For interested readers: the PyCon conference has now posted a draft of the schedule for March 26-28. (No abstracts, though.) Paul Graham is giving the introductory keynote; there's a strong slate of numeric talks (as usual); I'll have another chance to try to come to grips with Twisted; and there's a scattering of promising-looking unclassifiable talks such as Prevayler, Satine, and Smoke.

PyCon is also taking a radical approach that's new for the Python conferences. Instead of scheduling every single minute, leaving only small breaks for coffee and lunch, there's a lot of empty space on the schedule. The intention is to let attendees self-organize, finding empty rooms and time slots for impromptu discussions or presentations. Someone named Bob Payne has proposed using OpenSpace methods to plan the free space, resulting in a conference that's more closely adjusted to the needs of the participants. It's a provocative new approach that I suspect will be an immense success if it works at all.

Oh, and did I mention it'll be much cheaper? ($150 if you register before Feb. 28, instead of the $1100 for previous conferences.) And that it'll be in downtown DC and not off in the suburban wastelands?