ETech: BoingBonic Convergence

Pesco, Cory, Mark and I were in a synchronous space-time continuum yesterday at the O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference. This doesn't happen very often! Intergalactic travel is expensive, now that spaceship nanofuel prices are up.

Dave Bullock was there, shooting portraits for Wired, and he shot this image, above. You can view the rest of his extensive photo gallery for Wired right here.

Update: many have asked why our colleague Joel Johnson wasn't in the pic -- alas, he wasn't at ETech.

Boing Boing editor/partner and tech culture journalist Xeni Jardin hosts and produces Boing Boing's in-flight TV channel on Virgin America airlines (#10 on the dial), and writes about living with breast cancer. Diagnosed in 2011. @xeni on Twitter. email: xeni@boingboing.net.

More at Boing Boing

Ants and Stars: Bruce Sterling and Jasmina Tesanovic visit the Sardinia Radio Telescope in Italy

The Snowden Principle

Takuan

t’aint nuthing I evah done heah I wun’t do innna bar

backatcha
http://www.maakies.com/archive/m684.html
DWNPRSSR

#18 wrt:

rgh… hd t rgstr jst t pst ths. WTF s wrng wth Cry? H hs th mst nnyng, sht-tng, dchbg smrk ‘v vr sn. Hw ds smn wh lks lk tht vd cnstnt strm f ss-kckng?

Srsly, ths s scntfc nqry.

ky, tht n mght hv dsrvd mdrtn.

jst rd Dwnprssr’s vlbl cmmnt hstry, thgh, nd cn’t fnd <>ny rsn fr hm t tlrt yr bllsht wth s mch ptnc nd gd wll s h hs.

Y mght fnlly gt t hm, y knw? Myb h’ll lv, nd thn y wn’t hv ny <>rsnbl crtcs lft.
DWNPRSSR

t’nt nthng vh dn hh wn’t d nnn br

f tht’s tr, t’s wndr y hvn’t bn mrdrd.
Takuan

OK, if you really want to be banned, that is your choice. Now, please cease trespassing on the time of others. THAT actually is rude.
Teresa Nielsen Hayden / Moderator

Go for it.
Teresa Nielsen Hayden / Moderator

Moon, you’re good as long as no one imitates you with less benevolence. If they do, they go and your dork goes.
Takuan

ooh? is that a regionalism? “dork” is either penis or bumpkin usually. Is it actually offensive somewhere? I’ve seen a similar situation with “dink”
(dick or dolt)….. which now that I think about it; why is male anatomy associated with stupidity?
Bonnie

yay! my new favorite photo…
Joel Johnson

I am so fine with being Toto.
Joel Johnson

(I would also accept Glenda.)
angrydroid

I thought this was a picture of some new band. hehe
Takuan

Glinda? or was that an Ed Wood reference?
Takuan

shiny, happy faces, unlined (and polished) fore heads, ah yewff! I could just sweep you all to my crusty, unclean bosom and press my crackling, acrid flesh to you all!
Antinous

Awww! But next time, can you dress like the Village People?
Elysianartist

I don’t think that is Xeni’s real hair colour….
Not a Doktor

one of these things is not like the other
Alys

Looking good BBers!

@4 – is it because Cory’s wearing a hat? Or that Xeni’s the one without glasses? Or that Pesco hasn’t any hair?
Xenu

NERDS!!

(Just sayin’)
TedJohnson

Xeni reminded me of Max Headroom, which made me think of an unkind comment I could post, which sent me to Google Images looking for a picture of Max Headroom (to reinforce my nasty comment), which led me to this totally awesome, but unrelated Web site:

http://www.businessbibs.com/

It’s a parody site, that features bibs that look like business suits–so telecommuters like me can appear to be professionally dressed from the waste up.

Which made me completely forget about poking fun Xeni.
musicman

link on pic is b0rk3n: http://www.wired/ ?

That’s not NERDS!
Joel Johnson

Glinda or Glenda? (Zing!)
Dave Bullock (eecue)

@#7 you didn’t know wired was a TLD?

=]
mattymatt

Are Cory and Mark different people, or is that one guy who’s just been composited into the picture twice?
Takuan

nah, Just veterans of the Clone wars
alexanderkatzeff

And the point of this post is? “Hey look at us, we’re geek hipsters!”
donkey

Nc, dchbgs wrng prtnts glsss.
Stefan Jones

#11: No, hip geeksters!

