Reading Current Events

Date, time

Friday evening, January 16, to Sunday morning or afternoon, January 18.

Place, accommodation

The meeting will be held around Buchs SG, the same place as the last meeting. Depending on how many people we get, we'll need to spread them among several different places.
Does anybody require special food (e.g. vegetarian, vegan, kosher, halal)? (I know Ettena doesn't eat dead animals.) Getting the stuff should be no problem, we just need to know it.

How to get there

By train: Buchs has a well-frequented station with trains/buses coming from all directions and three countries (Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein). Let me know if you plan to arrive there, so I can help you choose the best train and pick you up at the station.
By car: Not that I know of somebody who would (wizz?), but in case you plan to bring your own car with you, please let me know so I can find a place where you can park it. The car park situation is a bit tense in our area.
From far away: The Ryanair people fly from London (Stansted) to Friedrichshafen, where you would be within reach for our train/car pickup service. Swiss, the Swiss airline (who'd have guessed it) offers some not too expensive flights, just click Special Offers and see where it takes you. Germanwings gets you from anywhere to Cologne and from Cologne to anywhere. Here and here are two airline-independent online booking sites.
Poor NAOee's Travel Fund: Is this idea still alive? I would throw in a few bucks if needed. Please raise your hand if you would participate, or if you'd like to join us but can't due to a tight budget, raise your hand too.
--> Switzerland still has some old-fashioned things such as borders, so don't forget your passport or ID card!

Money

Having successfully withstood all of our government's plans to integrate our country into the EU, we still have our very own currency. Compared to the Swiss Franc the Euro is currently strong, which is good if you need to bring a ton of chocolate and cheese home. Since we're near the Austrian border, most stores will accept your Monopoly Euro bills (no coins), but you will get Swiss coins for change. Ask me if you need to change money quickly (I do have both CHF and EUR with me all the time), or take your EC/maestro card with you to withdraw larger sums at an ATM of your choice.

Activities

During the last meeting we went bowling, hit a bar, went shopping, had a downhill race (which I lost only due to technical problems!) and a snowball fight, had Fondue and watched Fight Club. What shall we do this year?

Geek stuff, connectivity

I know you want it. :-)
There's one computer powerful enough to play Postal 2, and at least one other fully equipped work/surfstation. In case you bring your own equipment, LAN and 'net access is provided via Ethernet or WLAN (make sure you have the Wi-Fi logo and 128bit WEP). There's an in-house web server. I can provide keyboards (Swiss or US layout), mice, monitors and power cords if needed. There's much more to tell about this, so ask if you have any specific questions or requests.

Cellphones

Switzerland has three well-developed and strong GSM networks, which means pretty much anybody (except USAians or Japanese) can expect their phone to work virtually anywhere in Switzerland. Depending on your local provider, you should get GPRS roaming with at least one Swiss provider. Just keep in mind that roaming is rather expensive, and everything besides receiving SMS costs extra!
Chargers for Siemens and Nokia phones are available both in my car and my apartment.

For those at home

We'll do our best to get a webcam up and running inside our HQ (my apartment). My 'net connection should be able to support a few streaming video clients, and another speed upgrade is scheduled for sometime between now and then (according to my ISP's homepage). If time allows it, there might be an online diary of some sort.
If all else fails, we've got at least one digital camera to make many pictures we can publish on the 'net after the meeting.

Joining

Just reply to this post and tell us when and how you will arrive, so we can fix a meeting point and date and make sure we've got enough space for everybody.

Questions?

Post them here!

"*sigh* Some men are really hard to manipulate!" - Orchid

This post used to be a reply to this post.

Well, because I don't life far away, I think I'll come too.
If I come, it will be by train.

it's a little bit early for me to tell if I have time coming on the 16th, but I think it should be no problem.

I think I would take the 16:00 train on friday, arriving at about 18:30 un Buchs SG. Well price should be ok too.

if there is anything unclear, write to me in ICQ (99047444)

although I'm quite occupied building a growbox at the moment, so maybe I won't be online.

cya Magic

"The wise have always said the same things, and fools have always done the opposite"-Schopenhauer

IF you're going to come - bring your swords n stuff along - lets have a nice swordfight *lol* :D

yours, bG.

Multiple exclamation marks are a sure sign for a diseased mind!

Mhh...all the stuff is to heavy. What do you prefer, sharp swords or training (unsharpened) swords?

what about the music, any nice goth/black/death metal bars around there (I would even go into a Rock-pub ;) )

Well, not to offend anybody, but will there be sweet mary jane?
I always wanted to have a spliff with Null :)

cya Magic

"The wise have always said the same things, and fools have always done the opposite"-Schopenhauer

any nice goth/black/death metal bars around there

http://www.fossilbar.ch/
(Alternatively we can make our own gothic or metal bar at my place!)

will there be sweet mary jane?

