For those of you who will be in or near the metro Detroit area in late April of 2012, announcing…the Penguicon Friends of Armed & Dangerous party!
The FoA&D party will be held on the opening Friday evening of Penguicon 2012 a science-fiction convention and Linux conference to be held April 27-29 at the Regency Hyatt Dearborn in Dearborn, MI. Room number and exact times to be announced here closer to the event.
Besides myself and Catherine Raymond as your hosts, attendees are expected to include A&D regulars Jay Maynard aka Tron Guy, Susan Stewart aka HedgeMage, Ken Burnside, and NotGump aka Eric Baskin. Dave from-my-basement Täht hasn’t committed but has mumbled that he’ll be in the Detroit area around then. Also possible but not yet confirmed is Garrett Kajmowicz.
While a Penguicon membership will not be strictly required, we encourage you to get one and enjoy the con with us. Among other things, it’s likely members of the A&D crew will spend a fair amount of time in the Penguicon game room, and some of the resulting Eurogames are likely to be epic showdowns not lightly to be missed.
Please note in the comment thread if you expect to be attending so we can estimate the munchie requirements. And don’t be deterred from coming just because you’ve never been face to face with any of us; this just means we’d especially like to meet you.
Yes, I’ll be there, and while Eric won’t be bringing alcoholic potables, that need not stop the rest of us. I’ll probably whip up a batch of Tabasco-powered Chex Mix, too.
I would like to be there. Much more coder than gamer, and I only comment here occasionally.
But Penguicon is in my (approximate) backyard, and I’ve been planning on attending this year.
I may attend. It’s a good hike from Cleveland, OH, so I’ll have to see how things work out. How about creating an #FoA&D IRC channel?
Jessica is wondering if you plan to shoot stuff?
>Jessica is wondering if you plan to shoot stuff?
Not at the party, no. I don’t think Penguicon found a local organizer for Geeks with Guns this year, either, so no Friday-morning outing to the range. Maybe next year.
Confirmation links for following status updates and such is invalid.
>Confirmation links for following status updates and such is invalid.
Er, which links are these?
Unfortunately, I will probably be at yet another training evolution. If by some miracle this does not occur, I would welcome the opportunity to meet some of you directly. I’ll let you know as soon as I know.
Any opportunities for geeks with guns to engage in a favored passtime while there?
If I can make it, like Jay Maynard, I too will bring some adult regulated beverages. Copious amounts even. Might even nerd out and bring a case of mead – have a friend that makes some good stuff.
If I check the two boxes that are labeled, “Notify me of follow-up comments by email.” and “Notify me of new posts by email.”, I receive a couple of confirmation emails with long URL’s for confirmation. When I click on them I get a 404.
Ah, was typing previous comm as new ones were being generated. Sorry, looks like the question on GWG was already answered.
Second Justin’s suggestion of an IRC channel. Detroit’s an /extremely/ long hike from the UK :grin:.
@WCC
> Ah, was typing previous comm as new ones were being generated. Sorry, looks like the question on GWG was already answered.
Shame really, because I always though it would be cool to go shoot stuff with both you and Eric. I am not a good shot, and I’d like to learn from the experts. (Oh, FWIW, I might not be a good shot but I am unflinching, so bad guys beware…)
“Shame really, because I always though it would be cool to go shoot stuff with both you and Eric. I am not a good shot, and I’d like to learn from the experts. (Oh, FWIW, I might not be a good shot but I am unflinching, so bad guys beware…)”
Indeed, I would have welcomed the opportunity to teach some. You have the right attitude so I’m sure it would have been a pleasure. Additionally, I would have been interested to see if any in the crowd would have been interested in learning to maintain and shoot accurately under pressure/duress. Its one thing thing to shoot at a target, quite another when the instant is what matters, and still another to deal with the fact that you know tangos are in your house, but you don’t know where.