Hey, Donkey, Koford has a casting call out for a sequel to his latest documentary. Why don’t you go for it?
cszostek

The lords of misfit toys.

:)

Where is Joel?

Thanks for the Boing’s!

-C-
Patrick

What’s the shirt on the left? Is that the KidRobot one?
the other matt

wow.. talk about battle of the nerd frames, i think Pesco takes the gold with his SpaceWar ’88 Cyber-Translucents.. :-)
noen

I can feel the love. It just… brings a tear to my eye. Oh wait, that’s Takuan’s crusty, unclean bosom, ewwww.
Teresa Nielsen Hayden / Moderator

DWNPRSSR = MOONBAT
hatch

rgh… hd t rgstr jst t pst ths. WTF s wrng wth Cry? H hs th mst nnyng, sht-tng, dchbg smrk ‘v vr sn. Hw ds smn wh lks lk tht vd cnstnt strm f ss-kckng?

Srsly, ths s scntfc nqry.
Teresa Nielsen Hayden / Moderator

Joel, I’ll grant you Glinda. Besides, she has the best gadgets.
boyhowdy

I love how disemvowelling affects links posted BY those who have been disemvowelled. Makes it impossible to figure out or trace what they were even talking about, and removes “I’ve posted my comments elsewhere” as an alternate for those who might be so badly in need of trollbaiting they’d folow the trolls to their lairs!

Srsly wsm.
Takuan

he’s thinking of you Hatch. I’d smile too.
Antinous

Hatch,

You poor thing. You had to do a little work to prove to the world that you’re a little turd. Deepest sympathies.
IWood

I’d hit…half of them.
hatch

ntrstng rspnss… s y rlly dn’t s t?

Dn’t gt m wrng, njy ths st nd hs wrtng myslf. t n hnst qstn, thgh. Tht smrk s prsnt n vry pctr ‘v vr sn f hm:

http://www.crphnd.cm/dctrw.jpg
hatch

nd nthr:

http://www.brnrch.rg/mgs/cry-dctrw2_12.jpg

Ths s th xct lk crmnl prsctr rcvs shrtly ftr th dfndnt s cqttd n tchnclty. m wrng?
LOLcat Stevens

Finally, photographic proof that Xeni and Cory are just two different heads of the same happy mutant!
Downpressor

Hw lng tll #18 gts dsmvwld by Cry’s dfndr?
Takuan

could we see a picture of you, Hatch?
chriskarate

You guys look like characters on a MUCK for The Matrix.

:P

(Love the giganto-glasses though, for serious. But it appears that two or three of you could do with hair one order of magnitude more epic. Although I am a bit biased towards epic hair. ymmv)
Antinous

I’d hit…half of them.

Three quarters for me.
RJ

I was not previously aware of Xeni’s cuteness. This is a pleasant surprise, for me. Not like it matters, in the end, but still. Wow.
Teresa Nielsen Hayden / Moderator

That’s it exactly.
OM

…For some odd reason, when I first saw that photo up there, I was immediately reminded of Josh Weinstein and Trace Bellieu as they posed during the opening of MST3K.

Which leads me to wonder who they shot into orbit, and whether they’re sending them cheesy movies or cheesy websites…
Talia

I wonder what it says about me that I felt compelled to look up “dork” on wikipedia.

Hmm. ;)
ClinttheDestroyer

For whatever reason, I had an image in my head of what cory looked like. This is my first actual time seeing him… I thought he looked like Neil Gaiman before I actually saw him. I’m not disappointed, he’s still awesome, but my world has been changed. For the better?????????
Matt Sanderson

Looks like a bunch of dirty hippies. Cut your hair, hippies!

…Oh. Sorry, David.
Takuan

what does Neil Gaiman look like?
Takuan

OK,now I’m doing it
Takuan

hur hur (snort)
http://www.dorkinghalls.co.uk/
Takuan

….oh…John Oliver….
Antinous

Words like dork are better researched at Urban Dictionary.
A New Challenger

Pescovitz was the only one until now that I hadn’t seen either an image of or in real life.

If I’d known you were all gonna be in town I would have invited you over. I have Chu Chu Rocket!
Antinous

Cory sans receding hairline

You clearly don’t have a bead on receding hairlines. The peaky areas on the sides of his forehead are unusually well-rounded for someone his age. No male pattern baldness. Mark just has abnormally thick hair or, perhaps, a great weave. David – Sorry, but you’re hot anyway.
Simon Greenwood

Hmm, spot the camera conscious one…
Snipe

Glsss Rmndr Bn Frgns
Downpressor

Teresa,

The editing stance here is really weird. #40 summed it up well that the commentary has been pretty vicious, yet only certain comments got censored.

