Also, if anyone has anything they think might be useful to get from Fry's int he sponsorship deal, tell me. I'm going to be speaking witht he representative again on Tuesday.
Gas money?
some way to have a mobile internet connection so that there can be constant eb updates (at the very least a cell modem)
Also, if anyone has anything they think might be useful to get from Fry's int he sponsorship deal, tell me. I'm going to be speaking witht he representative again on Tuesday.
Gas money?
Food money?
*drums fingers on desk* You know, I have to give you two credit. The proespect of being abole to go into the world's biggest geek utopia comes to you in the form of a sponsorship deal, and you choose instead to desire money for gas and food. Most other people would ask for wireless hubs, GPS devices, display devices, even full consoles.
But seriously, gentlemen. Thsi sponsorship deal is to save money on EQUIPMENT we will be needing, especially if we're to be running devices in all automobiles participating.
frys has their own isp. so... laptop to cellphone connection on their isp would be awesom. mix that with some gps action and a web cam and we have some crazy online power
oh and I don't know if they offer cell service....
they actually have a lot of different phone/software combos. I saw my phone there (motorola v60), they have nokia and samsung connections too so we should be covered. i just wonder how fast it will end up being. and if we cant get some sort of cell phone deal or something the minutes will be kind of expensive...
edit: I think a gps system like this http://shop4.outpost.com/product/3641025 would acomodate broadcasting our location over the internet. I think there's software out there to do it, I just need to read up on exactly what that software is...
I suggest Big City Gamin as the Eugene rally point. It's an independent shop that offers a good selection of pre-trip supplies (games, rentals, big screens to tide you over 'til PAX, etc. From there, the convoy can move on up 105 to hit I5 North and head out of town. The address of the shop is 1288 Willamette St. (Map) (BCG-->PAX Directions)
Phone is (541)-345-PLAY.
ctishman on
Get the PAX 2008 Countdown widget and while away your sad, pathetic life watching it tick down the hours to PAX '08! http://homepage.mac.com/ctishman
What about trying to get them to pay for our rooms in Sacromento? Its only one night and we don't need to stay in the hilton or anything. But other then that Gas money would be the other big on on my list of cool things I wish i could get other people to pay for.
I suggest Big City Gamin as the Eugene rally point. It's an independent shop that offers a good selection of pre-trip supplies (games, rentals, big screens to tide you over 'til PAX, etc. From there, the convoy can move on up 105 to hit I5 North and head out of town. The address of the shop is 1288 Willamette St. (Map) (BCG-->PAX Directions)
Phone is (541)-345-PLAY.
I'd really have to disagree, while ideally, yes, Big City Gaming is a better venue for gamers such as ourselves, for people who haven't ever been to Eugene the city can get really confusing if you don't know the thoroughfares. Plus, Big City Gaming doesn't have much parking to speak of for themselves, the rest of the parking would be on metered city streets in the middle of the week when the downtown is busy. I don't think that putting 50-100 people in cars trying to navigate from the I-5 to downtown Eugene and back again while staying together is very realistic.
Heh, I guess you're right on that point. It's way off I5, and downtown Eugene is a maze of one-way streets and bad parking situations. With traffic concerns, the best place to dine the SuperTrip is gonna be Gateway Mall. Given time concerns, etc. I would suggest maybe the Applebees or Outback out in the mall's parking lot rather than trying to find a real, good restaurant in the area prepared to feed 80.
ctishman on
Get the PAX 2008 Countdown widget and while away your sad, pathetic life watching it tick down the hours to PAX '08! http://homepage.mac.com/ctishman
Wait up here... yes, it would be cool to get equipment for cheap, but...
1) I bet at least a few people coming have this equipment already (especially a wireless access point).
2) The biggest expense, from what I'm seeing, is probably going to be gas. This takes into account both the extreme length of the trip and the high price currently of gasoline.
This ain't gonna be cheap, and we could use the sponsor's help. I'd gladly put a Fry's decal on my car (or as many as they want) if they'd pay for my gas and lodging expenses to get up there. Would I do so for a free wireless card? Probably not. I love Fry's, but I need some kind of a real deal here, and I'm not made out of money.
There's only so much that Fry's can do for a bunch of dirty looking kids travelling across the country. We're extremely lucky that they're giving us anything, and as others have mentioned, some of that stuff will be useful for the trip.
