Hi Gang, ###################################################### Update. Friday night hangout, 8:00 PM. Have a few drinks, meet some friends, decompress after a some travel. Where: The BIG Bar (yes, that's what they call it) Inside the Hyatt, Whacker (not the Hyatt Magnficent Mile) Address: 151 East Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL See ya there at 8:00 PM tonight. ###################################################### ###################################################### Update. Register for CodeCrush '15 here. https://www.buzztouch.com/account/codeCrush-15.php ###################################################### Update. Saturday / Sunday venue secured. Saturday and Sunday Buzzcon '15 Location 9:00 - 5:00 Saturday (All invited) 9:00 - 5:00 Sunday (CodeCrush Attendees) -------------------------------------------------- Free Range Office 2141 W. North Ave., 2nd Flr Wicker Park - Bucktown Chicago http://freerangeoffice.com Friday night hotel hangout location still unknown, stay tuned.... ###################################################### It's that time of year again, sweet! I'm looking forward to seeing you at Buzzcon '15 in Chicago. March 21, 22. This is a quickie announcement to get the weekend on your calendar marked. I'll post more details in the coming week - like what hotel we'll gather in. A simple plan, no-hoopla, with a "freestyle" theme. Good people, good times, good connections. What else do we need anyway? Friday Night, March 20, FREE: Take over a bar somewhere. Chill', meet-n-greet. I'll announce the hotel I'll be staying at - which will be the place we gather Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. No cabs for me! Saturday, March 21, FREE: Two morning presentations, TBA. Afternoon on top of the world famous Sears Tower for a photo opp. Don't miss getting in this photo. An afternoon presentation, TBA. Saturday night, more chill' whatever we want. It's our hangout, right? Sunday, March 22, $100. One day Code Crush. If Object Oriented programming is giant mystery, or you want to get an in-person refresher (from all that online reading you've been doing) and need to step-it-up-a-bit, join me Sunday. I'll be leading an 8 hour course designed to demystify Object Oriented Programming. I led this course at a University a few weeks ago and I'm stoked to bring it to my professional colleagues - you. More news to follow about this years ho-down. Comment on this thread if you plan to attend. BE SURE TO MENTION THAT YOU WANT TO JOIN ME SUNDAY SO I CAN GET YOU ON THE LIST - THERE IS A LIMITED NUMBER OF SPOTS AVAILABLE FOR SUNDAY'S CODE CRUSH. Super stoked....

I'm in. Tim

Wohoo. I am in !!!!!

I'm in

Great news David! Put me on the list for the Sunday course. I will checkout deals on airfare from RDU, and watch for the Hotel name. Looking forward to meeting anyone here on BT who can make the trip.

I will be there! LA

I'm a definitely try to be there

Yeehaw! Count me in on all three days! -- Niraj

Any chance of a week long code camp this year? Wasn't able to make last years in Vegas. :(

In of course. See y'all there.

please count me in

I'm out.

What's the price on a hotel room so I can see if I can afford it? LA

I'll certainly see if I can swing it! I'm pretty sure I can cover a hotel...we'll have to see about airfare. Mark

I'll see what I can do, but March is just around the corner, and we had plans to visit our in-laws in June. Might be too close for financial comfort. Cheers! -- Smug P.S., my in-laws are in a different country, in the opposite direction.

In a horrible financial situation right now, otherwise, you know Sam and I would be there! I'll try to make it if my luck changes, but it's unlikely - hope everyone has a great time! For those considering Code Bash - stop considering, just do it, seats are limited, and even one hour of watching David Book coding in action is well worth the cash, let alone a 8 hour personal course! Rock on! p.s. Lovin' that new blue 2015 badge :-) mrDavid

Not likely gonna make it in person...can we organize a livestream? :)

Hopefully I can make it,even if I have to take the bus ha.Plus I want one of those cool badges!I hate the feeling of missing BuzzCon

