Martin Fendrych 𝕏🔁 @[email protected]:
#SOSP je v jejich slovníku POLITICKÁ NEZISKOVKA
1⃣ 17.3. 8:33 Hůle: SOSP není registrována podle zákona o lobbingu
2⃣ 17.3. 10:42 SOSP: Hůle manipuluje. Neděláme lobbing podle zákona
3⃣ 18.3. SOSP PODÁVÁ ŽÁDOST O REGISTRACI PODLE ZÁKONA
I’ve grumbled about the ludicrous price of conferences a lot recently. To put this in perspective:
I am off to a Dagstuhl seminar soon. The total cost of attending this three-day event (train to the airport, flight, taxi to the venue in the middle of nowhere, food, accommodation, and attendance) is less than just the registration fee for SOSP last year and EuroLLVM this year. And I expect to get far more out of it than either.
Last year I taught at a week-long summer school (PLISS). If I had paid the registration fee, the total cost of attending would have been slightly more than the cost of registration for either of the other events.
But both of those events are bigger! Yes, but does that make them more useful? I don’t have time to talk to most of the attendees and so much of the program is full of talks that could have been prerecorded videos (which I could watch without travelling) that the actual face-to-face time with other people is smaller.
Computer science really needs to rethink the ‘spend huge amounts of money going to massive conferences’ model. It excludes people who aren’t backed by well-funded institutions. And the value for attendees is quite low (far lower than for a lot of more focused smaller events).
Společnost pro obranu svobody projevu (SOSP) 19. listopadu 2025 udělovala v pražském divadle Royal ceny za svobodu projevu. V kategorii jednotlivců porota ocenila kardinála Dominika Duku a amerického aktivistu Charlieho Kirka (oceněn in memoriam, cenu převzala Eliška Hašková Coolidge), právníky Radka Suchého a Tomáše Nielsena a publicisty Ivana Hoffmana a Pavla Šika. V kategorii projektů […]
Ve středu večer udělovala Společnost pro obranu svobody projevu již podruhé Ceny za svobodu projevu. Na večeru, který by
Ve středu večer udělovala Společnost pro obranu svobody projevu již podruhé Ceny za svobodu projevu. Na večeru, který byl současně oslavou pátého výročí založení, se potkala více než stovka osobností. Rozruch vzbudil zejména jeden poslanec, jehož rodina se stala v posledním týdnu tak trochu veřejnou záležitostí. Dostalo se mu přání hodně sil.
This also appears to be the theme behind the SOSP catering.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/history-of-korean-food
Wow, the organisers of SOSP booked an excursion on Thursday without sufficient places for most attendees. And the day before the official start of the conference, it's already fully booked. Apparently it was full before my flight even landed.
Glad to see the massively overpriced registration fee is being spent in accordance with the ACM policies on inclusion.
EDIT: They also, in spite of collecting dietary requirements at registration, didn’t check with the hotel that they were actually going to be catering for them, so there was no vegetarian food at lunch. Checking that the venue understands dietary requirements and checking what they intend to do to cater to them is one of the simplest bits of event organisation. I dread to think what else they have screwed up.
Second Edit: They have over 700 people attending. They organised an excursion for 120. Then they increased it to 160. And are somehow confused it's oversubscribed. Astonishing.
Martin Fendrych 
Schmaker
David Chisnall (*Now with 50% more sarcasm!*)
AzaNoviny
O Slovensku
Dan Ports
Michael Engel