According to WDN:

As conference organizers, speakers and attendees, Dave, Derek, Maxine and John have long been aware that while a good conference can be an unbeatable benefit for your career, they are definitely out of the price range of those in our industry who might benefit most — students. We strongly believe that today’s students will have an important role in the future of the web.

30 conference seats will be set aside at $195 (CDN) each for qualifying students — regular cost is $895. Great deal and opportunity! To take advantage if you qualify, use the regular registration page and enter the following code to receive your special discount: WDNSCH.

Now if only the airlines could offer me a similar discount to get me out there!

1. Pack light. O’Hare airport, like many others across the globe, was enormous. Having to only worry about the bag on my back made navigating the maze of terminals and floors a lot easier.
2. Call ahead. It takes 30 seconds to contact your hotel the day before to double check reservation, shuttle transportation, or other expected services. If for some reason there is a problem, you’ll enjoy solving the issue much more before you’re miles away from home.
3. Presentation seating. Arriving early does not mean you’re early if everyone else still beat you to the good seats. Set the alarm and allow for plenty of time in the morning to get set up for the day.
4. Power up. Make sure to grab the seats near electrical outlets and/or bring a power strip to make better use of available electricity. Most conferences last longer than the life of a laptop battery, so plan on recharging at some point. Even if this means grabbing a seat against the wall or in the back, go for it. It’s not like high school where only the kids in front could see the chalkboard; most presenters use a large projector and microphone to reach even those far in the rear.
5. Bring a lot of patience. There will forever be the person who attempts to correct the speaker constantly. These are the folks who ask questions at the end of a presentation purely to hear their own voices in front of a crowd. Ignore it. This would be a good time to work on that app or take a bathroom break.
6. Munchies. Pack a small lunch and bring plenty of snacks and water (unless in food restricted areas). You’re paying money to learn at the conference, don’t spend all day driving to and from local restaurants.
7. Make friends with the maids. This is no joke. On the first day I arrived in Chicago, my room key didn’t work and it was a maid seeing my struggle who helped me get in. I thanked her kindly and made time for a friendly chat, something I’m sure few people often give her. I became friends with the lady who ensures clean towels and a fresh bed each day, a good person to know while living in a hotel.
8. Choose presentations based on speaker, not content. Chances are you’re attending a conference to learn more about something you’re not already an expert on. In the case that multiple presentations are going on at the same time (very likely) and you’re not sure which to attend, make your choices by who is presenting and not so much what they are talking about. I would say that 50% of the speakers I listened to at RailsConf branched off in other areas that weren’t on the agenda anyway, something that an experienced veteran can pull off. Just because “Ajax” or another hot keyword is in the title, doesn’t mean the speaker will be able to deliver a strong presentation.
9. Paparazzi. A great tip for all of you bringing a digital camera: turn the sound off! It really isn’t necessary to have your camera making Star Wars sounds when focusing and capturing the shot. Most digital cameras have settings to turn this sound off, please do so! Neither the speaker nor listeners need a symphony of electronic crickets.
10. Bring cash! I questioned Jay Zimmerman enough times about extra conference t’s that there was finally an announcement made to sell the leftovers. You never know what deals you’ll find and plastic isn’t always accepted.

“Don’t hate the player, hate the game,” Mike commented on Flash.

I missed the day’s second presentation going through hotel check out processes, but caught the end of Stuart Halloway’s “MetaRails.” Stu is an example of when I talk about chatting with the guy next to me, only to find out later that he’s a key member of the Rails community. During Guidebook on the first day, Stu helped me get Rails up and running on the MacBook.

James Duncan Davidson presented “Deploying Rails Applications” before the Rails core team wrapped up with a Q & A session.

The shuttle carted me back to the O’Hare airport where my legs really got a taste for how huge that place is. After a few hours of Rails reflecting and plane watching from the gate windows, I boarded for home and found my ticket number in the very back of the plane (last row). In the hurry of kicking my oversized luggage under the seat, I didn’t immediately notice the “beauty and the beast” that sat beside me. The meager confines of standard airline sitting room could not contain the bundle of inked up muscles in human form to my left. This is the kind of guy you don’t want to have as a cellmate, nevermind travel buddy. Next seat in, his daughter, maybe 4 years of age and with picture perfect golden hair and devilish smile, had window. She was boss. The Tulsa native, whose tattoos were clearly done in the slammer, turned out to be a total softy, despite his stone-skinned appearance. Nothing like seeing a man of this size watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on a portable DVD player he pulled out from his daughter’s pink polka dot purse. Bob and Hillary, as their names turned out to be, were the most beautiful part of the whole trip.