Most of the folks here have the right mindset to to be able to learn to dial it up/dial it down/give only what is deserved as the situation evolves. In my mind, it’s almost a duty to provide training opportunities for folks of this caliber (groan…seriously not making a pun here…) and mentality. Goes a ways toward manifesting “an armed society is a polite society…”
Never mind on the confirmation links as the problem is with our firewall/proxy truncating long URL’s. Decided to try it on my phone and it worked fine.
@esr –
I would like to be at Penguicon, but haven’t finalized plans yet. Please put me down as “tentative”.
@shooters –
Since the con is almost in my backyard (I live ~~ 75 min. drive time away), I am going to try to resurrect “Geeks With Guns” and act as a local coordinator. (I’m not a shooter, but want to learn; I figure I can call a few local gun shops / target ranges and at least get the right people talking with each other.) More info in this thread as I get it ….
@WCC
> Additionally, I would have been interested to see if any in the crowd would have been interested in learning to maintain and shoot accurately under pressure/duress.
FWIW, I did a course like that through a local gun club, it was insanely good fun even though we were using fake weapons. (BTW, “local gun club” is a species rapidly becoming extinct in my state. Apparently, heaven forbid, we are poisoning the water table with all that lead. :-)
BTW, at this course — all men and me. You’d think that women, being less able to defend themselves physically, would be more in favor of using the leverage of technology. But apparently we fear we will break a nail or something.
“FWIW, I did a course like that through a local gun club, it was insanely good fun even though we were using fake weapons. “
Good for you – you would be amazed at what 15 minutes of dedicated time on something every other day can instill in you over time.
I have an issue with training with simulated weapons such as wood/rubber/steel shapes. They instill bad habits. Focus is lost on safety and muzzle discipline, but worse, this will fail most people in a real situation. Its really easy to grab a rubber weap or make a move with a sim. Its a whole different ball game with the real thing or close to the real thing. Another point of major failure in real-world translation is should you actually have to engage – suddenly, in the real world, that weapon is much heavier, there are big bangs, smoke, smell, and that target is not cooperating. People get shaken and their training fails.
And/or they have not crossed that mental bridge to strike or fire if the situation dictates it. Or they think one second to long about all the shoulda/coulda/woulda’s. They can also lose the bubble because they are used to trainees cooperating or they do not know what being struck feels like. Or they have never trained to deal with instantaneous fear-freeze (car jacking, hit from behind, suddenly surrounded, etc. as these things actually/typicaly occur in the reality).
No, I don’t use live ammo in training folks, but I do use the actual weapon with blanks or sim rounds (yes some trainees actually want to get as close to the feeling of being hit as possible – it is effective in training follow-through defense, but uh, its a tough teacher), or a high quality bang replica that looks, functions, and fires exactly like the real thing. Everyone I work with knows what a weapon feels like, how it feels when it fires, what the recoil is like, what it smells and tastes like, and what its like to point a bang-stick at human being while staring them in the face, and then choosing to fire. Of course, you can’t bridge the gap to actually learning to fire on a human being, but you can train as close to that line to develop psychological awareness as realistically possible.
An interesting anecdote for those of you who find the psychology of this interesting: The first time isn’t the hardest. The second time is.
“BTW, at this course — all men and me. You’d think that women, being less able to defend themselves physically, would be more in favor of using the leverage of technology. But apparently we fear we will break a nail or something.”
You would think. Firearms are the great equalizer. Interestingly enough, generally women make better shooters from a natural starting point than men do, biologically speaking. Female hand-eye coordination is superior in the species.
@WCC
>An interesting anecdote for those of you who find the psychology of this interesting: The first time isn’t the hardest. The second time is.
The first time doing what? And why do you think that is?
As previously mentioned, I’ll be there. I can’t wait to meet more of you.
–Susan (HedgeMage)
@John D. Bell
If you have difficulty reaching someone about the Geeks with Guns trip (or if you haven’t reached out yet) please feel free to email jer@ Penguicon’s domain name and I’d be happy to help make this happen.
@Jessica Boxer, RE: “The first time doing what? And why do you think that is?”
