Tag: travel

ApacheCon Big Data/Core News Wrapup

Our annual Apache:Big Data and ApacheCon:Core events were held recently at the lovely Corinthia Hotel Budapest, and the content and attendees were amazing.  The weather was great too, and sightseeing and shopping in Budapest were lovely.  Attendance was still good even in the face of time-competing software conferences and the local refugee crisis happening in the region.

While they were booked as separate events, many people stayed for the whole week.  Going forward, we will likely have a single event, but be even clearer with the strength of content in specific track days.  The broad array of very deep and well-received technical content in the big data space was truly impressive; Apache has over a dozen big data related projects and probably 20 more incoming Incubator podlings, so we certainly have the space covered!

We got some great press coverage and a few independent blog posts with key events at ApacheCon Budapest this year:

Overall, ApacheCon is always a good week for me, but this year it was exceptional. The Corinthia was as lovely as ever, and I finally had time to really take a walk and shop in the central market in Budapest. Plus, Thursday was a special day for me, and somehow everyone at the conference (including the hotel staff) found out, and was wishing me well. Many thanks to the friends who took me to an authentic Hungarian restaurant for dinner! Even the gypsy band playing a version of “Happy Birthday” was fun, and I’m glad I got to bring home the music of Norbert Salasovics!

Our conference producer the Linux Foundation has been really improving how we organize our CFP and put together highly focused tracks on a variety of Apache projects.  While it’s hard to put a spotlight on all 200+ projects and initiatives at the ASF, expect to see even better organized content and talks in the ApacheCon to come, with full in-depth tracks on key technologies – along with excellent community and “how does Apache do it all” advice to boot.

Slides for all talks and videos for keynotes should be posted on the event archive websites:

Many of our speakers use Slideshare as well, and the Apache Community Development project has a separate listing of some key Apache Way slides.

Stay tuned for the CFP for ApacheCon North America, which will be returning to Vancouver, Canada on 9-13 May 2016. Hope to see you there!

0x03 days until ApacheCon: your packing list

I’ll spare you all the obvious packing tips, and just point out a few things you many not have thought about to pack when visiting Amsterdam.

Voltage adapter
Note that if you have modern electronics like me – a newish Mac or Thinkpad, iPhone, etc. and many recent cameras – you don’t actually need a voltage converter. Double-check your power adapters to see if they can take 220volts. You will need the two-round-pin adapter for the continent, however.
Your laptop
Highly recommended. The majority of attendees will have a laptop of some sort, and most of them will be typing on them throughout the conference.
Shampoo and soap
The Moevenpick doesn’t provide them. That was a minor surprise for me, used to travelling in the US where every hotel has little complimentary toiletries.
Comfortable walking shoes
You’ll do a lot of walking if you go out into the city (which you should!) Plus layers and a windbreaker to stay warm; Amsterdam weather will be cool, windy, and rainy to start the week. Or, join folks to go running or biking.
Euros
Bringing enough to buy your train ticket from the airport to Centraal will save you in fees. Plan on using an ATM (note: there are some fees, but often it’s less than moneychangers) at Centraal or around the city.

If you’ve never been to Amsterdam, you absolutely need to read our Amsterdam Tips on the wiki, which include instructions for taking the train and tram from the airport.