6 ms·

Annoucing "The Art Of The Con" And Retiring From Tech Conferences

55 points by oracuk 13y ago

losethos 13y ago
Umm... Good, I guess. God says... this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds: 43:12 And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight: 43:13 Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man: 43:14 And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved. 43:15 And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. 43:16 And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house, Bring these men home, and slay, and make ready; for these men shall dine with me at noon. ---- eh? Wazz-up Mr. God? :-) God says... concupiscences rejoiced MS org/gutenberg/etext02 blameworthy eminence resistance distempered weaknesses Epistles cupidity striking right-doing suspense the babes contend marketplace spider Seven ---- Oh, no! Booth babes? God says... 78:47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost. 78:48 He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts. 78:49 He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them. 78:50 He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence; 78:51 And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham: 78:52 But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. ---- Fans might be pests. I've never had that problem.
chris_wot 13y ago
Who is Steve Holden, and what did he do? Also, what is BubbleConf, and why haven't the disinvited Zed Shaw? Curious.
- samuli 13y ago
  FWIW, I head Steve talking for the first time in DjangoCon.eu and it was total waste of time, a short piece in how we all should love one another. Zed had actually content and delivered it interestingly.
- JimmyL 13y ago
  From the djangocon.eu bio page: Steve Holden is known throughout the Python and Django worlds as a stimulating speaker with a broad knowledge of computing generally and Python in particular. Steve has been on the board of the Python Software Foundation since 2004, and served four years as the Foundation's chairman. His latest venture, The Open Bastion, produces technical events and conferences including DjangoCon US, ApacheCon US, Cloudstack Collaboration Conference and ApacheCon NA. In short, a prominent/instututional Python guy who organized the last few djangocon.us conferences, and who's recently branched out into event management specializing in tech conferences. As for what went down at djangocon.eu, no idea...
iuguy 13y ago
Maybe it's different for security conferences (although I doubt it) but we have a simple rule at 44Con[1]: Don't be a dick. It's a very simple rule and it applies to everyone. If you're a dick, you're asked to stop being a dick. If you continue being a dick, you're warned you'll be asked to leave and if you carry on you will be, possibly assisted by the venue security if you don't take it seriously. Adrian and I really don't need the hassle, running 44Con is a whole year's effort to organise and plan for a 2 day event. If we hear of speakers being dick we'd probably cut them a little leeway for minor dickness but if what Zed asserts is correct we'd treat them the same as anyone else in that sort of situation. And I say this as someone that has no doubt been a dick and done stupid things at conferences. We don't need cards or tons of specific house rules, we just need the basics enforced better to make the event better for everyone. [1] - http://www.44con.com/ http://www.44con.com/
- EliRivers 13y ago
  Everyone has a different interpretation of what it is "to be a dick"; whilst a nice sentiment, it's like a politician using the phrase "hard-working family" or "common good", and other such glittering generalities[1]. Everyone hears the same words but interprets them according to their own personal values. As such, can you give concrete examples (actual, not hypothetical) of "dickish" behaviour that has been dealt with in this way? [1]. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glittering_generality http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glittering_generality
  - iuguy 13y ago
    Without naming names or dropping people in it, things we've dealt with under the dickishness category: * Comments of an inappropriate sexual nature about people at the conference - warning * Getting stupidly hammered and talking about things that you most certainly shouldn't to people you really shouldn't talk about it with - PNG'd * Getting stupidly hammered, getting rowdy and threatening to hit people - PNG'd * Bringing a huge entourage without telling us - Speaker PNG'd * Sending a recruiter in to put cards on every seat when they have no association with the conference - PNG'd the whole company except people we know are coming as them, not representing the company * Offering to run a party, then stringing us along and lying to us about what you're going to do, then pulling out at the last minute and getting caught lying about the reasons why - PNG'd * Bumping into someone, then acting dickishly towards the person they bumped into when the person being bumped into says excuse me - Warning Bear in mind that the definition of being a dick is down to the organisers and crew and may change at any point in time. If you don't like it, it might not be the conference for you. The big problem I have is that people tend not to tell us stuff at the time so often we only find out months after the event. I am (and all of the crew are) more than happy to sort anything out that needs our intervention, so if you've come to a 44Con and see someone being a dick, please tell the crew and ask them to sort it out. Just realised, for those that don't know, PNG meant Persona Non Grata - i.e. banned from attending in future or having any association with the event.
static_typed 13y ago
So, nowadays if a tech community puts together an event, they had better call it a gathering, a tech meet, maybe coffee code & cookies, basically anything but conference. Because once you have a conference you have to deal with feminist dogmatic gynosaurs, ducks, bloggers, community backlash, mainstream print filling their idle pages with judgement on your efforts, and basically a regret for even thinking of doing something good in the first place.

