PLoP'99 info

PLoP '99 Attendees,

The conference is just one week away. I want to send you a few tips that
may help you out.

Illinois is hot this time of year, so dress appropriately. See
http://www.weather.com/weather/cities/us_il_monticello.html for the five
day forecast. This week it'll be in the 80's F (26-32 C); during the
conference, it may even get into the 90's F (32-37 C). I recommend
wearing shorts, a light shirt, and comfortable shoes. At night, the lows
will get down into the 60's F (16-21 C), so you may want a light jacket
(but may not need it). The Allerton House is air conditioned, but it's a
big and old building, so it will tend to be either too hot or too cold
much of the time. We still plan to hold games (playtime!) outside 2-3
times a day, and you'll probably want to do some exploring outside, so
plan for the heat. In short, you can wear a suit and tie if you really
want to, but I recommend that you dress for comfort.

One surprise for some people is that Allerton House has few phones. You
can basically figure on not using a phone while you're there. So if
you're planning on calling home or downloading e-mail every day, you
should change those plans. If you really need a phone, bring a cell
phone (and no, I don't know what kind of cell coverage Monticello has,
but judging from the look of the town, it's probably pretty rural). In
general, you shouldn't plan on spending the conference talking on the
phone.

The registration fee covers shuttle service from the Willard Airport
(CMI) in Savoy, IL to the Allerton House near Monticello, IL. The
shuttle service is provided by Corky's; they expect people to come in on
Sunday afternoon/evening and on Monday morning. Believe it or not,
Willard is not exactly a huge airport, so if you make it that far,
Corky's will be easy to find (they're right at baggage claim) and
they'll get you the rest of the way. You only need to tell them that
you're attending the PLoP conference at the Allerton Park. They have
been working with PLoP for several years and know exactly where you need
to go. If you get stranded, you can call:

    Corky's at (217)892-4401
    The Allerton Conference Center at (217)762-7011 or (217)333-3287
    Bonnie Howard, Ralph Johnson's secretary at (217)333-1043

Be prepared to pay for the conference when you arrive. You can either
pay with a credit card (Mastercard, Visa, or American Express) or pay
with a check drawn on a US bank and made out to:

    The Hillside Group, Inc.
    1719 Balfour Downs Circle
    Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526

(Please address any questions regarding to payment by check to Anna
Vickers, mailto:admin@hillside.net)

Other than registration, you probably won't need much money at the
conference. We provide your room, meals, and pretty much everything you
need. I usually go the whole three days without spending a penny. (Now
when I'm stuck in the airport, that's another matter...)

If you plan to arrive before Sunday (Aug 15th) or leave after Wednesday
(Aug 18th), let us know and we'll try to help you with local
accommodations. Send e-mail to Dragos (dragos.manolescu@acm.org).

We'll have a small computer lab at the conference center. It will have a
couple of computers on the Internet and at least one printer. They'll be
available on a first come, first serve basis, but the conference staff
will have priority. You probably will not need your own computer, but
you are free to bring one if you'd like. Allerton House is a very safe
place, so your computer will be safe, but understand that neither
Allerton House or the PLoP Conference can be responsible for your
valuables.

In addition to games this year, we plan to have a vollyball court
available, so plan for that. I believe it will be a grass court, not
sand, so you'll probably want to wear shoes.

I'm probably leaving something out, but at least you're more informed
now than you were five minutes ago!

See you in a week,

Bobby Woolf
PLoP '99 Program Chair