From ca5b9440f394300ae8d07de65ad3ce0261aee443 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jim Martens Date: Tue, 2 Jan 2018 14:47:10 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] Added 34C3 review Signed-off-by: Jim Martens --- _posts/2018-01-01-34c3-review.markdown | 521 +++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 521 insertions(+) create mode 100644 _posts/2018-01-01-34c3-review.markdown diff --git a/_posts/2018-01-01-34c3-review.markdown b/_posts/2018-01-01-34c3-review.markdown new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4add5a2 --- /dev/null +++ b/_posts/2018-01-01-34c3-review.markdown @@ -0,0 +1,521 @@ +--- +layout: post +title: "34C3 Review" +date: 2018-01-01 10:00:00 +0200 +categories: blog +--- + +The last few days of 2017 were spent in Leipzig, attending the 34C3. It was my fourth congress and the first one in +Leipzig. I didn't know what to expect from the new location and I never was in Leipzig before. In addition I was +interested in the new ICE route from Berlin to Munich and thought that the part Berlin-Leipzig would be interesting. +In preparation of the congress I looked through the talks and was blown away. There were - again - so many good talks, +especially the shortly announced one with Snowden via livestream was promising. + +I arrived in Leipzig on the 26th December. The plan was to quickly drive to the hotel to leave the trolley there and then +drive to the exhibition halls. Well, it turned out that the public transport in Leipzig on holidays and especially between +Christmas and New Year wasn't that good, especially compared to Hamburg. Overall it took us about 3 hours to drive +to the hotel, leave the stuff behind and then drive to the exhibition halls. In 2018 I will already arrive on the 25th +in order to participate the entire 26th December. The train journey itself was without problems but the route from +Berlin to Leipzig was in fact not new. That part hasn't changed. The new route for the ICE trains only starts +in Halle/Leipzig. Another dent in the initial experience was the fact that the hotel was one station outside +the Leipzig tariff zone 110. Another thing I will make sure to get right in 2018 will be the location of my hotel. +It will be within the Leizig tariff zone. + +## The Bad and the Ugly + +But enough with these environmental conditions. Let's start with the congress itself. The area was huge and much +bigger than the CCH in Hamburg. Though it is not entirely correct to simply compare the top-down area since the CCH +had a lot more verticality throughout whereas in the Leipzig exhibition halls most things happened on one level. In +any case many people brought rolling devices with them to cover the long distances more quickly. Some even built their +own rolling chairs. The Congress Center Leipzig (CCL) was home to the Heaven, the smallest lecture hall and the +merchandise as well as some political assemblies. There was one huge hall (Hall 2) which was filled with all the +assemblies and two halls filled with the big lecture halls. The connecting glass hall was home to CERT, the main entrance, +food catering and some more things. + +It was definitely a different light experience. The big glass hall allowed daylight consumption and made it plain +obvious when that was missing. Furthermore it was never as warm as the CCH. I'd say the lighting and the temperature +feeling were the main detractors from the experience. In the CCH I was able to stay much longer without being tired, +simply because there was a lot more to discover and more exciting locations. The new areas are good for the amount of +people but it all felt a lot more anonymous and less comfortable. I had a bit of CeBIT feeling in the congress thanks +to the long walking times and the few opportunities to sit down. This dragged my feeling down. Furthermore the out of +center location in Leipzig meant that there were no relative cheap opportunities to eat. You had a Mc Donalds within +10 walking minutes but after one side exit was closed down, the walking distance doubled at least, which ruled it out +in the next days. Other than that only the expensive catering inside the congress was available. There was also the +Heaven's kitchen but like always you lack vouchers in the beginning and have too many in the end. This was especially +true, because I always had shifts during the meal times, something I will avoid next time. However I can positively note +that the available catering offered more variety and most importantly more hot meals than the CCH. + +The location of the hotel also limited the time I was able to stay at the congress, since the tram line driving to +the hotel didn't benefit from the better connections of the tram line driving to the congress and therefore didn't drive +through the night. Then again, there would not have been many things to do