When Brenda Wallace asked if we could help sponsor Wellington's Girl Geek Dinner, we thought it sounded like a wonderful way to show the love to our Kiwi friends in Open Source. When Brian Logan, a fellow Wellington geek, took a look at Brenda's write up, he wondered if we could help out with Wellington's Gay Geek Dinner, and we thought, "why not?" A wonderful time was had by all at the inaugural outing, and Brian was kind enough to send us this report:
The first Gay Geek Dinner was held last recently, and I had an enjoyable time and got to meet new people. We ended up with eight people in the end, which worked well for chatting together.
We met up at Mighty Mighty, with it's great ambiance. Something I hadn't thought about was how strangers could meet each other in what eventually was a busy bar, but we managed. The Google t-shirts, discounts cards for Moo, and Armageddon swag were all well received.
Conversation was casual and varied, and touched on:
- Twitter;
- Mac technology, and the rumours that future mac OS's may be able to run Windows executables in a native Mac environment;
- Mobile phone features, comparing Okta touches, and small phones in general;
- NZ mobile data charges, and the advantages of working for a telco;
- Photography;
- Home electronics, especially Roombas;
- Entertainment, including Freeview TV, Battlestar Galactica, and Doctor Who;
- Gaming, including Rock Band and Xbox 360, and for a short while the PS3;
- Having a non-geek partner, who doesn't understand the fascination with any of the above.
When time came for dinner, i.e. a few people asked when were we eating, we moved on to Southern Cross. Food geeks would love the way steaks are served, on a sizzling hot stone.
As we finished eating, the live music that started playing wasn't to our tastes so wandered back to Mighty Mighty for an after-dinner drink, losing three diners in the process. The evening finished with hot chocolate at Ernesto, being waved at by friendly cops stopped at a red light. All-in-all an enjoyable evening for the first Gay Geek Dinner, meeting people with similar interests.
Many thanks to Brian for sharing his experiences with us. We look forward to hearing more about future meetings.