And that’s a wrap. I’m back at school now, overcoming jet lag and 5 days of exhaustive learning. Excellent trip; thanks to all how helped make it happen.

To create a Web 2.0 start-up, you need is a name that ends in “r” with no vowel before it. -Justin Ghetland

Scott Raymond was on deck with his lessons from Blinksale & Iconbuffet. Scott’s presentation was particularly interesting to me because he told it from the view of a contractor, a one-man show without the resources and staff of large companies. He emphasized the importance of client communication and a variety of other must-do business practices.

The “Putting BBC‘s Catalogue on Rails” talk by Matt Riddulph was great, both in content and presentation. Whether you knew what was going on or not, the speech was easy to listen to.

I missed the second half of “Rails Deployment” by Ezra Zygmuntowicz (last in the phone book, as he put it) but enjoyed Jason Kunesh’s topic of universal design. Jason made point of the disabilities many internet users have and how to create accessible, useable apps and websites. A lot of visually impaired web users surf with the aid of screen readers, dishing out site content at an incredible 300-400 words per minute! Jason played a clip at 100 and it sounded like jibberish to me.

Lastly, David Heinemeier Hansson, creator of Rails, delivered a lengthy keynote to end the night. While he may look like he’s 19, he knows his stuff. A very inspirational speech, DHH is a comfortable presenter with the brains to back it up.

Long day and exciting presentations slated for tomorrow. A more extensive update to come…

Next morning: And now for that extensive update.
Thursday’s initial keynote by Dave Thomas was straight out a war movie full of morale boosting and a sense of comraderie among all listeners; it really fired you up. This goes back to the same welcoming community I briefly mentioned which is more concerned with producing great apps as a whole rather than “I did this” or “only my way works.”

The first presentation I attended discussed tooling Ruby on Rails through the use of an IDE called RadRails. The three man (or kid, they were pretty young) lecture team was also the creators of this open source project and I commend them for their efforts. Unfortunately, their speaking performance a bit to be desired, perhaps due to the invigorating display previously put on by Dave.

David Demaree was in the number two slot, delivering some key points on creating search-easy websites and apps and really making it obvious what you’re you’re trying to offer. While not much of what he said was directly related to Rails (actually, none of it), the basic concept of making your work accessible and clear to your targeted audience is a good one.

Next was Rails Application Optimization Techniques & Tools by Stefan Kaes. While most of what he said was more than a new guy could understand, Stefan did an excellent job presenting with some really great material. Although I’m still working on the basics and not ready to start optimizing, I have no doubt that a lot the points he made will surface again when I get to that stage.

Wrapping up the night was a motivational speech by Martin Fowler (incredible) followed by Paul Graham (hilarious).

One thing I am amazed about is the wide range of attendee ages and the equal amount of respect all are given. Every walk down the hall, I get nods from guys twice my age because who knows, it could be the young guy writing that next great app. Little do they know, I’m a front end programmer and know jack about what’s going on (shhhh ). Seeing so many young faces in the hotel is like being back at school, except the kids here are really smart.

Other than that, I got my badge and T for the start of Rails tomorrow and hung out in the flock of laptops eating bandwidth in the main foyer. The new MacBook is fitting in quite nicely and making lots of friends.

Reminder thoughts: the hustle and bustle of any major city is enough to make 24 hours feel like minutes. With the intense content being presented and the challenge to learn Rails in a week, I’m imagining little New London to be a bit cushy feeling when I get back.

Entering the O’Hare airport was like walking into another country with so many people that you could visibly see the different territories; a group of pilots in aviator attire briskly walking to their next flight; the gang of janitors with wheelbarrows of garbage bags; squads of security guards. A “travel triathlon” later (rolling suitcase dodging, NFL crowd weaving, and track runner walking pace), Wyndham’s 24/7 shuttle services carried me and a few other tourists to the hotel. Finally, I made it.

The room is pretty sweet, more than one person needs. Out my window hums a highway about a stone’s throw away with commercial airliners buzzing a few hundred feet above. I can see a plaza, a good place to stock up on snacks and necessities. I also set up wireless internet in my room through Wayport. After a few hours of up and down service and 4 phone calls later, I have both wireless and Ethernet access for one fee (originally separate), along 3 free days of access ($40) useable in the next 6 months. If you ever use Wayport during your travels, their all day and night call support is absolutely excellent.

Tomorrow is Guidebook, a pre-conference setup to get Rails installed and a gist of what is going on. Stay tuned.

edit: How could I forget? Amidst all the Wayport calls and hotel phone procedures, I somehow dialed 9-1-1 in the process. Security called the room within 5 minutes.

“Sir, do you need 911 assistance?”
“Mmm, no, not that I know of.”