i've just been to register.

i was given a thing i have to wear round my neck. it's ugly, larger than your typical postcard (much bigger than a credit card), and has "Sun" and "Java" on it. i'm an ugly walking billboard.

so i went to get my "goodies":

1. they came in a rucsac (backpack). it's grey, poor quality, ugly (a million zips - the kind of thing i thought was cool when i was 14), and has got "Sun" and "Java" on it. the contents were...
2. a t-shirt. grey, ugly, size x-large (not me, but probably typical of the attendees), and it's got "Sun" and "Java" on it.
3. a pen. ugly, cheap, and it's got "Sun" and "Java" on it.
4. a luggage label(!). ugly (but looks pretty robust). it's got "Sun" and "java" on it.
5. a notepad. quite a nice one - brown cover, ring bound, with squared pages. but it's got "Sun" and "Java" on it.
6. a free copy of netbeans and java on cd. this is available on the web for free.
7. advertising for the shop.
8. advertising for nokia.
9. advertising for the bookshop.
10. advertising for bea. including a cd with software that is available on the web for free.
11. an "[...] eye popping guide about java technology [that] was created as par of the first-ever java.com buzz campaign, a unique
    marketing program designed to spread the word about java powered products and applications and generate awareness for java.com". it's ugly, and has got "Sun" and "Java" on it.
12. advertising for oracle.
13. advertising for xfy.
14. a "pavilion guide" that doesn't show me where the talks are, but does show me where i can find the advertiser's booths. it says which are gold co-sponsors. it's also ugly and has got "Sun" and "Java" on it.
15. a program guide that contains the information available from the conference web site. it's ugly and has got "Sun" and "java" on it.
16. a conference schedule that contains the information available from the conference web site. it's ugly and has got "Sun" and "java" on it.

what the fuck is wrong with these people?