Monday, May 5, 2008 at 2:59 PM
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.
8 comments:
something like that needs to happen around my area!
I said something like that Robert, and was asked "Why don't you do it?" I throw the same challenge to you.
Perhaps I will. Problem is that there needs to be enough interest in it to make it worth my time. I did start up a group for gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans-gendered summer of code students and mentors. Allies are also welcome. The purpose of this group is to create a safe haven to communicate freely and openly without ridicule. If I can muster up enough interest, I may attempt to set it up. Until then, I don't see it happening.
@ shadowfoot: Nice challenge! :)
@ robert o'connor: We're always happy to host GSoCer meetups at Google offices. You know where to find me if you decide to set something up.
LH: it would have to be in NY. Although, some day I do wanna see the Googleplex :)
If I can get the New York Summer of code students together -- that would be neat.
@ robert o'connor: I can imagine we could make this happen for you. Send me mail when you're ready to get started planning.
Will do.
Nice work shadowfoot! :-)
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