[Noisebridge-discuss] Roombas for HSB?

[steve camuti]

Thank you for your response. I just needed to be kept in the loop. I
am disappointed that I was not. I understand travel hassles and
totally feel for you when it comes to being far away from what you
know and getting dicked around by government agencies.

USPS returned the package as unclaimed and I picked it up from the
Post Office yesterday. If you would like I can re-send it, but post
was about 63 dollars the first time, another trip and the total amount
due is almost exactly $200. Not sure what works best for you. I would
prefer to settle payment before any next steps are made.

Can you give me a response as to what you want to do next by Friday, Oct. 9th?

-Steve C
Mooch

On Sat, Oct 3, 2009 at 3:18 AM, Meredith L. Patterson
<mlp at thesmartpolitenerd.com> wrote:
> Steve, and everyone,
>
> First of all, I apologize for being so uncommunicative. Nobody's heard
> much of anything out of me for the last couple of months because I've
> been spending most of my time struggling with Belgian bureaucracy (think
> of the most hidebound, rules-worshiping government agency you've ever
> dealt with, square it, then put it in a language you don't speak very
> well yet) and trying not to get deported. When the government says "oh,
> we can't process your paperwork yet" for four months, then turns around
> and says "because this paperwork is now four months late, you're here
> illegally", it's hard to find time for much of anything else. I've spent
> the last two weeks, 9 am to 5 pm, in one government office or another
> trying to get my immigration status resolved. Fortunately this is now
> fixed, and hopefully there are no more surprises lurking.
>
> But not keeping in touch was my fault; Steve, I should have at least
> dropped you an e-mail to let you know what was up, and I am sorry for that.
>
> I have been to the Belgian post office, and they were not especially
> helpful; the question right now seems to be where the package *is*, as
> they don't seem to know. (UPS said "we delivered it to Belgium, it's De
> Poste's problem now.") If it gets returned to you and you want to
> re-send it, I will step up and cover both sets of shipping charges; if
> you would prefer not to deal with the hassle, I'll certainly cover the
> first charge.
>
> I'm also open to alternative resolutions -- if my offer is insufficient,
> please feel free to counter-propose something. I'm open to talking it
> out here or in private, as you prefer.
>
> Again, I apologize for my flakiness. Please let me know what I can do to
> make it right.
>
> Best regards,
> --mlp
>
> steve camuti wrote:
>> Dear Noisebridgers,
>>
>> I am not a fan of publicizing private events nor am I a fan of
>> needless conflict, but I see no other realistic resolution to my
>> current situation with another noisebridge member than to bring our
>> business interaction that started on a discuss posting, into public
>> light.
>> Please feel free to respond to the list (If you think even more
>> traffic is a good thing) or me personally for more tactful approaches
>> I may take.
>>
>> The message I sent 2 weeks ago:
>>
>> Hi Meredith.
>>     I am feeling really frustrated and taken advantage of by you. You
>> asked for help making some cool hacking toys manifest in a foreign
>> country and I agreed to help make magic happen. And then you responded
>> with a promise to look into what happened with the delivery. And it
>> has been a month. And I don't have any more information today than I
>> did a month ago. Nor do I have any money. You are being far less than
>> excellent to me and our agreement. If something came up, it is your
>> job to tell me. If you need more time to get money, it is your job to
>> tell me. Any way I look at it you are failing to uphold your end of
>> the bargain.
>>
>> Annoyed. Frustrated and broke-
>> steve
>>
>> On Wed, Jun 24, 2009 at 5:21 AM, Meredith L. Patterson
>> <mlp at thesmartpolitenerd.com> wrote:
>>> Hi all,
>>>
>>> At last night's Hacker Space Brussels meeting, we got onto the topic of
>>> Roomba hacking. Unfortunately, no one here has had much of an
>>> opportunity to explore this, as Roombas are ridiculously expensive here
>>> (~300EUR or thereabouts).
>>>
>>> I know that a number of people will be coming to HAR this August; would
>>> anyone be willing to pick up a Roomba and bring it with them? We can pay
>>> you for it in advance or at HAR, whichever you prefer. Doesn't need to
>>> be anything fancy -- the only criterion is that it support the Roomba
>>> serial control interface. A used one would be fine as well.
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>> --mlp
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Noisebridge-discuss mailing list
>>> Noisebridge-discuss at lists.noisebridge.net
>>> https://www.noisebridge.net/mailman/listinfo/noisebridge-discuss
>>>
>
>