Are we going to be hanging PAX banners on our cars? How are we going to do that? Will it be homebrew logos printed out and taped to the rear window? Or professional looking stickers/decals/etc that someone will hopefully create for the cause? :winky: If I drive (big IF right now, unfortunately), I'd gladly pay another $30 or so for a rad banner.
I guess my question is, what are our options for banners?
Wow guys this sounds like a lot of fun. And its on my birthday too, August 28.
unfortunatley i live in austin, tx, and i dont have a car. Is there anyone out there thats in my area and willing to scoop me up?
texas on
How many Freudians does it take to change a lightbulb?
Two. One to change the bulb and one to hold the penis...er... I mean ladder!
Just so you guys know, we've had about eleven more entries since my lastpost. The Supertrip is BLOWING UP!
Also, about the banners issue, if anyone is REALLY GOOD with Photoshop, Illustrator, or any of those image editing and creating apps, let me know. I totally suck at them, and if we're going to have a decent Supertrip logo for the banners, signs, and the FLAG, then we're going to need someone who's good with the apps.
edit: Futility has volunteered to do the homework about T-shirts for the trip. If he pulls it off (I have the utmost confidence in him to do so), that man deserves a fucking medal. T-shirts is something I won't touch.
Do we have confirmation on the Oregon waypoints? (Wilsonville Fry's?)
Will there be any extra costs involved other than gas for my vehicle, lodging, and PAX itself?
Anyone looking to jump-off from Salem, OR Shoot me an E-mail. We'll head out to the waypoint together or something. 8)
This is gonna rock.
Redspo0n on
"Hey, want a Skull Servent? He's Evil." XFIRE:redspo0n (Yep, Zero in there) XBL: Pinkspo0n
Also, Red, sorry if I seemed doubtful earlier, you obviously are pulling things together. I believe a friend of mine already emailed you about us joining on.
oh kick ass so we got like 30 people hoppin on board already. i like it! As for what fry's is willing to do for us, i don't care -- the fact that they are sponsoring us itself kicks ass. Of course, i'm willing to sport the fry's logo or whatever they will be having us do
im wondering now if the thing is 24 hours now if it would be better to switch my hotel room and the double tree to a sunday stay... or go for a 2 night stay
as cool as it would be to get free gas, sponsorships typically involve said sponser donating free or discounted items they sell. Gas is one of the "few" items not sold at Fry's, so we may be out of luck on that.
I like the idea of the walkie talkies, that could come in handy should the group break up along the way for some reason.
One thing i havent seen discussed is a timeframe. Since the event is going all night, when are we expected to arrive? Also, i've all but cancelled hotel reservations, who needs sleep!?
Terrifice work on this Red, if this all comes together i'll owe you a beer once we get to WA.
Once we get all the stops decided, we'll still need some kind of general timeframe for about when each stop is, as some people will need to plan ahead for travelling time(like the NV folks).
The easiest way to tackle this would be as Gabe said, and go with the waypoint leader suggestion. At each rally point, appoint somebody who will be in contact with the caravan to organize their people to the point.
I'd have to second the idea of a geographic calling point idea, you could set something up so when you get to say Fresno, you call the Sacramento Leader, when you get to Sac call the Redding leader, etc. That way you aren't trying to guess timeframes
im wondering now if the thing is 24 hours now if it would be better to switch my hotel room and the double tree to a sunday stay... or go for a 2 night stay
Aye, I guess you're right, beggars can't be choosers. Perhaps someone could talk to a gas company for sponsorship? lol
Seriously though, this is beginning to look more affordable. My team is probably going to have to rent a minivan, and I thought that we would have to... but the prices aren't horrible, and divided between the six people on our part of the caravan it'll come out to less than 100$ for each of us for hotel and rental (provided that we do the ol' flash and flood technique on the Hotel and cram all six of us into one room. )
Oh, gas though... ack. Let's see, from Sacto it's going to be a 760 mile trip or so. A minivan gets about 20 miles per gallon. We're looking at a gas usage of about 30$ worth of gas per person. Ouch. I guess it'll be worth it though. I just have to get this all confirmed, and we're in business! Man, this is gonna rock!!!
Sweet! See, this could be possible! I don't know about you guys, but I've been meticulously calculating expenses to try and figure out if this is feasable... and given the occupancy in the car that I have, the only real deterrant is the gas. I'm calculating that each of the six people in my van will have to pay 30$ to make it there and back successfully from Sacramento. All I can say is, ouch. And, that's an aweful lot of refillings.
