[01:42:23] <wm-bb>	 <robertsky> I suggest bringing a physical bank/credit card as a backup to mobile NFC. For whatever reason it is, my cards on my Google Wallet do not work overseas consistently. 😞 (re @nacaru: so I assume cash + mobile payment should be good to go, thanks!)
[06:20:19] <wm-bb>	 <EdwardBetts> Istanbul, here I come! Takeoff 🛫 in 5 minutes.
[06:20:51] <wm-bb>	 <EdwardBetts> https://tools-static.wmflabs.org/bridgebot/5148f693/file_70169.jpg
[06:20:52] <wm-bb>	 <EdwardBetts> https://tools-static.wmflabs.org/bridgebot/e38d8e92/file_70170.jpg
[09:05:37] <wm-bb>	 <Tohaomg> I have a pair of travel questions:
[09:05:37] <wm-bb>	 <Tohaomg> 1. Will there be an organized transfer for us from the airport to the hotel, or we will have to go by public transport on our own?
[09:05:39] <wm-bb>	 <Tohaomg> 2. How exactly do we pay for public transport? We buy a paper ticket that we have to validate, or just put your bank card to a reader and that is all? Do we do it at a station/stop or inside a vehicle? What are we obliged to do when ticket control shows up?
[09:05:40] <wm-bb>	 <Tohaomg> 3. Yesilyurt is referred to in the guide as "metro station", but other sources suggest it is a railway station with suburban trains. Which is right? Any specifics there?
[09:10:55] <wm-bb>	 <Tohaomg> Btw, I arrive at IST on midday of 1st of May. Is there anybody who arrives at a roughly same time and wants to navigate to the hotel together?
[09:13:53] <wm-bb>	 <sjoerddebruin> Airport shuttles are scholarships only, but  there have been moments in the past where there might be a seat free
[09:15:15] <wm-bb>	 <Tohaomg> I do have a scolarship, so I can expect to have a transfer? (re @sjoerddebruin: Airport shuttles are scholarships only, but  there have been moments in the past where there might be a seat free)
[09:15:55] <wm-bb>	 <sjoerddebruin> This information was shared with you in an e-mail on the 17th, pre-trip information. It has a link to a document with all details
[10:13:07] <wm-bb>	 <EdwardBetts> Just landed at Istanbul Airport
[10:15:11] <wm-bb>	 <siebrand> I think thhat the briefing detailed the transfer from the airport. Can you please review that again? (re @Tohaomg: I have a pair of travel questions:
[10:15:12] <wm-bb>	 <siebrand> 1. Will there be an organized transfer for us from the airport to the hotel, or we will have ...)
[10:16:42] <wm-bb>	 <siebrand> https://tools-static.wmflabs.org/bridgebot/9b790097/file_70174.jpg
[10:20:24] <wm-bb>	 <siebrand> There was a second page of shuttles :) : https://tools-static.wmflabs.org/bridgebot/2961be21/file_70175.jpg
[10:21:01] <wm-bb>	 <siebrand> And a third : https://tools-static.wmflabs.org/bridgebot/30eaeea1/file_70176.jpg
[10:30:35] <wm-bb>	 <IsmaelOlea> how's the weather? (re @EdwardBetts: Just landed at Istanbul Airport)
[10:31:23] <wm-bb>	 <siebrand> Not as good as in the Netherlands...
[10:32:06] <wm-bb>	 <siebrand> https://tools-static.wmflabs.org/bridgebot/42882934/file_70177.jpg
[10:32:46] <wm-bb>	 <IsmaelOlea> I can with it :)
[10:40:35] <wm-bb>	 <Mehman97> All the information was given in an email and guide, including information about public transport. Take time to read it. It's more convenient to read instead of asking here (re @Tohaomg: I have a pair of travel questions:
[10:40:36] <wm-bb>	 <Mehman97> 1. Will there be an organized transfer for us from the airport to the hotel, or we will have ...)
[10:42:18] <wm-bb>	 <jhsoby> https://tools-static.wmflabs.org/bridgebot/c8abcdf1/taskmaster_all.mp4
[10:45:14] <wm-bb>	 <tuukkahastrup> Glad to see I'm not the only one who missed the link to Google Docs
[10:52:54] <wm-bb>	 <EdwardBetts> Sunny. Although I've been outside yet. (re @IsmaelOlea: how's the weather?)
[10:53:03] <wm-bb>	 <EdwardBetts> I'm at passport control
[10:54:59] <wm-bb>	 <nacaru> same here I never saw it 🥲 (re @tuukkahastrup: Glad to see I'm not the only one who missed the link to Google Docs)
[10:55:19] <wm-bb>	 <sjoerddebruin> It's not an long email, how did you miss it?
[10:56:33] <wm-bb>	 <nacaru> Its more like it's presented as "additional travel information" not like "essential travel information" so I probably didn't pay mind to it because of that 😅😅
[11:07:37] <wm-bb>	 <tuukkahastrup> Verbatim: "Additional travel-related information can be found in the *Hackathon 2025 Scholarship Travel Briefing*."
