[Nottingham] RE: [Social] *Tomorrow* Wed 23/04/2008 Last Post Beeston Beers, (Martin)

[ForkBombFluf]

Dude, :-P

Although I didn't specificly include it (I will now), my response was also 
to a comment you made in a previous post, namely:

> Dude, have you ever pulled at a LUG meet? Also have you ever wanted to?
 						^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Perhaps that *wasn't* meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but that was the 
polarisation with which it hit the sensors here.

> That was actually the point I was making, although admittedly I didn't
> state it quite so explicitly. Hell, geek talk is good talk as far as I
> am concerned - which is why I continue to attend LUG meets. If I meet
> a pretty young lady and we hit it off so much the better, but that is
> not /why/ I go to LUG meets.

Agreed, dating is obviously not the main purpose of LUG meets, but 
socialization (in general) and the sharing of information about common 
interests is.  Otherwise we might as well just type to each other at home 
and read man pages, wikis, and RFCs all day, (rather than just *most* of 
the day).  Common interests, in my experience anyway, are a good basis for 
forming relationships.

> The message I was trying to deliver when I de-railed the original
> topic even more was something akin to "You go to a LUG meet to talk
> geek. Ergo anyone you meet there probably won't be too put out about
> the fact that you're wearing a Tux t-shirt/carrying a stuffed
> penguin/hard-wired into various computational devices/etc.
> And therefore one should not be too bothered about stuffed toys on the
> table dissuading members of the opposite sex from approaching you.

OK, here goes--

Call to all LUG ladies!:

WE must take it upon ourselves to bring the stuffed toys and penguin 
pajamas to further LUG events so that the menfolk won't have reason to 
feel insecure about their macho images.

But I digress...  Yes, I did grok that bit, and do wholeheartedly 
agree...

> Heck if you're that worried about your 'street cred' you probably
> shouldn't be seen with me. :)"

Darn, there goes my credibility...  AGAIN. :-)

>>> In conclusion; image be damned - do whatever needs doing to alert any
>>> stray geeks to our gathering.
>
> Here is the key bit, right above here ^^^^^^^

I wasn't at the Beeston meet, but I appreciate Aaron's frustration with 
trying to find what must have felt like a needle in a haystack.  Martin 
has pretty well covered that, and having the new person wear/bring 
something to point *themselves* out is a a really great, simple idea, esp. 
if no one in particular knows to expect you.

>>  Honetly.
>>
>>  It could get cuddly.
>
> Stuffed toys or members of the opposite sex?

Far be it for me to dictate for or against anyone's choice of tactile 
partners. :-)

Happy trails,

-Stef