Well, that’s me packed, I hope. I’m just grabbing a coffee or three before I start my journey out to Portland for RailsConf 2007! The laptop has the latest Peepcode screencast: Javascript with Prototype.js; and a couple of the newest Pragmatic Programmers’ books: Release It! and Programming Erlang (not that I’m thinking seriously of switching to Erlang any time soon, it just sounds interesting, and I do like to learn a new language every year or so!). I’ve got a pile of paper books with me for when the laptop batteries give out.

The journey will be about 10.5 hours according to respective local wall clocks, but 17.5 hours elapsed time. I get in to Portland International (PDX) at 22:02 and, hopefully, can figure out the MAX-Rail system to get to my hotel, the Inn at the Convention Centre (which, I get the impression, is pretty basic, but since I’m only planning on sleeping & washing there, I’m sure it’ll do!), then collapse and hope I wake up sometime in the next 2 days! Then it’s just the strange local culture I’ll have to adjust to.

Hrm, I wish O’Reilly had produced a PDF or something of the schedule, along with the abstracts. I would like to have printed that off and read it on the journey. If I’d thought about it further in advance, I could have taken the data from the web site and done so myself, but alas, no. Lazyweb request: I don’t suppose somebody else already has all the conference abstracts in one flat file that I could chown?

I’ve just checked out the weather; apparently it’ll be about 29°C today! Maybe I should have packed shorts instead of my kilt… (Umm, yeah, I don’t know if I’ll get the opportunity to wear it — that all depends if I’m invited to the cool parties! — but I do have my kilt with me.)

Anyway, all this is just my way of saying: Yay! It’s finally RailsConf and I’m on my way!

RailsConf

RailsConf2007 - Highlights

Extra Action Marching Band at RailsConf 2007

"I'ma Noob" song at railsconf 2007

RailsConf 2007

RailsConf Releases