future Schedule considerations Re: Ubuntu MASSACHUSETTS InstallFest

[Bill Ricker]

I had told DoctorMO previously off list (before he talked me onto
list) and others on #u-m tonight that I thought that Oct 13th was a
bad date.  At Leftyfb's suggestion, I'm summarizing my thoughts here.

There are only a few good dates spring and fall, and EVERYONE has to
use the same ones, so carrying on with the date chosen based on
readiness is good enough to continue with, especially given the
short-term requirements for certification..Any date is better than no
date, and sooner is better than later, given enough time to prepare.
So Don't let this change CURRENT plans.

HOWEVER ... for the future, please understand why Oct 13th 2007 the
wrong event or wrong day for optimal outreach, so we can schedule 2008
carefully.

   I also support rotating out installfests to the countryside, and
will be willing to travel and provide transport to support that. BLU
supports Boston/Cambridge reasonably well [modulo below comments]. If
Ubuntu-Mass covered the rest of Mass, that would be a greater
improvement than merely increasing saturation in MIT E51.

Any BLU or Ubuntu-Mass installfests in Cambridge or elsewhere should
still be scheduled with understanding of what else is going on.

Oct 8 is Columbus Day Observed, the Monday before Oct 12th. Any other
year, Second Monday would be "this" weekend, and 3 day weekends empty
the city. Oct 13 is Good this year this way.

Oct 12-14 is Charles River Regatta (rowing).

Regatta is a lousy time to bring a non-rower from out of town into
Cambridge!  The river roads will be cramped or shut down, both sides,
making access to/from MIT from Brighton Turnpike Tolls or Cambridge
MicroCenter hard.
   This isn't so  bad for Turnpike users, though.
   For easy-off/easy-on MIT parking at E51, East bound traffic for E51
should always ignore Alston/Brighton/Cambridge exit except M-F rush
hour. The rest of the time, if traffic is moving, it's far better to
continue I-90 E to the 3-way split, taking middle way for I-93N into
the main Big Dig tunnel, to Storrow Drive exit, on which bear right
for Storrow ramp choice; once on Storrow, stay left for Kendall Sq /
Cambridge ramp, over Longfellow bridge N, then immediately jug-handle
onto Memorial.Drive W ( Rt3 N) looping under bridge, merge into Mem
Dr, and immediately turn right at E51 and swing around  back into
elevated off-street parking lot. It's easier than it sounds.
[For rest of MIT east campus, ignore jug-handle and go straight into
Kendall Sq; for MIT west, stay straight on Mem Drive. Similar can be
used for those coming in from I-93N/S.]
 http://whereis.mit.edu/map-jpg?selection=E51;selectlayer=Buildings;selectfield=facility;zoom=level4;centerx=712152;centery=496026


Oct 12-13 is NEARfest. (Fri-Sat, open all night. Also occurs in Early
May, semi-annually)

GNH-LUG (Maddog and crew) will be proselytizing at Deerfield, where
all serious junk hounds from New England and many farther states &
provinces will be buying obsolete boxes needing a Windows-ectomy and
useful parts too. The point isn't that GNHLUG is there, the point is
why they're there – our potential users will be there in droves.
http://www.near-fest.com is  the new Hoss Traders, the major
electronics swapfest for the entire northeast, which is OVERNIGHT Fri
- Sat  Oct 12-13 this year and likewise early May. Closes at 1pm
Saturday. Best deals at either 3:05 Friday or 12:45 Saturday (and some
of use would have to take vacation to get there 3pm Friday :-() While
the swapmeet is supposedly ham radio, it took on much more computer
flavor in recent years (as has MIT swap), and GNH-LUG has had good
success there distributing live/install CDs.  Since it's officially an
All-New England event, flyering for future Ubuntu-Mass installfest
would be in good taste; your prime demographic, folks with boxes
needing Linux, but not already having a support network, are buying
there..
  Heck, MA and RI/CT folks willing to abandon their doorprize tickets
(most computer buyers are willing, as prizes are radios) could leave
early and bring their new purchases to the 10/13 MIT installfest if
they but knew.
  I could take some flyers up to put on the GNHLUG table.

The Deerfield Fairgrounds is located on Route 43 approximately 15
miles NE of Manchester NH. Take Exit 3 off Highway 101 East and follow
Highway 43 north to the fairgrounds. GPS coordinates: N42˚ 5' 57.4"
W71˚ 14' 33.5" (Lat 43.099286 Lon -71.242663), 90 minutes away from
MIT.

I've mentioned casually to a few of the BLU leaders that their timing
is pessimal: holding an installfest at MIT the week or day **before**
the MIT Swapfest is just WRONG. Were it the week AFTER, they could
hand out flyers to people buying older computers.  Were it the SAME
day, buyers could take the used computer home with Linux on it
already.
   If  U-MA sticks to Saturday, when installfesting in Cambridge, we
should be the week AFTER MIT swap if there is one (e.g., Saturday
after the 3rd Sunday, April to October).
   If a Sunday is  possible for this group ... doing an installfest in
cooperation with MIT Flea, maybe in an MIT bldg closer to the flea
than the wonderful E51, would let people from installfest run out to
get USED cards and folks from swapfest come in to spontaneously
Ubuntu-ize their new purchases. There's a path across the RR tracks
between garage N4 and it's parking lot ( both selling space) and the
restrooms in 34/36/38 http://web.mit.edu/w1mx/www/swapfest-map.html .
Free Buyer parking in green lot opposite. 3rd Sunday, April to
October.
   Come check it out Sept 16 !  [And then imagine 6x booths in 20x the
space with campers and tents ... that's NEARfest.]
   I can interface with the MIT group that has runs the swapfest if
there is interest in this, probably for 2008 as it's too late to
adjust for this year's Oct 21 last date.
   I could also provide my copier-repair gurney to pre-positoin at the
RR crossing with flyer offering to ferry new-bought computers to the
Linux installfest and back to curb for pickup.

Summary - We don't want people to have to choose between getting a
sweet deal on another computer and a sweet deal on an OS (which they
can often get at the show too). Bad competition for our new event, but
could be leveraged off of instead.

   http://web.mit.edu/w1gsl/Public/ne-fleas has the master calendar of
electronic junk sales covering all of the northeast, including those
in NH/VT/CT/NY serving western Mass's junk needs between NEARfests.


-- 
Bill
n1vux at arrl.net bill.n1vux at gmail.com