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Hack Chat Transcript, Part 1

A event log for Superconference 2022 Hack Chat

All roads lead (back) to Pasadena

dan-maloneyDan Maloney 08/31/2022 at 20:100 Comments

Boian Mitov11:49 AM
Will be Q&A type of chat ?

Dan Maloney11:50 AM
Yep, @Majenta Strongheart will be here to answer your burning questions

Boian Mitov11:50 AM
Great :-)

Boian Mitov11:51 AM
I submitted forms for presenting yesterday. I have not received any type of confirmation. Is there a way to do any updates on the forms once submitted or anything?

Dan Maloney11:52 AM
I'm not sure Majenta is here yet, so let's wait a few minutes for her and everyone else to get online

Boian Mitov11:52 AM
Thank you @Dan Maloney :-)

Boian Mitov11:53 AM
And thank you for keeping up these great chats! :-)

Boian Mitov11:53 AM
I can't join every time, but I always enjoy them! :-)

Dan Maloney11:54 AM
My pleasure! We've got some really great ones coming up - stay tuned for details!

Boian Mitov11:54 AM
Great! :-)

Majenta Strongheart11:55 AM
Hi @Boian Mitov thank you for your submission, my apologies that you did not receive a confirmation, you should have received a message saying "Thank you for your submission! You will receive an update in mid September. Best, 2022 Hackaday Superconference Team " I will check the form settings, thank you for the heads up.

zakqwy11:57 AM
yeah likewise, I don't think I got a talk submission confirmation

Boian Mitov11:57 AM
I made 2 submissions, but there does not appear to be any confirmation :-(

Boian Mitov11:58 AM
I did them yesterday short of the extended deadline tomorrow

Boian Mitov11:59 AM
Is there also any way to make any tweaks on the forms after the submissions ? Adding additional information or somehting?

SimonAllen11:59 AM
Are we all system go for tonight?

Dan Maloney12:00 PM
Hi everyone, thanks for dropping by today! I'm Dan, I'll be modding today along with Dusan as we welcome Majenta Strongheart. She's been working really hard getting the Superconference organized, and we're only about 2 months out now if you can believe it!

Dan Maloney12:00 PM
Hi Majenta, and welcome!

Dusan Petrovic12:00 PM
Hello everyone!

jeremy.geppert joined  the room.12:00 PM

zakqwy12:01 PM
So glad it's IRL this year!!

Boian Mitov12:01 PM
Thank you @Majenta Strongheart for all of your efforts! :-) Organizing live conference is a humongous task, and I know how much goes into it!

Majenta Strongheart12:01 PM
Hi everyone :)

Dan Maloney12:02 PM
Yes, been a while since we actual met in meatspace

James Newton12:03 PM
Really looking forward to being there for this, both personally and professionally.

Majenta Strongheart12:03 PM
@Boian Mitov you should be able to edit your response, you can also email any additional notes/info to superconference@hackaday.io and as long as we receive them before the deadline we will add them to your submission

Sapiento joined  the room.12:04 PM

Andy Geppert12:04 PM
Supercon = Superexciting!

Boian Mitov12:04 PM
Is there a link that I can use to access the submitted form?

Dan Maloney12:04 PM
It was really cool in 2019, I loved it. And Pasadena is pretty awesome in early November -- weird to see Christmas decorations going up while still walking around in shorts.

Boian Mitov12:04 PM
Yes, 2019 was great! :-)

Dan Maloney12:07 PM
Curious about attendance limits, if any. Are we going to admit as many people as we have in the past?

Majenta Strongheart12:10 PM
We will be limiting attendance, it will not be as crowded as past years

Andy Geppert12:10 PM
@Majenta Strongheart When should we expect to know if proposed talks are accepted/declined?

Majenta Strongheart12:12 PM
@Andy Geppert mid September

zakqwy12:13 PM
Limiting attendance to a degree is smart cuz covid, but I hope lots of folks still turn out. Are tickets selling at a comparable rate to previous in-person yrs?

Majenta Strongheart12:14 PM
@zakqwy Yes, we're super excited with the response we've had so far, same enthusiasm as always :)

zakqwy12:15 PM
Yes!!

RichardCollins12:20 PM
I just arrived here and read the transcript. What is a lot of people? Why is an online conference hard?

Dan Maloney12:20 PM
How about the venue? Are we using the music college and the back alley again?

