TPC anyone?

Paul Blair masque at mindless.com
Fri Jun 30 23:15:58 CDT 2000


From: Daniel Chetlin <daniel at chetlin.com>
To: pdx-pm-list at pm.org <pdx-pm-list at pm.org>
Date: Friday, June 30, 2000 1:00 PM
Subject: TPC anyone?


>After enjoying myself immensely at YAPC, I've decided that I have to go to
>TPC. Since the conference fee itself is so high (major drawback of being a
>consultant: no employer to pay your entry fee) I'm looking for ways to cut
>costs in airfare and hotel stay.
>
>In that vein, three questions:
>
>a) Has anyone found a particularly cheap flight to Monterey? The United
>meeting line gave me a $186 quote (out of PDX, of course, and stopping in
SF
>both ways). Can we do better?


I think I'm paying $146.  Stopping in SF is pretty much the only way to go,
unless
you want to drive.  I suggest carpooling.  Flights to San Jose aren't bad,
and neither
is the drive.  I did this last year.

>c) Any other thoughts on shaving dollars?


Well, I didn't say this, but just don't go to the conference.  :]  Hang out
with
the perlers in the halls.  You'll learn quite a bit and have a good time.

>One possibility for me would be skipping the tutorials, which I didn't find
>nearly as useful as the other sessions at YAPC. For those of you who've
been
>to TPC before, how elementary do the tutorials tend to be? If the highest
>level course is MJD's Wizards talk (which I saw and found enjoyable but
>unessential at YAPC), then I can probably safely skip it. Although ... I
could
>always use the Linux/Apache stuff instead. Argh.


RANDAL'S TUTORIALS ARE REQUIRED.

(You can slip me that fiver later, merlyn.)

The tutorials are indeed expensive.  I went to Advanced Perl I and II last
year,
and while they were good learning, I can't see paying my own money for them.
MJD's Tricks Of The Wizards talk was priceless, but you've already been to
that.
The threading course, again, decent...but I have a hard time feeding two
kids
and a wife and buying toys AND paying $395 per class.  :]  To reiterate, TPC
can be a somewhat inexpensive experience, it's up to you.

Oh, this should help, however.  Our friends at O'Reilly sent along this
tidbit:

"The Early Bird discount for the O'Reilly Open Source Convention and
Perl Conference 4.0 officially ended as of June 19th.  As a special
promo offer to UGs, O'Reilly will continue extending the Early Bird
Pricing to O'Reilly UG members only.

"This savings applies to both the Tutorials and Conference Sessions.
Conference Sessions price--$795 ($895 regular price).  Tutorial pricing
depends on number taken-- learn more, save more.

"To receive this discount - use the special promotion code: 1010.  There
is a field on the registration form that will ask for this code."

So, as that pdx.pm is an "O'Reilly UG" (say it with me:  UG!) we qualify for
this discount.  That could help things.

Paul.

TIMTOWTDI



More information about the Pdx-pm-list mailing list