PennApps

Hey everyone! I hope you’re excited for PennApps tomorrow because we definitely are! We have a lot of information, so please read this entire email! By the way, if you have any questions, we will all be checking our email all day tomorrow.

We will have updates and information over the course of the day on our Twitter and Tumblr. Our schedule will be updated as well with more info.

By the way, Penn students who want to help set up can sign up here.

 

There are a few different places where things are happening tomorrow.

A map with all relevant locations is here

First, we have an afternoon session of Javascript tech talks by developers from the New York Times.

 

330-415: Javascript Fundamentals in Bodek Lounge, Houston Hall

330-415: jQuery and DOM Basics in Cafe 58, Irvine Hall

415-5: Javascript Best Practices in Bodek Lounge, Houston Hall

415-5: Keynote: The Makers’ Life in Cafe 58, Irvine Hall

 

Registration/Sign-in for PennApps starts at 530 outside the Hall of Flags, in Houston Hall. Swag bags and other goodies will be given out here.

 

Getting to Houston Hall or the Quad from 30th Street Station is a 15-20 minute walk, or $7 cab ride. From the Greyhound stop, it’s a 40 minute walk, or 15-20 minutes if you take Septa. For parking information, there is some info below.

 

Then, the kickoff is at 6 in Hall of Flags, Houston Hall. 

Sponsors will demo APIs during the kickoff, and we will discuss important information for the weekend.

Kickoff will go to about 8. Dinner will be at 8 in Houston Hall.

 

After dinner, we will start moving to the Quad. Everyone who had signed up by Wedneday morning is on a list of names that will allow you to get into the Quad if you have photo ID (even past 2 AM), but entrance is only through the upper quad entrance (the location I’ve marked on the map).

 

If you arrive between 8 and 9, check Houston Hall before going to the Quad.

 

Hacking will take place in McClelland Hall in the Quad. We may have some overflow space (for Penn students only) in Weiss Tech House if we absolutely can’t fit everyone.

 

At 9, Jim Grandpre will start a series of intro hacking sessions covering a variety of topics. This will be in Towne Hall, Room 100. We’ll have more information about that tomorrow. 

 

Additionally, the New York Times evening session of Javascript tech talks by developers from the New York Times.

 

9-945: Keynote: Emerging Technologies at The New York Times, Cafe 58, Irvine Hall

9-945: Backbone & Underscore, Class of 49, Houston Hall

9-945: Linked Data, The Semantic Web, and the NYT Semantic API, Wu & Chen Auditorium (Room 101), Levine Hall

945-1030: CoffeeScript, Class of 49, Houston Hall

945-1030: Node.js, Cafe 58, Cafe 58, Irvine Hall

 

It is possible that we will need overflow space, in which case approximately 12 teams will work in the Weiss Tech House. Only Penn students will be allowed in Weiss Tech House due to security rules.

 

Please bring your own water bottles! We will have 200 PennApps water bottles, but these will run out. 

Please bring a surge protector if possible. 

If you are coming from outside Penn, please try to bring a sleeping bag. We will have sleeping accommodations, but we cannot guarantee they will all be comfortable. Penn students, if you are willing to lend sleeping bags to visiting hackers, that would be awesome and very appreciated. Also, if you are a Penn student and are willing to “host” a visiting hacker but haven’t told me yet, please let me know!

And visiting hackers - please bring a printed copy of all transportation-related receipts so we can process your reimbursement. If some of your transportation receipts won’t be available until after your trip back home, please keep a hold of all of them and you can mail the receipts and forms to us.

 

You don’t need any receipt to get reimbursed for driving - if you drive, we will reimburse you at 27.7 cents per mile (which is more than gas would cost).

Regarding parking: There are some parking garages on campus.

Also, there is free street parking on almost all streets west of 40th. Make sure to check that there isn’t any sign on the street regarding parking, though. That shouldn’t be more than a ~15 minute walk from the relevant PennApps locations. 

We unfortunately cannot accommodate visiting hackers on the waiting list (unless previously communicated otherwise). Penn hackers on the waiting list can come to the kickoff tomorrow (I will be sending a separate email to them shortly)- it is possible that our attendance estimates turn out to be incorrect and if so, we certainly want you to participate! Note that teams getting in off the waiting list will almost certainly have to work in Weiss Tech House.

Email us if you have any other questions! Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow!