By Charles McCathieNevile.
Sunday, 6. August 2006, 12:57:15
sleep, assembly, prizes, team
OK folks, we are packing up. We have given out prizes (congratulations to Gasman for winning the standards prize in the browser demo, Jobe for winning the widget compo with
badboll, and to everyone who won prizes or created entries in the compos), slept on the floor, lived on pizza and coffee and stayed out of the sun, helped people make widgets, explained dozens and dozens among the many things that makes Opera a truly great browser.
Now it's almost time to say goodbye. Many many thanks to Velmu for all his help here. Thanks to everyone who turned up at the stand to say hello or to ask about something or tell us something they thought was cool. Thanks to the organisers of the event, and all the staff who helped keep the event running.
And thanks to my colleagues on the Opera Team. It's been a lot of fun to hang out with you, even during the time when you were working in the day and I was sleeping behind you, or when I have been on the stand at the end of my night shift, eyes barely open but just a little more to get done before I sleep...
Bye all, and thanks. It's been a great party
By Gorm.
Saturday, 5. August 2006, 11:45:52
assembly, sleep, moblogging
Cameraphones come with a great responsibility. Some people are decent enough to use them only against people that are awake (like me). Some people (like Velmu or Chaals) are not that decent and use it on people that are sleeping. Guess what, you are not the only ones with a camera.
Luckily, for the viewers, the lightning was bad and I was shaking so much in anger as I took
this picture.
By Charles McCathieNevile.
Saturday, 5. August 2006, 10:55:54
sleep, assembly
Like everyone, we have to sleep sometime. Doing that and manning a stand 24-hours a day can be hard work. But luckily we have some serious luxury available... A little bit of the floor space, just the length required for an opera employee. And with your head under the table or behind the pillar you don't even have a light shining directly on you.
Which leads to
happy sleeping people at various times through the day or night, while others are manning the stand. After all, that's part of the demoscene party. As velmu noted, it is a bit like travelling - your time zone becomes confused, you don't see daylight when you expect to (and see it when you don't expect it), and you sleep when and where you can.
By Charles McCathieNevile.
Saturday, 5. August 2006, 03:52:52
assembly, sleep, widgets
It's 6.30 am on Saturday morning. I've been here for most of the time since 10 am Thursday. I slept here for 5 hours today, and I have been out for a walk or a drink a couple of times, for an hour or so.
Someone came to our stand about half an hour ago, sat on one of the seats, and slapped his head on the table to sleep. Apparently it wasn't that comfortable, as he left about 20 minutes later.
Finns, like most Scandinavians, seem to have a habit of spitting on the ground when they are smoking. Like lots of Australian kids I gre up with the habit of going around barefoot in warm weather (or even almost warm weather...). These two things are not nicely compatible unfortunately. Unless you like really really disgusting feet.
There has been a steady stream of people until about 4am or so, but then it seems most people are either sitting working (like Velmu and I are - thanks Velmu for hanging out with us!) or sleeping - now most of the people walking around are in that dazed stage of waiting until sleep knocks them out.
I have done some useful stuff. As well as giving a talk with Gorm, I uploaded
a new widget (a ten minute countdown that I use for talks, part of which was written by Doug Schepers), I have talked to people about making widgets, shown off the Nintendo browser and some other toys we have here, got some of my regular work done, and even spoken to my Mum and to my Dad (about this time last night...)
Wow! There is a machine that cleans the floor. Not before time really - it is the first time I have seen it passing. I was wondering about that.
Well, time to find coffee. At least the shops here sell some vaguely healthy food, and stay open all night to do it. Just a couple more of the very quietest hours until we get relieved....
WIDGETIZE