Referring to the first time you have to seriously injure someone or take a life. Oftentimes it happens on instinct or impulse out of necessity. The second time is often much more of a choice, and since you now know the consequences/results of the potential action, the choice to engage is much more of a hard line with additional considerations to factor. The third time and so on, once you’ve crossed that threshold, can become a matter of course. I don’t mean that flippantly, simply that for most, the issue factors differently (mentally) once those first two barriers are crossed.
I will be there, though I might not be there right away as I will likely be traveling by the notoriously slow means of the oxcart.
@WCC
> Referring to the first time you have to seriously injure someone or take a life.
Ah, I get it, sorry for being so dense, I forget what you do sometimes. I listened to an interview with the guy who wrote that book “American Sniper.” What a cool dude. That is some sort of personal killing where you gotta look the guy in the eyeball before you take his life. The dumb ass interviewer asked him if he ever regretted all the lives he had taken. This dude’s reply just sits in my mind sometimes. He replied, no not at all, rather he regretted all the lives he didn’t save by killing the bad guys.
God that must be tough to do. You guys are like living freaking heroes. Thanks for all you do to let us live our peaceful easy lives. If I ever do get to meet you, I will be sure to get you really, really drunk on my bar tab. Deal?
>He replied, no not at all, rather he regretted all the lives he didn’t save by killing the bad guys.
Sorry that came out wrong: He replied no not at all, rather he regretted all the lives he didn’t save when he didn’t get to kill the bad guys.
@Jessica Boxer, RE:
“Ah, I get it, sorry for being so dense, I forget what you do sometimes.”
Judging by most of what I see you post around here, you aren’t dense. I probably should have been more clear in my references to the training, given that I was trying to explain what I believe are more effective methods & philosophies to a crowd that I think would understand and appreciate the concepts.
” I listened to an interview with the guy who wrote that book “American Sniper.” What a cool dude. That is some sort of personal killing where you gotta look the guy in the eyeball before you take his life.”
Yes, Chris Kyle. Solid guy. Rumor has it he will be at a future evolution as a guest instructor and motivator. I have no idea, but would welcome the chance to meet him. He is a true professional. Funniest story about him – he knocked Jesse Ventura the hell out for running his mouth and pushing him too far. Funny because the size differential just makes it surreal. Yes I know most trained in the combative arts are not overly concerned with size, but its still funny to see. Sorry, that’s the battlefield humor coming out in me, not the most refined of traits.
Interestingly enough, I learned sniper skills under the instructor who is largely responsible for setting up the SEAL Team sniper program as it exists today. To see this guy shoot is poetry in action. During a combat pistols exercise, where the trainee moves from target to target and engages pop-ups and sliders using the double-tap method, he shoots & reloads so fast and smooth that his pistols sound like automatic weapons fire. Never misses. This guy is something like 60 years old now and still regularly deploys to Iraq and Afghanistan as a PMC, usually private SECDET for the CIA and the like. His program is the one Chief Kyle most likely developed under in large part.
“That is some sort of personal killing where you gotta look the guy in the eyeball before you take his life.”
The thing about this, is that is maybe not as much of a leap as initially imagined. When you are the primary eyes for the guys going in, you see much more and the impulse to protect them can be very strong. Guys who do this work train, and train, and train, and train. Its endless. There is some serious psychological work being done in this area, and some of that is developing and conditioning the warrior mindset. It can be likened to being a professional martial artist or other sports pro – the training is endless and at some point you reach a moment where you want, or even need to play the other team. That changes the mental factor somewhat too, when combined with the endless focus on dialing it up and dialing it down factors.
“The dumb ass interviewer asked him if he ever regretted all the lives he had taken. This dude’s reply just sits in my mind sometimes. He replied, no not at all, rather he regretted all the lives he didn’t save by killing the bad guys.”
When someone hasn’t been there done that, or who’s total exposure to this is Call of Duty or whatnot, understanding that statement can be very difficult. I can see where it may come across as callous, but how many young men do you have to watch die before that regret sets in? How many civilians of these people’s own group who have NO part in the fight, men, women, children, do you have to see these terrorists murder, callously considering it part of their greater good, Allah’s will?
