RE: Meeting Venue - My August Article on Oracle.

My Article.  

My basic point;

As an Aussie coming from a country where a pub is a "pub" and "pub"lic
and people are friendly and a good time is a good time and not some
hapless experiment with an IKEA catalogue or male clothing fashion
parade and hair dying experiment.  I am most unaccountably moved to
utter confusion at the complete anaemia of Beijing "night (cough)
spots", their unfriendly people, lack of real entertainment and shite
selection of piss on offer.  Do people go out to get smashed and party
and look forward to a long sunday sleep in?  

Or as it seems in Beijing, park yourself somewhere, preen your clothes
and hair every 5 mins, drink maybe 5 beers (cradle one an hour) talk
about each yoruself and "your job" - hand out a business card and
continue to talk about "yourself".  And like a deer caught in headlights
if someone dare interupt your "partying hyjinx" by striking up a
conversation (either sex).

And I am talking about foreigners as well as locals here.....too many
people preoccupied with image and reinvcenting themselves as opposed to
working on their personality to be something radical like
"Interesting".  Basically adults behaving like 15 year olds when it
comes to social capability.

We should all strive for the LUG - not for the venue!  At Morels the
venue distracted us from Linux and the LUG.  No lug meeting has been as
"Luggy" since we were at Mikes office.......  :-(

Anyway - no malice intended (Hey Ali  ;-) ).  My landlord pissed me off
royally today so I need to vent steam.  Anyway - without further ado my
article......to which I thank you all for the material!



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Have you been fortunate enough to attend a Hollywood red carpet
premiere? The Oscars? A Coronation? A tech product launch?


A tech product launch? “What is so fascinating about that?” I hear you
mutter with a snort of derision.


Well allow me to justify my apparent lack of social hipness by even
suggesting such an occasion as a possible avenue for seratonin abuse.
Unlike a swanky, hip Sanlitun nightclub decked out with wall to wall
poseurs and Richter scale tipping loud speakers.....it is the people in
attendance that hold the key to this equation.


It is the people, not the venue, nor even the event that provides the
appeal in this social equation. Now I am not foolish enough to suggest
that the average tech geek is as cool or as on the edge, as the sun
glasses at night crowd that frequent Sanlitun nightclubs. However there
is an abundant amount of honest to goodness enjoyment that can come out
of a geeky little event like a tech product launch.


In July Oracle launched their new Linux database product here in Beijing
and they hosted a bit of a do with free beer and food (Thanks Larry!).
As interesting as Linux and databases are – that was not what floated
the binary boats of those in attendance. What was on offer was a venue
decked out with wall to wall people that shared a common passion. A
passion that transcends cultural, gender, economical and even fashion
preferences. 


Give a room to a bunch of geeks - new product on offer or not - and the
new friendships will the forged, the idea's exchanged, opinions
asserted, beliefs upheld and anguishes displayed. All with the eagerness
and lack of hesitation that would probably put many of the attendees
first - “mixed high school dance” - social efforts to shame.


So next time you are soccer stadium style squashed against a wall,
searching for the benefit of your recently extorted cover charge.
Circled by few who are willing to strike up a conversation with a
stranger - Richter scale tipping speakers not withstanding – take a
moment to consider what will really make for a good time? A change in
the venue, the people or both?


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