<html> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=Windows-1252"> <style type="text/css" style="display:none;"></style> </head> <body dir="ltr"> <div id="divtagdefaultwrapper" dir="ltr" style="font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif, Helvetica, EmojiFont, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", NotoColorEmoji, "Segoe UI Symbol", "Android Emoji", EmojiSymbols;"> Note! Please forward to others I may have missed! Hi Fellow SCaLE/OSSSIE/OLPC/SugarLabs/ETC fans! In case you missed it… here is the official announcement for SCaLE 16X: The Linux Exposition of Southern California is proud to announce the 16th Annual Southern California Linux Expo – SCALE 16X – to be held on March 8-11, 2018 at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, California, near Los Angeles. As you can see, it is planned for mid-March this year and will again be at the Pasadena Convention Center. The CFP (call for proposed talks) closed on Halloween. However, there are still many ways to get involved. First, there is the BOOTH! We are usually offered booth space gratis as recognition of our non-profit status. But the booth isn’t really free… it takes a lot of work, both before the exhibition hall opens and during the expo. Planning needs to be done: what should we feature? What “SWAG” items might we offer visitors? What special activities might we offer visitors? We should have a new banner… what should it say? Volunteers to work in the booth need to be signed up and registered (free registration for a limited number of volunteers). I have been organizing this for the past 8 years, but have reached a point where I need to start getting others involved. So… Are you willing to help with the Booth planning? Do you have something special related to Open Source Software In Education that you would like to have on display in our booth? Are you planning to attend SCaLE 16X and are you willing to volunteer some time in the booth (usually 1/2 day or less) in exchange for SCaLE admission? If you missed the CFP deadline and are planning to come and want to do more than just help with the booth, there is another excellent way to get the word out about your project… UPSCALE! These are lightning talks where you get exactly 5 min to talk your way through your slide set (usually 20 slides @ 15 sec each) which is advanced automatically. It is a fun thing to do and is a very well attended event. (Note: I am assuming they will do them again this year). And, one more thing we can consider sponsoring… a BOF session about some aspect of OSSIE. There can be more than one of these which take place in the evening. Do you have any ideas for these? So… Please send me a note answering the questions you see below. Thanks! Caryl Questions: 0) Do you plan to come to SCaLE16X in Pasadena March 8-11, 2018? 1) Do you have something you would like to show in an OSSIE booth at Scale16X? If yes, how much space would you need and what special equipment? 2) Are you willing to help with the planning of an OSSIE booth at SCaLE16X? If yes, please include a phone number where you can be reached both for calls and texts. 3) Do you have any ideas for a BOF session one evening… these are informal get-togethers for people who share a common interest in something (Birds OF a Feather)? 4) Any ideas for SWAG, a new banner, booth activities, etc? 5) If you are from out-of-town and are coming to SCaLE16X, would you be interested in sharing an AirBnB with other people in our group? (If the price is right!) Your Name: Contact # </div> </body> </html>