Austin Meetup on Tue, 9/4/07, 7-9 pm @ Four Kitchen Studios. Topic: TBD.

I arrived a bit late and sat at the end of the table. I was able to speak with Chip and Pam who were sitting on either side of me. And I could hear conversations among the people who were on the opposite sides of Chip and Pam. But I had no clue as to what was happening at the other side of the table.

(I call this a design comment because I'm talking about the design of the space and the usability or utility of it for meeting purposes).

This is a function of gathering around long tables. Invariably, the people at the ends don't know what's happening at the other end, unless there is no other sound, and unless people are talking one at a time.

So for me, the meetup had some utility. I was able to order a meal. I was able to listen to a conversation about the opposition to the Northcross Walmart site, which interested me.

One time I went to a meeting of EFF that happening in a bar. They had a microphone to overcome other bar sounds. Whoever had the microphone could speak. The mic was passed to whomever felt like taking it next. People focused attention on the person with the mic. Even though the bar was full of a lot of other people, everyone there was able to hear whomever was speaking because there was only one person speaking at a time and their voice was amplified.

This EFF overcame the design problem that is often inherent in bars. Without amplified sound, bars are designed more for one-to-few, not one-to-many conversations.

So my suggestions are to consider quiet spaces with round tables or where people can sit in a manner where they are more or less equi-distant from the center. Or consider some type of amplification as EFF did.

If it doesn't rain, the back area of the Spider House could work. http://www.spiderhousecafe.com/

That area has a screen built-in if we needed to project. It is outside.

I've screened something there before.

It'd be a good place for show and tell, if we set up a projector and laptop.

• Stefan

I would like to focus on setting up a Drupal site and implementing as many of the basics as possible to come up with what looks like a professional site. Even those of us who are experienced could use a review of the basics.

Four Kitchens has a great place to meet but if we need another place in the future there is a house available at 7711 Mullen. It has a large livingroom with a white wall for use as a screen, and I have a projection monitor and fast broadband with both Roadrunner and DSL. Only thing I don't have is tables of seating for more than 8 people, so people would need to bring their own chairs, and perhaps a long table if we want to rest our laptops on something. The house is not far from Four Kitchens.

http://www.constitution.org
http://www.pynthan.com