after the last talks were over. That reinforced +a bit the CeBIT feeling. The layout was good for huge amounts of people but the spirit and charm of all the small +things in the CCH was gone. + +If the goal of the congress are more professionalized conference processes than this new location is wonderful. But +if it supposed to maintain the community spirit of previous congresses many things must be improved for 35C3. First and +foremost a lot more content must be available per square meter. Right now the space may be bigger but the relative +amount of content per square meter is lower, which makes the entire experience more stressed. + +I know that a lot of this has been negative and more will come but I'd like to start with that and then mention the +good parts. Coupled with the many hours needed for a +T-Shirt at the beginning, the unfitting times for angel meetings, many already booked out shifts on the 26th and less +breaks in the lecture schedule, the experience was everything but great. In 2016 there were consistent breaks between +15:00 and 16:00 and between 19:30 and 20:30. The talks by the way didn't start earlier. In 2017 there was only one +break to be found which was consistent across all lecture halls and days and that was between 17:30 and 18:30. +With the afternoon and evening breaks in 2016 it was possible to have two meals without missing a talk. In 2017 +there was only one time frame to get a meal and not miss something. It was so early that you were hungry again before +midnight. The longer walking times but not longer breaks between the talks made it also more difficult to quickly +eat some small thing (e.g. an ice cream) before the next talk. In the CCH it was certainly possible for most talks +(except for the really big talks) to go to Heaven between the talks, talk to people, go to toilet there, eat a bit +and then go back to the next talk. In the new location you need almost the entire time to go from one hall to +the other and there is no food just outside the lecture halls. The nearest food is almost always 5 minutes away. + +If I would end at this point, the summary of the congress would be devastating. But it's not over yet. + +## The Good + +There were many great talks and I sadly experienced only a handful of talks. The second day of congress was the only +one where I could visit some more talks. The talk with Snowden was definitely the most memorable one. There were +many more world history like talks but I sadly visited far fewer talks than at 33C3 so I couldn't visit most of them. +The talks that I did visit where mostly great. +Another positive aspect were the many great people I saw and spoke to during the congress. It's always nice to catch up +and meet friends you otherwise don't see. In addition it always feels good to be a part of world history or witness +it happening right next to you. + +Furthermore I used the time during the congress to finish the relaunch of my website. The relaunched website +will form the base for better coordinated activity in the year 2018. Thanks to some immediate feedback I was able +to fix some glaring issues related to the mobile friendliness of the website. This website also brought with it a lot +more motivation for activity going forward. + +## Leipzig + +I drove back to Hamburg on the 31st December. This allowed me to explore some areas of Leipzig. I used the time between +check-out at the hotel and the departure of the ICE to walk trough the inner city of Leipzig and visit the Völkerschlachtdenkmal. +Along the way I have made some images which illustrate this very well. Therefore I will show these images in the following +section with a bit of explanation for some images. There are MANY images. + +First of are some images from the S-Bahn station at the central station. However +these were made during the 34C3 as I used an S-Bahn to drive to the exhibition halls. + +{% include image.html alt="Entrance to City tunnel at Hbf (tief) from Tram side" + link="/34c3/DSC02309.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Hbf (tief) platform level" + link="/34c3/DSC02311.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="S-Bahn at Hbf (tief)" + link="/34c3/DSC02313.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="inside S-Bahn to Messe" + link="/34c3/DSC02315.JPG" %} + +After arriving with the Tram at the central station I went by foot into the +inner city. The first significant building was the St. Nicholas's Church. + +{% include image.html alt="Look back to central station" + link="/34c3/DSC02316.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="St. Nicholas's Church from further away" + link="/34c3/DSC02322.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="St. Nicholas's Church" + link="/34c3/DSC02324.