Pricing, hotel, etc.... The price of a hotel in Chicago depends on what hotel we choose, right? I'm intentionally NOT confirming a location until we get a better feeling of the attendence. And, to be clear, it's not necessary to stay in the same hotel as I am. It may be easier but not important necessarily. Like you, and so many others, it's a budget issue. I'm not a fan of bleeding cash unecessarily, nor is anyone else. Getting there, a room for two nights, a few beers, some fun, it ads up quick! Last years Vegas event was ridiculously expensive, for lots of folks, me included. Fun, for sure, but really expensive. I'm doing what I can to make getting together as accessible as possible or the most number of folks. Hence the Chicago location. San Francisco would be easier on some of us, wink :-) Driving, hitching a train, riding a horse, walking, riding a Segway to Chicago isn't too terribly expensive from almost anywhere in the US. I think we can pull off a casual hangout with some colleauges without breaking the bank. If you can make it, awesome. Else, not worries, we'll catch ya next time. I'm monitoring this thread to see who's in or out before posting more details. Hack it up...

Wish I could be there. I will be in Florida on those dates. I will be there in spirit!!

Stoked! See u there. Code Crush too!

Sounds great, count me in!

Believe it or not this is very doable for me this year. If you are open to it.....Fresh start.... new attitude and lots of things I would like to share. Count me in :)

Well be there. 2 of us

I am out. I have another business trip planned for those dates. If you are able to change the date, then I am definitely in.

I'm in! 12 hr drive (13 if I go the "prettier route") I know the locals can give you better input that I can, but I've stayed in Schaumburg many times for work trips. Its more suburb-y vs the big city. Then I take the "L" into the city if I need. Hotels there are around ballpark 60-80 for a decent place vs 120ish in the city. If David has a place to meet, that might be an option for anyone who wants to save a few bucks on the bed (since that's all I'll be using the room for, lol) No sleep when Buzztouching!!!

See u there stobe!!

I will be staying at my sister's house in the suburbs, and using public transportation to get to the hotel. I like the idea of it being in Schaumburg, but if you do decide on a location in the suburbs then we just need to make sure we can access it with public transportation. Once we all get there, I know we will spend all of our time hovering around a computer screen rather than seeing the sights of Chicago.

Has to be downtown for my good lady and I. Love Chicago. My first landing spot in U.S.

Of course. I wasn't suggesting we move the Con to the suburbs. Just offering an idea for lodging in case money was tight for some.

Of course! Just can't miss a chance to be downtown. Not long.......

Would like to purchase airfare this weekend. About 8 weeks out... Are the dates considered final? What time do we start Sat and end Sunday? Location in Chicago where Code class is being held? Thanks!

Priceline and Spot hero baby! 5 words! OK, 7 words if you include the second sentence. 16 if you include the above! I'll stop, proper excited!

NCbuzz Dates are final. I'd try to be there on site for 9am if you can. Grab some coffee etc. Previous gigs we've all wound up the learning and then learned in a less class setting for the evenings. Looking forward to meeting you!

Dates are final. We'll settle on a locatiOn in the next few days. It will be in or very near "downtown" Chicago. It's not necessary to stay there but it will be public transit accessible. Stoked to see everyone...

Awesome! I'd love a spot for Code Crush - hopefully you guys don't start too early :)

I'm in! Just up the road from me, so no excuses! Thanks!

Will definitely be there, Saturday and Sunday,... hopefully even Friday evening if I can make it!!! Can't wait!

Looking forward to seeing you lass!

Ps Loving your wee green and yellow bike!

Ya like my Google bike Keith?! :-) Really looking forward to seeing you and Trish again and a bunch of other familiar BT faces I hope!

Hey, seems like fun, but guess I'll miss this one. Cheers

Big game Sunday Derval! Madrod - you'll be there in spirit brother. Trish and I have to get out to you soon!

