The San Francisco Connection

Shortcut SFCon

General

• In most literal terms, this is a new link which is to connect Perplex City to Earth; specifically, the link will connect to San Francisco, California, USA.
• In a more pragmatic sense, this will be a live event in San Francisco, in Mid-August, and will be similar to the London PCAG event, or the New York PCAG event (probably less like NYC, which was in a bar at night).

• This page will serve as a source for all pre-event information available, until the day of the event. Then, the current existing page at that time will be archived and this page will be entirely used to focus on what took place at the event proper.

What is Known

As described in the Perplex City Newsletter:

SAN FRANCISCO LIVE EVENT: NEW DETAILS! ** As announced last week, there's going to be a massive live event in San Francisco on Saturday, August 12th! With room for around 500 players and 500 spectators, a host of exciting challenges and an official Academy presence, it's the most ambitious Perplex City event yet. It's being held at The Palace Of Fine Arts Theatre, from 10.30am to 5pm, and it's absolutely free to take part in this exciting event - you can even join in the fun online! Read more: http://www.perplexcitysentinel.com/archives/2006/07/iona_interviews_17.html And register: http://www.perplexcity.com/liveevents/index.qbuild

According to Adrian Hon of Mind Candy:

"There are a few reasons," Hon explains. "At the moment, we only have one data link to Perplex City, and that's based in London. It can only handle a limited amount of traffic, and with the number of people using the link in both Perplex City and Earth increasing rapidly, we need another connection for the extra capacity." Beyond that, though, is a firm belief in the prudence of redundancy: "Another principal reason for the new San Francisco connection is simply that it's always smarter to have two links rather than one. It took an awful lot of time and effort to set up that first link, and while I'm no physicist, I do know that the favorable conditions that were required to make the connection do not come around often." In order to celebrate the occasion, Mind Candy is putting on a celebration of some sort. What light can Hon shed on this event and what will happen there? "The event is a big thank-you from the Perplex City Academy and Mind Candy to everyone who's searching for the Cube," Hon says. "It's also a celebration of the activation of the new link, and in typical Perplex City-style, it'll involve an awful lot of puzzles and games." As for specifics, Hon spills the first concrete details regarding the day: "It'll all start on the morning of Saturday August 12th with a presentation at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, where everything will be explained. I can tell you now that it's basically a huge high-tech treasure hunt, but with a twist -- unlike the PCAG tournament in London, this treasure hunt will be collaborative, not competitive." Even through the medium of email, one can feel the pride Hon has in this undertaking. "There'll be hundreds of puzzles scattered across San Francisco, involving traveling to landmarks, looking for hidden objects, cracking codes and translating languages. Players will work together to figure out the answers. The answers serve as activation codes for special RFID tags back at the Palace of Fine Arts."

Past Statements

THE SAN FRANCISCO CONNECTION The Perplex City Academy and Mind Candy are proud to announce The San Francisco Connection, a free live event celebrating the opening of a new data link between Perplex City and Earth. On Saturday August 12th (provisional date), The San Francisco Connection will see hundreds of people tackling a series of delightfully devious puzzles and games designed by the best minds in the Academy, with a high-tech slant that has never been seen before. Everyone is welcome to take part in the puzzles and games, which will take place across central San Francisco and culminate in the official activation of the link. There will also be plenty of opportunities for veterans to swap puzzle cards and tips, and new players can learn all about Perplex City. More details about The San Francisco Connection will be posted here in the coming weeks, including the venue, confirmed date and start time. If you are interested in taking part in the event and think you'd be able to attend, please enter your email address below: Email: ____(entry form)____ You do not need to be a registered Perplex City player, and we will only use your email address to notify you about event updates. Discuss The San Francisco Connection and talk tactics in our Live Event forum. ABOUT THE EVENT The San Francisco Connection is the first major live event held by the Perplex City Academy and Mind Candy in the United States. A previous event in London took place in February and was massively oversubscribed, with over 1000 people competing for 300 places. Media: If you would like to cover the event, please email media at mindcandydesign dot com ABOUT THE LINK The first and only data link between Perplex City and Earth was established several years ago, and operates from London. In order to cope with increased demand and serve as a backup, the Perplex City Academy and Mind Candy began work last year on a second data link to operate from San Francisco, which will be activated on the day of the event.

Academy Mum on New Link While the Academy is refusing to answer regarding specifics of the mid-August celebration to initialize a second data link to Earth, some insiders have leaked tanatalizing clues. Sources say that Cube hunters in attendance at the San Francisco event will be treated to a special puzzle designed specifically for the day, in order to activate the link. Official Academy spokesmen have declined to confirm or deny this information. --Sentinel, 2?-JUN-06

SF Connection Info to Be Revealed Academy insiders say that some of the questions surrounding the initialisation of a second communication link to Earth will be answered soon, with registration to participate in the ceremony expected to open sometime this week. It is as of yet unclear what the ceremony and ensuing celebration will entail, but rumours hint at an activation puzzle that will be set for Cube hunters participating in the event. --Sentinel, 03-JUL-06

References

• The Perplex City Sentinel
  • news in brief, 22-JUN-06 "Academy Mum on New Link"
  • article, 13-JUL-06 "Iona Interviews... Adrian Hon" (link)