Alright...

This mail is a bit on the large side, but if you are planning on going,
reading all of it is recommended ;)

First things first: If you have not yet "signed up" on the wiki and there is
even a slight possibility of you attending, please edit the wiki page
accordingly. People who have expressed interest in this discussion and have
not added themselves to the wiki include KKurbjun and jhMikeS (not sure if
you were expressing interest or not).

It seems that the date will most likely be during the weekend including June
30th. If anyone has anything against this date, let them speak now or
forever hold their peace.

This past week, I have done a bunch of research into the location. As per
the comment about Chicago as a possible location on the wiki page, this
location is likely out. This leaves SLC, UT and Las Vegas, NV as our
possible locations. Here is some info about each:

SLC:
More expensive travel
A bit worse intercity transportation (but still very good)
Cheaper lodging
Cheaper meeting area
More restrictive times on the meeting area
Fewer things to do on hacking down-time

There are 2 possible locations to have the "get-togethers" at. These
include a room at the City Library and a room at a library at University of
Utah (UofU). The City Library is in the middle of downtown and is a very
nice, new building. The "tram" for downtown has a stop right in front of
the place and has free transportation to the main places of downtown. There
is plenty to eat and do around the place. To rent the room would be free
(big plus!), however the times are limited to Fri.-Sat. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday
1-5 p.m. (not so much of a plus). Internet connection would be free,
unfiltered, and ports are locked down to 80 (although, I might be able to do
something about this).

The UofU is not far from downtown and the "tram" provides transportation to
downtown. The rooms there are a bit better and include a projector, but are
$75 a day. I have not inquired about the internet connection there. This
place is also limited on times, but has a bit longer period.

Afterwards, there are plenty of places to go, and one of those could include
my house if I can secure a local friend's help which could be a decent
hacking venue, however it is a bit away from downtown. Also, I could fit a
few people at my place that would not be able to afford a hotel. Local
friends would be interested in attending as well.

Vegas:
Cheaper travel
A bit better intercity transportation (but not by much)
A bit more expensive lodging (depends on the location)
More expensive meeting area
Meeting area could be accessed anytime
Many more things to do on hacking down-time

Honestly, I am leaning towards this location just for the fact that we would
be able to be at the meeting area however long and whatever times we want.
I have arrived at the conclusion that for our purposes, we would be best off
having the meeting area be a suite or larger than average room at a hotel.
After a few hours of calling various locations and screening for various
factors, I have arrived at 2 hotels that would be a good location. These
include Palace Station and the Sahara. Palace Station has a smaller area,
but is cheaper. The Sahara has a bigger, nicer area and is more expensive,
but not overly so. Both have wired "high-speed" connections that are either
free or cost $12.99 a day (not too bad considering we *likely* would be able
to attach a switch and get all of us on there...I would make sure before the
event). All other locations that I looked at were rejected for wireless
internet access, no internet access, or price. Vegas typically allows for a
max of 4 people per room, and during conferences, I like to make full use of
this to make rooms cheaper. Keep in mind that you are free to stay wherever
you wish and are not limited to whichever hotel we end up choosing if we
decide to go to Vegas. Feel free to make other suggestions and do your own
research for places as well.

Well, that about wraps this mail up (it is long enough!). Now voice your
opinions/preferences/ideas!
Received on 2007-04-24