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Old St. Nicholas's School" + link="/34c3/DSC02325.JPG" %} + +After passing the Nikolaikirche I encountered "Real Life" instructions. + +{% include image.html alt="Real Life Instructions" + link="/34c3/DSC02326.JPG" %} + +A few minutes later I was on the central place of the inner city, the old +market. Here I found the Old City Hall, which is nowadays a museum +for the city history. + +{% include image.html alt="Old City Hall" + link="/34c3/DSC02332.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Old City Hall" + link="/34c3/DSC02333.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Old City Hall" + link="/34c3/DSC02334.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="memorial stone for Robert Blum" + link="/34c3/DSC02335.JPG" %} + +Next up was the St. Thomas's Church and a Commerzbank building with golden +aspects. + +{% include image.html alt="St. Thomas's Church" + link="/34c3/DSC02338.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="golden Commerzbank building" + link="/34c3/DSC02341.JPG" %} + +In front of the Thomaskirche was a Bach statue. + +{% include image.html alt="Statue of Bach" + link="/34c3/DSC02403.JPG" %} + +From there I went in the direction of the Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz, even though +I didn't know that at the time. On the way I saw this advertisement and couldn't +resist to make a photo of it. + +{% include image.html alt="Advertisement" + link="/34c3/DSC02346.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="historic building" + link="/34c3/DSC02349.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="historic building" + link="/34c3/DSC02352.JPG" %} + +At the exit of the inner city I found the music school, a Deutsche Bank building +and the lonely entrance to the S-Bahn station Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz. + +{% include image.html alt="Music school" + link="/34c3/DSC02353.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Deutsche Bank building" + link="/34c3/DSC02355.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz station" + link="/34c3/DSC02354.JPG" %} + +I continued left towards the Moritz Bastei, the Gewandhaus, the university and the +Augustusplatz. However I wasn't aware of it at the time. The first university +building I saw was the mensa. Next I saw a statue from Albrecht Thaer, the Moritz +bastei and the Gewandhaus. + +{% include image.html alt="Mensa" + link="/34c3/DSC02359.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Albrecht Thaer statue" + link="/34c3/DSC02360.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Moritz Bastei" + link="/34c3/DSC02363.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="New Gewandhaus" + link="/34c3/DSC02366.JPG" %} + +From here I walked right onto the Augustusplatz and was overwhelmed by the +main entrance to the University of Leipzig. They even have their own +University Church St. Pauli or otherwise known as Paulinum. The main building +is the New Augusteum. + +{% include image.html alt="University Leipzig skyline" + link="/34c3/DSC02368.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="University Leipzig main entrance" + link="/34c3/DSC02369.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="University Leipzig building plan" + link="/34c3/DSC02370.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="University Leipzig building plan legend" + link="/34c3/DSC02371.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Paulinum - University Church Music Trail station" + link="/34c3/DSC02372.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Paulinum - University Church St. Pauli" + link="/34c3/DSC02373.JPG" %} + +Right next to the university was a Vapiano. I was hungry at the time but didn't +want to stop here. Therefore I made further images from the Augustusplatz. +The first image after the Vapiano is from the opera house, followed by images +from the New Gewandhaus and some "Omnia vincit labor" installation. + +{% include image.html alt="Vapiano at Augustusplatz" + link="/34c3/DSC02374.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Opera House" + link="/34c3/DSC02377.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="New Gewandhaus" + link="/34c3/DSC02378.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Omnia vincit labor installation" + link="/34c3/DSC02379.JPG" %} + +At the Augustusplatz I also saw the start point for the Leipzig Music trail. + +{% include image.html alt="Leipzig Music Trail" + link="/34c3/DSC02381.JPG" %} + +After I was done exploring the Augustusplatz I went back in the direction of the +market and encountered some statues on a cross. + +{% include image.html alt="Statues on a cross" + link="/34c3/DSC02387.JPG" %} + +On the way back to the market I saw again the St. Nicholas's Church. + +{% include image.html alt="St. Nicholas's Church" + link="/34c3/DSC02391.JPG" %} + +All of a sudden I felt like ancient Rome when I saw a stele. + +{% include image.html alt="Stele" + link="/34c3/DSC02392.JPG" %} + +I read an explanatory text about the peaceful revolution which also +contained a map of the city center. Lastly I saw a statue of Goethe. + +{% include image.html alt="explanation about peaceful revolution" + link="/34c3/DSC02394.