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Thread: SELEM Volunteers Needed!

  1. #1
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    Smile SELEM Volunteers Needed!

    Hey everyone!

    SELEM is about 6 weeks away at this point, so I'd like to put out a call for volunteers to help out with the organizing of the event. Each year SELEM gets bigger, and we keep adding things to do, so at this point I can use all the help I can get to keep everything moving. Here are the major tasks I need help with.

    General Load-in and Setup:

    This will be on Wednesday, August 13th from noon until 5 PM. We need all kinds of help with this! We've got scaffold to set up, two large sound systems to set up, several hundred feet of cable and water hose to run, and lots of smaller things like setting up tables, organizing the ion laser work room and buy-sell-trade room, and getting waivers signed, lanyards handed out, and so fourth. Some of these tasks are broken down into separate categories below, but we also need help with simple things like moving flight cases and cable containers to and from the loading dock.

    If anyone will be in town on Wednesday and is willing to assist with the setup, please reply below and I will add your name to the list. So far we have the following people available for load-in:

    Bradfo69
    Platinum
    DZ
    RGB-gas
    Ekeefe
    hitekvoop

    Scaffold setup in "Club-SELEM":

    Jeff (rgb-gas) will be proving us with racks to set the projectors on in the cafeteria, but we need some help installing them and removing them. Anyone who would be willing to help with this, please reply so I can add you to the list.

    Blacking out the windows in "Club-SELEM":

    Traditionally, Bill Whitcher (Whitcher88) has done this for us, and I'm hoping that he will be able to do it again this year. EDIT: Bill has confirmed he will be doing this again this year. But even so, he could use a couple helpers. It takes a couple hours to hang all the plastic, and at least a good hour to take it all down at the end. So if you don't mind working from a ladder, I'm sure Bill would appreciate the help!

    Sound systems:

    Right now, the plan is to use the same sound system(s) we have in the past that were provided by Mario (Ragdoll). However, we all know how heavy those folded-horn sub-woofers are! So with that in mind, I'd like to ask for a couple volunteers to help Mario out with the installation (and especially the removal) of all the sound equipment.

    Lanyard / Waiver / Entrance control:

    This is always a huge hassle. When I'm available, I normally try to handle this, but with everything going on, I'm often not available when people show up. Everyone that attends the event must sign a liability waiver before they enter the auditorium, the cafeteria, or the ion laser work room. Also, they should be issued a lanyard with a name tag. I would like to see a couple people help out with this, so that no one person is stuck sitting at the sign-in table for hours on end. Any volunteers? (This would mostly be for Wednesday during the setup time, and for the first few hours on Thursday when most people will be arriving.)

    Edit: Chris has volunteered to do this, but it would be great if we could get another helper for him.

    Auditorium control:

    This person will be responsible for keeping shows running in the auditorium and ensuring that we stay on-schedule. Right now, DZ is the only one who has volunteered to do this. I'm sure he wouldn't mind some assistance though, if anyone is willing to help.

    Note - one thing that will be MANDATORY this year is to always check with the auditorium control person before plugging ANYTHING in to the equipment in the auditorium. Last year we wasted countless hours trying to track down a ground-loop that was messing up the sound system. DZ has a plan for this year, but we need to be sure everyone is on clean power before they hook up.

    Printing name tags:

    I think Chris (Lazerjock) volunteered to do this.?. Or maybe I'm mistaken. Anyway, I need someone to take this on... EDIT: Chris has confirmed that he will be doing the name tags. THANKS!

    Special presentations:

    Right now all we have for sure is Bill Benner's traditional "What's new with Pangolin" presentation. I'm willing to do scanner tuning and color palette / color timing adjustment again, if people want to see it. Also, I'll have my new control station set up in Club-SELEM if anyone wants to play around with a touch screen and an APC40 in the Beyond environment (very cool).

    But apart from that, I don't have anything else firmed up. I could probably get Dan Goldsmith to re-visit his projector certification lecture, but that would be 3 years in a row... Not sure if that's really worth it or not, but if there is interest I'll pursue it. Edit: This may not be possible, as Dan is unsure if he will be available.

    What else would people like to see? And is anyone here willing to put on a presentation of their own?

    Edit: JohnYaYas suggested a presentation on the current state of the art with regard to diode lasers. I think this would be a fantastic presentation. Anyone want to volunteer? (Planters?)

    Adam
    Last edited by buffo; 07-02-2014 at 05:38.

  2. #2
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    I will be in the area Wednesday. Let me know how I can help.

    ED

  3. #3
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    Cool deal, Ed! We can sure use the help! Meet us in the back of the venue by the loading dock and we'll put you to work.

    Adam

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    Obviously yes, I'm there on Wednesday for set up and at the present time plan to leave on Monday so I'm not bailing on Sunday night like last year. Fuck work. Exactly noon may be a bit of a hit or miss since I'm leaving at at about 4 am and have no idea about traffic issues. As long as I'm through Washington by 7 am it should be smooth sailing.

    I'll have all the Global Truss and glow totems but that goes up relatively quickly. Plus, the snake, miles of ILDA cable, some uplights, etc... As it stands, I'm going more judicious with lasers and less non coherent stuff since I opted for a mini van over a cargo van. We'll see what fits. (And who knows what I'll buy Tuesday at the Atlantic City DJ expo that just "has" to come down. )

    I've already offered to help DZ with the auditorium scheduling and shows although we've not gotten deep into a plan yet.

    I'm guessing there will be food of some sort. The meatballs and bbq were easy and seemed to be popular but I'm still twirling other ideas around.

