Anyone mentions "gibson" they get to buy a round.

July 1, 2008 9:57 AM

Shall we play a game meet up at the last HOPE?

Logistics:

• The con starts Friday July 18, 10am and runs through Sunday evening.
• It takes place at The Hotel Pennsylvania on 7th Ave and 32nd Street.
• Preregistration is $75 for three days.
• Mefi's Own^TM asavage is a featured presenter (Sunday, 2pm), but there are plenty of other interesting ones.
• Midtown is sort of a desert; suggestions for venue are most welcome.

I know $75 is way too steep for a "normal" meetup. I'm hoping there are some mefites that would be going anyway and would enjoy a drink or two (or, let's be honest, twelve). Alternatively I'm open to being hijacked and having an outside-the-con meetup in the same general area.

posted by Skorgu to MetaFilter Gatherings at 9:57 AM (30 comments total)

I'll be there, but I gotta bail mid-day on Saturday to go to a wedding up in Westchester. Maybe we could do something Sunday after asavage's thing?
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 10:45 AM on July 1, 2008

I went to Beyond HOPE. Have any of the ones since then had less of a Nerd Party In A Basement vibe?
posted by Plutor at 11:10 AM on July 1, 2008

Myself and a large contingent from the HacDC crew will be there, giving talks and selling some cool defense contractor and patent examiner stuff we've come in to.

Lets invite Mefi's Own asavage to come hang out with us.
posted by phrontist at 11:58 AM on July 1, 2008

Wasn't he previous HOPE supposed to be the last HOPE? Something about the Hotel mgmt.?
posted by grobstein at 12:27 PM on July 1, 2008

I don't know if I will be there BUT that won't stop me from recommending Chinese Mirch for a meetup.
posted by grobstein at 12:37 PM on July 1, 2008

grobstein; I believe it was up in the air last year, but it's definite this time.
posted by odinsdream at 1:24 PM on July 1, 2008

I was there for HOPE 6, and it was supposed to be the last one as the Hotel Pennsylvania is getting turned into condos, or something. However, development plans being punctual as usual, the guys that organize HOPE were able to throw one more this year.

I'll be there.
posted by Xoder at 4:57 PM on July 1, 2008

Sometime Sunday is totally fine with me, there are a couple of talks after asavage's that I'd like to see so tentatively let's say either 6pm or 7pm (during or after the closing ceremonies) at Chinese Mirch?
posted by Skorgu at 6:08 PM on July 1, 2008

Going anyway, so I'll definitely be there. Makes up for missing the one in Central Park.
posted by bkudria at 6:37 PM on July 1, 2008

I know nothing about this. Is this "hackers" as in programmers who really enjoy what they do, or "hackers" as in people who have an overdeveloped interest in computer security?
posted by Afroblanco at 9:10 PM on July 1, 2008

Afroblanco: Both of those groups, but a lot of more interesting stuff as well. Just skimming the list... ballot box security, community workshop ("hack") spaces, making interactive objects with microcontrollers, some incredibly dorky sounding "sex hack" thing I'm suprised Cory Doctorow isn't giving, IPv6, lockpicking (sorry "sporting") and safecracking, and cosmology simulations.

It's run by 2600, which as a publication generally sucks, but the convention seems to attract more interesting people. Friends of mine who have been before speak well of it (at least later iterations). There are only a few things on the scheduled talk list that jump out at me, but I think (hope?) most of the interesting stuff that goes on is informal.

I'll be selling a boatload of crazy electronic gear while I'm there (for our hackerspace). There are some neat projects and people I think will be worth seeing. We'll see. Regardless, you should come on out to the meetup if you're local.
posted by phrontist at 12:51 AM on July 2, 2008

I'm going but unsure on my schedule. I'll keep an eye on this to see if it fits with what I know I'll be doing.
posted by zennoshinjou at 6:01 AM on July 2, 2008

I'll be around HOPE that weekend. Hopefully I can say hello to some metafilter types, although you're really going to have to introduce yourself as such to me. I'm speaking at 8pm on Friday, say hi then as well.
posted by jscott at 2:27 PM on July 2, 2008

I might make it. We'll see.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 4:27 PM on July 2, 2008 [1 favorite]

