Art, Thank you for your criticism. I can appreciate that you felt slighted by the conference and felt it necessary to voice your opinion. I do think that by broadcasting your thoughts while behind the shield of anonymity is quite the coward maneuver.
It takes quite a bit of planning to put together a conference. I currently put on two conferences a year, Phreaknic and Outerz0ne. I also work on the staff of two other conferences, DefCon and Shmoocon. We sit around and talk about what we are trying to accomplish, what we need to improve, and what we need to get rid of. I've spent time on the phone today with many organizers, and other high profile people in the computer hacking scene that were at the conference. Each one of them told me we did an outstanding job. They commented on how even though some of the talks weren't what they wanted to see, or did not meet their expectations, there were other events and plenty of people to talk to. I stayed up until 4AM this morning discussing with Al the events of the weekend, and asking for constructive criticism to help me improve the conference for next year. I respect these people because they have taken the time for do something for the community, and they treat everyone as equally as possible. My personal goal for the conference was that everyone have a good time in one way or another, and if they weren't, to let me know. Had I known you were not impressed, or even marginally satisfied, I would have done whatever was in my power to rectify that. I was pretty easy to find, I'm the 6'4" guy lumbering around smiling and shaking hands with some of the coolest people on the planet. To do what we do, you expose yourself to criticism. Dolemite withstood the jeers and jabs for six solid years. I have to give him props for doing so. This is the first year for me to sit in the saddle for this particular conference. I've served on the staff for many years, having attended 2.0, many years ago. Over the years I have seen people come and go, and lots of friendships form that will last the test of time and distance. I can honestly say that I love these people. As weird, bizzare, and unbelievably intelligent these people are, they are my friends. I identify with them on a level that the rest of the world will never understand. If the time we put into this conference resulted in someone having that spark ignited in them, then EVERY SECOND was worth it. If it helped launch a newbie kid into a world that could help change his life forever, then sitting here watching you spit on our efforts means nothing. If you emailed the coordinators of Phreaknic, then there seems to be a disconnect. I have checked every email account that I have, and I have yet to see your email. If this is your persona online, I am keen to see your email. In fact, I hope that it comes in before I get home, so that I can read it while drinking a glass of wine, or while relaxing on the couch. You bought a service. For that service, you got 3 pieces of swag. It takes alot to figure out what to buy each year, and not repeat something. I don't want us to give out a piece of crap, so I poured over the possibilities. On top of that, you got a program that listed out EVERY event that took place at the conference. I made sure that all events were listed, even if they weren't satisfactory to you. I watched a crowd form for the chair toss, which I hope we do again next year. Maybe it was juvenile, but most people can't walk up to the HR person and fling their desk chair across the office. It was quite fun, and anyone that competed got a kick out of it. So what if it was mindless. The people that acted as volunteers are not highly trained employees. They basically are people that say 'Yes, I will sit at this post for 4 hours and attempt to help you.' My core staff spent hours going over everything, not every volunteer. I don't think you understand that to give you a conference where everyone on staff knows every aspect of the conference would require an entry fee so large you'd choke on it. For $25, look at that piece of paper we gave you and figure it out for yourself. For $10K, I will designate someone to lead you around from place to place and give you a detailed description of what will take place. For $25, use that brain you brought to work with you today and read. You also got access to 240+ other computer people, Dinner on Friday night, 22 different talks/ presentations and six different contests. Phreaknic is NOT a profit center. It's something that we do out of the love for what we do. I could have sat on my couch and vegged, but I got up and spent the weekend making memories that will last forever. Man up. Meet me for a cup of coffee somewhere, and I will personally pull $25 out of my own wallet to reimburse you for your loss. I ask one thing from you in return. Contribute to the community, or go away. If I wanted to hear how I screwed up, I'd ask my ex-wife to rehash our divorce. Actually, I think I'd prefer that more anyhow. So I've thrown the challenge at your feet. Make a difference in the community, or get out of the way of the people that are doing so. If you think you can bring the thunder next year and help organize this con on a $25 entry fee, and give world class talks and high dollar events, then come on. In the meantime, I will be hanging with my friends and laughing. *At this point, I have spoken my peace. I apologize to NLUG, both it's organizers and members, for using this forum for my rant. I choose not to participate in this discussion further, and I appreciate the support that you have given. Thank you all. On Oct 27, 3:40 pm, "Arthur McArthur" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I am not here to flame/troll. I honestly want to know what everyone else > thinks and I have already e-mailed the coordinators of Phreaknic. > > But here is my complaint, I bought a service, a staff member should answer a > question when it's asked. Would it be a Noob question to ask where the > shitter is, since there are fire escape maps on the walls that have > "Bathroom" on them? > > I am just curious as to what everyone else did, did you go to the talks? Did > you just sit around and talk to the people you already know. > > I was looking for a nix/"hacker" community in Nashville to hang out with and > the response I seemed to get from everyone was, " The daytime is when > everyone is napping, the night time is when the party starts" > > Partying is cool, but how about some content before the party starts? > > As far as meeting you on IRC, so you can H4x0R my guest account, I'll pass > buddy. > > Yea this name was joined today, because I knew there would be some pissed off > people and some flamers and I don't need that on my account that I really > joined NLUG on. > > I see a lot of potential on Phreaknic, but with the response I am getting > now, it seems that most people that attend are happy with the way it is. > > = > Need Monster Cable? > Huge Selection at Great Prices. Whether you are looking for Instrument Cable, > Studio Cable, Speaker Cable or Hi-Fi Cable - We have it. Secure Servers - > Free > Shipping.http://a8-asy.a8ww.net/a8-ads/adftrclick?redirectid=2270d3d5f84b426b7... > > -- > Powered by Outblaze --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "NLUG" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nlug-talk?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