Xeni seems to be adult enough to tolerate all the looks based comments and has demonstrated in the past that she can accept dissent and corrections gracefully. I believe I’ve seen the same from from Mark and David but somehow comments about the other contributor get editorial defense.
holtt

I’m sure someone can do better than I, but…

http://img441.imageshack.us/my.php?image=bloggersofozuz2.jpg
Takuan

I thought Mark wanted to be Dorothy!
Teresa Nielsen Hayden / Moderator

Downpressor, the first and second waves of looks-based comments aren’t the problem, and what Xeni is capable of putting up with is not necessarily what she should have to put up with.
Avram

Has anyone ever seen Mark Frauenfelder and Merlin Mann together?
Downpressor

Teresa,

That doesnt answer the question. Why is it that it seems that you rush to Cory’s defense first and foremost?
noen

Downpresser needs some E.
David Carroll

I wasn’t going to post anything, but:

You must have to have a very thick skin to run a blog. Xeni posts a nice portrait of the mutants and the majority of you proceed to tear it apart. I know some of you are just teasing, but the rest sound like you are judges at the Westminster dog show.

Ask yourselves if you would make any of these comments in person to someone you barely know…
Antinous

The question, Downpressor, is why you are fixated on Cory. You chase him through old comment threads making snide little digs. Your life isn’t Cory’s fault. Your incessant carping is transparent to us, if not to you.
cbarreto

Cool to see you all together. BTW, the whole Wired selection for 2008 was cool.
Earth Man

Who’s that cute chick behind the Verizon guy?
Jeff

Xeni is the icing on the cake! And doesn’t Doctorow have a “Devilish little boy smile?”
jackm

If you don’t mind my saying, you guys look a bit like the pop band Garbage, only better looking and less grumpy. ;-)
Downpressor

Antinous

Thats an odd statement. Anyway, my life is great!
kaosdevice

Rock on, rock stars!

(Where are Corey’s goggles and cape?)
ployntabs

h lrd, tht’s gfy lkng bnch. hrd Grhm Chpmn cn th phrs “xcrmntlly trndy” nc.
Joel Johnson

I like to pretend none of them are wearing pants.
GregLondon

Great cover art. Just finished listening to the new album,and I have to say that BoingBoing is one of the best bands I’ve heard in a while. Great riffs, awesome solos, powerful lyrics, all laid on top of some cool and funky beats.

Sorry I missed the San Diego concert. I hope the tour comes around to my neck of the woods soon.

Keep up the great work.
Landowner

Ok, someone has to lose their birth control glasses for the sake of the group. Right now it just looks weird.

I kid because I love.
themindfantastic

The last time I made a comment about everyones glasses in the last boing boing staff pic a few years ago, and why Xeni wasn’t wearing some hip spex like the rest of the gang, she would if everyone would wear heels, so I like to pretend that they are all wearing heels and hope Xeni gets on the sexy glassy goodness. The world is better with four eyes!
lautaylo

What a lovely picture! If I had any quite as nice of me and mine, I’d frame and hang it proudly. You four seem to photograph so well.

Oh, and Xeni, I’ve always wanted to ask…

How *do* you make your hair do that? So amazing!

Have fun basking in the tech!
GuabaMan

Nice photo! Maybe you should put a BB photo gallery.
dculberson

Pesco’s got a serious ass-kicker look going on in that picture.
elNico

#43…That is so true
Takuan

I want an auto-fisk feature. It’s too much work to do it honestly, I want a comments-by-user term search function.
Teresa Nielsen Hayden / Moderator

Downpressor, what Antinous said is true. You see me defending Cory because you’re forever taking potshots at him. You’ve seen me deflecting crap aimed at Xeni. If you were more of a jerk about visual art or civil liberties, you’d undoubtedly see me defending Mark and David.

I’ve double-checked my perception that you take a lot of swipes at Cory. Unlike poor Takuan, I can call up the collected comments of any user. It makes it much easier to confirm or disprove the existence of patterns.
MOONBAT

Wll, wll, lk t ths. Th sm grp f jkrs crryng t th sm rtn. Wh cld hv sn tht cmng? mn, t’s nt lk thr’s bhvr pttrn hr.

