Talk:Wikimedia Hackathon 2016

Registration form sends no confirmation email

I think the title says everything. After completing the registration form I got no email that it confirms my registration request was recorded. Magioladitis (talk) 22:24, 10 January 2016 (UTC)

@Chen - WMIL or @Rfarrand (WMF) might know better, but I think users are supposed to get a confirmation in the last screen of the form, not via email. Qgil-WMF (talk) 02:54, 14 January 2016 (UTC)

Hello - we have not yet sent confirmation emails. We will be doing so shortly. If you are not requesting scholarship I think it is safe to assume that your registration will be accepted. If you are requesting scholarship we will be in touch shortly.

Thanks!

Rachel Rfarrand (WMF) (talk) 03:28, 14 January 2016 (UTC)

For public records, here are the messages with sent date/time.

Your Registration to the 2016 Wikimedia Hackathon

Wed February 3, 2016, 2:14 AM

Hi,

Thank you for your registration to the Wikimedia Hackathon that will be held in Jerusalem, between March 31 and April 3, 2016.

Answers regarding  scholarships and participation confirmation (in case of regular admission) will be sent to you during the coming week.

Best regards,

The Organizing Team, 

Wikimedia Israel

Your application to attend the 2016 Wikimedia Hackathon in Jerusalem

Wed, Feb 17, 2016 at 7:33 PM

Hello,

Thank you for applying to attend the 2016 Wikimedia Hackathon in Jerusalem. We received more applications this year than ever before, and despite the high qualifications of the applicants, we could not accept many of them. We are sorry to inform you that your scholarship application for this year's Wikimedia Hackathon has been denied.

Approval is based on the following factors:

-          The applicant is an active Wikimedia volunteer developer

-          The applicant had not been sponsored in the past

-          The applicant has well-thought-out plan to contribute

There are several options for you now:

-          Participate without a scholarship (please let us know if you do, and re-register).  

-          Apply to participate in the upcoming Wikimania Hackathon in Esino Lario https://wikimania2016.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

-          Find a sponsor (your employer, your local Wikimedia chapter, or someone else) to cover your costs.

There will be more Wikimedia developer events in the future, and we hope to hear from you again in the future.

Best wishes,

Hackathon 2016 organizers,

Wikimedia Israel Taweetham (talk) 15:32, 15 February 2016 (UTC)

Trains to Jerusalem

I specifically mentioned the trains because

1. They are much cheaper than taxis or shuttles (although buses are slightly cheaper)
2. Europeans are more accustomed to using them
3. The train ride to Jerusalem is more scenic, and more enjoyable
4. Trains are more comfortable than other forms of public transportation in Israel, with larger seats, more space for luggage, and room to walk around and use the toilet
5. I like trains :-)

That being said, I used the term "nominal 12 minutes" because in my experience that is one of the less precise branches of Israel Rail. Eliyahu S (talk) 08:14, 19 February 2016 (UTC)

Trains are not (yet) a viable method of transportation from Ben Gurion int'l airport to Jerusalem, that is why I completely ignored them when writing the transportation section. They are the best method to get to most parts of the country, except Jerusalem (until 2018, see footnote).

Here are some of the main reasons trains are not (yet) a viable and comfortable method of getting from TLV to Jerusalem:

1) Train service from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is somewhat infrequent. It runs every 60-120 minutes only between 05:51-19:51.

Typically, passengers take transportation immediately upon arrival, the chance that it would be synchronized with the train to Jerusalem is not high. If the passengers will not check the schedule, they may wait in Tel Aviv for a train to Jerusalem for an hour, or worse - get there when no trains to Jerusalem run until tomorrow.

2) Even when you are taking a train to Tel Aviv that leaves you the minimum wait time (34 minutes, which is already a lot) the overall duration of the train ride is mostly over 2 hours (!!!, driving takes only 40 minutes).

3) You get to Malha train station, which is situated very far from the city center with 2 infrequent bus routes Taking a bus to your destination will mostly be by taking 2 buses (tourists will probably have little idea where to switch buses).

Taking a taxi from the train station will cost in average 40-50 NIS. Add to that the train ticket fare - the airport shuttle is cheaper.

Add the time you would be spending in Jerusalem (buses / taxi), the overall duration is about 2.5 hours (if everything is smooth...).

4) The train doesn't run from Friday noon to Saturday night.

For all of the reason above (taking a lengthy ride that puts you in the outskirts of the city, infrequent service), the airport shuttle is much more viable (shorter ride, takes you directly in your address of choice in Jerusalem, runs 24/7).

Footnote:

When the new train line to Jerusalem will be finished in 2018, the train from the airport to Jerusalem will take about 20 minutes, and in Jerusalem you would be able to easily transfer to tram (the tram stop is right outside the new train station) or bus (over two-dozen bus routes go through the new train station perimeter!), but until then, train is definitely the least viable transportation solution to Jerusalem. 192.114.7.2 (talk) 15:33, 28 February 2016 (UTC)

Flight tickets to Israel?

Are the tickets supposed to be booked through Wikimedia Israel or we should already be buying tickets? Magioladitis (talk) 22:23, 3 March 2016 (UTC)

I guess you ask as a sponsored participant? In general, it is quicker and safer to ask to the email address that communicated your sponsorship acceptance. Qgil-WMF (talk) 09:25, 4 March 2016 (UTC)

Is breakfast at the Post Hostel open to all hackathon attendees?

Or is it just for the guests of the hostel itself? Just so we could be prepared in advance... Thanks! FFS ^Talk 18:25, 27 March 2016 (UTC)

Sorry for our late reply... The breakfast in the hostel is for their guests only. So you should arrange something for yourself independently... In Hansen there will be coffee and refreshments all day long. Daryag (talk) 08:22, 30 March 2016 (UTC)

Thanks. Good to know :-) FFS ^Talk 21:22, 30 March 2016 (UTC)

Aftermath

I would like to thank all participants, especially all active members of the WMIL and the volunteers and helpers, who prepared the very nice and effective hackathon meeting in Jerusalem 2016. I enjoyed it really, and I would like to keep the people that I met there in mind.

BTW, you surely know it, but when sitting in the plane I found a quite big article in the Jerusalem Post - it was nice to read it.

Regards and cheers, from Berlin, ~~~~ -jkb- (talk) 18:59, 6 April 2016 (UTC)