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EMC World 2009: Packing my bags
Well, not yet. But on Saturday I will be flying from FRA (Frankfurt, Germany) to ORL (Orlando, USA) to attend EMC World.
Preparing is always good fun. With such a location the first thing that comes to mind is visiting a tanning parlor so the solar rays don't scorch me. On second thought that's probably not really that useful since we will be cooped up inside the OCCC.
I had to check my passport to see if it's still valid, and they made one thing a bit easier when traveling towards the US. They introduced the visa waiver program back in 1986. The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) is a program of the United States Government which allows citizens of specific countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa.
Quite useful you would say. That meant that you had to fill out a green piece of paper called the I-94W form that contained questions like: "Have you ever been involved in espionage?".
Since June 3rd 2008 you need to fill out this form 3 days prior to flying to the US. Thankfully you can do that online at the ESTA site. I filled that out a couple of days ago and received the feedback from the site that I am good to go.
Next up is making a small list of things that I should take with me. My dad used to travel a lot and always told me that you only need four things. Your passport, your tickets, your wallet, and last but not least any medications you might need. All the other stuff could be purchased in case of an emergency, but those are vital. Since I am going to a convention that centers around all things IT, and since after all I am somewhat of a geek, I also will be taking along my laptop and iPhone.
I plan to attend some sessions on the new V-Max system and I hope to be doing some live twittering from the event, and I plan on blogging some post in the EMC blogger lounge. Heck, if I am lucky enough to win a Flip camera I might even be putting some video online.
One thing I hope is that everything will go smooth at the airport, and that the guys at the plane don't forget my wheelchair. That happened once, and I don't want to visit the event crawling. That would take all of the fun out of it.
All in all I am looking forward to the event, and I hope to learn some new things. Let's see what the event will bring me, and what it will bring you as a reader.
Preparing is always good fun. With such a location the first thing that comes to mind is visiting a tanning parlor so the solar rays don't scorch me. On second thought that's probably not really that useful since we will be cooped up inside the OCCC.
I had to check my passport to see if it's still valid, and they made one thing a bit easier when traveling towards the US. They introduced the visa waiver program back in 1986. The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) is a program of the United States Government which allows citizens of specific countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa.
Quite useful you would say. That meant that you had to fill out a green piece of paper called the I-94W form that contained questions like: "Have you ever been involved in espionage?".Since June 3rd 2008 you need to fill out this form 3 days prior to flying to the US. Thankfully you can do that online at the ESTA site. I filled that out a couple of days ago and received the feedback from the site that I am good to go.
Next up is making a small list of things that I should take with me. My dad used to travel a lot and always told me that you only need four things. Your passport, your tickets, your wallet, and last but not least any medications you might need. All the other stuff could be purchased in case of an emergency, but those are vital. Since I am going to a convention that centers around all things IT, and since after all I am somewhat of a geek, I also will be taking along my laptop and iPhone.
I plan to attend some sessions on the new V-Max system and I hope to be doing some live twittering from the event, and I plan on blogging some post in the EMC blogger lounge. Heck, if I am lucky enough to win a Flip camera I might even be putting some video online.
One thing I hope is that everything will go smooth at the airport, and that the guys at the plane don't forget my wheelchair. That happened once, and I don't want to visit the event crawling. That would take all of the fun out of it.
All in all I am looking forward to the event, and I hope to learn some new things. Let's see what the event will bring me, and what it will bring you as a reader.
05-'09 Sledgehockey: World championship et al.
05-'09 YALOEP: Yet another Linux on enterprise post
Comments
By
Tyson,
Tuesday 12 May 2009 17:20
Sweet. Enjoy it. But prepare to fill out the green form anyway! Last time I traveled to the US (march) I was informed that I had to fill out the I-94 because the system wasn't fully active yet. Not quite sure if it is ready nowadays. But yeah, have fun!
By
Boeboe,
Tuesday 12 May 2009 17:33
What is wrong with some people?
