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Since so far no topic has been made about this (and I'm guessing because this place is mostly dead and now the spam bots have taken over) I just thought I would log in again to post my little list of what worked and did not work at The Last Hope. You are free to add your own:

::WHAT WORKED::

-- Registration

This was the only tech conference where registering took a few seconds. Just showed up, name, if you did not pay you payed and you got your badge. I like that it was that simple.

-- Badges

The badges and the whole AMD project was the huge storm hook that year and it was cool to be a part of. Plus some how, you guys were the only people that actually got badges that DID NOT flip around every five seconds.

-- Help Desk

The help desk was one of the most informative help desks ever. Maps, directions and a list of recommended places really helped not only the con but the people out of state to know where they were going in NYC.

-- Radio Statler

I did not have many times to tune in but every time I did it was pure awesome. There was some funny bullshit moments and serious interviews with the Keynotes on air. I hope to see this greatly expanded next year!

-- The Huge "Big Brother Screen"

Since many of the talks, especially the "keynotes", get crowed very fast I thought that having the big screen stream those popular talks in the main plaza area was a great way to get everyone involved even if there was no real physical room.

-- The Telephreak Phones

One of the best ideas ever! Not only making free phone calls but free phone calls on Payphones and Rotary Dial phones! Zawsome! Do this again or better next year!

-- Hackerspace Village

Again, another great idea! It opened me and many other people to the concept of hackerspaces! Plus they had cool ongoing projects and T-Shirts! We should have this every year, I'm sure it will keep getting better and more involved. Plus, it already has inspired a few new spaces to open up!

::WHAT DIDN'T WORK::

-- The Segway Track

Oh brother, where do I start with these things! While I love the racetrack idea, I felt that more room could have been used for better positioning of the other parts of the Plaza. Such as more room for lock picking or more demonstration tables. Also, which I felt was a huge problem, was that Radio Statler was RIGHT NEXT to the tricky end turn of the track. I believe like five people crashed drunkenly through those thin walls, so maybe having the Segways far removed from people and expensive equipment might be a great idea.

-- AMD Run Time

By the time the project was fully functional, the con pretty much has ended. While this is something that I don't blame the team working on AMD for, if you guys are going to do something like this next year, I hope that it will be mostly and fully operational at the START of the con rather than the last hour of it.

-- "Big Brother" Screen Right Next to Hammocks Playing Videos All Night

I actually tried to take a nap in one of those things at night. It would have been ok...if people had not trying to have a Club DJ contest with the music and playing the most random shit loud on that screen. Folgers has nothing on waking up to the large video and audio of druggie black men and women giving interviews, beating each other up and preforming sexual favors in an underground documentary called "Crack Headz Gone Wild!" Maybe having a time limit on that fucking thing would help us all.

-- Express Elevator

I know the idea of having an express Elevator is a good idea, but maybe we can convince the hotel to have more than one of those. Never mind that it was hidden from most of the plaza...or that sometimes it would randomly go to a service floor so when the doors opened they were suddenly attacked by disfigured 1950's wooden furniture.

-- The Lecture Rooms

While I did like the names for the rooms t his year...even with a map most people I met got lost. I know it took me awhile to figure out where the Zeus room was and what it was for. I learned a lesson from Conflux: Color Coated Rooms. That way not only the rooms have a name but colors are quicker to identify. It's much easier and efficient to tell someone to go to the "Blue Room" than the Telsea room or whatever.

-- The Lego Table

It was a great idea. But seriously, it was one of the loneliest table at the con. It really ended up as a pile of Legos, one or two small figures and a coffee stain. Hell, someone got so board that (s)he made a bridge out of White Castle burger boxes! I think if we do Legos again, we should have some sort of contest around them or something for more motivation.

-- Faulty Recording Equipment, Especially in the Zeus Room

Oh god, the AV people making the DVDs were TERRIBLE! Many camera guys asleep on the job. Cameras focusing on the wrong people. Audio drop outs. Audio glitches. And to top it all off, huge chunks of panels that went UNRECORDED! The worst was in the Zeus room, where there was some amazing and informative panels going on such as how to control the New York City Power Grid and Video Game Homebrew VS Piracy, which were completely lost by the recording guys in the room. ARG! Either hire some real recording people or at least let us kick the shit out of them if they suck at their job! -,-;

Ok, that is all from me. What about you all?

Last edited by Sidepocket (2009-10-16 09:08:46)