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="map of Leipzig inner city" + link="/34c3/DSC02395.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Goethe statue" + link="/34c3/DSC02401.JPG" %} + +At this point I walked through the inner city of Leipzig for one hour (12 to 1pm). I took +a break and went to the "Brauhaus an der Thomaskirche", where I drank a hot +chocolate and ate fried potatoes. Strengthened by the meal I walked to the +S-Bahn station Markt and was headed for the Völkerschlachtdenkmal. + +Despite being a new construction, the entrance to the S-Bahn station is historic. +Historically there was an "Untergrundmesshalle" below the market which was used +for exhibition purposes. + +{% include image.html alt="Untergrundmesshalle entrance" + link="/34c3/DSC02337.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Untergrundmesshalle staircase" + link="/34c3/DSC02416.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Untergrundmesshalle memorial plate" + link="/34c3/DSC02417.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Historic entrance to S-Bahn station Markt" + link="/34c3/DSC02420.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="S-Bahn station Markt upper floor" + link="/34c3/DSC02418.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="S-Bahn station Markt from top" + link="/34c3/DSC02421.JPG" %} + +On the Sunday, which Silvester was, the S-Bahn drove every 15 minutes to +the Völkerschlachtdenkmal. After missing one S-Bahn I finally took the one +at 2:06 pm and made images from within the S-Bahn. Sadly most of these +images are of poor quality so I can show only few of them. + +{% include image.html alt="S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland network" + link="/34c3/DSC02429.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz interior" + link="/34c3/DSC02432.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="S-Bahn from inside" + link="/34c3/DSC02433.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Leipzig MDR station" + link="/34c3/DSC02448.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Leipzig Völkerschlachtdenkmal station" + link="/34c3/DSC02457.JPG" %} + +After I arrived at the Völkerschlachtdenkmal I went towards the Street of the +18th October and from there could see the memorial. I went to the memorial, +documented the renovation information, took some pictures and then went +towards the main entrance. + +{% include image.html alt="Street of 18th October" + link="/34c3/DSC02462.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Memorial from far" + link="/34c3/DSC02465.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Renovation information" + link="/34c3/DSC02470.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="View to memorial from across the lake" + link="/34c3/DSC02472.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Close-up of memorial from across the lake" + link="/34c3/DSC02475.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Map of memorial interior" + link="/34c3/DSC02477.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Explanatory information" + link="/34c3/DSC02480.JPG" %} + +The memorial was closed so I was only able to look at it from the outside. But +that was enough. + +{% include image.html alt="Memorial from bottom" + link="/34c3/DSC02481.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="View across the lake" + link="/34c3/DSC02482.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="View from first level" + link="/34c3/DSC02483.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="View to top from highest level" + link="/34c3/DSC02488.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="View across Leipzig" + link="/34c3/DSC02489.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="View across Leipzig" + link="/34c3/DSC02491.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="View across Leipzig" + link="/34c3/DSC02492.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="View across Leipzig" + link="/34c3/DSC02494.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="View across Leipzig" + link="/34c3/DSC02495.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="View across Leipzig" + link="/34c3/DSC02496.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="View across Leipzig" + link="/34c3/DSC02498.JPG" %} + +After I made these images of Leipzig from above, I started to go back to the +S-Bahn station. On the way I saw an old water tower and the apparently newest +tram with respect to Leipzig. + +{% include image.html alt="Memorial from side" + link="/34c3/DSC02502.