[sakai2-tcc] No TCC - CLECC meeting this week

[Neal Caidin]

Hi TCC,

No TCC - CLECC meeting this week. Next week we could have a meeting, but it is U.S.A Thanksgiving week, so I suspect many of you will have Wednesday, November 21 off? 

I'm meeting with Mr. Aaron Z. and Mr. Matt J. in Charlotte this week (maybe Tuesday/definitely Wednesday). More on-boarding and planning.

Educause was good. I enjoyed meeting a few folks from the community and hanging out at the vendors' booths. Who knew that vendors could be so friendly? Oh, right, that's their job ;-) . But seriously, I received warm welcomes from everyone, including the-LMS-which-shall-not-be-named (okay, Blackboard). Dr. Chuck and I gave one joint presentation at the Blackboard booth - http://www.slideshare.net/csev/educause-sakai-community-update  .  We reused these slides and tailored them to the audience. Chuck did two more presentation/book signings, and I did one presentation in the Longsight booth, no book signing for me. My TCC on-boarding plan does not say anything about writing a book. I was also at the rSmart booth and the Unicon booth. I didn't hang out at the Blackboard booth. I visited the Moodlerooms booth but did not hang out there.

Nothing earth shattering to report. An visitor to the rSmart booth turned me on to this (Drupal developing an LMS) - http://www.gilfuseducationgroup.com/drupal-lms-to-replace-moodle-sakai-instructure-blackboard 

<ramble>
If you ever visit Denver, I recommend the desert sopapillas at Sam's #3 , just a couple of minutes walk from the convention center. Sam's #3 were featured in Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives so their other food may be quite good too (actually Unicon folks turned me on to this because they had enjoyed their lunch at Sam's). Looks like Sam's #3 speciality is Mexi-deli though they originated as a burgers and dogs Coney Island restaurant. Cool place and really hopping. Great service. And if you are adventurous, check out the Same Cafe. The Same Cafe is in the hippy-dippy section of Denver, near a "water-pipe" shop and a shop that sells books on witchcraft and the herbs and roots needed to perform spells. How did I get in that part of town you might ask? Late registration, not many hotel choices left. ;-) Fun stuff. I love seeing different parts of a city.

In any case, the Same Cafe is awesome for many reasons. First, no prices on the menu. Little wooden box to put in your donation based on what you think the food is worth. It's a non-profit, so if you cannot afford the meal, you can donate sweat-equity (cleaning dishes, wiping windows, etc). Every day they use local sourcing and make two types of soup, two types of salad, and two types of pizza. Hence the name. I had the Tuscan white navy bean soup, and it was awesome. I would go back on principle, but if you stay in Denver anywhere near the convention center it is not very convenient. It's about a 20 minute walk and I'm not confident saying it is a completely safe walk. I did the walk several times and one time I was approached by a young man (early 20's I think) and it felt anything but safe. I got an unwanted proposition and I just kept saying "sounds great, but not today thanks" and kept on walking. 

</end ramble>

Cheers,
Neal