Yes I will... and ya you really should...

you'll be missed @Madrod :-( @MacApple...FYI: Ireland currently ranks as third in the World Rugby Rankings... enough said!

Everyone getting all booked up? We have a head count? gonna be sweet!

Booked? Thought you were gettingmy hotel buddy. Sheesh. I'll do a wee Priceline job the week of. Be there Friday through Sunday.

Booking now! Flying in. Standing by for info on where all this is goin down!

I just had to share this link... this place looks amazing. Richard Branson's latest creation. Hey maybe we can fit it in for an after-dinner drink if nothing else... http://virginhotels.com

I thought we were waiting on David for location of what hotel? LA

Hey LA! I booked my flight just waiting to hear on exact hotel. cheers! What up Derval! Looks cool. I'm in!!

Quick update, hotel will be resolved within 72 hours :-) At that point a few more details will become clear Stay tuned… Super stoked!

Awesome. Can't wait!

Count me in, booking flights today from NC!!

If my counting is right we're up to 20. Sooooo love having colleagues. Well done gang.

David - Is there any specific book/doc/e-learning you can recommend, so we can be better prepared, ready to hit the ground running? Looking forward to putting faces to names, can't wait.

Looks like it's a Birthday party for Susan and Mac. They're buying! (that's the custom on this some of the pond, really). I have no idea how those dates showed up on my Google Calendar by the way. Creeeeeepy. Still waiting for name of Hotel.

Update. Saturday / Sunday venue secured. Saturday and Sunday Buzzcon '15 Location 9:00 - 5:00 Saturday (All invited) 9:00 - 5:00 Sunday (CodeCrush Attendees) -------------------------------------------------- Free Range Office 2141 W. North Ave., 2nd Flr Wicker Park - Bucktown Chicago http://freerangeoffice.com Friday night hotel hangout location still unknown, stay tuned.... I don't expect everyone to stay at the same hotel but I'll be posting where I'm staying if others want to join in. The bar we gather in Friday night will be at or near the hotel I'm crashing in :-)

WolfTimJ Who am I to go against customs. Everybody asking about hotel, more interested in the bar here! See you all there.

I didn't mention, but I'm in for CodeCrash on Sunday

@andydahl - yes! Been way too long. @RonBo - Fantastic you're making the trip. As far as e-books go, don't worry too much about trying to "prepare" for Sunday's CodeCrush. I'm a huge learner and tend to think that anything read is worth the read (regarding code, technical stuff), even if it's not well written. No stress, no need to study beforehand, gonna be fun. ALL: How we gonna encourage Miguel to make the trip from Portugal? He never misses this stuff!

MadRod!!!!!!!!!

Quick hotel update: I'm HOPING (still unconfirmed) to stay at the Hyatt Regency, Downtown. I'm posting these because lots of folks want to know where David's gonna be. Regardless of where I stay, you stay, we stay...we'll be using public transit to get to the hangout location on Saturday and Sunday. I've intentionally secured a NON-HOTEL location for our Sat / Sun fun. FreeRangeOffice Chicago is an uber-cool place and we'll be using their conference / meeting room on Saturday and Sunday. We're planning to gather for drinks or whatever on Friday night. This will be downtown Chicago. It doesn't have to be in "my hotel" but could be. Mostly it's about gathering, chillin' a bit, and having some fun before the Sat / Sun gig. I'll keep posting as I learn more about my mysterious whereabouts :-)

I think I'll make the trip over with the wife let her do some shopping. Now I my not be the creator of buzztouch but I like to think of myself as one of the first 'users' of it wink wink (and drove David crazy about Android in the early days, before Android was well Android WOW that seems so long ago)... I think It's time I pop over and say hello in person.

Would love to go I haven't been on Buzztouch in a while but just recently moved to Chicago.

Will be attending the code crush and a friend will be joining me. We Weill both also be at the meetup.

I'm in for both Conf + CodeCrush. I'll be the guy hanging with my pal @NirajShah. Looking fwd to my first BT Conf!

