London F2F meeting update - important

[Andy Greener <andy@gid.co.uk>]

For those coming to the London meeting next week, some upates:

1. Please be aware that at present there is the prospect of a Tube
drivers strike on the 21st (the day most people are arriving :-( ).
Like others planned for last December, this may be averted by
negotiation (you know the score!) - I will keep you updated.

2. I should be able to make a limited wireless network available
in the meeting room via my laptop and GPRS connection (or dial-up).
This will be ok for receiving and sending emails, but won't be up
to supporting browsing or downloading for a number of people.
There are a number of hotspots in coffee shops and the like nearby
(though connecting to them from the meeting room itself is unlikely)
and your hotel may well have internet connectivity. Please note
however that, unlike North America, it is not common practice to
provide internet connectivity for "free" in hotel rooms.

3. The UK has been switching to "chip & pin" credit/debit cards
over the last year or so, and the deadline for retailers to support
chip & pin was last night. There is a common myth that non-chipped
cards won't be accepted anymore, but that is not true for overseas
visitors and some disabled groups. However, you may come up against
a reluctance to accept a signature, because in these cases the
card issuers now hold retailers responsible for fraud, rather than
covering it themselves. Stand your ground if refused - retailers
must cater for you if you legitimately don't have a chip & pin card.
See <http://www.businesseye.org.uk/511064.html> for additional info.

4. Wednesday night will be "do your own thing" night - only a handful
of people wanted an organised outing, and for those people there are
plenty of restaurants, theatres and other attractions to choose
from. Please talk to the natives for recommendations :-)

5. There was insufficient interest in the London Eye outing to
enable a reduced rate group ticket, but if you are sticking around
for Friday afternoon and the weekend (or if you want a night-time
ride on Wednesday evening) do consider it. The view is quite
spectacular.

6. The meal on the 21st will be on Lightship X in St Katherine's
Dock (right by Tower Bridge) <http://www.lightshipten.com> at
8pm. A short-ish ride by tube or taxi from the Strand Palace hotel.

7. The team dinner on the 23rd will be at Sarastro in Covent
Garden (easy walk from Somerset House, the Strand Palace, etc)
<http://www.sarastro-restaurant.com> at 7.30pm. The set menu (see
the web site under Menus) is £23.50 per person. Sarastro is
probably the most unusual restaurant interior you'll ever find,
and I recommend a visit to the "rest rooms" at some point during
the evening ;-)


That's all for now. Update on the tube strike situation when I have
it.

	Andy


-- 
Andy Greener                                      Mob: +44 7836 331933
GID Ltd, Reading, UK                              Tel: +44 118 956 1248
andy@gid.co.uk                                    Fax: +44 118 958 9005