Blog by Sumana Harihareswara, Changeset founder
A 2011 Travel Wishlist
Hi, reader. I wrote this in 2010 and it's now more than five years old. So it may be very out of date; the world, and I, have changed a lot since I wrote it! I'm keeping this up for historical archive purposes, but the me of today may 100% disagree with what I said then. I rarely edit posts after publishing them, but if I do, I usually leave a note in italics to mark the edit and the reason. If this post is particularly offensive or breaches someone's privacy, please contact me.
Now that my mom's situation has settled and I don't think I'll have to make big sudden India trips in 2011, I'm working on my travel schedule for next year. I expect whatever new job I take will send me to vendors, clients and conferences, and that at some point I'll visit family in Karnataka and friends in the San Francisco Bay Area. Other than, it's all on the wishlist. If I had infinite time and money and no carbon guilt, I'd hit (in chronological order):
- Very probable: 14-17 January, Boston: Arisia scifi convention. Already registered for this one. I have several Boston-area fannish folk to see, and the live performances sound cool.
- 24-29 January, Brisbane, Australia: linux.conf.au. I hear LCA talks and socializing are generally high-quality. Can't imagine paying to go to Australia again so soon, so it's off the table unless an employer foots the bill.
- 5-6 February, Brussels, Belgium: FOSDEM open source conference. Like LCA: high-quality presentations and networking, a little too expensive to go unless someone else is covering it.
- 11-13 March, San Francisco: FOGCon scifi convention. Thought-provoking programming chaired by Vito Excalibur. Programming signup is open and they might do Powerpoint Karaoke!
- Very probable: 29 April to 1 May, Providence, RI: QuahogCon security/DIY convention. Enjoyed last year; informative talks, fun activities, and interesting people.
- Nearly certain: 26-30 May, Madison, WI: WisCon feminist science fiction convention. I've loved both previous times I've gone, and despite controversy I anticipate I'll find it joyful and thought-provoking and sustaining once more.
- 21-24 June, Portland, OR: Open Source Bridge conference. My talk this year went well, I enjoyed the people and the presentations, and I got to see Brendan!
- Late June? Sebastopol, CA: Foo Camp again, if I'm invited back.
- July: The Coast To Coast across England. I've wanted to do this for years, so I'm putting it here as long as I'm making up a fantasy jetsetting life.
- 8-10 July, Chicago: Think Galacticon leftist scifi convention. Never been before. Sounds like a smaller, more focused WisCon that I can get to via train.
- Probable: 12-16 August, Berlin, Germany: KDE & GNOME Desktop Summit, replacing this year's GUADEC. I'm so sad I missed GUADEC in 2010 due to my dad's death, and as I get back into GNOME work I'd very much like to hit the Desktop Summit next year.
- 17-21 August, Reno, NV: World Science Fiction Convention. I loved Melbourne and this year's WorldCon, but may not feel up to hitting Renovation right after a week in Berlin.
- Some autumn weekend in Boston: another Boston GNOME Summit.
Also thinking about OSCON and Community Leadership Summit, and a little about PyCon and FOSSCon, but I've never been to those before. At this point we're getting into a scenario where I never visit friends or do any non-conference leisure travel, and yet still live out of a suitcase two-thirds of the year remembering Leonard's pining face mostly via wallet-sized photos and grainy videochat. So most probably, I'll hit Arisia, QuahogCon, WisCon, and the Desktop Summit, plus some family travel and business travel. Tentatively, of course.
Despite my itchy feet, I would like to avoid flying as much in 2011 as I did in 2010, because:
- I've flown so much this year it makes baby carbon cry
- I like long ground-based journeys for reading, writing, and hacking
- Stupid security theater
- Weather + air travel = disproportionately annoying delays
Comments
Thomas Thurman
http://thomasthurman.org
30 Dec 2010, 11:23 a.m.
Sarah
30 Dec 2010, 17:20 p.m.
I see that Los Angeles is not on your list. Is it because we don't have enough nerds?
You may be interested to know that the Coast Starlight runs daily between Oakland's Jack London Square and Union Station in Los Angeles. My new apartment happens to be a 10-minute subway ride from Union Station.
Liz
http://bookmaniac.org
30 Dec 2010, 21:26 p.m.
If you come to SF, come stay with me in the houseboat!
p.s. I've really been enjoying your blogging all year long! delurking
Zed
05 Jan 2011, 20:46 p.m.
See you at FogCon and, I hope, at Wiscon (I'll be there.)
Hope I'll see you at one or the other.
The walk across England sounds like a small instalment of paradise. I used to do quite a lot of long-distance walking, but not since I emigrated. I keep wanting to come back to do something like the March March March/a>, but it never happens.