[11:08:32] <wm-bb>	 <tuukkahastrup> Perhaps briefing means important
[11:13:04] <wm-bb>	 <nacaru> Btw, just letting you know that we're in the middle of a massive blackout in Spain, south of France, Andorra and Portugal, hopefully it will be resolved soon and won't affect flight and ground transport times 🥲
[11:13:49] <wm-bb>	 <tuukkahastrup> Seems so according to some dictionaries: "an act or instance of giving precise instructions or essential information" https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/briefing (re @tuukkahastrup: Perhaps briefing means important)
[12:11:43] <wm-bb>	 <Superraptor123> I never got this either! Glad to see there are shuttles! (re @tuukkahastrup: Glad to see I'm not the only one who missed the link to Google Docs)
[12:30:03] <wm-bb>	 <Yusuke> I'm glad that I'm reminded to check the document again anyway. I checked and downloaded the travel briefing more than a week ago. I downloaded it again today and the content was updated.
[12:59:07] <wm-bb>	 <jeremy_b> also not as good as NYC. yesterday and today very windy. without the wind I maybe just wear a t-shirt. with the wind add one more layer. but I am more tolerant of cold/wind then some. (re @siebrand: Not as good as in the Netherlands...)
[13:02:19] <wm-bb>	 <siebrand> Furry layer and thick skin for insulation here 🙂 (re @jeremy_b: also not as good as NYC. yesterday and today very windy. without the wind I maybe just wear a t-shirt. with the wind add one mor...)
[13:04:28] <wm-bb>	 <jeremy_b> I also didn't know about shuttles but I think they don't apply to me anyway with modified dates and different hotels.
[13:28:18] <wm-bb>	 <Tohaomg> Ukrainians, unfortunately, understand you too well in this situation... (re @nacaru: Btw, just letting you know that we're in the middle of a massive blackout in Spain, south of France, Andorra and Portugal, hopef...)
[15:46:20] <wm-bb>	 <cvictorovich> Is it related to natural causes? (re @nacaru: Btw, just letting you know that we're in the middle of a massive blackout in Spain, south of France, Andorra and Portugal, hopef...)
[15:53:06] <wm-bb>	 <tuukkahastrup> Perhaps. "REN said the outage was due to "temperature variations in Spain" causing a rare atmospheric phenomenon. This induced oscillations in high voltage power lines and disrupted synchronisation between systems, advising it could take up to a week for the network to return to normal." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_European_power_outage#Possible_cause
[15:53:06] <wm-bb>	 (re @cvictorovich: Is <clipped message>
[15:53:06] <wm-bb>	 <tuukkahastrup>  it related to natural causes?)
[15:54:35] <wm-bb>	 <Hugo_Lz> Kabir , maybe check this if you have time. The guide. (re @Mehman97: Dear all,
[15:54:36] <wm-bb>	 <Hugo_Lz> As you might already know, on the afternoon of April 23, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 occurred in Istanbul. ...)
[15:55:57] <wm-bb>	 <Nikki> but not according to others, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/briefing for example says it's a summary (which is how I understand it). either way, the people writing these emails should be trying to write in a way that's clear even to people with limited english skills (re @tuukkahastrup: Seems so according to some dictionaries: "an act or instance of giving precise
[15:55:57] <wm-bb>	 instructions or <clipped message>
[15:55:58] <wm-bb>	 <Nikki>  essential information" https://ww...)
[15:57:38] <wm-bb>	 <Hugo_Lz> Southern France was ok today. I'm riding the (electric-therefore-nuclear) train along the Pyrénées right now, heading to my airport. All nominal. (re @nacaru: Btw, just letting you know that we're in the middle of a massive blackout in Spain, south of France, Andorra and Portugal, hopef...)
[16:03:29] <wm-bb>	 <TiagoLubiana> This is a thing! 
[16:03:30] <wm-bb>	 <TiagoLubiana> I often see wordplay in tools and other places that I only ended up getting after years. Like, say, "mix'n'match" (https://mix-n-match.toolforge.org/#/) is still a bit of a cryptic name. 
[16:03:31] <wm-bb>	 <TiagoLubiana> It is hard to find a 'flavour' of English that goes well with such a variety of backgrounds / vocab experiences, though. 
[16:03:33] <wm-bb>	 <TiagoLubiana> I don't know how to act upon this, though. Not sure if there is a checker for potentially confusing jargon/words for documentation or communication (re @Nikki: but not according to others, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/briefing for example says it's a summary (which is how I understand ...)
[19:59:49] <wm-bb>	 <EdwardBetts> Istanbul documentary recommendation, Kedi, about the many stray cats walking around the city. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kedi_(2016_film)
[20:45:07] <wm-bb>	 <jeremy_b> used a İstanbulkart vending machine tonight, windows wasn't activated. I can only imagine that means no security updates.
[21:11:38] <wm-bb>	 <waldyrious> There are several standards for simplified English, actually, and some automated checkers for them. But I'm not sure any of them has become the definitive/main one, and I suspect the fragmentation doesn't help with adoption. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_English (re @TiagoLubiana: This is a thing! 
[21:11:39] <wm-bb>	 <waldyrious> I often see wordplay in tools and other places that I only ended up getting after years. Like, say, "mix'n'ma...)
[22:16:14] <wm-bb>	 <TiagoLubiana> Maybe we should create a new standard, the definitive one! (re @waldyrious: There are several standards for simplified English, actually, and some automated checkers for them. But I'm not sure any of them...)
[22:17:37] <wm-bb>	 <Sannita> obligatory citation: https://xkcd.com/927/ (re @TiagoLubiana: Maybe we should create a new standard, the definitive one!)