[Pdx-pm] April Meeting all-in-one

Josh Heumann perl-pm at joshheumann.com
Mon Mar 27 21:48:11 PST 2006


I've been following this conversation from afar, partly because I like
seeing people participate and partly because I try to check my email as
little as possible on the weekends.  As the so-called leader of this
rag-tag bunch of misfits, I should probably chime in, so here goes:

<quote who='dhmedley at aol.com' when='Mon, Mar 27, 2006 at 11:48:40AM -0500'>
> My preferred attendance would be in one of the local Hillsboro
> Starbucks with a
> good gooey solution of (mostly) caffeine ...  Free Geek is just too far.

<quote who='dhmedley at aol.com' when='Sun, Mar 26, 2006 at 09:30:22PM -0500'>
> A better TriMet / Bus method of getting there.   Driving into East Portland
> from Beaverton at 5PM is NOT conducive to learning anything new.

As for location, I know that there a lot of people on the west side, and
if we're turning off a large number of people due to location, we might
need to rethink the current location.

<quote who='Paul Blair' when='Mon, Mar 27, 2006 at 10:57:10AM -0800'>
> I vote for not rocking
> the boat.  It's harder than it looks to get that boat to float in the
> first place.

Paul is quite right.  My first job as leader was to find a reliable
place for us to meet.  It took me quite a while to find space that
fit our requirements.

Our requirements are:

- consistency
- a projector
- comfy chairs (with cushy pillows when possible)
- central location
- free (no cost to reserve a space)
- beer (or similar diversions) close by

That last one isn't quite a requirement, but is really nice to have.

The projector is something that I've been providing, but eventually the
bulb is going to burn out and I'm considering not replacing it, as I don't
use the projector that often.

Above all, though, is consistency.  I think that we've been able to
build a nice pattern in having the meetings at the same place (almost
every time) for about two years.  If we find a new place, it would be
good if it were one that we could be assured would be ours every month.

Of course, just as important to attendance as location is content:

<quote who='Keith Lofstrom' when='Sun, Mar 26, 2006 at 01:05:02PM -0800'>
> Here's some things I would like to see:
>
> 1) Take apart a small piece of well written code
> 2) Repair a small piece of not-so-well written code
> 3) Code clinic
> 4) Explain the architecture of a large piece of well written code
> 5) Design techniques for usability
> 6) Objects

<quote who='Greg Milner' when='Sun, Mar 26, 2006 at 09:00:39PM -0800'>
> I, for one, would like to see more intro or intermediate level stuff. DBI
> would be cool. Win32 topics are always welcome (I'm a SQL Server DBA by
> trade).

Here, here.  What we need is people who want to lead discussions (not
necessarily just talk) about these topics.

<quote who='dhmedley at aol.com' when='Sun, Mar 26, 2006 at 09:30:22PM -0500'>
> Maybe Free Geek would allow a net meeting format / camera of some sort
> ?  Would cyberattendence count ?

That's an excellent question.  I'll talk to Free Geek about it.

<quote who='dhmedley at aol.com' when='Sun, Mar 26, 2006 at 09:30:22PM -0500'>
> I AM appreciative of the mp3 podcast recordings that are made -- thanks
> much for them !

Definitely.  A big thanks to Chris for recording our meetings.  That kicks ass.

<quote who='Eric Wilhelm' when='Sat, Mar 25, 2006 at 06:43:17PM -0800'>
> So, assuming that what we want are some more accessible topics and
> further assuming that we have no plans for the April meeting topic,
> might I suggest that the April meeting be used to generate topics and /
> or material / marketing for the May meeting?

I think this is an excellent topic for the April meeting.  However, as that's
the first night of Passover, I'll be busy not eating bread that night.
Would someone else be so kind as to volunteer to lead a discussion that
night, and designate someone to record ideas?  I will reserve the
meeting room at the Lucky Lab if people think that would be a good
venue.

<quote who='Chris Dawson' when='Mon, Mar 27, 2006 at 10:28:58AM -0800'>
> Dennis, do you want to take
> over the helm of the group after Josh has held rank for the last two
> years?

Chris brings up another good point.  I've been leading this group for a
couple of years, and it's probably time I should step down.  I've had a
good time at pdx.pm, but like a politician resigning from the Bush White
House, I need to spend more time with my family.  Er, girlfriend and cat.

Josh


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