RuPy Conference October 11-13, 2013

Do you do Ruby?

And/or Python?

And/or open-source in general?

If you answered Yes to any of these questions, then
you should seriously consider attending the
RuPy conference in Budapest, Hungary. It’s this
Fall, October 11-13, 2013. The weather in Hungary is great that
time of year, very autumnal but not too cold. I will be posting
more on this in the coming months, as I plan on attending myself.
But for a start, here’s the web site:

http://13.rupy.eu/

Seen Today

1. A 200HUF cappuccino.
2. Szamoca vs. Eper.
3. A mini-skirt! 'Tis the season!
4. Bright sunlight through green glass socialist balconies.
5. Prolis, pornósmellü, rövidlábú daughter of the café proprietress.
6. A one-legged man walking a husky.
7. Public-service street art sampling both Star Wars and Red Robot.
8. A giant pink Hello Kitty poster at the optometrist's.
9. Written on the Bortársaság delivery van, the optimistic take on modern Hungary: “MINDEN RENDBEN A BOR FINOM.”

Budapest Tour Guides and Apartments

Some people, when they go to Budapest, get to stay with my friends and pretty much have the time of their lives. Now you can have essentially the same experience even if you don't know me! ;-) My buddy Pál (as in Paul) has teamed up with some awesome people to offer very personal tours of Budapest as well as downtown Budapest apartments for short-term rental. Lots of people do the rental thing, and I'm sure his are as good as anybody's (I can vouch for the locations). But the thing that makes this special is that Pál knows everyone in that town. No, seriously, everyone. He knows more people in Budapest than I do, which is something. (He has the advantage of being Hungarian, but still...) When he says he'll take you to meet artists and vintners, he really means it, and they'll actually be good artists and vintners, not the Váci utca tourist crap. So there you have it. If you're going to Budapest, or for that matter anywhere in Hungary, and you want to have a great time and see the real insider's version, but you don't already have friends there -- then ditch that stupid guidebook and send Pál an e-mail (or just call him, he speaks English). They offer prearranged tours and creative as-you-like-it accompaniment in English, German and Spanish (Gina is a native speaker, which is not very common in those parts). I would especially recommend them to people who are interested in the authentic cultural and culinary delights of Budapest (yes, including bars). Here's the URL, pretty easy to remember if you can remember that Paul is Pál in Hungarian (plus he's totally a pal): http://www.palsapartments.eu/