55 points by oracuk 13y ago

Umm... Good, I guess. God says... this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds: 43:12 And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight: 43:13 Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man: 43:14 And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved. 43:15 And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. 43:16 And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house, Bring these men home, and slay, and make ready; for these men shall dine with me at noon. ---- eh? Wazz-up Mr. God? :-) God says... concupiscences rejoiced MS org/gutenberg/etext02 blameworthy eminence resistance distempered weaknesses Epistles cupidity striking right-doing suspense the babes contend marketplace spider Seven ---- Oh, no! Booth babes? God says... 78:47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost. 78:48 He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts. 78:49 He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them. 78:50 He made a way to his anger; he spared not their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence; 78:51 And smote all the firstborn in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham: 78:52 But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. ---- Fans might be pests. I've never had that problem.

chris_wot 13y ago

Who is Steve Holden, and what did he do? Also, what is BubbleConf, and why haven't the disinvited Zed Shaw? Curious.

samuli 13y ago
FWIW, I head Steve talking for the first time in DjangoCon.eu and it was total waste of time, a short piece in how we all should love one another. Zed had actually content and delivered it interestingly.
JimmyL 13y ago
From the djangocon.eu bio page: Steve Holden is known throughout the Python and Django worlds as a stimulating speaker with a broad knowledge of computing generally and Python in particular. Steve has been on the board of the Python Software Foundation since 2004, and served four years as the Foundation's chairman. His latest venture, The Open Bastion, produces technical events and conferences including DjangoCon US, ApacheCon US, Cloudstack Collaboration Conference and ApacheCon NA. In short, a prominent/instututional Python guy who organized the last few djangocon.us conferences, and who's recently branched out into event management specializing in tech conferences. As for what went down at djangocon.eu, no idea...

iuguy 13y ago

Maybe it's different for security conferences (although I doubt it) but we have a simple rule at 44Con[1]: Don't be a dick. It's a very simple rule and it applies to everyone. If you're a dick, you're asked to stop being a dick. If you continue being a dick, you're warned you'll be asked to leave and if you carry on you will be, possibly assisted by the venue security if you don't take it seriously. Adrian and I really don't need the hassle, running 44Con is a whole year's effort to organise and plan for a 2 day event. If we hear of speakers being dick we'd probably cut them a little leeway for minor dickness but if what Zed asserts is correct we'd treat them the same as anyone else in that sort of situation. And I say this as someone that has no doubt been a dick and done stupid things at conferences. We don't need cards or tons of specific house rules, we just need the basics enforced better to make the event better for everyone. [1] - http://www.44con.com/ http://www.44con.com/

EliRivers 13y ago
Everyone has a different interpretation of what it is "to be a dick"; whilst a nice sentiment, it's like a politician using the phrase "hard-working family" or "common good", and other such glittering generalities[1]. Everyone hears the same words but interprets them according to their own personal values. As such, can you give concrete examples (actual, not hypothetical) of "dickish" behaviour that has been dealt with in this way? [1]. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glittering_generality http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glittering_generality
- iuguy 13y ago
  Without naming names or dropping people in it, things we've dealt with under the dickishness category: * Comments of an inappropriate sexual nature about people at the conference - warning * Getting stupidly hammered and talking about things that you most certainly shouldn't to people you really shouldn't talk about it with - PNG'd * Getting stupidly hammered, getting rowdy and threatening to hit people - PNG'd * Bringing a huge entourage without telling us - Speaker PNG'd * Sending a recruiter in to put cards on every seat when they have no association with the conference - PNG'd the whole company except people we know are coming as them, not representing the company * Offering to run a party, then stringing us along and lying to us about what you're going to do, then pulling out at the last minute and getting caught lying about the reasons why - PNG'd * Bumping into someone, then acting dickishly towards the person they bumped into when the person being bumped into says excuse me - Warning Bear in mind that the definition of being a dick is down to the organisers and crew and may change at any point in time. If you don't like it, it might not be the conference for you. The big problem I have is that people tend not to tell us stuff at the time so often we only find out months after the event. I am (and all of the crew are) more than happy to sort anything out that needs our intervention, so if you've come to a 44Con and see someone being a dick, please tell the crew and ask them to sort it out. Just realised, for those that don't know, PNG meant Persona Non Grata - i.e. banned from attending in future or having any association with the event.

static_typed 13y ago

So, nowadays if a tech community puts together an event, they had better call it a gathering, a tech meet, maybe coffee code & cookies, basically anything but conference. Because once you have a conference you have to deal with feminist dogmatic gynosaurs, ducks, bloggers, community backlash, mainstream print filling their idle pages with judgement on your efforts, and basically a regret for even thinking of doing something good in the first place.