Special Forces types are vastly different than your standard infantry and much of what they do is up close and personal, targeted and specific. In urban environments, for them its often within touching distance. The endless, detailed, realistic training they do makes the psychological factor for them vastly different than your standard Army or Marine infantry. For snipers of any branch or unit (SF or no), even more so – every kill is full of stark, personal detail. One thing that helps the sniper is the target is most often a clear, identifiable, combatant. Kyle’s first confirmed was a female suicide bomber with an infant. She was there to detonate, kill her own child as part of it because they knew that even if an American would fire on her, there would be hesitation, because she was female and because of the baby.
Sounds brutal, but you would not believe the brutality of those we are fighting. Yes you hear about it, and maybe think it, but you bridge the gap to actually seeing it, its a whole different spin.
“God that must be tough to do.”
I reckon there are times, but maybe not as much as you think. I don’t know really, a lot of that comes after, but the training makes it different. Its hard to explain and I do not presume to speak for all. See my overly-long-winded diatribe above for some of that, now that I’ve hijacked Mr. Raymond’s guest list into a tactical training and philosophical strain. Apologies, Mr. Raymond. This blog is just too good. Sex, software, politics, and firearms (and good sci-fi!) indeed. Curse me for being born a geek with a weird life…
“You guys are like living freaking heroes. Thanks for all you do to let us live our peaceful easy lives.”
No. Certainly, I cannot be included in that. There are some I definitely view that way. You would be hard pressed to find any guys who think that. Look, there is a very small percentage of the population who can do this work, who can meet the criteria. These guys can, so they have a certain role to play. They just go out there and get it done. Success isn’t marked in body count. Its that Al-Qaeda is splintered, and they, as well as the others, are as busy fighting each other as they are us. Its that funding and protecting terrorism has gotten a good deal riskier and would-be’s are very reluctant to enter the market. Its that there has not been another serious attack on our people at home in 11 years. Its that this is a war of ideology that has been raised to the international level and that people everywhere are beginning to choose freedom and liberty over medieval tyranny (Arab Spring, well depending on where it goes), and are willing to fight for it.
We still have a long way to go, and many of these battles need to be fought at home to. This cannot become the excuse for NDAA. At least we still have the option of peaceful resolution here.
” If I ever do get to meet you, I will be sure to get you really, really drunk on my bar tab. Deal?”
Absolutely, deal. My other favorite alcoholic beverages are known as “free.” Be warned though, I’m the guy who can drink an 18 pack and half a fifth of rum, and be on the grinder at 0400 the next day ready to go with no ill effects. Its funny to see because I am all of five and a half feet tall. That’s an expensive proposition you’ve made. Not to worry though, ’tis a rare thing that I take anything to excess – just not a fan of doing so. But, I have my moments…
And if this sermon doesn’t get me a ban warning for OT-ism, ESR and his readers are the most wonderfully patient people!
WCC: Who says this is off topic? I expect that, should you make it to the party, this would be a subject of discussion.
And I’m not sure that the Arab Spring’s seeming tendency to replace dictatorships with Islamist “democracies” is any improvement.
@WCC
>Be warned though, I’m the guy who can drink an 18 pack and half a fifth of rum, and be on the grinder at 0400 the next day ready to go with no ill effects.
You soldier guys are so full of shit. No ill effects my ass. You mean you suck it up and deal with it. Not the same thing at all.
I’ll be happy to buy you the beer as long as you don’t expect me to keep up. Three beers and a cocktail and I am asleep in the corner. Though I will say that between the end of the first beer and the end of the third beer I am the life of the party :-)
I’d love to do this “Friends of Blog” party, it’d be cool to meet you all in the flesh, though it might be a little too Linuxy, RPGy, XBoxy for my liking. However, the good company, the alcohol and the guns would certainly compensate :-)
However, I have a prior commitment that weekend.
>a little too Linuxy, RPGy, XBoxy for my liking.
One thing I can guarantee it won’t be is XBoxy, that’s a Microsoft product. And the confirmed attendees are Eurogamers, not RPGers. You’re probably right abut the Linuxyness of it all.