Boian Mitov12:20 PM
I would just say that live conference is much more fun! :-)

Laura12:20 PM
For those traveling in and looking at public transit options/possibilities, the venue is very close to the Del Mar station on the L line (light rail, used to be called Gold Line). It's possible, but not guaranteed, that the Metro Regional Connector project will be complete by then, which will make it even easier to get to Del Mar from downtown LA (no need to change trains at Union Station).

Dan Maloney12:20 PM
Because the alley is where the action is...

James Newton12:21 PM
I will be living in the alley. I hope there is NOT music there, because I want to talk and listen to people. I mean... if it's quite, fine.

Majenta Strongheart12:22 PM
Yes we will be using the same venues as in 2019; DesignLab, Supplyframe HQ, and LACM (the music college neighboring DesignLab)

Majenta Strongheart12:22 PM
Thanks @Laura !

Laura12:24 PM
@Majenta Strongheart You're welcome - the L Line is how I'll be getting there, connector or not! :-)

Andy Geppert12:24 PM
@Majenta Strongheart I think there was an option to offer to help on the sign-up form, can't recall, but is there a place to channel volunteer offers? Like running a camera and interacting for a live stream of some of the action, to help share it online in real-time <- just an example inspired by @RichardCollins and @Dan Maloney recent comments. Maybe even a call for help bring associated gear, of people have the option and want to contribute that way.

Andy Geppert12:26 PM
(Yes, I recognize there is help, and there is "help." Sometimes it can be more work to wrangle "help!")

Majenta Strongheart12:27 PM
@Andy Geppert Great question! The volunteer application form will be going live later this week or early next week, this will be for folks who want to volunteer their time in exchange for a free ticket. If there are other ways people want to get involved they can email superconference@hackaday.io and we'll follow up accordingly.

Majenta Strongheart12:28 PM
All talks will be lived streamed on Hackaday's youtube channel again this year :)

Dan Maloney12:28 PM
Speaking of transportation, I recall that in 2019 a group planned to take an Amtrak train from Seattle to LA and have a mini hackathon on the way. Anyone know if that's still a plan?

James Newton12:31 PM
Wow. Hackathon on the train would be so fun! I can't, but I wish I could do that.

Dan Maloney12:33 PM
I know, right? Seattle is only a five-hour drive for me, so it would be feasible

Majenta Strongheart12:34 PM
That sounds epic! You should definitely make it happen @Dan Maloney

Dan Maloney12:36 PM
I don't recall who came up with the idea, but there was a group who took the train from San Francisco (I think) and realized that it would be a great way to travel and be able to hack at the same time.

Dan Maloney12:37 PM
I think it's a 24 hour ride, give or take

James Newton12:37 PM
Up from SD (where I am) would be about 3 hours on the train.

jeremy.geppert12:37 PM
@Dan Maloney #hacktrak

zakqwy12:37 PM
I feel like it was a Will idea, but I'm not sure it ever happened. I remember the chatte about it, there were even discussions around renting a private car etc

Laura12:37 PM
Nope - more like 36 - it's a lovely, lovely ride, though. Goes through the Cascades in WA and then hugs the coast through SoCal.

Laura12:38 PM
It's the Coast Starlight: https://www.amtrak.com/coast-starlight-train

Laura12:39 PM
Top tip for overnight trains: book a roomette - that makes you a First Class passenger and all of your meals are covered in the cost.

Dan Maloney12:39 PM
Right, the private car idea! That was the kicker -- dealing with the prying eyes thinking you're putting together something illicit might be a problem

zakqwy12:39 PM
Ah that sounds lovely.

James Newton12:40 PM
SDMG (San DIego Makers Guild) used to take the train up to the LAMMF (Los Angeles Mini Maker Faire) and just chat all the way up and back. That worked better in the AM than the PM when we were tired. LOL.

zakqwy12:40 PM
Second the roomette suggestion, I did that from pdx to msp on the Empire Builder and it was a fantastic trip. Probably no soldering allowed tho

Majenta Strongheart12:47 PM
Any favorite workshops people participated in at past Supercons that we should think about bringing back?

Dan Maloney12:50 PM
The one I didn't get to last time was the quantum computing workshop. That seemed like it was really packed though, so it might be nice to see something like that again.

zakqwy12:51 PM
The best workshop I've ever been to was Paul's Teensy Audio workshop at the first Supercon. It was incredible!

James Newton12:51 PM
Not sure if it was a workshop, but the SMT soldering competition was just really fun. It was amazing to see the /methods/ used by those who were really good at it. VERY instructional for me.