Wh m t sy? jst hv <>mntl dsrdr tht prvnts m frm prcssng th “nncs” f scl spch. sn’t tht rght, < hrf="http://tv.bngbng.nt/2008/03/06/-brf-hstry-f-.html#cmmnt-139147">Trs?
Halloween Jack

It’s a cute picture, mostly on account of Xeni.
Moon

@ #69, Teresa Nielsen Hayden / Moderator Author

Takuan and Antinous are just trying get me into trouble!!!

There’s no looking up words on the internet!!! Or crying in baseball!

:D
Antinous

Unlike poor Takuan, I can call up the collected comments of any user.

Au contraire, Madame. We can all do that by clicking on their moniker. It’s a basic feature of comments.
phazeaction

WANT the capsule shirt?

where i can has??
Takuan

jeez, why is it that people will do stuff here they would never dare in a bar or tavern? When you’re out for a little consciousness-relaxing in the meat world, do you insult the server? Slap the bartender?
Mouth off to the bouncers? Climb on stage and start groping the dancers? (including ladies night) In a club without a cover yet? Do you piss on the rug? Does anyone ever want to go out with you?

A little banter, some cut and thrust of debate, maybe a little slobbering and leering – sure! But don’t act like Begbie out of Trainspotting. It’s boring.

Now, who wants to shoot some pool or play some darts?
Takuan

But Antinous, I want it collated and pre-sorted as well as an assortment of rebuttals already listed for me.
Antinous

We’re bad, bad people.
Jeff

Takuan said, “…unclean bosom…” Dude, take a shower! LOL. Are you published? Because you’re a good writer. Do you have a short story to share?
David Pescovitz

@PHAZEACTION (#54), It’s from Kid Robot a year or so ago. They have a few items with that print.
Antinous

why is it that people will do stuff here they would never dare in a bar or tavern?

Good question. I’m 6’2″. Not that many people would walk up and pick a fight with me. Bullies are usually cowards. Of course, if they talked to me first, they’d realize that I was a complete pussy (and I mean that in the kittenish sense) and they could do whatever they wanted.

I want it collated and pre-sorted

I’d settle for chronological order. The current quasi-chrono order makes absolutely no sense to me. Fortunately, troll files usually contain a small number of lengthy posts.
whoknew

Is it just me, or is Cory totally not looking at the camera (unlike the other three)? Is it the glasses? Anyone else see that?
Takuan

people?
jaipal

Spelling words without vowels isn’t funny. You are going to have a hard time dealing with the “real world” when it comes time. Sure, college is fun and there are a lot of nice bars around but Leet and all that shit will get you nowhere when you are in your forties. Think this is funny? Just wait and watch what happens to you my friend. Remember this.

-Jaipal
Moon

Since the cats already out of the bag; from Urban Dictionary:

Dork

Someone who has odd interests, and is often silly at times. A dork is also someone who can be themselves and not care what anyone thinks.

You are such a dork.

/That’s what I meant! Really!

:D
Bek

Awww. I can only hope that, when I mature from a little nerd spawn into a happy mutant, I might be as hip as these four. And am thusly pressed against Takuan’s bosom.
Antinous

You should try reading the words with no consonants. That’s really hard. These kids have no respect.
Umpqua

Jaipal, they weren’t trying to be funny. They were Disemvoweled.
Paulefinch

Xeni, how the fuck do you get your hair to be that awesome? Dye, bleach, wax, holographic projector?
Jeff

Yes, I see it. I can’t stand to look at a camera directly–that’s how the machine can steal a part of your soul!
Moon

Or maybe THIS:

dork

Someone who does things that are kinda silly and not neccessarily cool but always cute

He’s such a dork. I love dorks.

But, never, never, never THIS:

dork

(n)a whale penis

The blue whale has the biggest dork on earth

Never!
Antinous

Just pray that they don’t follow the link and look at that picture.
Moon

There is a picture of a dork (not the whale one).

From Urban Dictionary again:
http://aycu34.webshots.com/image/44913/2003616078164722253_rs.jpg
Dave Bullock (eecue)

Glad you guys like the photos… keep an eye out for the rest of the shots of the BB crew in a week once my editor lets me release them.

