ToorCon

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: ToorCon

well, i'm a definite attendee. booked a flight today (airfare was actually pretty reasonable since i did thursday-sunday as opposed to friday-sunday, which would have made it almost $200 more)

now all that remains is accommodations. i'll be looking into the Marriott option. how come all web sites for hotels suck ass? i don't care about bullshit 360 degree java-enabled views... i just would love a floorplan blueprint that shows what the different rooms are like. i'm considering a suite if get enough people together, but i can't get any decent details on what sizes they are, how many rooms they have, etc.

[Schuyler]

Re: ToorCon

Man, how do you all do it? I'm doing DEFCON & Dutch Open this year and had to really scramble to come up with 2 more days to go to another event.

Next year with HOPE/DEFCON/Holland all mandatory attendance (as far as I'm concerned) I don't know how I'm going to do Christmas.

I think at my next review I'm going to ask for more days off instead of more money...

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: ToorCon

Man, how do you all do it? I'm doing DEFCON & Dutch Open this year and had to really scramble to come up with 2 more days to go to another event.

Next year with HOPE/DEFCON/Holland all mandatory attendance (as far as I'm concerned) I don't know how I'm going to do Christmas.

I think at my next review I'm going to ask for more days off instead of more money...

heh, if you mean how do i do it financially, then the answer is a mix of living very modestly (my only hobbies are techy stuff... where i manage to spend very little money by working with rather old hardware, and restoration of antique bits of machinery... where i also manage to spend very little money by acquiring things that no one else wants like my old Jeep and old trailer which were a couple hundred dollar craigslist finds) and having a consulting job that is uber-flexible when it comes to the hours i work and the hours i bill.

if you mean how do i do it with respect to energy, etc (because, let's face it, i'm not the most in-shape cat) i can only give an answer that sounds like tawdry, sentimental drivel... simply put, this community has a sort of self-sustaining energy. whenever i am among the friends i have here or working on projects related to what we do, i just don't get tired. i stay up for days (which is very uncharacteristic of me... i love to sleep) and just hammer out all sorts of weird shit.

i suspect that a lot of folk here may feel the same way... hacker energy can accomplish almost anything if a cool idea comes along, the other 300 or so days of the year one can live a simple life and be happy.

[HighWiz]

Re: ToorCon

Man, how do you all do it? I'm doing DEFCON & Dutch Open this year and had to really scramble to come up with 2 more days to go to another event.

Next year with HOPE/DEFCON/Holland all mandatory attendance (as far as I'm concerned) I don't know how I'm going to do Christmas.

I think at my next review I'm going to ask for more days off instead of more money...

Oh that's easy... Just don't goto HOPE, it's not like you'll miss anything important.

[Schuyler]

Re: ToorCon

Oh that's easy... Just don't goto HOPE, it's not like you'll miss anything important.

If Barry Wels is in town, I'm going to be wherever he is at. Last year's HOPE is where I learned to pick.

[octalpus]

Re: ToorCon

Man, how do you all do it? I'm doing DEFCON & Dutch Open this year and had to really scramble to come up with 2 more days to go to another event.

Next year with HOPE/DEFCON/Holland all mandatory attendance (as far as I'm concerned) I don't know how I'm going to do Christmas.

I think at my next review I'm going to ask for more days off instead of more money...

Perhaps you should just get a job where it's relevant training, instead. Getting paid to go to cons (and being able to expense it all) > *

Sometimes it's nice being all grown up. :-)

[EricM]

Re: ToorCon

::sigh:: This year I don't know how many people asked me to bump into them at Toorcon, including the ninja networks hostess with the mostess, octal. Oh and we were glad to do what we could with the furniture, no need for thanks all in a days work. ;)

But the fact of the matter is I'm "sans" job since I got back from Defcon (a wonderful surprise everyone should at least experience once in their life, j/k), till a minimum of a opening somewhere in November, or anything else that opens up before then, so it looks like the only thing I can make it to is HITB in Malaysia, and looks like the Dutch open, when the first few checks come in. Gah you west coasters are bugging me with your ska, surf, and SoCal. Maybe next year, when the festivus fairy grants me my wish of a research position that expenses conferences and other toys. ::closes eyes and wishes really hard:: I'll be able to make it out to CCC, Toorcon, and the others I kept getting hit about missing.


-Ericm

P.S. Till we all meet again, party on and drink one on me.

[ck3k]

Re: ToorCon

Is the admission handled like shmoo with a pre purchase, or is it handled like defcon with the at the door admission?

It sounds like fun, I am going to ask for the days off here in a few.

[cereal76]

Re: ToorCon

Is the admission handled like shmoo with a pre purchase, or is it handled like defcon with the at the door admission?

It sounds like fun, I am going to ask for the days off here in a few.

They have a pre-reg, you can pay with paypal. IIRC, the pricing starts off pretty low, and then increases until pre-reg finally closes and you have to pay at the door.

[DJ Jackalope]

Re: ToorCon

Toorcoon ATM for me:
Its $350 roundtrip for me + food +hotel, etc.
Not sure if I can swing it,
I'll see what I can do.

[Z^2]

Re: ToorCon

Registration is open - not quite sure how long it has been so, but here's the page anyway: http://www.toorcon.org/2007/registration.php

(What is that "Referral ID#:" thing?)

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: ToorCon

so here's a few updates for the ToorCon-minded folk here...

i booked my flight a while back, doing the Thurs-Sun hop that's so common among weekend con events. Thought about staying 'til monday but i wanna try to be back at work that morning. Flights get very expensive inside of a month time window... so consider booking soon if you haven't.

As for rooms, ToorCon organziers said something to me about negotiating rates with certain hotels but i haven't heard details there yet. instead, i went with the Marriott Marina since it's right next door and a very smart place inside.

if this hotel interests you, too, consider asking them if they have any packages of their own when you book. i didn't do a con rate, but found a great bargain anyway considering how spendy San Diego can be in that area. with the "getaway" package, my friends and i (we're splitting the room like four or five ways) are able to guarantee a bay view room with a balcony and even have free parking thrown into the bargain... all for just under $300 per night. (not bad when you consider that works out to be about $250 per person for the whole accommodation if we layer people in there just a little bit tightly) that even includes some morning meals... so we'll plan on sending our klepto friends to the breakfast area with large backpacks and tupperwear so we can maybe all eat for free.

where are other people thinking of staying?

[DJ Jackalope]

Re: ToorCon

Which hotels are everyone booked at so far?

I still do not even know if i have the days off to go now...that's a far worse jump than earlier when it was "can't afford to go", now its "don't know if i have days off..."

[Gadsden]

Re: ToorCon

Looks like I am out for Toorcon this year... Starting a new job on Monday and will be balls-to-the-wall with it. Hope everyone has a great time!

[Voltage Spike]

Re: ToorCon

Which hotels are everyone booked at so far?

I still haven't booked anything (I know, I know!), but I wanted to point out that AlxRogan was kind enough to split off a thread for room discussions. Not that there's been much activity so far...