MGC 2009 - Great show, once again!

ShockSlayer · Post by **ShockSlayer** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 12:53 am

Yes, thank you very much for your PM!

I wonder, do you thin there would be less hassle through baggage check if I made it look like a professional unit?

More incentive, I guess.

SS

Post by **SpongeBuell** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 1:09 am

It certainly wouldn't hurt. Here are my tips in case you must carry it on the plane (they don't do the same checks for checked luggage that they do for everything else)

1. Scan it in a separate bin from all your other stuff, like with laptops. It's something they're not used to to begin with showing up on those xrays, and if you have fewer "distractions" it's probably a good idea

2. Make the unit easy to open, in case you need to prove that there's nothing bad inside. An xray should do this up to a point, but if you have a birds nest of wires inside, it may be hard to see.

3. Arrive early, just in case. You could get tied up (not literally) as a result

4. Have the unit running when going through security. If you can prove that what you have is a functioning unit for what you say it is, it certainly helps your case in proving that it's not a bomb or something.

ShockSlayer · Post by **ShockSlayer** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 1:29 am

Good tips, I'll tape my triwing + another screwdriver to it, just incase.

SS

Post by **SpongeBuell** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 1:49 am

Oh, and one other thing: no matter what, stay polite with the TSA. Sure, a monkey could do the job they have, and most of them aren't too far off from being a monkey, but they have the final say in whether or not you (and your portable) get through. If they get suspicious, a simple "I can see where it's different than what you normally get, but I can explain anything if you have any questions... I made it myself" goes a lot further than a "what are you talking about? It's not like I'm a terrorist and this is a bomb"

ShockSlayer · Post by **ShockSlayer** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 2:02 am

Again, another good point. Although, it wouldn't be hard for me to come up with thousands of witty responses.

But I'd definitely be as polite as possible.

Hey, what time would you be waiting at the airport? In the morning, afternoon, or evening?

SS

Post by **SpongeBuell** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 2:14 am

It'd probably lean closer to evening, but it's hard to say. This year, it happens at the end of my spring break, so it's not like I have to wait for classes to be done (or maybe skip a class or two) on Friday. I go to school in Eau Claire, WI, which is about a 250 mile drive, but if I stay at my girlfriend's brother's place in Madison or Mt. Horeb, WI it'd be closer to a 100-mile drive, which makes things better. If people can't come at the same time without paying an arm and a leg, I don't mind making separate trips, but if there are a couple flights around an hour apart, I may stick around.

Oh, and if I am picking you up, it's about a 20 minute drive, so I'd ask for a bit of a gas contribution. Nothing unreasonable, certainly better than a taxi, but I need to keep my own expenses caused by those kinds of favors covered.

ShockSlayer · Post by **ShockSlayer** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 10:30 am

Yeah, from the looks of it, I'd like to leave Friday morning, I'll check to see how long of a flight time that is.

Gas contribution sounds fine, but I'd like to know your definition of reasonable!

SS

Post by **SpongeBuell** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 2:54 pm

ShockSlayer wrote:Yeah, from the looks of it, I'd like to leave Friday morning, I'll check to see how long of a flight time that is.

Gas contribution sounds fine, but I'd like to know your definition of reasonable!

SS

Basically, enough to cover gas. It takes about a gallon each to get there and back, and I'll have to do it a total of 4 times (get there, pick you up, come back, go back, drop you off, return). 4 gallons of gas x ~$1.75/gallon (depending on what gas is at the time) is around $7. Not too much, but I could buy lunch with that, ya know, especially if I have to make multiple trips. If I only have to make one trip to pick up/drop off 2 people, I'll only ask for money for one trip's worth.

DJ711 · Post by **DJ711** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 3:21 pm

how much are tickets?

ShockSlayer · Post by **ShockSlayer** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 7:49 pm

DJ711 wrote:how much are tickets?

Check the site.

SS

Website · Post by **Life of Brian** » Sat Dec 27, 2008 11:46 pm

Great news - talked with my fiancee and she really likes the idea of taking a road trip there. We'll probably drive to Chicago on Thursday, go sightseeing on Friday, and Saturday morning drive the remaining 2 hours to MGC and spend the day there.

Post by **SpongeBuell** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 2:33 am

Life of Brian wrote:Great news - talked with my fiancee and she really likes the idea of taking a road trip there. We'll probably drive to Chicago on Thursday, go sightseeing on Friday, and Saturday morning drive the remaining 2 hours to MGC and spend the day there.

Dude, you gotta come early and hang out with us on Friday like all the cool people! Trust me, it'll be worth it. Of course, your fiancee is welcome, too.

Kyo · Post by **Kyo** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 5:36 am

So... any eccentric millionaires willing to pay a flight from germany and back?

Website · Post by **Life of Brian** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 12:49 pm

So.... shall we collaborate about what we'll do for MGC? I for one would like to discuss vacuum forming with some of you guys who will be attending, even if it's not for the "benheck.com Experience".

Another idea I had was making a sort of timeline for all the completed portables that we can find information about and putting it up on a poster.

Kyo · Post by **Kyo** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 12:55 pm

You guys better not talk bad about me behind my back (unless you videotape it and send it to me afterwards)