[penguicon-general] A couple of thoughts about programming

[Robert Meier]

Rob,

> Well, a few more nuts-n-bolts panels would be nice,
> we've been a bit light on that.

> Let's see, stuff that I could do with less than 15 minutes prep time:

I can research and present on a variety of topics,
but to make such communication effective,
I expect to take 3-8 hours preparation per hour of presentation.
In this context,
effective communication means designing the presentation to be
  o easy to understand,
  o easy to remember,
  o ready with answers adapted to audience variation
  o actually usable
    o easy to remember what is needed and where to get it
    o how to tell when it works or what to do when it doesn't

I have the following already prepared:
       Computer Journalism: How to comment code effectively and quickly
       Using Open-PGP (RFC 2440)
       How to get started with emacs
       How to install fonts
       How GPS (Global Positioning System) works
       How to get started geocaching

Relatively easy presentation topics include:
       java-linux
       POSIX (write once, run aix, hp-ux, linux, sunOS, SGI, ...)
       rpm spec (wrapping taballs with dependencies, and pushbutton build)
       solving sudoku puzzles
       forward error correction (recoverable corrupt archives)

I am open to requests for other topics.

Inquiring minds want to know,
-- 
Dr. Robert J. Meier