Major Parallax Event in 2012?

MacTuxLin · 2011-12-07 21:32

Hi all,

May I know which event is considered a "must-attend" event either hosts by Parallax or the community in 2012? I'm hoping to plan a trip to the States and while at it, visit Parallax (may I...).

Thanks.

RobotWorkshop · 2011-12-07 21:35

UPENE in Ohio is the one that I usually attend. I hear the one at Parallax HQ is pretty awesome but I've never been able to make it out there.

Robert

W9GFO · 2011-12-07 21:59

UPEW 2012 would be the main one (at Parallax).

I don't what the dates will be but I hope it is either the last weekend in May or one of the last two weekends in June.

SRLM · 2011-12-07 22:14

http://www.propellerpowered.com/expo/

Cluso99 · 2011-12-07 23:55

The release of the Prop II. We don't know which event that will be yet

MacTuxLin · 2011-12-08 04:07

Thanks all. UPEW 2012 it is.

JimInCA · 2011-12-08 08:02

MacTuxLin wrote: »

Thanks all. UPEW 2012 it is.

Last year, UPEW was on the same weekend as Maker Faire. Some people went to UPEW on Saturday and Maker's Fair the Sunday. Hopefully next year they will be timed on consecutive weekends so that people from out of town can attend both. Maker's Faire is held in San Meteo in the San Francisco Bay Area, which is about a two hour drive from Parallax's HQ. And there's more than enough things to enjoy in the few days in between the two events (San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Reno NV, Yosemite, Monterey Bay, Sierra Mountains, Pacific shore line, etc., etc, ...). So I do hope you come out here and enjoy what we have to offer in Northern California and Nevada.
Jim...

MacTuxLin · 2011-12-08 08:04

Thanks Jim! It'll help me to convince my wife for us to have a longer stay in the States

JimInCA · 2011-12-08 08:13

I grew up in Michigan and lived in New York for many years. Both beautiful states in their own right. But while I was living in New York, the company I was working for sent me out the California for business and I fell in love with the state. A few months later I was living out here. That was almost seventeen years ago and I haven't regretted it at all. You will love visiting this state for there is lots to see and lots to do (Parallax is just an added bonus).
Take care...
Jim...

Ken Gracey · 2011-12-08 09:17

UPEW would be the major Parallax-hosted event.

We're looking into running UPEW in a big tent at the Maker Faire. We aren't sure if it's practical or not a this stage but we hope to determine that in the next couple of days. Either way, we'll be setting a date for UPEW shortly. If it is held at Maker Faire then it will be the same weekend. If not, it will be the weekend before or after.

Either way we'd appreciate your thoughts about having UPEW at Maker Faire.

SRLM · 2011-12-08 09:37

I wouldn't like having it at Maker's fair. If you have a big tent, all that mean's is that you are a big vendor trying to sell your products. Which is fine in and of itself, but I don't think it's good for a conference. I've enjoyed UPEW at Parallax, and this year I won't have to train/bike/walk!

Al Booth · 2011-12-08 09:43

I vote for separate weekends. Last year, I was at UPEW on both Saturday and Sunday and missed Maker Faire. There is just too much at UPEW and at Maker Faire to try to cover it all in a weekend.

Al

BTW
@Ken, did you get my email?

Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) · 2011-12-08 09:49

UPEW would have to be a different kind of event if it were held in conjunction with the Maker Faire. For one, admission would have to be more open. It'd be hard to have a tent set up among throngs of people and then say, "You can't come in unless you've pre-registered." And if it were more open, how would it affect the quality of the experience for those who attend, compared with the more intimate gathering in Rocklin? Then there are the logistics of renting and setting up the tent and getting chairs, projectors, video equipment, etc., to and from the venue. Security matters re: equipment theft would also have to be considered, whereas it's not an issue in Rocklin. Still, I can understand the allure of being able to kill two birds with one stone. So the two main questions are: 1. How much effort would a combined event really save? 2. How would it impact the experiences of those attending?

-Phil

Publison · 2011-12-08 10:06

And I don't think you could pull an all nighter at Maker Faire.

Bean · 2011-12-08 10:19

A tent at maker faire would generate a lot of Parallax/Propeller exposure.

Bean

Oldbitcollector (Jeff) · 2011-12-08 10:49

I appreciate the fact that Ken went ahead and mentioned the Maker Fair idea for comments. I was holding my tongue until I saw more of the requirement data.

One of the aspects which I've tried to rein in has always been the "community feel" of the event. In otherwords, when you guys show up with your projects, YOU dictate the flavor of the event, not me. This keeps the show feeling a little more "down home", "retro", or I prefer, "real".

The Parallax event is always a little bit of a circus, because, well it's hosted at Parallax. That being said, it isn't a bad thing, but it does influence the flavor of the show a little and sets it apart from UPENE, and UPEC events.

The tricky part of possibly hosting this at Maker Fair is maintaining the "real" atmosphere of the event. It can be done, but it will be even more difficult than when it is hosted at Parallax. I agree with Bean, that the having the show at Maker Fair would open us to being on display.

