Proposed Conference Code of Conduct (Technical or Otherwise)

Feeding off my earlier post on inappropriate behavior at conferences, and seeing that it has resonated with a lot of people, I threw together a proposed code of conduct for attendees of conferences. This doesn’t need to be technical conferences – it could be any type.

Take it for what it’s worth, these are just the top 11 (this one goes to 11) tips and tricks to avoid becoming a generally disliked person who will be avoided by the very people you need to do business with. 

Technical Conferences and (In)Appropriate Behavior

This past week there have been two major technical conferences in Las Vegas – EMCWorld and Interop. Both of these conferences have provided enormous highs for me in the form of technical whiz-bangery (I think I coined a word) and some incredible feedback from attendees to my presentations. (I’m truly humbled and grateful for the enthusiasm and feedback – thank you!)

Unfortunately, the week also showed some of the most disappointing behavior I’ve ever observed as well. While I did not personally attend Interop, there was a lot of crossover between the conferences and I found similar tales of horror over there.

If you’ll bear with me a moment, I have a few things I’d like to say about some of this.

The Childfree Rant for the Breeder Dumbass

It’s been a while since I’ve gone off on a rant like this.

Those that know me understand that I have issues with people who have an overdeveloped sense of entitlement. Recently I came across an article on Fark that had a mother spouting off about childfree people who spout off about parents. Clear as mud, right? 

Yahoo! Hates! Its! Employees! – A Rant

Hysteria, by BlackDaliah

Good grief. You’d think that Yahoo’s CEO Marissa Mayer had asked for an Old Testament sacrifice of her employees’ first-born male children. At least, you might by reading the insane backlash coming from the blogosphere.

What atrocious, demeaning, inhumane crime against humanity did Yahoo commit? They are reigning in their remote workers and requiring them to work from Yahoo offices.

The horror! The shame! The unmitigated gall!

Not only, that, but God help you if you don’t obey. There is a zero tolerance policy and any infraction means immediate termination and dismissal without due process, cause, or even a review of your record!

Short Excursion in Prague

Not much wordiness here. Just some photos I took wandering around Prague for a couple of hours today. I’m in the city for customer and colleague presentations, but couldn’t pass up the only time to take a break and see the sights, especially since I haven’t been here since 2008.

A Beauty to Behold

Willys Jeep: Went to See a Man About a Jeep

Yesterday I drove 7 hours (round trip) to take a look at a Jeep just north of Sacramento. The seller had advertised it for $1500, but didn’t know exactly what kind of Jeep it was – just that it was a 1949. It had an overdrive and a Saginaw steering system, as well as a V8 (which I would sell) and some upgraded rims and tires (which I would have sold and recycled, respectively). 

Willys Jeep: Framing the Situation

A year ago today I found the Jeep I eventually wound up choosing for my restoration project. To be honest, I had hoped that I would be farther along by this point (at least have a rolling chassis), but in other ways I’m actually quite impressed with how far I’ve actually gotten. I suppose if you take the average of the two emotions it could be argued that I’m right where I’m supposed to be.

I’m at a point right now, though, that I’m starting to really understand what kind of commitment – both in terms of time and finance – I’ve put myself into. I had always known that I wanted to have someone else work on the frame, because I didn’t want to screw around with something so fundamental. After having put in $1000 for some minor welding and sandblasting, though, and emotionally coming to grips with the fact that I’m only about halfway done, puts my situation in some starker relief.

The frame has come a long, long way, and I flip-flop between my sense of achievement for how far I’ve come and the sense of dread of what lies ahead.