Dammit. Can't go.
posted by unknowncommand at 9:25 AM on July 3, 2008

Well, either I'll be there or I'll be onsite at a Fortune mumble corporation breaking into their computers. I guess that settles which definition of "hacker" I belong to.
posted by scalefree at 9:11 AM on July 7, 2008

I'll be there, helping out with logistics of the con. Please say hi to me - some of you may know me as joe six 3 oh (name mangled to prevent googlin).
posted by bensherman at 2:09 PM on July 14, 2008

So - Sunday at Chinese Mirch? OK.
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 7:30 PM on July 17, 2008

I'll be wandering around on and off all three days in my day-glo MeFi shirt, feel free to harass me if you see me.
posted by Skorgu at 9:31 AM on July 18, 2008

So, I hope to be in attendance for this. It will be my first metafilter meet-up and I'm psyched. I look like Jesus, so when you see me, yell at me so I know you're mefites.
posted by fuq at 10:34 PM on July 18, 2008

If you're at HOPE, meet up at 1pm Sunday at the back of Hopper, near the divider to Engressia. That's one talk before asavage's talk so we can get seats that don't suck. If you're not in the con I'll be aiming to be at Chinese Mirch at about 7. I'm not going to make reservations; we'll just wing it.

My GrandCentral number is [phone] if you can't find us.
posted by Skorgu at 4:03 PM on July 19, 2008

I'll be at HOPE, but I won't be able to make Chinese Mirch, it seems.
posted by bkudria at 7:18 PM on July 19, 2008

I'll be there in my glow-in-the-dark Arecibo, Puerto Rico t-shirt.
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 5:38 AM on July 20, 2008

well, nobody can read this, but I may be able to crash Chinese late.
It's en route home after I get out of work.

if people talk long enough, they'll get hungry again, order more, and I'll see someone.
also, Skorgu, I got your number.
posted by Busithoth at 5:13 PM on July 20, 2008

Thanks to Skorgu for organizing (and being visible in his Mefi t-shirt!). Had an excellent time with him, his girlfriend, fuq, and late-arriving non-mefites Laura and Lark.
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 6:39 AM on July 21, 2008

Props to Skorgu. I also had a great time, and look forward to more meetups! The food at chinese mirch was very good, spicy, but a little expensive. I recommend the spicy garlic sauce noodles, I also noticed their house salad was really well done. Someday we should have a meet-up at Goodbye Blue Monday in Brooklyn.
posted by fuq at 8:42 AM on July 21, 2008

Thank you guys for coming! It was nice and low-key and yes, Mirch was tasty.

I was really impressed by how they handled the perfect storm of difficult customers that any mefi meetup is: Yeah, we're expecting a crowd of between three and thirty somewhere between 6 and 9pm and we'll be getting drunk and boisterous. Oh and we're from the internet so we've never met, could you steer anyone looking lost in our direction? Thanks! Yet Mirch dropped us right in the front by the window and didn't bat an eyelash. grobstein for the win.

Funny story, I actually spoke (briefly) to asavage and told him about the meetup. He asked me to write down the address and said he'd try to make it. I of course wrote down the address but not the time. *headdesk*

If anyone gets a chance to see Mr. Savage in person at any event, sell your kidneys/children/children's kidneys for tickets. He's a phenomenal public speaker.
posted by Skorgu at 1:07 PM on July 21, 2008

Skorgu: I actually emailed him about a week ago with the details. He said he was interested, but not sure if he could make it. Sorry I wasn't able to. As I understand it, he was pegged by autograph-folks for quite some time anyway.
posted by phrontist at 12:27 AM on July 22, 2008

I believe it. I hope he said 'fuck it' at some point and just went to bed, dude looked absolutely bushwhacked when I got to him and I was ~5th. I can't imagine how tired he must have been after that line.

The guy two spots behind me? Captain fucking Crunch.
posted by Skorgu at 10:33 AM on July 22, 2008

I was working at the con and couldn't make it. Adam was super awesome and happy, even though he was completely inundated with fans. He has nothing but awesome things to say about MeFi.
posted by bensherman at 12:42 PM on July 23, 2008