[Haifux] Where were the organizers?

Tue May 11 12:58:08 MSD 2010

Hello everyone,
Indeed we had no luck yesterday. I was late, and I would like to
apologize for that (I was at a funeral and had a traffic jam getting to
Haifa) So I am really really sorry, Roy.
If I had been in time, I might have remebered to go to the "ahraii-binyan"
and get the key.
This is the second time, lately, that we have problems.
I cannot complain, putting no effort into organizing, however, we,
[we= the whole haifux] should realize that in certain cases SOME logistics
is required.

Some cases: when (1) one of us gives a lecture, and just 4 people show up
and there are organizational problems... we understand. BUT, when (2) a
guy comes from Tel-Aviv or Jerusalem (faces traffic, or Bus travel and
expenses AND TIME) and the same happens, Then... THIS should not happen.
Shachar was, maybe, the first to put this in writing: he wrote on
02 Jun 2009 12:01:42 :
"giving a Haifux lecture requires some effort on my part. Aside from
everything else, this requires getting out of work at about 4 pm and drive
to Haifa, as well as ...[cut]
All this I will gladly do, and enjoy it...[cut]
I, on my part, am more than willing to leave work early, drive both
direction and give the lecture,
BUT YOU HAVE TO DO ONE THING IN RETURN. SHOW UP
but you have to do one thing in return. Show up."
(the uppercase in mine, Nir)

So, in case (2) we (we=as above) should be reasonably sure that there be
adequate audience and logistics.
I am not counting the last meeting, run by Orr, who happens to have a key.
very few people showed up. Orr also comes from rather far away...
Apologies, Orr.

Ram was there yesterday, and told me he has to work to prepare the
lecture. Do we want to file this under case (2) ?
Also, a guy called Sela (after consulting me) offered to give a lecture
about something and got a reply "Your message to Haifux awaits moderator
approval" --> "awaits"  for how long ? This is not encouraging...

If we do not want haifux to melt away and disappear like the cheshire cat,
we should consider some method of knowing how many people will show up.
a. If a given subject does not interest anyone - we can decline politely
the offer.
b. If on a given date, noone can come, we can ask to change the date.

If we do nothing, we count on chance, and statistics does not work so well
in small numbers.

The last lecturer who came from far said : "I considered it an honour to
talk at haifux. then he added: There is an old Japanese saying, "He who
never climbs Mount Fuji is a fool, and he who climbs twice is twice the
fool". So he concluded :"I have given a lecture in Haifux, but, I'll not
do it again".

Roy is a CS student (6th semester) how was he impressed ?
Do we want our lecturers to give one lecture and go away ?
Nir.

On Tue, 11 May 2010, Orna Agmon Ben-Yehuda wrote:

> The door should be open all night long - this room is dedicated to
> self-studying during the night.
>
> On Tue, May 11, 2010 at 7:22 AM, Maxim Kovgan <kovganm at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > I think a good idea is to set up a "chain of command" as people do in the
> > armies.
> > It is also a good thing from organizational perspective.
> > This chain of command should work with the faculty people (Moti or Alex or
> > whoever), and not every willing lecturer.
> >
> > If the obliged representative is not able to arrive they *has to* ping the
> > next in the chain,
> > to at least make sure the door is open and for *the right* people(there
> > are also some faculty security aspects - equipment had been stolen in the
> > past)
> >
> > of course: IMHO.
> >
> > Regards.
> >
> >
> >
> >On Tue, May 11, 2010 at 6:36 AM, Orna Agmon Ben-Yehuda <ladypine at gmail.com
> > > wrote:
> >
> >> Hello all,
> >>
> >> Indeed, I intended to arrive, and I have even had a key during the last
> >> two semesters (but not before that - we managed without for years, as
> >> explained before). However, I was unable to come on the last minute.
> >>
> >> I am sorry there was nobody there who knew Moti should be contacted. This
> >> indeed will be fixed in the future as a part of the regular
> >> lecturer-inviting protocol.
> >>
> >> Orna.
> >>
> >>
> >> On Tue, May 11, 2010 at 4:45 AM, Eli Billauer <eli at billauer.co.il> wrote:
> >>
> >>> Hello,
> >>>
> >>> Since I've been seen presenting the speaker in some talks, and sometimes
> >>> even made sure the projector is available (even though I don't have the key
> >>> myself), and I sometimes announce lectures, I suppose some people will
> >>> consider myself as an organizer. But the truth is, that Haifux has been
> >>> running for quote a few years without appointing anyone to "organize" the
> >>> event. Exactly as in the free software world, the slots have been filled by
> >>> whoever was there to fill them.
> >>>
> >>> I'm sorry to hear about today's mishap. It's a truly rare event, and it
> >>> looks like the shortcircuit lies somewhere between myself and Orna.
> >>> Personally, I had other things on my mind, and I actually wasn't aware that
> >>> anything was planned for today. One lesson to learn is that a lecture
> >>> announced on the same day is a bad omen.
> >>>
> >>> A second bad omen is when you're going to give a lecture, and you have no
> >>> phone number whatsoever to call in case something goes wrong (stuck on the
> >>> road, for example). It's actually true for any kind of appointment one
> >>> makes.
> >>>
> >>> Please keep in mind that the only dedicated staff in any lecture, is the
> >>> speaker himself (or herself). Arriving at a lecture expecting that
> >>> everything has been fixed by just somebody is a bit of a gambling. It works
> >>> almost always, but this time, it just didn't. Andallow me to say, as
> >>> someone who has delivered professional courses, that the same rule applies
> >>> in the "real world".
> >>>
> >>> Having said all this, I'd still like to apologize for the inconvenience.
> >>> The few of us involved will make sure this will not happen again.
> >>>
> >>>Eli
> >>>
> >>> --
> >>> Web: http://www.billauer.co.il
> >>>
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> Orna Agmon Ben-Yehuda.
> >> http://ladypine.org
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Haifux mailing list
> >> Haifux at haifux.org
> >> http://hamakor.org.il/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/haifux
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> > --
> > Maxim Kovgan
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Orna Agmon Ben-Yehuda.
> http://ladypine.org
>