Adventures in SAS land

Last week I flew down to Cary, NC for the JMP Discovery Summit.  JMP is a statistical software package that Dan (most-senior statistician in our team of 3) really really likes.  I used it for a few classes in grad school (classes in which the professors happened to really really like it) but mostly used some other packages.  It is pretty useful though (and the conference helped demonstrate more of its usefulness!)

JMP is created by SAS and this conference was held on their mystical wonderland of a campus.  They were Forbes top company to work for...I think this year they got beat out by Google but...still near the top.  I was talking about the trip to Dan and Dave afterward, and Dan said "Whoa, did we just send you on a recruitment trip?"  Haha :)  I'm pretty happy with where I'm at, but it was fun to listen about their 35-hour work weeks and masseuse on campus and sheep who keep the grass cut around their solar panels...

Anyway, the conference was neat and they really took care of us (all meals provided, breakfast through dinner - dinners were at special places each night).  Lots of interesting sessions and I made some friends!

 I knew my AXO sister Sarah lives in Cary now so I got in touch over fb and it worked out great for us to meet up for coffee!  Lovely welcoming to NC :)

 Second special dinner event: at the Museum of Natural Sciences (the first was at the home of SAS co-founder John Sall, and I wanted to take pictures but felt a little geeky doing so).

 Bus tour of SAS campus: here are the solar panels maintained by short sheep

 Building where we had our sessions

 Nice little pond area

 The Cary Academy

 At the country club for our third dinner event (I think this country club is also owned by John Sall.)

 Feeling fancy

 Sculpture inside the building where we had our sessions.  They really like art here.

 With Beth, the first friend I made at the conference, standing under the SAS pi sculpture!

 Lovely

 We went on a bit of a walking tour of the campus to get back our hotel after the conference was over...found this gem...exactly 23 MPH, please.

 Matrix drive!  Yeah!

 Off the patio of the Umstead Hotel & Spa (alternative hotel option for the conference...the Embassy Suites was much cheaper, so in the interests of my company I went for that one.  But we checked out the lobby of the Umstead, it's quite fancy.  Also owned by John Sall?)

So long SAS, it's been a pleasure!