Wed. Jan. 9: BAD social get-together, Berkeley

[tluxt]

--- Rick Moen <rick@linuxmafia.com> wrote:
> I note the post by tluxt (tluxt@yahoo.com), and offer these comments:
> 
> - It cover a rather diverse list of topics.
> - It asks for further discussion, to ratify (among other things) a 
>   proposal for a meeting in six days' time.
> - Increasing, by the way, the number of meeting proposals to three.
> - It doesn't offer a meeting as a complete package (details worked
>   out and presented).
> - It introduces further complication to an already muddled discussion.
> - It hinges on volunteer participation by people who haven't offered
>   (Ben Pfaff, other unnamed speakers).
> 
> I hope that doesn't come across as harsh:  It's just that I have a
> theory that things happen in volunteer groups when make life simple
> and enjoyable for _those who do the work_.

Your points are all valid.  I was, furthermore, aware of your excellent suggestions
for good methods for running a LUG before I made my post.

I acknowledge the work you and others have done here on this list recently to try
to arrange a meeting.  As usual, your work is of excellent quality.  Furthermore,
since my recent minor efforts to help arrange some local events, I am in increasing
awe of your efforts on arranging meetings, hosting meetings, working at
installfests, answering users questions on mailing lists, and doing BALE.  --  For
me those would be a full time job!  :)

I know my efforts are little compared to yours.  But, it _was_ I who "did the
(practically insignificant) work" of introducing the topic at our last meeting of
where should the Jan meeting be held.  You did miss out on the discussion near the
end of the meeting where I had suggested the possibility of trying a permanent SiV
location for a while, in order to increase meeting attendance, and the resultant
benefits thereof.  It was also I who "did the (minor) work" of quereying the SVLUG
attendees (probably _the_ best target audience for recruiting additional BAD
attendees) as to their interest in BAD and preference for meeting location.  (It
was also I who "did the (minor) work" of suggesting and verifying that the Berkeley
location of the Au Coquelet(sp?) cafe would be available during the time frame for
BAD meetings.)

One _essence_ of my proposal _is_ to "make life simple" (a fixed meeting location
is _much_ simpler, for attendees as well as organizers) for the purpose of creating
the benefits of more info interchange due to larger meeting attendance.

So, although my suggestion here _does_ introduce more entropy into the discussion
and decision process for _this_ meeting (due to my changing my suggestion of where
to hold the meeting in the first place), it _does_ reduce entropy drastically
overall, starting almost immediately, and continuing to do so for the indefinite
future.

That is a definite _substantial_ long term gain that I feel strongly is the best
plan to persue.

Your LUG operational guidelines are excellent.  :)  I think my suggestion here for
the move to a (temporarily, perhaps long term) fixed SiV location fit the spirit of
your guidelines very well:  substantial long term benefit/gain/return by reducing
the entropy of meeting location planning, and further gain of increased attendance
by locating it in my best guess at the location likely to produce maximum
attendance.

So, I hereby request that you evaluate the strength of what I have said, and see if
you can conclude that my current suggestion is indeed the best plan for the current
and future benefit of the Debian community.  And, that if you so agree, and that if
it is not substantially more difficult for you to attend at Carl's Jr than at
Berkeley next week (I assure you - it is a minor more inconvenience for _me_ to go
to SiV than to Berkeley), that you withdraw your current _personal_ support for the
Berkeley meeting location, and endorse the SiV location for January.  This, I
believe, would be best for the Debian community in total.

Other notes:
Ben Pfaff has indicated to me that he can put together a talk for this meeting: he
has several possibilities.  [Ben: please send to this list the msg you sent to me,
so that the list can provide input on which of your suggestions it would like to
hear.  :) ]


OK, I could say more, but I've got to get on to many other things.

Rick:  I think the best thing for the Debian community would be for you to upgrade
your legacy Jan BAD preference, and post notice of your preference upgrade to the
list here.  :)  I hereby respectfully request that you do so.

Thanks.  :)

(Perhaps you could even "do the work" of changing the below to what will be
appropriate for the Carl's Jr location.  Or, if you're too busy to do so, I can try
to do that in the next few days.)


> OK.  Enough.  Here:
> 
> 
> January BAD Meeting
> WHERE:  Cafe Au Coquelet, 2000 University Ave. at Milvia, two blocks west
>         (downhill) of Shattuck, downtown Berkeley.
> WHEN:  Wed. Jan. 9, 7:30 PM
> GETTING THERE:  
> ...
> Map:  http://linuxmafia.com/bale/map-aucoquelet.jpeg
> 
> DESCRIPTION:  We'll be in the back room, where there's always plenty of 
> ...
> 
> If Mike Markley puts that on http://bad.debian.net/ , it's official.  If
> not, it's not.


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