Alas that you won’t be there to find out. Where are you physically located, anyway?
> Jessica Boxer said
> I’d love to do this “Friends of Blog” party, it’d be cool to meet you all in the flesh,
> though it might be a little too Linuxy, RPGy, XBoxy for my liking. However, the good
> company, the alcohol and the guns would certainly compensate :-)
>
> However, I have a prior commitment that weekend.
<3(Heart is broken.)
We will miss you, Jessica. :'( :-D
@Jay Maynard, RE:
“Who says this is off topic? I expect that, should you make it to the party, this would be a subject of discussion.”
Awesome. Would enjoy such discussions. I don’t write much when it comes to comments, so when I do, I have a tendency to really write, and it usually ends up hitting several areas. As Mr. Raymond advised me in a previous thread some time ago (paraphrased) “as long as you keep it interesting.” Hopefully the objective is met.
“And I’m not sure that the Arab Spring’s seeming tendency to replace dictatorships with Islamist “democracies” is any improvement.”
Oh yes, absolutely agreed. But there has to be a beginning somewhere. Crawl, walk, run. For societies such as these, seeing a glimmer of what could be possible and building on it is essential. Islam is in its violent adolescence and must evolve, much as Judaism and Christianity and their corresponding societies that came before it had to, and must continue to do. It is unfortunate, but society seems to really need its religions, regardless of the forms they take.
The difference now is, Judaism and Christianity had thousands of years to evolve, but today, in our current place in history, it is different and there is a troubling issue. Nowhere in history has a small group or single individual had the ability to wreak so much death and destruction at a single blow (nukes, dirty bombs, chemical warfare) as they can now. The evilest of these currently have the Islamic religion and corresponding societies in a chokehold. The instability in regions such as Pakistan create an avenue for them to get their hands on some of these weapons. So what do we do? Can we afford to standby and let them evolve? Are we willing to avoid engaging in drastic and immediate violence of action, using the long road of diplomacy, cultural export, and subterfuge to do so? Are we willing to accept the potential consequences the long road could permit? What is the best option? Do we engage in both? If so, what decides violence of action? Are we willing to see it through? Are we willing to pay the price of violence? Its an ugly situation all the way around with so many facets to consider.
@esr
> One thing I can guarantee it won’t be is XBoxy, that’s a Microsoft product.
God forbid. Aren’t all these gaming platforms really closed systems?
> Where are you physically located, anyway?
Near Chicago.
>Aren’t all these gaming platforms really closed systems?
Yes. Though they’ve all got my code in them. I’ve never seen it, but according to reliable report, my name is on the credits page of the XBox 360 ROM. I find that hilarious.
@Jessica Boxer, RE:
“You soldier guys are so full of shit. No ill effects my ass. You mean you suck it up and deal with it. Not the same thing at all.”
Ha! While that is usually true, in this case I assure you it is not. Oh yes, there have been times when I have had to “embrace the suck” and deal with the consequences of my indulgence. But I am older and wiser now. Well, older anyway. My favorite drink is a gin/vodka martini, but I often avoid it because it WILL give me a hangover. Its the clear liquors that effect me that way.
“I’ll be happy to buy you the beer as long as you don’t expect me to keep up. “
Oh no, not at all. Endless training and conditioning y’know…
“<3 (Heart is broken.) We will miss you, Jessica. :’( :-D "
Jessica Boxer, Chicago Heartbreaker.
@me
>a little too Linuxy, RPGy, XBoxy for my liking.
Now of course if you guys all wanted to go dancing… I might even blow off my friends’ wedding for that type of good time :-) Any takers?
“And the confirmed attendees are Eurogamers”
One of the reasons I really hope I can make this. In my youth I was ultra-absorbed in these games. It started with Risk (yes, I know, it is to laugh) and evolved to Warhammer and Axis and Allies (more laughter), and then to the more complex games. Alas, it has been 13 years since I have had any abilitiy to engage. I would so enjoy an opportunity to hear players of the caliber here discuss, and maybe even see them play. My only exposure is ESR’s reviews and Ken Burnsides contributions. The current state of these games must have evolved to a phenomenal level.
