[volunteers] On hamburgers - merged

[Heather Stern]

On Tue, Apr 03, 2007 at 11:46:32PM -0700, Paul Reiber wrote:
> Alvin - agreed across the board pretty much.
> 
> It sucks that linux10.org is dead? I seem to remember a picnic wiki w/
> some relevant content - was that this site, or some other one?
 
There is linuxpicnic.org.  Duncan is just getting things spun up;  content 
such as we have is from stuff carried forward.

> I know I signed up to be on the picnic mailinglist years ago but I
> haven't been getting their emails lately.  maybe my address bounced or
> something.

Paul, while I have the ability to check that for you, I think it would be 
a finer thing if Duncan does it for you instead and I keep my paws out of 
the fixins.   

I am interested if anyone is inclined to be helpful, in their involvement
in *the* Linuxpicnic, no matter what sort of flavor (burgers, corn,
hot dog, ice cream) you think it carries.  

We always welcomed BSD fans as fellow open sorcerors and I didn't
hear people whinging that it was no longer "Linux" for the Apache
and Postgresql and so on presences.  We didn't tell the book folks to
buzz off and keep their grubby commercial paws off things;  we welcomed
them also as members of the community, and they not only sent books but
attended directly.

Language purists can note the word "we".  

Last year I got not just told but basically slammed that the Picnix is a 
group effort by lots and lots of people, lots and lots of groups.  
   if (! single-group-owns-picnic) 
   then (who owns picnic?  everyone) {
        ownership = volunteer + show up + be useful + do not harm ;
        }

A thousand people can "own", be members of, make things happen at,
a science fiction convention, a handful could have fussed a few
papers somewhere with a bank and the state (or not!), 200 could be
staffers... and the number of people who actually did some helpful thing
can't ever be easily listed, since many just help and move on with their
fun;  it's all part of the life we share.

*We* of the Linux fandom share a fondness for a particular penguin and
a certain Finn's tenacity at the coding spree.

If making sure that a picnic to celebrate it actually happens, and also
happens to be fun, is some sort of crime against linuxdom, then I *will*
eat my red hat.  With ketchup.  At the freakin' picnic*.  You can auction
tickets on eBay and put the vid on youtube.   * well, ok, I might stop
when I get full, and wash it down later with ice cream, if it shows up.
But I'm not joking.

I am, however, growing past tired of being told what a flaming bitch I am
for attenmpting to defend the concepts of peace and sanity at a picnic,
for christ's sake.  Don't tell me that "what I perceived at the time was a 
lie" - I already figured out a long time ago that my prescription for rose 
coloured lenses needs an optometrist.  

Well, guess what.  At the time I *first* saw that, I *chose* to stay an
SVLUG volunteer.  I could have simply stopped showing up, stopped being
involved with anything Linuxy whatever going on in this region so that
I wouldn't have to deal with people, perhaps even chance bumping into
people, who made me cry.  What I *chose* to be was part of a solution 
rather than part of a continuing problem.

Tne problem isn't who owns what or whether some things can even be owned.
The problem isn't about who treads each other's concepts with steeltoed
boots nor who stomps with two left feet in the dance nor who stays a
sourpuss 20 seconds or 20 weeks too long.

The problem is isolationism, in a community that is driven by concepts 
about sharing and reusing what we know to the benefit of all.

I think treating each other with grace is a fine way to put a shattered
community back together.  What's more, I feel that way too.   How to put 
my own shattered self back together I left for the summer winds to figure
out.  I'm being the same self regardless... to the best of my ability.

*Do* allow me to remain an optimist.  There's good things that can be done.
Let's, shall we?

</soapbox.  clean thoughts only hereafter.>

> -pbr
> http://reiber.org

  . | .    Heather Stern          |     (408) 374-7623 land
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