't need to consider.

It is too far Down Town for my liking and has power issues.

On 09/21/2015 07:19 PM, Pat Barron wrote

>
> I do have the space at IBM booked for the original date, and could try
> to move it.  Though if we don't have a presentation on the agenda,
> it's probably not necessary to even consider that.  I would need to
> defer to Vance on this, who's been the closest in communication with
> the potential speaker.
>

Remember how we use to have our board meetings at IBM, and how we don't
do that anymore.

I don't trust WPLUG's future with a megacorp that we have no control
over and without a potential for an alternate. If you can get another
member a job at IBM or get another IBMer as a potential alternate
sponsor it may be a good option.

At the very worst, I would only have to ask someone for a favor and they
will come in and sponsor the event for me if I really can't make it for
some reason.

If you couldn't make it to the event, we are currently SOL, unless you
want to take us bowling again or something crazy like that.

On 09/21/2015 07:19 PM, Pat Barron wrote

> I don't necessarily disagree with you about WSCC, I'm on record as
> stating that that's not a great place to run a presentation, either,
> and I did get a little more unhappy with them as we started getting
> into situations where they didn't have space available to accommodate
> us when we asked about it (though I admittedly don't feel as strongly
> about the matter - I'm definitely not of the opinion that I won't show
> up if we plan a meeting at WSCC, I just think that if there are other
> options available, they should be considered...).  If I had to choose
> between doing a presentation at WSCC and meeting at HackPittsburgh, if
> those were the only two choices in consideration, I have to admit I'd
> probably go with HackPittsburgh (unless it was strictly a "speaking"
> presentation without a projector, in which case I would lean towards
> WSCC). Though that's all hypothetical, since we aren't needing to
> choose only between those two options....
>
> --Pat.
>
Who would even agree to do a presentation without a projector? I would
probably still do so with the right intensive, but I would still think
it is pretty lame. I would have to bring my Raspberry Pi workbench and
present on the 38 cm monitor.