I myself do not usually fare well in play. My psychology and abilities manifest mostly as a tactician vice strategist. Example, I enjoy chess immensley, but my strength is in speed chess.
>One of the reasons I really hope I can make this. In my youth I was ultra-absorbed in these games.
Technical note about Risk, Warhammer, Axis & Allies. These are not Eurogames and most of the FoA&D party crowd probably wouldn’t know them. I myself do, being an old-school wargamer who only got into Eurogames this century. Part of the point of modern Eurogames is that they’re not war-themed; the style originated in Germany, where wargames have very negative associations.
“Now of course if you guys all wanted to go dancing… I might even blow off my friends’ wedding for that type of good time :-) Any takers?”
If I say yes, will you? Taking one for you, John D. Bell!
Kidding, I can’t dance to save my life. Jump at 30,000 feet? Hell yes, can’t wait. Shake a leg? Uh…not sure I’m the man for that job…send someone else. Helocast into the frigid ocean? Bring on the good times baby! Hit the dance floor? No, sorry, that prospect terrifies me. The irony sickens…
Don’t know if I can make it anyway, but oh to see this crowd shake it up on a dance floor – that would be a worthy experience indeed.
>Don’t know if I can make it anyway, but oh to see this crowd shake it up on a dance floor – that would be a worthy experience indeed.
“Worthy”? Possibly you just misspelled “Aieeeeeee! My eyes!”
I mean, I dance pretty well – for a middle-aged white geek with cerebral palsy. The sad part is most of the attendees would probably be less competent than that. I love my tribe, but I know our limitations.
But perhaps Jessica would inspire us all, if she showed up.
I’d love to attend, but it is a long drive from Austin, and I’m sure as heck not going to take a flight. Besides, my out-of-contact capital wrt work for the next several months is going to get pretty absorbed by SXSW Music next week. Alas, alas.
@WCC
> … Taking one for you, John D. Bell!
Thank you, I’m perfectly capable of stopping high-velocity ordinance with my own flesh. (Cue thud of bullets into carcass….) Appreciate the offer.
@Jessica Boxer
> Now of course if you guys all wanted to go dancing… I might even blow off my friends’
> wedding for that type of good time :-) Any takers?
I can’t dance very well (ask my wife ;-P), but I’d be willing to do my best (modulo what that aforementioned wife might say…. :-D)
(Cue David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance”….)
@esr
> But perhaps Jessica would inspire us all, if she showed up.
Hubba, Hubba!
@ESR, RE: Comment 374498
Ah, understood. Thank you for the education. Clarifies several observations I’ve had reading your reviews and Mr. Burnside’s inputs. I do find the Eurogames to be more overall more fascinating than the standard wargame and think they make wonderful development/learning tools as well.
“(Cue David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance”….)”
Men Without Hat’s “The Safety Dance” perhaps…
Ugh, I can’t believe I just wrote that. Now I have to kick my own ass.
Sounds like a good time will be had by all….sadly, I don’t travel to places that don’t respect my right to carry….
Dan: Michigan honors any permit issued by any other state, as long as it’s your state of residence.
Correction: Except Vermont. Wonder why? Does Vermont issue permits at all?
Thanks for the correction, Jay.
MI is a residential-reciprocity state.
I’m still not driving God-knows-how-many hours up there to see your fine ass ;)
@esr
>“Worthy”? Possibly you just misspelled “Aieeeeeee! My eyes!”
Now come on, did I demand excellence in dancing? I think not. Come on geeks, you’ve got Google, you’ve got YouTube, hell some of you even have female companions to practice on. You can at least make a good showing. From what I know, a lot of geeks tend to be pretty musical, so if you can keep a beat, and attempt to move various body parts in approximate time to the beat… look at you, you’re dancing!!!
I’m thinking I should get together with Cathy and some of the other ladies, and set up a new thing. Instead of Geeks with Guns, how about Geeks with Groove? I think it could be quite popular.
