Conference season begins
Ah, the sweet smell of fresh looseleaf binders and the snap of glazed plastic covers being fitted to dog-eared textbooks that have bludgeoned the curiosity of generations of school kids tell us that Conference Season is upon us. It begins today with a private meeting to get back into the swing of things and is followed immeidately by Friends of O’Reilly, the getaway weekend for unwashed geeks. (Hey, the temporary showers are cooooold!)
Better check my Conference Kit: Power strip? Check. Careful selection of t-shirts with expressions that capture my inner essence, to be worn under my shirt so no one can see them? Check. Extra bag of typos to make conference blogging look authentic? Got ’em. 500 business cards to be crinkled in my bag long before I ever remember to give one out?Yup. Impressive book to leave in my lap as I watch “Everyone Loves Raymond” reruns on the plane? Check. Oh, and I have to remember to leave at least one power brick behind so I can scramble to find a replacement. Which one should it be this time? Cell phone? Palm? Camera? Or should I go straight for the big one, the laptop? So many decisions…
I’m jealous, of course, of the invite to Foo (not that I have done anything to merit one). But I’m also curious — did anything solid, other than exchanges of information, learning, bonding and fun (good enough reasons for a conference) come out of it? I remember there was discussion of “the” solution to spam, but I never heard anything more about it.
The uninvited are curious.