FYI:
>
>
> Greetings,
>
> While we all want things to go back to normal, the science just doesn't
> make that possible. July and August may still seem far away, but there
> simply is no way the COVID-19 crisis will be over by then, even in the
> best-case scenario. We had planned on waiting until June to make a final
> decision, but it's become clear that planning an in-person conference
> simply wouldn't be the responsible thing to do. Nothing matters more than
> the health and safety of our attendees. Yes, this will be a financial
> kick in the teeth for us. But it's one we'll willingly take as the mere
> possibility of putting any of you at risk is unconscionable.
>
> We want to be clear on one important point. Apart from the obvious
> disappointment of not being able to host this historic event at a new
> venue we were so looking forward to, we want everyone to come out of this
> not feeling dissatisfaction beyond that. More on that later.
>
> This is what we're now looking at:
>
> We are NOT canceling HOPE. Instead, we are changing what this year's HOPE
> will be.
>
> HOPE 2020 will now be a NINE DAY EVENT, beginning on Saturday, July 25th
> and running until Sunday, August 2nd, 2020. Why did we add an entire week?
> Because we want some good to come out of this and we believe our community
> is in a position to do just that. We all know what we WON'T have without a
> physical conference, but let's now focus on what we CAN have with some
> imagination and collaboration. That's what the hacker community is all about.
>
> We intend to have around the same number of talks as we normally do, but
> spread out over a much longer period and available for viewing on a high
> capacity stream. Those of you who bought tickets will have exclusive access
> to the presenters so you can ask questions, participate in workshops, and
> interact with other conference attendees. In addition, you will also
> receive a conference t-shirt and badge that won't ever be made available to
> anyone else.
>
> We plan on having NINE keynote speakers, again with exclusive Q&A access
> for our attendees.
>
> Participation in HOPE will no longer be bound by visas and worries of arrest
> by certain controversial types. So expect a dynamic and varied cast of
> characters. It wouldn't be HOPE without that, but now we can REALLY remove
> some barriers.
>
> In addition to ongoing talks and panels, we'll also have workshops for the
> duration of the nine day event. Expect everything from lockpicking to
> soldering instruction to our infamous ham radio exams.
>
> For the overnight hours, we're planning on having concerts, DJs, and other
> fun stuff. HOPE will remain a 24 hour event, but for nine days!
>
> All of this has been - and will continue to be - a daunting task. The
> COVID-19 pandemic has affected all of us in varying ways. The continued
> survival of 2600 was quickly put into doubt as our distributors stopped
> paying us, bookstores with our issues in them shut down, and new issues
> were left in loading zones. We've lost more than half a year's income at
> last count and have had to stop getting paid in order to continue to
> survive. Making this year's HOPE a success is really the only way we can
> come through this.
>
> As mentioned above, we don't want anyone to feel extra unhappy because of
> this. If you want a refund, we will give you one. But with all of the
> losses we've already suffered, we won't be able to continue existing if we
> have to issue very many of those. That's why we're hoping we can put
> together the best event possible and make this the highlight of our summer
> despite all that's happened.
>
> We are in the process of accepting talk and workshop proposals that have
> already been submitted. We will be providing technical support so that
> presenters will be able to participate smoothly in a virtual environment.
> We are now opening up the submission process to include many more
> participants from all around the globe, something we never really had the
> ability to do before. We hope to have talks, workshops, and musical
> presentations from a truly international community, no longer bound by a
> physical presence.
>
> While we have a dedicated team of volunteers already working on making this
> happen, we can definitely use many more, especially as the event draws
> closer and becomes bigger. Email volunteers(a)hope.net and let us know how
> you think you can help. We're looking for people with experience setting up
> and producing live online broadcasts. We are also looking for emcees,
> moderators for online forums, and people to fulfill other behind-the-scenes
> roles.
>
> If we get through all of this, we fully intend to hold a physical HOPE in
> 2021 (the first odd-year HOPE since 1997). This will also enable us to
> continue publishing once bookstores start opening again. All of this depends
> on our hacker spirit getting us through the toughest times we ever could
> have imagined. And if you share our enthusiasm over what this new incarnation
> of HOPE will mean, this summer will indeed be one to look forward to.
>
> Stay safe.
>
> The HOPE Staff
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