I guess I could invite the lady. :-P

"*sigh* Some men are really hard to manipulate!" - Orchid

Well, that's good :)

jan. 16. is a little too early to invite my lady, growbox will be finished in a week.....but let's see, maybe she comes ;)

cya Magic

"The wise have always said the same things, and fools have always done the opposite"-Schopenhauer

/me would throw in a few more bucks for the NAO Travel Fund™...

That makes me a sa-a-a-a-a-ad Panda...

About activities: is thera any DECENT thingy with stones in (aka Metal concert/pub/whatever) or around Buchs? Any nice buds having a LARP con there during this time? Doing a LARP game of our own?

yours, bG.

Multiple exclamation marks are a sure sign for a diseased mind!

As much as I'd like to come to this months meeting, I can't afford airfair and I don't think I can get a passport in enough time to go.

Do you have any inkling as to when and where February's meeting is going to be?

I really hope you can get the webcam up and going! :)

--Jami

You fail it.

Do you have any inkling as to when and where February's meeting is going to be?

I'm afraid unless somebody plans a February meeting real fast, there won't be one. Usually there's about one offocial NAO meeting per year (altho in 2004 we might meet again in summer).

Chances for a webcam are goood!

"*sigh* Some men are really hard to manipulate!" - Orchid

I'm afraid unless somebody plans a February meeting real fast, there won't be one. Usually there's about one offocial NAO meeting per year (altho in 2004 we might meet again in summer).

Ooooh, I see. I'd say I'd be up for planning but, I don't quite think I'm very conveniantly located.

Chances for a webcam are goood!

Rock on. :)

--Jami

You fail it.

I don't quite think I'm very conveniantly located.

Oh, we've got quite a few Texans here. :-) Maybe you could have a Texas meeting or something.

"*sigh* Some men are really hard to manipulate!" - Orchid

Hmmm, would be interesting, I may want to shoot for May or June though, when I myself will be relocated. ;)

You fail it.

Unless I get another short term notice from her, Ettena won't join us for the meeting due to some unfortunate exam dates and a choir performance. Complaints go here please! And I just got a brand new sledge from her for Christmas...

I'd like to join wizz on a car ride then, if possible.

'Yeah, That's what Jesus would do. Jesus would bomb Afghanistan. Yeah.' - snowlion

Unless I get another short term notice from her, Ettena won't join us for the meeting due to some unfortunate exam dates and a choir performance.

This is good because it helps solve the sleeping place problem, but it is bad because it has always been nice having her with us!
Do you think we should postpone the meeting?

"*sigh* Some men are really hard to manipulate!" - Orchid

No, please don't, I need my jacket before it's going to get warmer again!

(Nothing against Ettena! We'll arrange the next meeting on a time that fits her best :)

BTW, null, you seem to have had a very long talk with your friendly neighbour upstairs last night. Is everything better now? :)

Well, Gute Besserung and have a nice day! (I don't know the english term)

"Sie wollen nichts anderes. Sie wollen kämpfen! Sie sind Soldaten! Fucking Wahnsinnige!" - Noel G.

This post was edited by Orchid on Dec 29, 2003.

Do you think we should postpone the meeting?

Let's not. It looks good for everyone else and Orchid needs her coat. Better plan an informal second meeting later this year.

'Yeah, That's what Jesus would do. Jesus would bomb Afghanistan. Yeah.' - snowlion

Okay. :-)

"*sigh* Some men are really hard to manipulate!" - Orchid

I'd like to join wizz on a car ride then, if possible.

Okay. Anyone else who wants to be picked up between Augsburg and Buchs raise hands...

'Repent, Harlequin!' said the Ticktockman. 'Get stuffed!' the Harlequin replied, sneering.

Me? :)

well, so how will the driving colony be set up? Null? give us some clues!

cu, w0lf.

Multiple exclamation marks are a sure sign for a diseased mind!

Sorry to reply so late, wasn't online a lot...

I don't know where you live, but if you live somewhere or can get somewhere where I can reasonally pick you up, sure...

Btw, null:
Can we sensibly reach you without a "Autobahnvignette" (sticker that allows you to use the highways)?

'Repent, Harlequin!' said the Ticktockman. 'Get stuffed!' the Harlequin replied, sneering.

Btw, null:
Can we sensibly reach you without a "Autobahnvignette" (sticker that allows you to use the highways)?

(I don't know if Jaz has got my SMS or has yet had a chance to contact you)

When coming from Augsburg/Munich, I suggest you travel via Lindau - Bregenz - Feldkirch (Vlbg.) - Buchs. That way you'd need a ten-day vignette for Austria, which you can buy at pretty much any gas station / border guard in Austria for about € 8. Look out for signs saying "Vignetten" or "ÖAMTC".

Alternatively - cheaper but slower - drive via Lindau - Bregenz - Hard - Höchst [border] St. Margrethen, and from there avoid the highway by following the blue signs to Buchs.

Let me know if you need a map!

"*sigh* Some men are really hard to manipulate!" - Orchid