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Past E-mails
Because I know that it is difficult to keep track of all the
various e-mails that you get sent about the Duck Conference, the more important
ones are reproduced here. If you have not responded to inquiries in the
"Inquisitional" or "Combined" sections, please provide this information to the
organizer as soon as possible. E-mails in the "Informational" section
simply provide information about the conference, much of which can probably be
found elsewhere on this web site as well. And the "Combined" section is used, of
course, for those e-mails that have both inquisitional and informational
components.
(<~ Back to Invitees Page)
Inquisitional E-mails
March 27, 2009
Dear Duckees,
It is time to start thinking seriously about the schedule of talks for this
year's Duck Conference. This e-mail is to solicit titles and other preferences
(e.g. length, day, etc.) from this year's participants. A form is attached, in
Word format, for you to complete and e-mail back to me as an attachment. In a
week, I will create the preliminary schedule and post it on the Duck web site.
Should I not hear from you within the next week, I will set your talk
information to these defaults:
Title: TBA (catchy, but over-used)
Length: 30 minutes (which really means 15-20 minutes, leaving lots of time for
discussion
Day: My preference
Time: My preference
Of course, your title can be changed at any time up to the week before the
conference (though the other options may be more difficult to change after
the schedule is initially set). In fact, given that the titles are not set in
stone (rather, in pixels, I think), I would encourage you to send me a possible
title for now, even if you decide to change it later. I can easily change the
web page, and I don't print the final schedules until the week of the
conference.
If you want any information on the appropriate nature of talks, please go to
the Duck Website:
http://psyclops.psych.purdue.edu/~carlston/Duck/index.html
Then click on the "For Current Duckees" tab on the far left menu, type in
"2009Duckee" without the quotation marks. (Keep in mind that this password
sometimes fails to work with Internet Explorer, but should do fine in Firefox.)
Scroll down the page for the blue link labeled "Talks," which will take you to
a page with all the information you should need. The link to the "Tentative talk
schedule for 2009 Duck Conference" is functional but will not be updated until
next Friday, when I create the schedule.
Everyone is invited to give a 30-minute talk, which really means a 15-20
minute talk with discussion. There is no need to explain that this is
required by your institution, etc. No one is required to give a talk, but first
year attendees are strongly encouraged to. Those who do not give talks will be
listed on the program as "discussants." A limited number of longer talk slots
may be available (1 hour, which really means about 40 minutes), depending on how
many participants decline to speak; you may request a longer slot on the
attached form, but do not count on it.
Pairs of participants may give a joint talk of either 30-minutes or 60-minutes,
if they wish to.
Please read the web site information about appropriate length, topics, content,
level, etc.
Please complete the attached Word form and send it back to me as an attachment
at your earliest convenience, and no later than next Thursday at midnight, as I
will compute the schedule Friday morning. If you haven't decided on a specific
topic, please just give me a tentative title which we can change later, but
answer all other questions on the form.
Also, please note that only one participant has thus far informed me of
travel plans (which are listed in the password-protected section of the web
site). I assume that everyone else plans to make travel plans? Please remember
to keep me informed.
Hope to hear back from you soon. And more forms will be coming your way soon.
Don the Distributor of Delightful Duck Drivel
April 3, 2009
Dear Duckees
Attached is another form for you to fill out, this one inquiring about your
housing and rooming preferences. Before tackling the form, please read the
following
First, I am not likely to have a lot of flexibility in making housing
assignments this year, as we we will be pretty packed. Even though I do not like
to use kids' bunk rooms, I may have no choice, and certainly, many people will
have to be assigned to double rooms. Nonetheless, to the extent that I can, I
would like to accommodate your wishes. Hence the form.
Second, there are few real differences among our three houses this year --
apparently none have elevators, and all have pools and hot tubs. The houses do
vary in distance from the ocean, with one being as close as building codes
permit, one set next door and just inland from the first, and the third being
directly across the street (I think). Another potential difference is that one
of the houses is usually designated as the "main house," which some people
typically want to be in and others typically want to avoid. But I don't know
which house that will be this year (likely Sunrise or Panacea, or maybe even a
combination of the two). Each of these houses seemingly has some advantages, and
I won't be able to weigh these properly without actually seeing the layouts in
person. I am guessing that Sunrise, which is closest to the ocean and has a nice
large deck, may be the house that people congregate in during the evening. But I
have no idea where the talks will be. And meals may be held in different houses
on different days. I'm not likely to be able to heed your requests anyway, but
if these facts lead you to have any, you can communicate them on the form
Third, as always, we will have three levels of room quality Nice suites with
individual beds (usually kings or queens) rooms with two singles, and kids rooms
with bunks. We may also have to use an odd sleeper or hide-a-bed. Couples and
non-couples willing to share king-sized beds get suites. Other assignments to
nicer and/or single rooms are typically based on seniority, equity (over years),
willingness to pay extra, and various other considerations (lifestyle, health,
snoring, etc.). Most of the attached form collects information related to these
issues.
