Inside Joke Fest 2007

I made it to a top secret gathering in a beautiful little park up around Somerville. Its been in the works for a year apparently, a gathering arranged by the author of web comic XKCD. The park was full all day with the geekiest of geeks, from junior high age through college. Tough to be precise on the distribution, as enough MIT kids look 16 and pump pimply angst. That said people were good: excited, positive, active and curious.

What struck me was that, at its height (2:38), one in three people had a camera. The mindset of someone holding a camera is 'observer' and I suspect that was the mindset of most folks who didn't have one either; and this has consequences. People are in a mindframe of waiting for something to happen, but the event was about you being the thing that happens. It sunk in soon enough, all that happened at 2:38 was cheering and happy milling about. Very well documented milling.

Folks, don't forget that an event like this is as amazing as you decide it will be. It was pretty amazing today; the park signs were genius, the red spiders, the mass of the tower and the fan finished comic. But mostly milling, all the boys waiting for a dream girl to hop on their lap. You can do better. And I'll do my part, promise.