Dan Maloney12:51 PM
+1 on the SMT challenge. That was a lot of fun

zakqwy12:51 PM
Yeah that was a hoot!

jeremy.geppert12:52 PM
Does anyone have a list of "essentials to bring" for a first time attender of Supercon?

James Newton12:52 PM
And being able to watch someone who is able to do it best and see the "tricks" they used to steady their hands, hold the part, apply the solder... I learned a LOT.

James Newton12:53 PM
1. Smartphone 2. extra power bank 3. lots of memory space to store pictures.

James Newton12:54 PM
4. Pain meds to help with the ache you get from smiling for too long.

zakqwy12:54 PM
Jeremy it depends a lot on what you want to do.. I usually bring a backpack full of components and tools for hacking (either myself, or for others)

Boian Mitov12:54 PM
I have a question

James Newton12:54 PM
yes

Boian Mitov12:54 PM
How long is a workshop supposed to be?

Majenta Strongheart12:55 PM
1-2 hours

Boian Mitov12:55 PM
Ok, I may submit a workshop too for fun, so we can have a trifecta... :-D

Majenta Strongheart12:56 PM
@zakqwy on that note, what components would you all like to see stocked at the hacking village?

Majenta Strongheart12:56 PM
@Boian Mitov great!

zakqwy12:59 PM
Hmm.. Little OLEDs, addressible RGB LEDs, coin cells with holders, small speakers, steppers with driver boards (like the Pololu 8825), ESP32s, servos, small automation bits (GT2 belts and pulleys, extrusion, wheels), etc. Good question, I'm sure others have thoughts too.

zakqwy12:59 PM
Got to go-- thanks for the chat, looking forward to the conf!

Boian Mitov12:59 PM
If I do an Arduino/ESP8266 workshop I may need some helper

Boian Mitov12:59 PM
Anyone interested to help here?

James Newton1:00 PM
Transducers? I think it's important to go both ways e.g. light sensors / LEDs, mic's / speakers, encoders / steppers

Boian Mitov1:00 PM
Yes, all of this :-)

Boian Mitov1:00 PM
In fact for another event few years ago I got Makerfabs to make a kit for it :-)

Boian Mitov1:01 PM

https://www.makerfabs.com/arduino-nano-and-nodemcu-iot-starter-kit.html

MAKERFABS

Arduino Nano and NodeMCU IOT Starter Kit

This is an Arduino Nano + NodeMCU IOT Kit for starters. The kit includes two main Boards: Arduino Nano and NodeMCU mini, and 18 Kinds of the most popular used sensors and actuators such as Ultrasonic Ranger, OLED, stepper driver, etc.

Read this on Makerfabs

Dan Maloney1:01 PM
I think that's about all we have time for, unless Majenta wants to stay on a little longer. Either way, I'll just say a big thanks to her for coming on, and for all the work she's doing to make the return of Supercon happen. Really, thanks!

Boian Mitov1:01 PM
Still available for good price I think :-)

Boian Mitov1:01 PM
I am thinking to use the same KIT or I may ask them to do some upgrades to the KIT for the event

Dan Maloney1:01 PM
And thanks to everyone for coming on and asking questions. Hope everyone can make it to Supercon!

Boian Mitov1:01 PM
Or if somebody has idea for a better KIT I am open

James Newton1:02 PM
I would drop ultrasonic sensors and add laser range finders.

Dusan Petrovic1:02 PM
Thanks Majenta and everyone!

Boian Mitov1:02 PM
Thank you @James Newton

Boian Mitov1:03 PM
I mean again I proposed this KIT few years ago, and it is a bit dated, but the modules are still reasonable even today

James Newton1:03 PM
I hear those little time of flight sensors are really low cost now. I haven't checked.

Boian Mitov1:04 PM
The goal of the KIT was so each of the modules can be hooked without the need of Breadboard so experiments can be ran quickly

Majenta Strongheart1:05 PM
Thanks for the great conversation!

James Newton1:06 PM

https://www.amazon.com/Gowoops-VL53L0X-Breakout-GY-VL53L0XV2-Distance/dp/B07F3RH7TC/ref=asc_df_B07F3RH7TC/

AMAZON

Read this on Amazon

James Newton1:07 PM
And of course, I think any kit should have a data pin to servo header adapter board. ,o)

https://hackaday.io/project/181972-rc-servo-adapter

Boian Mitov1:08 PM
Thank you @Majenta Strongheart and @Dan Maloney !

Dan Maloney1:08 PM
You bet! Transcr

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