Just an FYI for you guys thinking about renting a van to drive up there
A: ALL major rental companies (and most minor ones too) require the driver to be over 25 years old. no exceptions. Someone in your group has to be old enough to qualify
B: Some of the plans for rental set a ceiling on mileage, and any miles over that incur a steep rate (.50 a mile?)
Nay, I've been doing a lot of research on that subject... I have found out from people that it used to be that way, but according to the websites of most of the major rental chains (Avis, Budget, Dollar etc...) they allow people between 21 and 25 rent, though most of the time for a fee such as 20$ extra per day. Now my plan sidetracks that, since our driver is 25...
Anyways, most companies also allow for unlimited mileage now as well. The one I'm looking at in particular is Dollar Rent A Car, which seems to give the best price for van rentals currently. A little over 50$ a day, and unlimited mileage. If our 25 year old is a go for the trip (still unconfirmed) we'll be set. If not, we're looking at another 40$ added to that price, but it's still doable. It'll end up being about 10$ extra per person for the rental privilage.
Then again, if he doesn't come we could probably downgrade to a cheaper and smaller car, and it would come out in the wash. (as the smaller cars are about half price, but that would be cancelled by the 40$ total 21-25 year old driver fee).
Just some research I did if it'll help anyone who's looking to rent, particularly vans.
EDIT: But I DO urge renters to be very careful, as some of the plans I've seen online do still have the limitations mentioned above... and that 50 cent per mile fee could become particularily gruesome if you accidentally rent with that plan. We're going on a trip that, round trip, is going to be about 1700 miles to and from Sacramento alone. Twice that if you're going from the beginning (Arizona). That's a LOT of miles. More than you're going to want to pay for if you don't get unlimited miles. And do double check those age policies before you rent too, as it seems to vary not only by company (some more restrictive than others) but specific pick-up locations too! The Sacto ones I've checked have that 21-25 fee, but some others won't allow it at all still, or have much higher fees (one I saw had 50$ a day).
Using an app called "Road Trips 1996" (it's swanky in a Win95 sorta way) the travel time from Phoenix comes to about 24.5 hours. I used this to calculate a trip to Northern Colorado and it was accurate within a half-hour of raw drive time. However it doesn't anticipate pit stops. When I account for waypoints, switching drivers, pit stops, traffic, people getting lost, sponsor photo opts and any chicanery that this type of trip will require I figure 30-35 hours of road time each way (from Phx) without any dicking around at tourist traps. We also need to allot sometime for those that will be driving the last leg to rest up. I know time is a premium for many of you; I go to a year-round school and might wind up failing two classes to pull this off.
Aye, time is of the essence. People coming from Phoenix might want to plan setting off on Thursday or maybe even Wednesday (?)
Speaking of which, about what time can we here in Sacramento expect you guys to roll into town? Or are we doing the "stay in Sacto and leave in the morning" thing as was mentioned earlier?
I hope we get to Seattle early enough so that we can do some sightseeing Friday. Washington is one of the few states that I've never, ever been to before. And I've always wanted to see the Wizards of the Coast Headquarters!!!
Sightseeing? Hell, if we get there with time to spare I'm going to look for a job. Summer in Phoenix sucks hard.
I figured everyone would leave Phoenix Wednesday evening. All told everyone starting from Arizona is looking at a 4-5 day 3000 mile trip. Speaking of 3k miles, everyone starting from Arizona that's graciously volunteering a vehicle needs to change their oil before the outset.
This will be like road rules without the pretentious assholes handpicked to act like pretentious assholes. Wangstock 04 Mother Fuckers!
We've got about ten more people since I last posted. Woo.
During the next week, I'm going to be collecting allt he vehicle information and finding out exactly how much gas it's going to take for each vehicle to make it up to PAX. Once I figure that out, I'm going to be able to tabulate cosst per person to do all this (let's be real folks, chipping in for gas is the right thing to do in this kind of situation).
Once I get that information, I'll be working on when the Supertrip begins, when we'll get to PAX, and when it'll be heading back down. I like the idea of a sunday stay though... I like it a lot.