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Old water tower" + link="/34c3/DSC02504.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Newest tram" + link="/34c3/DSC02506.JPG" %} + +Short before the station I saw something similar to a signpost on the ground. + +{% include image.html alt="Ground-based signpost" + link="/34c3/DSC02510.JPG" %} + +Back at the station I took the next S-Bahn to the central station. This one +was special though. The interior light was off, which I didn't notice until we +entered the city tunnel. + +{% include image.html alt="S-Bahn network part 1" + link="/34c3/DSC02514.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="S-Bahn network part 2" + link="/34c3/DSC02515.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Map of Leipzig inner city" + link="/34c3/DSC02528.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="S-Bahn without interior lights inside a tunnel" + link="/34c3/DSC02530.JPG" %} + +I left the train in the central station and notified the driver that the lights +were off. He fixed it immediately. This time I left the station on the side of +the central station itself and came up inside it's hall. + +{% include image.html alt="Exit Citytunnel inside central station from middle level" + link="/34c3/DSC02535.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Exit Citytunnel inside central station from above" + link="/34c3/DSC02537.JPG" %} + +The citytunnel entrance was at the location of the former platforms 1 through 6. + +{% include image.html alt="Former platforms 1 through 6" + link="/34c3/DSC02538.JPG" %} + +I had some time left so I went to the complete opposite side of the central +station where I was surprised to see some historic locomotives and a memorial +for the deported people during the Nazi reign. + +{% include image.html alt="Deportation memorial" + link="/34c3/DSC02557.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Deportation memorial" + link="/34c3/DSC02558.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Historic steam engine" + link="/34c3/DSC02559.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Historic steam engine" + link="/34c3/DSC02560.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Historic steam engine" + link="/34c3/DSC02561.JPG" %} + +The first historical locomotive was a steam engine, followed by a Hanseat of the +Hamburg version. The Hanseat trains were built in the 30s and had a regular top speed +of 160 kph. At that time it was revolutionary and they were the fastest trains of the +world. Hence they were called "flying trains". +Nowadays 160 kph is the regular top speed for most mainline regional services. +The presented Hanseat is the last existing one of the Hamburg variant. + +{% include image.html alt="Hanseat" + link="/34c3/DSC02563.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Hanseat" + link="/34c3/DSC02565.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Hanseat" + link="/34c3/DSC02566.JPG" %} + +Behind the Hanseat came some old electronic locomotives. + +{% include image.html alt="historic electronic locomotive E04-01" + link="/34c3/DSC02571.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="historic electronic locomotive E04-01" + link="/34c3/DSC02572.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="historic electronic locomotive E44-046" + link="/34c3/DSC02575.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="historic electronic locomotive E44-046" + link="/34c3/DSC02576.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="historic electronic locomotive E44-046" + link="/34c3/DSC02577.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="historic electronic locomotive E44-046" + link="/34c3/DSC02578.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="historic electronic locomotive E94-056" + link="/34c3/DSC02579.JPG" %} + +While I was looking at these old locomotives a more modern train arrived. + +{% include image.html alt="old vs. semi-old" + link="/34c3/DSC02587.JPG" %} + +I went in the direction of my train. On the way I passed by some documentation +of 100 years Leipzig central station and an image of the new ICE route from +Berlin to Nuremberg. As I initially wrote, the part from Berlin to Leipzig isn't +new. + +{% include image.html alt="Berlin-Munich route" + link="/34c3/DSC02606.JPG" %} + +Last but not least are some panorama views of the central station. + +{% include image.html alt="Leipzig central station panorama" + link="/34c3/DSC02615.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Leipzig central station panorama" + link="/34c3/DSC02616.JPG" %} + +{% include image.html alt="Leipzig central station panorama" + link="/34c3/DSC02617.JPG" %} + +## The End + +Now that you have survived the many images I just want to write that this +journey through Leipzig was the key part that made me very happy about the +34C3. \ No newline at end of file