> But perhaps Jessica would inspire us all, if she showed up.
For that sight alone it would be worth the three hour drive. Alas I must wear a big puffy dress, with more lace and bows than a little girls’ kindergarten class. Such are the sacrifices we must make for our friends.
However, I think a photograph record of the event, even sans dancing, would be in order for those of us unable to attend.
I was already planning to be at the con, so if you don’t mind another random lurker dropping by to say hi, I’m in. I’d be interested in trying out a few of the games you’ve described. That “Eclipse” game you recently reviewed sounded pretty neat, but I’d be up for something else if there was a chance.
>I’d be interested in trying out a few of the games you’ve described.
Well, we probably won’t be playing them at the actual party. But some game-room rendezvouses might be set up there.
I suggested to Rob Malda that someone should run a “‘Wilhelm scream-a-like” contest at Penguicon. He suggested matching waveforms. :-)
Very, very tempting, especially with the ridiculous amount of free airfare I accumulated which I need to use near the end of this month. I really miss gaming with you and Penguicon sounds fun. The wiser course would be to say no because I doubt I can arrange things so I can fly in on Friday. So to make it I’d have to fly in Saturday and then fly back on Sunday. However, I’m not in the mood for wisdom and it would be a great way to celebrate a new job. A job which I got because I was able to point to my dabbling with the Cinnamon desktop. I’ll know in a little more than a week if I can make it.
@ESR, RE:
“Worthy”? Possibly you just misspelled “Aieeeeeee! My eyes!”
Heh, still chuckling about this.
RE: JB’s comment: “I’m thinking I should get together with Cathy and some of the other ladies, and set up a new thing. Instead of Geeks with Guns, how about Geeks with Groove? I think it could be quite popular.”
Given Mr. Raymond’s comment – gents, methinks we have a sucker for punishment on our hands. Or a devious little troll ;-) Do check all attendees for hidden videocams…and turn in your cell phones at the door (but not your arms…)
@JB, RE:
“Alas I must wear a big puffy dress, with more lace and bows than a little girls’ kindergarten class. Such are the sacrifices we must make for our friends.
However, I think a photograph record of the event, even sans dancing, would be in order for those of us unable to attend.”
Oh, is that so? Young lady, I do believe “one good turn deserves” and all that. You want party photos, I say you first turn over photos of you in your “big puffy dress, with more lace and bows than a little girls’ kindergarten class.” Sacrificing for your friends and all, y’know…
Libertarianism at work…
Assuming I’ll be able to attend and have any room make such ridiculous demands ;-)
@Jessica Boxer
I’d be down with that, but what sort of music would you have? 80s new wave? IDM? early synthpop? full on classical with viennese waltz? And what style of dancing? simple ball room dance? The step-shuffle-side-step? simple ballroom/swing? booty grind?
@me:
> Since the con is almost in my backyard …, I am going to try to resurrect “Geeks With Guns”
> and act as a local coordinator.
I have send an email to the con’s coordinators offering this. So as to not pollute our good host’s blog with trivia (and because I’m an attention slut trying to drive traffic to my blog), we can discuss the details over here.
Count me in! I have missed the last couple of Penguins but I think I’m due to return this year.
I’m seriously thinking about going to this con, if there’s going to be a crowd this interesting to hang around with. (I’m usually bored by cons after circling all the booths once or twice.) The main problem would then be arranging where I put up for the night. (I’d probably drive there from swampy MD.)
@Paul Brinkley, RE:
“(I’d probably drive there from swampy MD.)”
If I can be make it, I’ll be heading out from MD too (I live in MD and in VA, will be in MD at that time). Can hitch a ride with me if you want, I can take the RV – solves the overnight prob too. Problem is, I probably won’t know yet for a few weeks if I can shave the time needed to go.
Looks like I can’t make the party, since I can’t take off Friday. I still may try to make the Con, but I’d be coming in late Friday (around midnight) if I were to do so.
“Geeks With Guns” is on for 2012! Please leave your info over here if you plan on joining us. Respond quickly; we have to get a final count to the range by this Friday (Mar. 16).