Re: Meeting room size estimation

[Kent Crispin <kent at songbird.com>]

On Mon, Dec 14, 1998 at 11:51:58AM -0800, Tony Hain wrote:
> This sounds easy, but when the exceptions are taken into account (ie: I will
> attend x unless it conflicts with y), the already difficult task of creating
> the agenda gets even harder. The IETF has and will grow to fill its
> container, much like the root ball of a plant. The reason the recent
> problems are becoming more pronounced is we have exhausted the incremental
> spaces and the next size container is a significant leap.

I'm not sure that there is such a discontinuity.  However, there is 
another aspect of this problem I saw mentioned only once, and I 
think it is important.

There are only two or three WG/BOFs that I actually had time to prepare 
for.  That's a cold reality of my situation in life -- it's not a 
lack of intelligence or technical expertise, it is a pure lack of 
time.  Those particular sessions are important to me, however, and I 
want to be involved -- in one case I would go so far as to say that 
my involvement was essential.

I suspect that this is fairly common -- most of us hold down day 
jobs that make serious demands on our time, and I suspect that many
of us have time to effectively participate in only one or two 
WGs.  We might call these "Few Issue Attendees".

I believe that the FIAs are a substantial fraction of the IETF
attendance.  They actively participated in 3 or less WGs, but that
active participation is definitely valuable, to them and to the IETF. 
FIAs are a permanent feature of the IETF landscape, and there is no
point in trying to get rid of them. 

So, what do they do during the 100 or so other sessions for which
they are not well-prepared?

0) be obnoxious in other sessions
1) lurk in other sessions
2) socialize in hallways, bars, and restaurants
3) visit tourist attractions
4) sit in the terminal room
5) twiddle their thumbs in their hotel rooms
6) arrive late and leave early.

Except for 0, none of these is obviously bad, and all of them can be 
planned for.  

And a purely practical suggestion: If you want to *guarantee* that
you will have free-flowing electrons for your laptop, bring a small
multi-socket adapter (maybe even a small powerstrip), and an
extension cord.  You will be a hero, and at the same time will always
have electricity. 

kent

-- 
Kent Crispin, PAB Chair				"Do good, and you'll be
kent at songbird.com				lonesome." -- Mark Twain