    Did Casey ever confirm if SELEM was a possibility?

  5. #5
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    I'll be arriving Thursday evening/Friday morning through Sunday afternoon so I'll miss the set up phase but if there is anything I can do otherwise feel free to grab me at any time. I can help out in the auditorium if help is needed. I just need a crash course in running the shows and the sound system. I'm typically an early riser if that helps.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by buffo View Post
    What else would people like to see?
    I haven't been able to keep up with all the new laser diodes and scanners that are out there. If anyone has a handle on all of that (basically pros and cons of the different laser diodes, mounts, optics, etc) I think that would be a nice talk. Same for scanners although I doubt there are as many options... but with the new pangolin scanners I'd be interested in hearing what works with them as far as amps go and experience. Should be an easy one and would just require a power point or something.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bradfo69 View Post
    Obviously yes, I'm there on Wednesday for set up and at the present time plan to leave on Monday so I'm not bailing on Sunday night like last year.
    Awesome, Brad! Knew I could count on you!

    I opted for a mini van over a cargo van. We'll see what fits.
    Sounds reasonable. We'll have lots of gear in "Club-SELEM" this year. And there is a good chance that I may have someone who can provide a set of 5 matching projectors for the beam work in the auditorium. (Details to follow in a week or two.)

    I've already offered to help DZ with the auditorium scheduling and shows although we've not gotten deep into a plan yet.
    Just got off the phone with David. If *ANYONE* has content they want to run in the auditorium, contact David soon! Brad, I'm sure DZ would appreciate any assistance in helping to fill out the schedule. Also, we would like to have some larger signs made up this year (like a 2 ft by 3 ft sheet of paper). Anyone want to volunteer to help with that?

    I'm guessing there will be food of some sort. The meatballs and bbq were easy and seemed to be popular but I'm still twirling other ideas around.
    Haven't even given it a moment's thought yet. Meatballs were a huge hit in past years. We should get on the phone and discuss sometime.

    Did Casey ever confirm if SELEM was a possibility?
    Unfortunately, it is not possible this year. He will be attending a class reunion during SELEM. Maybe next year though...

    Quote Originally Posted by JohnYayas View Post
    I'll be arriving Thursday evening/Friday morning through Sunday afternoon so I'll miss the set up phase but if there is anything I can do otherwise feel free to grab me at any time.
    Thanks Gary! We could use your help on Sunday with the tear-down. We have to be out a little earlier this year, so any assistance on Sunday afternoon would be greatly appreciated.

    I can help out in the auditorium if help is needed. I just need a crash course in running the shows and the sound system. I'm typically an early riser if that helps.
    I'm sure DZ could use your help, especially when it comes time to switch controllers. (Pretty sure DKumpula runs the Medialas DACs, and there may be some people present who run the Riya controllers too.) Cabling is going to be a nightmare when we do this, so having someone else there to help fish out the right ones will be invaluable. (Anyone have a portable label printer? Might come in handy...)

    Sound system pretty much runs itself once it's set up - just need to know where the master volume control is and you're all set! Power distribution is the real issue, but DZ and I have a plan to eliminate ground loops this year. DZ will oversee *EVERYTHING* that needs power in the auditorium. We will have a pair of dedicated power distribution panels to use.

    Quote Originally Posted by JohnYayas View Post
    I haven't been able to keep up with all the new laser diodes and scanners that are out there. If anyone has a handle on all of that (basically pros and cons of the different laser diodes, mounts, optics, etc) I think that would be a nice talk.
    This would be a *GREAT* topic. Man, if only DTR could make it to SELEM. Something like this would be right up his alley!

    Anyone have any suggestions as to who might be able to do this? I'm sure it would be well-received...

    with the new pangolin scanners I'd be interested in hearing what works with them as far as amps go and experience.
    Bill will probably cover the new scanners in his "What's new at Pangolin" presentation, but it would be cool to put them head-to-head against other scanners too. Maybe behind the curtain on-stage at some point? We could take a poll of what scanners people have and then collect them all for a shoot-out.

    I've got DT-40 Pro's, Scan-Pro50's, and PT-40's (all in projectors) that I can provide to start... Anyone else got other scanners to bring?

    Adam

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by buffo View Post
    Awesome, Brad! Knew I could count on you!
    Duh.

    Also, we would like to have some larger signs made up this year (like a 2 ft by 3 ft sheet of paper). Anyone want to volunteer to help with that?
    I should be able to bring a pad of Post It flip chart paper.

    (Anyone have a portable label printer? Might come in handy...)
    Yes, I have one.

    Power distribution is the real issue, but DZ and I have a plan to eliminate ground loops this year.
    I have a Whirlwind PC DI box I can bring along with some XLR adapters. It works "ok" although I find it attenuates the line level a little. It does have switch for lifting the ground. What I've found to be the biggest cause of my occasional hum issues is bad notebook power cords.

  9. #9
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    We will be driving down on Tues, so I will be at the venue wednsday morning. I will be bringing the plastic for the windows, and will take care of that project. I will also help out with anything else I can, This will be my 6th SELEM, AND IT JUST GETS BETTER EVERY YEAR.

    See you all in six weeks Bill
    Pangolin FB3
    DT40 PRO
    200mw 635nm LASERWAVE
    200mw 532nm CNI
    100mw 473nm CNI
    POLY 20 / GAS ARGON (SELEM BLUE)

    LASERS MAKE ME GRIN

  10. #10
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    I plan to be there sometime early afternoon on Wed. Will be bringing Tiff and Hak with me FWIW. I volunteer *them* for whatever work needs to be done

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