SPUG: LAST CALL for Linuxfest NW 2004! INDIVIDUAL LIST DISTRIBUTION

[Ken Meyer]

I see that just about every mail list intercepts messages sent to some
nominal number of addresses.  Since I am not sure how attentive all list
moderators are, and time is short, and I am on my way north, I am resending
this to individual lists.  Sorry for the replication.  It includes the
separate addendum.

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For those who may have just ended a Rip Van Winkle gig, the FABULOUS, if not
absolutely MAHVELUS, Linuxfest 2004 will be going on from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM
tomorrow, Saturday, April 17th, 2004, at Bellingham Technical College in --
surprise -- beautiful Bellingham, with a potential post-event party
sponsored by the industrial-strength hosting operation Fibercloud.  See:

	http://www.linuxnorthwest.org

Check out the post-event party sign-up on the site (scroll down the home
page for the link).  Note that there may be a head-count limit in effect.

I should mention the potential loot:

Fibercloud is giving away some super (and expensive) co-lo service; see the
after-event sign-up site for info.

The Pogo People will be giving away an Athlon-64 computer!  I understand it
will be via their own "fish-bowl" at their exhibitor's table.

The fest typically has a great raffle of their own, with many really drooly
items contributed.  This is the main source of Fest income to cover their
expenses, such as the very professional posters, security services, etc.
Contribute and ye shall be rewarded.

Check it out.

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If you want to print yourself a schedule to handicap, be sure to set your
printer driver to LANDSCAPE:

	http://lfnw.blug.org/fest2004/schedule.dxp

The most frustrating thing about the Fest is that you need 3 clones to
attend all of the simultaneous sessions that interest you in that six-ring
circus; and it may be worse this year, since the specter of Fire Marshall
displeasure is causing room capacity to be limited and enforced by volunteer
nose-counters (leaving yours at home is unlikely to get you a free pass).
Note that the TOTAL capacity of all 6 presentation rooms on the schedule is
326, whereas last year, the estimates of attendance ranged from 700 to over
1000.  Hmmm!

While you are at the site, join the mail list for post-mortem and early 2005
planning action:

	http://www.linuxnorthwest.org/general-info.php?id=mailinglist

Be a part of the community.  I've met a great group of new folks
face-to-face just distributing posters, and all of this is not accomplished
by magic!

As for getting there, the sign-up for the Pogo Linux bus is still at:

	http://www.pogolinux.com/info/lfnw2004_signup.html

Official cut-off for sign-up was on Tuesday, but I have been assured that
they will welcome walk-ons up to the capacity of the two busses they have
chartered (~94 seats).  The Pogo People seemed to think that room would be
available, particularly considering the substantial number of "no-shows" at
last year's event -- but caveat emptor, this is not guaranteed at this late
date.  Get there early to fill you face with donuts; ain't Pogo nice to us?

The busses should be parked in the southeast parking lot at North Seattle
Community College (if not, cruise around the periphery of the campus).
Because our GSLUG meetings are held on the campus and we pay for the room,
we have been granted the privilege of parking there without charge.  For a
map and directions to North, see:

	http://www.northseattle.edu/maps/?tab=home

The nearest entrance to the busses should be at the South end of the campus,
on N. 92nd Street, at the intersection with Corliss Ave (N-S street), just
west of the overpass over I-5.

	http://www.northseattle.edu/maps/directions.htm

Now, if you are planning (or forced) to drive to the North, the drive can be
done in 1:20, if you hustle, and if there is no Tulip Festival log-jam.
1:40 will create less stomach acid and rear-view mirror-checking neck
strain.

I strongly urge you to copy the map to the Fest site from the web:

	http://www.linuxnorthwest.com/map.php

as BTC, at 3028 Lindbergh Ave., is buried in a residential area that
consists of a number of un-grid-like streets.  You will avoid a lot of grief
by having paper in hand.

Finally, a contributor to the Seattle Java Users' Group has given directions
to circumvent Tulip fever potentially clogging I-5 (pray for rain?).  Use at
your own risk:

----------------

I won't be at the event tomorrow, but I do live in Mount Vernon and
thought I'd suggest a route around the tulip traffic for those of you
heading to Bellingham from Seattle.

>From I-5 North take the Anderson Rd. exit #225.

Turn Right at the end of the off-ramp.

Turn Left on the next road.  You'll now be traveling north parallel to
I-5.

Right on Blackburn Rd.  You'll be going up a steep hill.

Follow Blackburn Rd. out of town.  You'll come to a corner where your
choices are to go straight or to the right.

Go to the right, uphill around the curve.

This is now Little Mountain Road.  Stay on this road for about 5 miles
as it winds out through the hills.

Left at the first stop sign you come to.  You'll be going down a steep
hill and this is still Little Mountain Road.

At the bottom of the hill you'll take a left at the stop sign.
The next road you come to is Highway 9.

Take a left (north) on Highway 9.

A couple miles up the road you'll come to an intersection with Big Rock
Grocery on your right. You'll want to take a left here (turning off
Highway 9 since it goes to the right).  This will take you back into
Mount Vernon, headed west, on College Way.

When you get to Riverside Dr. you'll want turn right and go north
across the Skagit River into Burlington.

Continue all the way through Burlington, going past the signs for I-5
and HWY 20.

You'll see another onramp for I-5 and this should put you north of the
tulip traffic.

Alternately, if you know the area, you could take a right at Big Rock
Grocery and follow HWY 9 all the way up to Sedro-Woolley and then take
Cook Rd to the west to I-5.

Sounds more complicated than it is, but this should save you some time.

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Hope to see and meet many of you there.  I'll have a video camera on my
shoulder at least part of the time.

To those of you unable to make it to this fine event, apologies for the long
mail message.  Also, to those of you enthusiasts who got 4 or more copies of
this message, sorry again.

Ken Meyer
KD7ZME
kmeyer at blarg.net