Fourth, note that Question 6 again asks for volunteers to share beds. I don't
know whether this will be necessary, but if there are people comfortable doing
this, it tends to get them a nicer room (a suite with private bathroom) and it
gives me more degrees of freedom trying to find someplace for everyone to sleep.
Fifth, unlike the travel information and talk schedules, the results of this
survey will not be posted on the web site. You can even tell me who you DON'T
want to room with (goes under Question 9), and I will keep such information
confidential. In any case, room assignments are not made public in advance
because I don't actually finalize them until I arrive at the conference site and
check out the houses in person. Information that I need to make intelligent
assignments (e.g., which rooms share a bathroom, which rooms have TVs, which
rooms are larger or smaller) is simply not available in advance. So I will ask
anyone who arrives at Duck before I do to wait patiently until I have had the
opportunity to survey all three houses and determine the actual assignments.
Sixth, because the assignments won't be made for awhile, there is no need for
you to return this form promptly. Except that if you wait too long, you are
going to forget to do so. I'll make the deadline the end of the month, so you
have time to discuss possibilities with potential bedmates or roommates. On the
other hand, if you know how you are going to respond to the form anyway, why not
just return it to me now? Remember, that I'm not particularly motivated to
remind you about this form--your special needs, requests and preferences are
only going to complicate my assignment process. So don't count on me to keep
bugging you for the information--I'd just as soon rely on my own whims. And any
non-responsiveness will be interpreted as license to do so!
Seventh, and finally, I do realize that many of you have sent me e-mails
providing this sort of information in the past. However it will make my life
much easier if I can collect it all in one place in a standard format. So please
bear with me, and complete the form even though you have communicated your
preferences previously. Then e-mail it back to me. By the end of April.
Thanks!
Don
Informational E-mails
April 3, 2009
Dear Duckees,
The Talk schedule is now posted on the web site. Please check it to make sure
that your title is correctly listed.
We will have 2.5 hours scheduled for talks each day, not including my welcoming
and closing remarks. If people will keep in mind that at least 1/3 of their
allotted time should be reserved for discussion, we should be able to complete
each session within a single morning or afternoon session.
The following principles apply to changes in the schedule:
a) You may change your title any time up to June 1 (and if your title is "TBA,"
please do so before that date!)
b) You may swap your speaking slot with another participant, by mutual consent,
except that all newcomers must be scheduled on Monday or Tuesday. Such swaps
are permissible up to the moment that one or the other participant is scheduled
to speak.
c) Sessions may be in the morning or the afternoon, depending on weather. In
the recent past, participants have preferred morning talks. However, if there
is a high probability of afternoon rain (or intolerable heat), we may opt to
hold sessions in the afternoon instead.
d) This schedule is tentative, and represents a preliminary plan based on a
variety of considerations. For example, the current schedule leaves the last
day, Friday, open as a "play day," on the principle that participants will
better know each other and the available recreational options by that time.
However, given weather and/or forecasts, it is possible that an earlier day may
be selected as the play day, or that we may opt to meet both morning and
afternoon one day, either by moving up or by delaying a scheduled session.
Consequently all speakers are strongly encouraged to be ready to give their talk
at any time.
If you have trouble entering the password-protected area of the Duck web site,
remember that this may be because you are using newer versions of Internet
Explorer (which dropped several HTML commands I used in my password routine).
Accessing the web site using Friefox as your Internet Browser should fix the
problem.
More soon...
Don, Head Duck
Combined E-mails
February 27, 2009
Dear Duckees:
Some of you may want to make your travel arrangements for Duck in the next month
or so, particularly if you are flying. If you intend to wait, please save this
e-mail, as it contains or directs you to relevant information.
You are likely to want to fly into the Norfolk, VA airport during the afternoon
or evening of June 6 (Saturday) and to fly out of the same airport during the
afternoon of June 13 (Saturday). For more detail, including information about
getting from Norfolk to the Duck Conference Site, as well as maps and pictures
of the houses, please go the Duck web site:
http://psyclops.psych.purdue.edu/~carlston/Duck/index.html
Then click on the "For Current Duckees" tab on the far left. When asked for the
Duck password, enter the following, exactly as shown:
2009Duckee
From the invitees page, scroll down to the link labeled "Travel (including maps
and directions)."
You will note that one of the items in this section is a chart showing the
arrival flights and times of Duck participants. This schedule aids in
coordinating rides, planning meals, and sending out search parties for Duckees
who get lost and don't arrive when they are supposed to. To aid in the
completion of this schedule, please send me your itinerary as soon as you make
your reservations or travel plans! Thank you!
If you have any further questions, feel free to ask.
Don
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