[EuroPython] Computers off during sessions.

[Aiste Kesminaite]

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Harald Armin Massa wrote:

| Apart from "taking notes" I also used my computer to immediately google
| up information concerning the spoken words.It gave me a TOTALLY new
| learning experience; I was able to connect a lot of new information with
| information I allready know. So in fact it put my *attentiveness *and my
| digestion of the new information to a whole new level.
|
| And especially to be able to download "dateutil.py" WHILE Anna was
| talking, installing it and firing up PyCrust to IMMEDIATELY redo the
| examples was a very fascinating learning experience.

I completely agree with this. Most people comming to EP use computers on
a daily basis not as a game provider or just to check email. Computer is
a means of getting information right there and now and for someone like
me, who needs to know things immediatelly rather than file them away and
check them up later having a laptop with wifi *during* the talk is
essential. Also, I no longer can take notes by hand -- can't read what I
myself have written. Therefore computer is essential to be able to get
any use out of the talks.

| As a speaker myself I am used to people reading newspaper, eating
| sweats, doing all kind of stuff during my talk. If I do care, I have to
| improve my presentation to wake them up. A very effective way is making
| jokes, the second time the crowd is laughing out loud anybody gets
| interesseted because NOBODY can stand to be left on the outside of
| laughing.

So 100% true. If you can't make people interested in your talk -- get
better yourself and don't blame others for that.

| I also prefer people to use IRC or ICQ to chat than speaking, because
| voices distract more than computers, esp. in a geeks event.

That is also true.

One thing that would be nice and reasonable in this case is for people
using computers during talks to turn off their sounds as that is not
polite and distracting to others and the speaker.

- --
Aiste Kesminaite
Managing director, Programmers of Vilnius
Phone: +370 6563 6462
Email: aiste at pov.lt
Web: www.pov.lt
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