On Connectivity, Networking, and Getting Around

I've been an active poster in one forum (and a very inactive lurker in several more) and, good news, looks like the TipidPC grand eyeball-slash-christmas party is going to be a big one! Imagine, one of the threads anounced that they were looking for a location where they could fit several hundred members and a lan-party setup (BYOA, of course). Well, as long as theres going to be some internet access, I guess I'll manage...

Then, there was the PLUG seminar last Saturday (101505). I got in late (around lunch time), but 'twas all good... Lots of laughs with Clair and company (too bad I'm too much the loner to really mingle)...

It's not really clear to many as to the why's of attending these kinds of functions. Well, for the seminar, Knowledge Transfers are always good. Even better when it's free. But what else is to be gained? The term is networking (and I don't mean multi-level marketing).

An large network of contacts is always a good thing. Whether close and warm, or distant and professional, a contact is one thing that a person cannot do without. Although, as I did mention, I didn't exactly mingle outside of the people that I already knew, but, hey, that's just me. Watch and wait. I have time until the next time, to start being the social butterfly needed to build bridges and connections at those events.

Speaking of connectivity, that's probably the main cause that got me into linux in the first place. Connectivity. What with all the interoperability that is being built in, and the openness and warmth (in general) of the people in this culture. Although, I do have to admit, I have yet to see a windows user acutally gush about their utilities the same way linux users/fans/fanatics/zealots do. I wonder if there was ever a study about that?