There are still many gears turning the background. We will not intentionally place the expo on top of Maker Fair or other large events if at all possible in the future. Your feedback was heard loud and clear.

Thank to you all, both sponsors and attendees for being a part of this event. I'm still amazed by how the idea has continued to flourish and as long as there is excitement in the product, I'll do my best to make this show move forward.

That being said, hey Parallax.. You know 2012 WOULD be a good year to release Propeller II at the shows...

Jeff/OBC

localroger · 2011-12-08 19:27

Ken Gracey wrote: »

we'd appreciate your thoughts about having UPEW at Maker Faire.

It would be a major loss not to have UPEW at Parallax HQ. How would we see the quadrovers (oh you're getting rid of those, OK), the CNC mills, the pick and place machines, the fabulous machine paintball gun cutting cardboard in half, and all the Smile in the lobby?

W9GFO · 2011-12-08 19:47

If UPEW is at Maker Fair then there would be no all-nighters, no tours, no feeling of Parallax opening it's doors to us all.

I like the idea of being able to attend both, but there is no way we could stay for two weekends - unless I left the kids at home.

Prophead100 · 2011-12-08 19:55

It would be good for Parallax to get more exposure at the Maker Faire so I hope you'll plan a good event there for people to get some hands-ons Demos so they can see extra dimensions possible with the propeller (maybe the prop II) such as parallel processing. However, I also appreciate the informal atmosphere UPEW hosted at Parallax with all the experts there and a focus not competing with other events. If you can manage it, both would be better even if you have to scale back a bit.

Prophead100 · 2011-12-08 20:25

Perhaps, you should consider sponsoring something like a competition at the Maker Faire where the competitors would use a kit (e.g. protoboard, an LCD, a piezo, servos, hookup wire, etc..) that is not announced in advance and then they get X hours/minutes to build something useful or inventive, preferably with standard OBEX objects and parts. You could even set it up so the Arduino crowd could get hands on Propeller time with the Arduino_light Object.

Roy Eltham · 2011-12-08 22:56

What about the idea of having UPEW on the Friday before Maker Faire. Then people would just need to get one extra day off and could do both things.

Peter KG6LSE · 2011-12-08 23:07

If it was not held at Parallax HQ then this may have never happend

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZAvmbpKJKc

not that Iam bring it again .. nope a nice set of Polos and slacks are in order .
The Older you get the calmer and wiser ..

perhaps do it like Roy said above

Peter

LoopyByteloose · 2011-12-09 03:12

Just some passing thought...........

Maker Faire, Ardunio versus Propeller, and the BasicStamp2. The primary success of all of these seems to be that the user goes where the documentation and support is easy to use and provided in great depth.

The BasicStamp2 is a terrific success story because there was so much out there for the users. Tremendous debate focused around the fact that there were better micro-controllers, but the sales went to Parallax for support.

The Propeller is a fantastic chip, but Ardunio gained a lot of ground at a time when the Propeller was just getting going and the new user found it a huge difference from conventional microcontrollers. I loved it, but I am usually not a good indicator of the mass market. Arduino seemed to exploit the AVRs in much the same way that the BasicStamp2 prevailed, the users felt there was so much support out there for them.

And so, what should the Propeller2 do?
I suspect that Spin should make it easy to port Propeller1 code over to Propeller2. Many users have eventually realized that Spin is easy to use and rather intuitive. Also, it would be wonderful if the documentation would go back to the BasicStamp Manual and WHAM style publications - lots of schematics and practical advice as well as the programing ins and outs.

Propeller1 tended to initially become a chip loved by experts as it offered new architecture to explore - but the best hardware doesn't seem to easily reach the beginner and the new user - good documentation certainly does, especially when free.

Of course, it doesn't really matter what Parallax chooses to do; I am looking forward to Propeller2 and will really enjoy the ride.

schill · 2011-12-09 05:26

I have yet to make it to UPEW because it's been hard to schedule around work (I even missed UPENE this year

). I've been to all of the other UPENEs and UPECs.

If UPEW is anything like the others, I think it would lose a lot of the "feel" if it were held at MakerFair. I like the mix of beginner to expert that attends the UPEs. At MakerFair, I think you'd get a lot more people who are not yet familiar with anything from Parallax - it would probably turn into more of an (informal) sales pitch than the sharing of ideas. (Note: I have never attended MakerFair.) You'd probably also get a lot of Arduino vs. Propeller stuff.

If you do a closed-off event at MakerFair, limited to preregistered attendees, I think it may look very standoffish to everyone else. You'd pretty much need to let everyone there participate.

The UPEs that I've attended have been very casual events. People are able to display their projects - but they don't need to hover over them and can mix with others. If you have more people, or "outside" people, around then we'd have to be a lot more protective of our projects. At the UPEs, I don't have any problems leaving hundreds or thousands of dollars of stuff on a table while I look at other things (or get food, go to the bathroom, etc.). At a more open event, I couldn't do that.

On a more selfish note, I'd like to see Parallax so don't move UPEW until I've had a chance to go to one there.

Major Parallax Event in 2012?

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