Booked at the Hyatt Regency on East Wacker. Hope that's the right place. Wacker. Lol. Tim

Looks like this, once again, won't happen for me. The kids have Spring Break that week, and we're likely to be in CA wrapping up a vacation at that time. Would love to see you all and personally thank everybody for their support, but I guess it'll have to wait for another time. Mark

3 weeks folks! Looking forward to seeing faces old and new. You'll be there in spirit Mark good sir.

I'm in. Let the Blue Moons rise!!!

;)

Due to changes, we will not be able to attend.

Awesome Kittsy! Can't wait! But here's my dilemma.... I could either rent a car, drive to Chicago, get a hotel for 2 nights, visit with many friends, and eat and drink like a king.... or buy a ladies Apple Watch. What to do???

Blue moon all the way. we'll get good and drunk then get his and hers apple watch tattoos they will be a lot cheaper.

Brilliant!

I have had my flight booked for weeks, but have not reserved a hotel. Where are some of you staying? Also will there be any official sign up prior to Code Crush- or just plan to show up?

Guess I forgot to mention I'd like to be in on Code Crush too. Have reservations at Hyatt Regency as per David's suggestion but no confirmation that it's actually happening there. Tim

Nothing's actually "happening" anywhere, except for the actual Buzzcon and Code Crush both at the FreeRange Office listed at the top. I think any extracurricular activities will be decided on the fly. As long as your hotel is somewhat near the Blue Line (transit), you should be fine. David mentioned he will be supplying some more info in the next few days, but nothing that would/should change your lodging plans. We were real spoiled last year with a hotel we could all stay at for a reasonable price for what we received. And with having a full week event attached to the 'Con, it was important to all stay in the same location. This year, it make more sense to allow each attendee the flexibility of choosing their own lodging because of the vast difference in prices. I prefer the $40-50 rooms, while others may be happy paying $150-200 for a nice room in the city. If anyone is having a hard time deciding where to stay, feel free to contact me and I'll try to point you in the right direction depending on your circumstances/wants/needs.

I found a room at Hotel Blake for 149 with free internet

Hey gang... Thing's are coming together nicely. You can register for CodeCrush (Sunday's learning session) here: https://www.buzztouch.com/account/codeCrush-15.php I'll get a better idea of how many are attending after letting folks officially register on that page. Plan a Friday night hangout (Kittsy owes me a pint or two) at or near that Hyatt, East Wacker. This is downtown. The weekend venue is on the North side, a blue line ride away from downtown. Where you stay isn't important. Arriving at FreeRangeOffice Saturday at 9:00 AM is :-)

I'm trying my best to try to attend David. It is important to me to stay where you are or the meetings are going to be held cause of the wheelchair. LA

For those of you who haven't done a little research about the locations related to this Buzzcon, this quick map may help out. You'll see a pin dropped at the airport, at the downtown hotel and the meeting location. Along the imaginary diagonal line that would connect these three pins is the Blue Line of Chicago's transit. There are really no hotels near the meeting location, so everyone will be using some sort of transportation (personal car, taxi, Blue Line) to get between their lodging and the meeting. If you're still trying to decide where to stay, keep in mind the closer you are to downtown, the more expensive it is. The closer to the airport, the cheaper. And of course, there are nice places to stay, and there are flea-ridden places to stay. Use something like hotels.com which includes a ton of real reviews from recent stays. Map: http://imgur.com/q5zJVMl

Thank you @Stobe! I need a hotel to where I can travel in my wheelchair to downtown and other places. LA

Awesome Stobe! Kittsy's probably gonna just do his morning jog to the meetup:)

I find it's more than a stagger than a jog. David I owe you more than a few beers, we willll have to see how drunk I get, then arrange further recompense.

