SPUG: YAPC:Euro; good fares from SEA?

[Tim Maher/CONSULTIX]

SPUGsters,

Now that my tutorial proposal has been accepted, I suddenly find myself
in need of a flight to Amsterdam to attend YAPC::Europe, 8/2-4.  Does
anybody have advice on economical flights to Amsterdam, or clever ploys to
fly to a cheaper nearby city instead (Brussels, London, etc.)?  By surfing
various web-sites, I've found a non-stop SEA-AMS flight on NorthWest for
$1,067, and connecting flights from the high $800s to the low $900s on
other airlines. Anything better out there?

-Tim
P.S. The title of my half-day tutorial is "Minimal Perl for the Impatient",
which shows how to write "AWKish" programs (using a Pattern/Action model of
selecting data lines for munging) using Perl.  I'll also probably be
running a public one-day hands-on class of the same name in Kirkland in
mid-August, in case anybody's interested.  The schedule and pricing will
appear on the Consultix web-site once it's finalized.

I've attached a description of the tutorial.
 
*==========================================================================*
|  Dr. Tim Maher, CEO, Consultix        (206) 781-UNIX/8649;  ask for FAX# |
|  Email: tim at consultix-inc.com         Web: http://www.consultix-inc.com  |
|  TIM MAHER: Unix/Perl   DAMIAN CONWAY: Adv. Perl   COLIN MEYER: Perl/DBI |
|  *We are currently scheduling On-Site Classes on UNIX and Perl topics!*  |
*==========================================================================*
-------------- next part --------------

                TITLE: Minimal Perl for the Impatient
                           Length: 3 hours

                        SPEAKER: Dr. Tim Maher
                        tim at consultix-inc.com

                       Head Software Instructor
                CONSULTIX, POB 70563, Seattle WA 98107
                     http://www.consultix-inc.com
                         (206) 781-UNIX/8649


Target Audience

Anyone who doesn't already know Perl, needs to do simple data
processing, and has a logical mindset can benefit from attending.

This tutorial is particularly well suited to individuals of the
following types:

   o Non-Programmers (poets, managers, etc.)  who want to do simple
     data processing tasks, but without learning too much or thinking
     too hard, and

   o Programmers who already know a language or two, and want to learn
     just enough Perl to gain access to some of its special
     capabilities.

Prerequisites

Prior experience with programming is helpful, but anyone with a
logical mindset can benefit from attending.


Course Philosophy

Perl is a wonderful language, that offers programmers a rich feature
set, huge stylistic and syntactic liberties, and many ways to
accomplish the same thing.  But for the impatient beginner, these
characteristics can translate into "too many complications, too much
uncertainty, and too many choices."  Although Perl's motto is "There's
More Than One Way to Do It", this tutorial will teach students only
one way -- the "Easiest Way"!


What Attendees Will Learn

Students will learn a carefully selected minimal subset of Perl that
gives immediate access to some of its powerful capabilities, and
serves as a solid foundation for additional learning.  The tutorial's
approach is based on the "Pattern/Action" model of programming, as
featured in the influential AWK language.

Upon completion of the tutorial, students will have the necessary
skills to convert files, validate data, generate simple reports, and
perform numerical calculations in Perl.


Author & Instructor
          (additional biographical details attached at end)

During the last two decades, Dr. Tim Maher has taught programming to
thousands of high-tech professionals.  As a Professor of Computer
Science, and later as a Software Instructor for AT&T, Sun, DEC, HP,
and CONSULTIX, Dr. Maher has consistently earned acclaim for his
highly effective and entertaining style of course development and
presentation.