Posts
some way to have a mobile internet connection so that there can be constant eb updates (at the very least a cell modem)
But seriously, gentlemen. Thsi sponsorship deal is to save money on EQUIPMENT we will be needing, especially if we're to be running devices in all automobiles participating.
cell to laptop software http://shop4.outpost.com/product/3562184
cell to laptop cable http://shop4.outpost.com/product/3569914
6 mile range walkie talkies http://shop4.outpost.com/product/3915568
cheap gps http://shop4.outpost.com/product/3545614
frys has their own isp. so... laptop to cellphone connection on their isp would be awesom. mix that with some gps action and a web cam and we have some crazy online power
oh and I don't know if they offer cell service....
they actually have a lot of different phone/software combos. I saw my phone there (motorola v60), they have nokia and samsung connections too so we should be covered. i just wonder how fast it will end up being. and if we cant get some sort of cell phone deal or something the minutes will be kind of expensive...
edit: I think a gps system like this http://shop4.outpost.com/product/3641025 would acomodate broadcasting our location over the internet. I think there's software out there to do it, I just need to read up on exactly what that software is...
(Map)
(BCG-->PAX Directions)
Phone is (541)-345-PLAY.
Get the PAX 2008 Countdown widget and while away your sad, pathetic life watching it tick down the hours to PAX '08!
http://homepage.mac.com/ctishman
I'd really have to disagree, while ideally, yes, Big City Gaming is a better venue for gamers such as ourselves, for people who haven't ever been to Eugene the city can get really confusing if you don't know the thoroughfares. Plus, Big City Gaming doesn't have much parking to speak of for themselves, the rest of the parking would be on metered city streets in the middle of the week when the downtown is busy. I don't think that putting 50-100 people in cars trying to navigate from the I-5 to downtown Eugene and back again while staying together is very realistic.
Get the PAX 2008 Countdown widget and while away your sad, pathetic life watching it tick down the hours to PAX '08!
http://homepage.mac.com/ctishman
WILSONVILLE, OR
29400 SW Towncenter Loop West
(503) 570-6000
you cancel your plane tickets yet?
1) I bet at least a few people coming have this equipment already (especially a wireless access point).
2) The biggest expense, from what I'm seeing, is probably going to be gas. This takes into account both the extreme length of the trip and the high price currently of gasoline.
This ain't gonna be cheap, and we could use the sponsor's help. I'd gladly put a Fry's decal on my car (or as many as they want) if they'd pay for my gas and lodging expenses to get up there. Would I do so for a free wireless card? Probably not.
Are we going to be hanging PAX banners on our cars? How are we going to do that? Will it be homebrew logos printed out and taped to the rear window? Or professional looking stickers/decals/etc that someone will hopefully create for the cause? :winky: If I drive (big IF right now, unfortunately), I'd gladly pay another $30 or so for a rad banner.
I guess my question is, what are our options for banners?
I'm still flying, I don't feel like driving for 24 hours. I already drove from Eugene to LA, that's one too many ungodly long drives for me.
Get the PAX 2008 Countdown widget and while away your sad, pathetic life watching it tick down the hours to PAX '08!
http://homepage.mac.com/ctishman
unfortunatley i live in austin, tx, and i dont have a car. Is there anyone out there thats in my area and willing to scoop me up?
Two. One to change the bulb and one to hold the penis...er... I mean ladder!
Also, about the banners issue, if anyone is REALLY GOOD with Photoshop, Illustrator, or any of those image editing and creating apps, let me know. I totally suck at them, and if we're going to have a decent Supertrip logo for the banners, signs, and the FLAG, then we're going to need someone who's good with the apps.
edit: Futility has volunteered to do the homework about T-shirts for the trip. If he pulls it off (I have the utmost confidence in him to do so), that man deserves a fucking medal. T-shirts is something I won't touch.
I wanna jump in on this so badly.
Do we have confirmation on the Oregon waypoints? (Wilsonville Fry's?)
Will there be any extra costs involved other than gas for my vehicle, lodging, and PAX itself?
Anyone looking to jump-off from Salem, OR Shoot me an E-mail. We'll head out to the waypoint together or something. 8)
This is gonna rock.
XFIRE:redspo0n (Yep, Zero in there) XBL: Pinkspo0n
Also, Red, sorry if I seemed doubtful earlier, you obviously are pulling things together. I believe a friend of mine already emailed you about us joining on.
I like the idea of the walkie talkies, that could come in handy should the group break up along the way for some reason.
One thing i havent seen discussed is a timeframe. Since the event is going all night, when are we expected to arrive? Also, i've all but cancelled hotel reservations, who needs sleep!?
