Saturday, October 15, 2005

Northern Voice 2

by Suw on October 15, 2005

At last, a moment where I'm not expected to be doing something else for someone else (hm, actually, that's a lie. I have my talk for Tuesday to write still, and notes to make for the intros to each session at BlogOn, but it's another 4 hours 17 minutes before my laptop battery dies, which is co-incidentally about the same time I have before we are due to land at JFK, meaning I can take a moment before either of those events become pressing) so it's really time I blogged something that's been open in my browser window for about a month.
(Yes, I really do keep things open in my browser windows that long. Actually, the Open Rights Group pledge on Pledgebank has been open continuously since July 23 when it was made. Browser tabs seem to multiply exponentially until I go through and have a ruthless cull, but even then there are some hardy survivors that seem to have built up resistance.)
Anyway, yes, Northern Voice. Although the urge is to say that Northern Voice was one of the best conferences I went to last year, the actual fact of the matter is that it was this year, it just feels like last year because so much appears to have happened in the interim. I'd never spoken in public before NV in February, but now I feel a bit like a veteran, I've done it so much, including four stints at Speaker's Corner which really does toughen one up.
Kris Krug, one of the organisers of next year's Northern Voice, pinged me a few weeks back with the news that they had the site up for the 2006 event, and I made the appropriate noises begging to be allowed to speak. I have to fill in the speaker submission form (I just checked, and there doesn't seem to be a closing date on it, which is a relief as I'd be gutted if I missed the deadline), although before that I actually have to think about what I want to talk about.
*thinks*
OK, I've got an idea. In fact, I have two. That's good. I didn't have any when I got on the plane, so I feel we're all the richer for this shared meditative experience.
Whether I speak or not, I will be going. I could not possibly pass up an opportunity to hang out with Richard, Boris, Kris, and all the other Vancouverites again. They are officially Good People – I had a fantastic time in February and can only imagine that MooseCamp will be an essential experience as well.
If you're vacillating about whether to go or not, then stop it and book now. You won't be sorry.

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Gotham!

by Suw on October 15, 2005

I'm here! And NYC has as much attitude as ever. My room is particularly Batman, having as it does a sort of hoarding frontage thingie that I can see behind. I'll have to take photos – can't explain properly – but it's exactly the sort of place Batman would stand and brood for a moment before leaping off into the void to go punish some young layabout criminal.
Anyway, here, and off to dinner in a bit, I think. Need food. Sleep. In that order.

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Unheard of

by Suw on October 15, 2005

Well, it's 9.30am, and to be honest, if I hadn't slowed myself right down to a crawl, I would have been ready to leave for Heathrow half an hour ago. Instead, I put some make-up on (a waste of time as it'll all be off again before I get even as far as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge) and faffed about a bit.
So, I have my tickets, passport, money both £ and $. Laptop, power supply, phone, power supply, camera, battery charger and cable, ipod, battery charger, airport express, cat-5 cable, minijack-minijack cable (never know), belkin FM broadcasting widget, flash memory stick. Ray Kurzweil's The Singularity Is Near, for the plane (inscribed by author, who spelt my name correctly, thank you Ray). U-shaped pillow for plane. Clothes, oh yes, have some of them too but frankly they are far less important than making sure I've remembered my cat-5 cable.
I've turned the heating off. Made sure all the windows are closed. Washed up. Put the rubbish out. Ooh, just remembered I have to water the plants…
Ok, done.
And now I have an hour to kill.
La la la la la.
This is quite unheard of for me.

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