Super bummed, but I won't be able to make it now. I'm sure it will be a blast, have fun everyone! Jim

I know that those coming from CA are always enjoying the warm temps ;) Here in NC our temp finally broke into the 80's, and now I check Chicago and sounds like Winter. At least I'm hoping we are late enough in March to avoid snow...

And the journey begins see you all in Chicago!!!!!

Air traffic controllers strike here in Italy... Flight cancelled. Will arrive a day late I'm afraid. See you all....at some stage!

Boo. Having a cheeky Guiness at the airport belated Paddys Day drink

Ahhhh, code red. Our group is dwindling. LOL. Derval with cancelled flight, Kittsy to hammered to find the joint! Let the adventure begin.

Wheels up from Raleigh North Carolina in about an hour. Some Haiku while I wait for Admob to update.... To BuzzCon 15 Let the adventure begin All about the buzz

I will be at the Hyatt Regency around 6-7-ish, depending on train schedule from O'Hare. 151 East Wacker Dr Chicago, IL 60601 United States -- Niraj

Make that two from NC. My flight is scheduled for 2pm

In Philadelphia

Just got to my hotel in Chicago.I took the Orange train into the city, very easy and suggest you purchase a card for five dollars and you can fund the card with any amount. The train took about 25 minutes to get into the city, and cost less than three dollars. If you register the card online you get the five dollars back to use riding. Anybody up for some pizza?

Friday Night Hangout Location! at 8:00 PM The BIG Bar (yes, that's what it's called) In the Hyatt on Whacker 151 East Wacker Drive, Chicago We can "wander" from there if the vibe isn't what we're looking for. It's Chicago, LOTS of places to grab a beer. See ya at 8:00 PM tonight at The BIG Bar

C u there

I just got to the Hyatt and the big bar looks nice. I'm hanging out right now in the breezeway between the two buildings just to the left of the big bar.

@RonBo, cool! I'm not there yet... I'll see you guys at 8:30 :-) d.

Been on the runway in Philadelphia for over 2 hours fuming

Kittsy - you might try taking the pink bunny ears off for the flight. and they might let the plane take off ;)

I might take the planes wings off and beat the pilot to death with them. Longest 5 minutes of my life the lying git

A poke at Tim ATRAIN, we shall meet at the B1G Bar! :-)

We are in the large bar that is aptly named!

Screw you guys I've now been on a runway for 4 hours

Traffic sucks. Period. I've been in a car, on a bus, on a small train, now I'm on a big train. Downtown bound!

I just drank your beer Kitsy. It was soooooooo good!

You could have picked me up in Phily tim

I can't fly after drinking your beer.

Saturday Night Pizza 8:00PM Pizannos at 61 E. Madison, Chicago http://www.pizanoschicago.com/the-loop.php Could not find reservations anywhere, so we may be obliged to drink while we wait, sorry.... 312-236-1777

Reserved table for 12 at 8 under name Wolf.

Awesome!

Seated downstairs at Pizano's big table everyone welcome:)

Had a nice deep-dish pizza dinner graced by a great advisor on travels. :-)

Don't wanna leave anybody behind. Wolf limo leaving Hyatt momentarily ...

Sad to have to say goodbye to my Buzztouch family. Had a great time. Safe travels to all! -Stobe out!

Great hang Stobe! See u soon!

What a great time and fantastic learning opp!

Total pleasure RonBo!

Great to meet everyone! Niraj and I kept the Buzz going at airport before we headed to gates. Look forward to seeing you all next time aroud.

So nice to see familiar faces again and meet some new ones... as always, a great learning experience with David at the helm. I'm thinking we should do a "fast-track" version of the code crush day via GotoMeeting for those who didn't make it to this event, for a small sign up fee. Really really missed the folks from previous BT events... hope you guys will be at the next one wherever that may be! pics: https://twitter.com/dervalo/status/580026982878081024

Back on my way to England. Again had an amazing time with my American Brothers and Irish sister. A pleasure as always. Just banging out some tunes on Garage Band.

Start in key of C. Put some mud on it.