Terrifice work on this Red, if this all comes together i'll owe you a beer once we get to WA.
Once we get all the stops decided, we'll still need some kind of general timeframe for about when each stop is, as some people will need to plan ahead for travelling time(like the NV folks).
The easiest way to tackle this would be as Gabe said, and go with the waypoint leader suggestion. At each rally point, appoint somebody who will be in contact with the caravan to organize their people to the point.
I'd have to second the idea of a geographic calling point idea, you could set something up so when you get to say Fresno, you call the Sacramento Leader, when you get to Sac call the Redding leader, etc. That way you aren't trying to guess timeframes
Seriously though, this is beginning to look more affordable. My team is probably going to have to rent a minivan, and I thought that we would have to... but the prices aren't horrible, and divided between the six people on our part of the caravan it'll come out to less than 100$ for each of us for hotel and rental (provided that we do the ol' flash and flood technique on the Hotel and cram all six of us into one room.
Oh, gas though... ack. Let's see, from Sacto it's going to be a 760 mile trip or so. A minivan gets about 20 miles per gallon. We're looking at a gas usage of about 30$ worth of gas per person. Ouch. I guess it'll be worth it though. I just have to get this all confirmed, and we're in business! Man, this is gonna rock!!!
A: ALL major rental companies (and most minor ones too) require the driver to be over 25 years old. no exceptions. Someone in your group has to be old enough to qualify
B: Some of the plans for rental set a ceiling on mileage, and any miles over that incur a steep rate (.50 a mile?)
Anyways, most companies also allow for unlimited mileage now as well. The one I'm looking at in particular is Dollar Rent A Car, which seems to give the best price for van rentals currently. A little over 50$ a day, and unlimited mileage. If our 25 year old is a go for the trip (still unconfirmed) we'll be set. If not, we're looking at another 40$ added to that price, but it's still doable. It'll end up being about 10$ extra per person for the rental privilage.
Then again, if he doesn't come we could probably downgrade to a cheaper and smaller car, and it would come out in the wash. (as the smaller cars are about half price, but that would be cancelled by the 40$ total 21-25 year old driver fee).
Just some research I did if it'll help anyone who's looking to rent, particularly vans.
EDIT: But I DO urge renters to be very careful, as some of the plans I've seen online do still have the limitations mentioned above... and that 50 cent per mile fee could become particularily gruesome if you accidentally rent with that plan. We're going on a trip that, round trip, is going to be about 1700 miles to and from Sacramento alone. Twice that if you're going from the beginning (Arizona). That's a LOT of miles. More than you're going to want to pay for if you don't get unlimited miles. And do double check those age policies before you rent too, as it seems to vary not only by company (some more restrictive than others) but specific pick-up locations too! The Sacto ones I've checked have that 21-25 fee, but some others won't allow it at all still, or have much higher fees (one I saw had 50$ a day).
Exactly what time does PAX open its doors?
Aye, time is of the essence. People coming from Phoenix might want to plan setting off on Thursday or maybe even Wednesday (?)
Speaking of which, about what time can we here in Sacramento expect you guys to roll into town? Or are we doing the "stay in Sacto and leave in the morning" thing as was mentioned earlier?
I hope we get to Seattle early enough so that we can do some sightseeing Friday. Washington is one of the few states that I've never, ever been to before. And I've always wanted to see the Wizards of the Coast Headquarters!!!
I figured everyone would leave Phoenix Wednesday evening. All told everyone starting from Arizona is looking at a 4-5 day 3000 mile trip. Speaking of 3k miles, everyone starting from Arizona that's graciously volunteering a vehicle needs to change their oil before the outset.
This will be like road rules without the pretentious assholes handpicked to act like pretentious assholes. Wangstock 04 Mother Fuckers!
During the next week, I'm going to be collecting allt he vehicle information and finding out exactly how much gas it's going to take for each vehicle to make it up to PAX. Once I figure that out, I'm going to be able to tabulate cosst per person to do all this (let's be real folks, chipping in for gas is the right thing to do in this kind of situation).
Once I get that information, I'll be working on when the Supertrip begins, when we'll get to PAX, and when it'll be heading back down. I like the idea of a sunday stay though... I like it a lot.
What's the total as of today (Sunday)?
We should also set aside a little extra money to help out with oil changes.
Good idea. :^: I'll work on that too.