Computer-smart types, a question. When I hook up my external hard drive to a pc in college, I am able to access all the files thereon, but not allowed to alter them in any way, or save to the drive. Reason being, as far as I can tell, the drive is recognised by said pcs as, well, a disk, much like the various other drives, C:\ etc. which, apart from my own student-allocated storage space, I, as a lowly insect without admin privileges, am not allowed to tamper with.

SO.

Is there a sneaky way around this, off the top of anyone's head? It's my damn external hard drive.

OKAY SO. Announcement number one: pursuant to my capslocky post of triumphant glee, I can (probably) make it to Millicon. Let there be rejoicing! Also be ready for me to start poking around and seeing if any charitable souls still have bed/couch-space in their hotel rooms for little old me. (Feel free to, you know, inform me of such in the comments, if you'd like. :D?)

Announcement number two: WELL. Millicon, Dragon*Con. Dragon*Con, Millicon. Five weeks apart. And both aaaalllll the way on the other side of the Atlantic from me. One is the 19th-22nd July, up in Chicago, the other is the 1st-4th September, down in Atlanta. Pending an assessment of finances, I kind of want to attend both. But even so, the prospect of paying for two trans-Atlantic return fares, only five weeks apart, is... lame. So, also pending financial totting-up, I am considering, instead, using the money which would go on a second airfare to spend those five weeks couch-surfing and student-faring my way from Con #1 down to Con #2. Which, mi amigos, is where you come in.

[Poll #976820]

NOTHING YOU SAY HERE IS BINDING. I just want to get a rough sense of whether people would be willing/a vague sort of road-map so I can estimate what kind of costs I'd be looking at in comparison to flying home after Millicon and flying back for Dragon*Con.

So... yeah, okay.

THIS IS ALL VERY EXCITING.

:D