CodeProject at VSLive

For the next few days I'll be in SF reporting from VSLive for the launch of Visual Studio .NET. To give those who can't make it to VSLive a taste of what a conference is like I'll be keeping a diary and giving away as much loot as I can get my hands on. Just make sure you're signed up! I'll also be carrying with me 2 CodeProject T-shirts each day. If you're at VSLive and spot me then a CodeProject T-shirt is yours.

VSLive - San Francisco 11-16th February 2002

Sunday 10th Feb 2002 Morning: I've duct-taped my luggage together and stuffed half a dozen CodeProject T-shirts, some sturdy boots and a laptop inside in preparation for the trip. Is that a snowboard in the corner? Hmm - better bring that too. Just in case. Into the car it all goes in preparation for the drive to Sydney. Lunch: I'm in Sydney airport savouring the last views I'll have of Summer 2002. Check in was super simple - no pre-check-in luggage searches, no familiar 'please step this way sir' from the security guards, and the most lackluster carry-on baggage check I've had in a while. Even so, I was still the only one asked to take off my shoes to have them inspected. Breathe deeply boys... Evening: 14 hrs in economy class. I'm sitting next to a very large, very loud Texan who is continually surprised (and insists on making everyone aware of his surprise) that the food on board this flight from Sydney, Australia, is all Australian made. The crazy things these airlines do... It's going to be a very long flight. Sunday. Again. It's still weird watching sunrise for the same day two days in a row. I'm expecting rain, fog and possibly showers of frogs (let's just say it was a long, loud flight and my mind was not firing on all cylinders) and to my pleasant surprise it's a gorgeous sunny day in San Francisco. Oh yeah! My luggage is in even worse condition than I am. I wish I had a camera to show you what it looks like (yeah - the camera, or ex-camera, was in the luggage) Sailed through immigration, slunk my way through customs (was dreading trying to explain the 1Kg jar of vegemite I have in my luggage) and found a taxi. I'm still trying to work out the whole American 'tipping' thing so I'm showering dollar bills at everyone in my path. The taxi driver, the bellboy, a person walking past casually. I'm out of cash and just realised that the taxi driver has dropped me at the wrong hotel. Lunch: Found the hotel. There's an etch-a-sketch in my room. There goes the afternoon. Jetlag status: wobbly Evening: You know that you are in trouble when you haven't slept in 30hrs and you bump into a fellow Australian who is in a similar predicament but determined to see it through to the 48hr mark. This is all looking very untidy. Jetlag status: better Midnight: Spent the better part of the evening with an Australian, a New Zealander and an Austrian trying to find someone to make us a Pavlova (though there was dissent from the Kiwi about the use of passionfruit). Jetlag status: Wide awake and full of beans Monday Woke up at lunchtime. oops. Today is the official start of VSLive but is mainly just registration and pre-conference workshops. I've secured the official VSLive/Visual Studio .NET laptop backpack and Visual Studio .NET launch T-shirt and will be giving these away later in the week to a deserving CodeProject member. I found a window display full of 'Steve the Crocodile Hunter' talking dolls. Oh my God. Jetlag status: What day is it? Really? Midnight: I met with Nick Hodapp, the C++ Product Manager. Nick's doing the C++ keynote for C++ on Thursday and has promised to demonstrate some very cool, and very worthw