SELEM 10 - August 9th through the 14th, 2016 - Sign up now!

[SaltyRobot]

As others have already mentioned, the LSO class has traditionally been offered on Monday the day after SELEM. We did this for 4 years straight, starting in 2011. However, last year we did not have enough people interested in the class to make it happen.

So far this year you are the second person who has asked about attending an LSO course the day after SELEM. If we can do this, it would be held on Monday, August 15th. I will check with Greg Makhov at LSDI to see if he is available to teach that day. Assuming he is, then yeah - we will need a total of 6 people to sign up and pay in advance to make the class happen.

That being said, I can't recommend this class highly enough! It is a *great* way to learn more about laser safety. In my opinion, anyone who does commercial shows should take the class, but even if you are just experimenting in your own basement, you will still get a lot out of the class. Greg is a very good teacher with decades of experience in laser safety. Many of the examples you will work through during the class are based on actual installs that Greg has worked on over the years.

Adam

Adam, How much is the class? Maybe I can get NGS to pay for mine.

[buffo]

Hey Jason;

I think it's around $550, but it has been a while since I looked up the pricing (couple years). I will check with Greg and Patrick today to see if there are any discounts available for SELEM and/or ILDA members and get an updated price...

Adam

[SaltyRobot]

Hey Jason;

I think it's around $550, but it has been a while since I looked up the pricing (couple years). I will check with Greg and Patrick today to see if there are any discounts available for SELEM and/or ILDA members and get an updated price...

Adam

Put me on the list of maybe. It will totally be contingent on if I can convince Northrop to pay for the training.

[buffo]

OK, Greg Makhov *is* available to teach the LSO class. We just need a minimum of 6 people to sign up. If we don't get 6 people, we don't have a class. Payment will need to be made directly to ILDA.

Pricing is the same as in 2014: The class costs $425 if you are an ILDA member, and $495 if you are not an ILDA member.

As soon as we have 6 people confirmed, Greg will book his flight and room.

Also, I just got off the phone with Katy at the Holiday Inn Express: Group rate is $95 per night for this year. They've updated their rooms with new TVs, new Keurig coffee machines, and all of the full size beds have been replaced by queen size beds. I've updated the first post in this thread to reflect all this.

Adam

[Bradfo69]

That's a net of $55 more if you also become an ILDA member and, if you've ever considered it, this would be the year because, if you're close to SELEM, your close to the ILDA conference which will be held in Baltimore, MD in early November. That gives you enough time to recover from SELEM and start the jonesing process for more major photons, with a "fix" only a few months away.

[swamidog]

That's a net of $55 more if you also become and ILDA member and, if you've ever considered it, this would be the year because, if you're close to SELEM, your close to the ILDA conference which will be held in Baltimore, MD in early November. That gives you enough time to recover from SELEM and start the jonesing process for more major photons, with a "fix" only a few months away.

i do recommend joining ilda. i've had some very good experiences as a member and its led to some interesting work and travel.

[discothefunkyhippo]

i do recommend joining ilda. i've had some very good experiences as a member and its led to some interesting work and travel.

...and you might even get a nifty pin!



-Sal

[telmnstr]

Put me on the list of maybe. It will totally be contingent on if I can convince Northrop to pay for the training.

Just a heads up, the LSO from ILDA is LSO for lasers used for shows . It's not a LSO that would cover industrial / manufacturing / research type environments AFAIK.

I picked mine up last year. I thought it was a bit difficult, the course is condensed as I understand it for our group -- so the presentations and stuff might miss some things that were on the test. The presentations and course are probably several days for the non-LEM type groups. I didn't take good notes on a few things figuring they would be common enough they would be in the handout and they weren't. And as we know how the laser industry works people tend to paywall a lot of info so everything wasn't that quick to find on the internet. It wasn't too bad though but it made me sweat!

[HankLloydRight]

That's a net of $55 more if you also become an ILDA member and,

Hmm... looks like the difference is only $27.50 (for newly joining individuals)-- the ILDA membership after March is prorated down to $97.50 for the remainder of the year.

I'm thinking of the LSO class.. just a bit expensive!

Also, it sure didn't take ILDA very long to update their LSO page on their website:

In August 2016, we envision having a course at the South East Laser Enthusiasts Meeting in Newton, NC. The exact date has not yet been set.

How many of you go to the ILDA conference? How much is the conference fee, usually? Is it as fun as SELEM?

[buffo]

I'm thinking of the LSO class.. just a bit expensive!

HAHA! Come on, Hank... You should know by now that everything about this hobby is expensive!

But seriously, the class is well worth the money. Although what people have posted above is very true: It is a rigorous course, and only about 70% of the people pass it on their first try. If you thought the SCUBA test was challenging, you're in for a bigger challenge this time! But it is a good class and the knowledge is very valuable, even for a hobbyist.

Also, it is definitely geared towards laser light shows. If you need the LSO certification for a job that uses industrial or medical lasers, this course might be a good primer for you, but it is NOT designed to meet all of the requirements for industrial or medical applications. So if you want to be an industrial laser LSO, you'll still want to take one of the courses offered by Coherent or others. But this class will prepare you quite well for one of those other classes.

it sure didn't take ILDA very long to update their LSO page on their website

Actually, that hasn't been updated yet. They've had that text on there for quite a while. Just last night I sent Patrick the dates for SELEM, and also mentioned that Greg was available to teach the LSO class on the 15th. So assuming we get 6 people to sign up, I'm sure Patrick will change the ILDA website to reflect the fact that the class will happen after SELEM.

How many of you go to the ILDA conference? How much is the conference fee, usually? Is it as fun as SELEM?

You will probably see a handful of PL members at the ILDA conference this year. The attendance fee is pretty steep when compared to SELEM. They haven't posted a price for this year's conference yet, but figure on at least $500. Then you have to pay for your room ($165 per night). If you don't stay at the hotel where the conference is held, you have to pay an extra $250 to register. (This is to ensure they get enough rooms booked to cover the cost of the ballroom and classrooms.) They have some more details on the ILDA website here: http://ilda.com/conf2016.html

As for how much fun it is, I would have to say it's a different kind of fun. SELEM is more like a party among close friends. Everyone seems to know everyone already (and if you are new, you are almost immediately classified as an "old friend" and are treated as just another one of the group), so it's like one great big social event, only with lasers... The social aspect of the event is key to it's continued success. It's also got a large "impromptu" feel to it, where you can pretty much do whatever you want if an idea strikes you.

In contrast, an ILDA conference is much more structured. Also, in my experience at least, people tended to gather in discrete groups of people who have worked together or done other things together in the past. Within those groups there was a great social bond, but I definitely felt less of a sense of "community" at ILDA than I did at SELEM. However, the event is unquestionably more professional. The awards ceremony and Lase-off events are done just like you'd expect a commercial show to be done. (No 3...2...1... CLICK!)

Then too, there is almost always a day devoted to exploring the town that the conference is held in. And there are specialty classes offered at ILDA that you won't find at any Laser Enthusiast's Meeting. Over all, the atmosphere is just different. That's not to say it is better or worse, and many, many people find ILDA conferences to be extremely rewarding, but it is not the same thing as SELEM.

Adam