By Emmett Plant
Editor, Linux Today
Everyone thought today the 15th would be a busier day at the
expo. They were disappointed. By noon, guards and show staff
appeared to be waving in anyone who appeared interested, even if
they didn’t have a badge for the show. It was another slow day, but
there was the ever-present promise of good partying to be had later
in the day. I have a sneaking suspicion that Nerf gun sales tripled
in New York City last night, because today I saw a gaggle of the
famed foam weapons being fired in every direction. The community
made the best of a slow situation and turned the tables yet again,
turning a slow day into a great opportunity to network with other
community illuminati and media representatives.
One of the great boredom breakers was Matthew Furman, who
performed magic tricks on the tab of Andover. I have seen countless
up-close slight-of-hand magic acts in my life, and I have to admit
that Matthew is one of the best I’ve ever seen. When it comes to
card tricks, there were no punches pulled. I have more than a
working knowledge of how most card tricks are performed and Matthew
impressed me greatly. I even checked his decks for the standard
markings and gaffes; They were non-existent. He has the ability to
take pedestrian ‘pick-a-card, any-card’ tricks and the linking
rings to incredible new levels. Great show.
The exhibitors were doing nifty things to pass the time,
including Nerf gun duels, and occasionally breaking into song for
the benefit of anyone who cared to listen. While the business
card trading that usually happens between exhibitors and potential
customers was nearly non-existent, the trading was happening
between exhibitors and other members of the community, which can
only help to strengthen the binds between the Free Software
community and the commercial entities — in the end a very good
thing, especially to the commercial organizations that put their
business plan on the line by specializing in releasing Open Source
software.
The parties were fantastic. Andover’s ‘Free Beer’ party was the
only time that the expo appeared to be filled. One of the
exhibitors in the booths toward the back of the expo noted that the
Andover party was the only time that people walked past their
booth. The instant proposed solution is that they should’ve put a
bartender in their corner like at the party. The music was nice and
just loud enough to be enjoyed. The food was great, too.
Conversation and alcohol flowed free, which is the way it should
be.
Big Blue rented out all of FAO Schwarz for its party, and after
a long bus ride and a short wait in the rain, the community raided
the store for free alcohol and toy lightsaber duels in the ‘Star
Wars’ section of the store. Again, DJ’s in ‘The Dollhouse’ played
danceable tunes and the three hundred or so geeks danced with the
twelve or so women who showed up. I got to satisfy my musical
curiosity by playing a toy accordion that I found in the music
section of the store and I got a little applause.
Tomorrow is the last day of the show, typically the slowest of
the days. Journalistic integrity forbids me from making references
to glaciers and molasses when it comes to predicting tomorrow’s
foot traffic into the expo. Still, I have every faith that the
community will make the best of it. Even if there weren’t a single
attendee, the community will always converse, communicate and
party. I look forward to it.