This issue's theme is "cons that waited until the last freakin' second to open registration". Being that you have about 20 seconds to register for any of the below events before they start, I'll jump right in:

Maybe you're dying to revive the unadulterated thrill of being 16, owning a pair of alligator clips, and realizing that beige boxes really do work. Maybe you are 16 and the joy of trick-or-treating has been leeched away by a cruel society that expects you to start buying your own damn Halloween candy. In either case, there's no better way to spend the ass end of October than attending Phreaknic in Tennessee, the USA's favorite hack and phreak conference. Organized by a crew of adorable, mischievous, slacking technophiles, Phreaknic is now in it's 13th year and going strong. Registration costs a mere $25.00 at the door. Conference runs October 30-31. 

OOoCon, the OpenOffice.org conference (November 3-6, 2009, Italy), opens for registration this week at the low, low price of 10 Euros per person. And lest you think that an open source office suite isn't exciting enough to discuss for four straight days, think again, my friend. Your brain will feast on a host of topics ranging from ODF Interoperability, FLOSS Philosophy and Digital Citizenship, OpenOffice Macros and Extension programming, and much more. Besides, if it sucks, you'll be in Italy, so hey. But it won't suck. So you should go.

And let us not forget Poland's RuPy Strongly Dynamic Conference, focusing on - ta da! - Ruby and Python programming. RuPy attendees will take over Poznan's Collegium Mathematicum, which totally sounds like the fortress of an evil alchemist, but which is actually a disappointingly normal university building. RuPy 2009 will run November 7-8. Pay only 59 Euros if you register before October 31, 79 Euros from November 1 to the start of the con.

A rule isn't a rule without the occasional exception. This issue's odd con out is brought to you by North Carolina, USA's CHAT conference, scheduled for Feb. 16-20 2010, and already accepting registrations. CHAT is an digital "arts and humanities" conference, and will explore "the ways digital technologies are changing how we learn, think, know, teach and express ourselves both as individuals and as communities." Tickets for the general public are currently $35.00. Prices are subject to change as the event date inches closer.

May the FOSS be with you.