Not "I'm using my telephone", no...."I'm using my iPhone"
lemmings, all of you
Not "I'm using my telephone", no...."I'm using my iPhone"
lemmings, all of you
By
Renegade,
Tuesday 12 May 2009 17:36
Depends on how you use it and for what purpose. 
Using a normal phone to tweet is not that ideal, and you could replace iPhone by Blackberry which I use for my corporate E-mail. But since using my Blackberry could be quite expensive (no Wi-Fi on my model) I am taking my iPhone along. It's good to listen to music, and for using Skype or Twitter from the conference without having to roll around with a laptop on my lap.
Using a normal phone to tweet is not that ideal, and you could replace iPhone by Blackberry which I use for my corporate E-mail. But since using my Blackberry could be quite expensive (no Wi-Fi on my model) I am taking my iPhone along. It's good to listen to music, and for using Skype or Twitter from the conference without having to roll around with a laptop on my lap.
By
Wapster,
Tuesday 12 May 2009 18:17
I went to NY last week and although I filled in the online form @ the esta website, I still had to fill in another one in the plane. Its nice to have a piece of paper with you with your passport number, flight information and adress of the place you stay at. Have a nice trip!
By
garagaholic,
Tuesday 12 May 2009 18:48
My experience, and destination, are the same as Wapsters. Went to NY last week, got to the customs (with the paper filled out, just to be sure), and said 'I already filled out on ESTA, do I still have to...".
It seemed like the man never even heard of ESTA, or internet for that matter. So "Yes Sir, please fill in your form and sign it please" spoken with that typical American friendlyness that we are used to off of US customs these days ;-). The best part though, was that I made a mistake with my passport and switched it with my girlfriend's,. The man did not even notice till he was half way through filling out the form on his computer and I notified him of my mistake...
It seemed like the man never even heard of ESTA, or internet for that matter. So "Yes Sir, please fill in your form and sign it please" spoken with that typical American friendlyness that we are used to off of US customs these days ;-). The best part though, was that I made a mistake with my passport and switched it with my girlfriend's,. The man did not even notice till he was half way through filling out the form on his computer and I notified him of my mistake...
By
Mike Post,
Tuesday 12 May 2009 19:50
Hi Bas,
I read the article 'Microsoft mogelijk op overnamepad na eerste obligatie-uitgifte' just a minute ago and noticed the German "business-software maker" named SAP. Is the SAP Tweakers.NET speaks of in the aforementioned article the same as the one you speak of in your 'About'-div? If so.. we sure live in a small, small world.
Also, have fun at EMC World. Be sure to report back and share your experience.
@garagaholic;
I read the article 'Microsoft mogelijk op overnamepad na eerste obligatie-uitgifte' just a minute ago and noticed the German "business-software maker" named SAP. Is the SAP Tweakers.NET speaks of in the aforementioned article the same as the one you speak of in your 'About'-div? If so.. we sure live in a small, small world.
Also, have fun at EMC World. Be sure to report back and share your experience.
@garagaholic;
That sure is one hell of a mistake. Was he asleep?The best part though, was that I made a mistake with my passport and switched it with my girlfriend's,. The man did not even notice till he was half way through filling out the form on his computer and I notified him of my mistake...
[Comment edited on Tuesday 12 May 2009 19:52]
By
Tsunami,
Tuesday 12 May 2009 20:23
That's interesting, I went to the US at the end of June 2008 and I just filled it in on the planeSince June 3rd 2008 you need to fill out this form 3 days prior to flying to the US.
By
Renegade,
Tuesday 12 May 2009 22:45
Hey Mike,
yep, I work for the same company in Germany. And you are correct, the world is not that big, and I think it is getting smaller all the time.
@Tsunami, that is the official statement, could be that they had (and still have as I read it) a "small" delay
yep, I work for the same company in Germany.
And you are correct, the world is not that big, and I think it is getting smaller all the time. @Tsunami, that is the official statement, could be that they had (and still have as I read it) a "small" delay
Tan in a can, Bas... Tan in a can.
Looking forward to catching up @ EMC World! Good travels, sir. See you soon.
LD
Looking forward to catching up @ EMC World! Good travels, sir. See you soon.
LD