=]
Antinous

Ah. That would explain a thing or two.
Moon

As long as I’m goofy, did everybody see the xkcd toon from yesterday. It’s a classic tribute to Gary Gygax!

http://xkcd.com/393/
DWNPRSSR

#18 wrt:

rgh… hd t rgstr jst t pst ths. WTF s wrng wth Cry? H hs th mst nnyng, sht-tng, dchbg smrk ‘v vr sn. Hw ds smn wh lks lk tht vd cnstnt strm f ss-kckng?

Srsly, ths s scntfc nqry.

ky, tht n mght hv dsrvd mdrtn.

jst rd Dwnprssr’s vlbl cmmnt hstry, thgh, nd cn’t fnd <>ny rsn fr hm t tlrt yr bllsht wth s mch ptnc nd gd wll s h hs.

Y mght fnlly gt t hm, y knw? Myb h’ll lv, nd thn y wn’t hv ny <>rsnbl crtcs lft.
David Pescovitz

@HOLTT (#79), You just made my week. Thanks!!!
Takuan

another IP address to block
holtt

I’m starting to form the germ of an idea here. Fan fiction. Like Boing Boing fan fiction. You can sort of smell the lust in here, isn’t it time someone put it into writing?

Cory’s hand hovered over the enter key, touching it, stroking it. Should he submit this story? Or keep it for his private amusement.

“Do it”, purred Xeni. “You know you want to. Share the love!”

“I’d hit it”, lol’ed Pesco.
Anselm

Damnit, Foofer, you beat me to it! ;)

But honestly, it’s great to see a picture of the four people who run one of my favorite blogs! Maybe some day I’ll actually get my act together enough to make it to some event and meet you guys in person.
Takuan

mm, got to thinking: Suing trolls.

Lots of precedent for deliberate defamation – corporate or personal, same libel laws apply.
Precedent for threats and stalking under criminal codes, again,a judge would have some clue.
Civil suits over intellectual property – oh yeah.

But what about nuisance trolls? The ones that are just out to pester? If you call someone anonymously on the telephone and harass them, you are going to jail. Same for willful impersonation with intent to deceive. Do these laws apply to other electronic media? A bar is a public place, is a chat room? BoingBoing comments? If someone has been figuratively tossed out for management disapproved behaviour and then they return under a pseudonym, is it actionable?

Has any case law been established on this? Is it desirable to create some? Usually the biggest sanction is cancelling any access from an offending IP address. Not really effective for determined offenders. I wonder if Internet Trespass is a concept we are ready for? Plenty of law already on hacking etc., what about a civil code for trolling?

My thought; behave as you wish. If you get thrown out but insist on sneaking back in, don’t be surprised if the legal bouncers break one of your legs for emphasis. Plenty of joints out there, only an asshole wants to spoil the party for others.
ROSSINDETROIT

Don’t you guys know anything? Blondes in front! Always!
Teresa Nielsen Hayden / Moderator

Good one, Holtt. Where does Joel fit in?
Antinous

It’s like Noh. It’s mildly entertaining, it goes on forever and you never quite get what the point was.
JG

Looks like Mt Rushmore (but with a cuter Jefferson)!

###
Gemini Gypsy

Want!
noen

We have reasonable critics?? Who knew?

When I perceive advocacy of theft(1) or distortion of facts I speak up.

Neither Cory nor BB have ever advocated theft.

why is it that people will do stuff here they would never dare in a bar or tavern?

Simple, there are consequences for being obnoxious in a bar.
Takuan

there are consequences here too. If someone insists, they will be sent to Coventry.

What’s the point? Why barge in with the intent of getting pitched out? Unless they are looking for love.
JG

Which one is Ringo?
Nelson.C

Is DWNPRSSR the same as DOWNPRESSOR, or is it just MOONBAT trying to sow confusion and doubt?
holtt

Good one, Holtt. Where does Joel fit in?

Oh, you mean ToTo? :^) And I was gonna get some real work done today!
ckd

Check out Cory’s lapel pin. Good thing he’s not running for President, because the media would have yet another irrelevant controversy to manufacture.
Moon

The correct term is not “Nerd” or “Geek”, it’s “Dork”

:D

/I tease because I love….
jrtom

#47: Clearly, as both Mark and Cory (at least) have demonstrated, if those are supposed to be ‘birth control glasses’, they don’t work. ;)

Nice picture, folks. I join the chorus of folks who believe that Xeni should borrow some glasses for the next such picture just for giggles, but I admit that it would have compromised the Puckish look that she’s got going here.
Teresa Nielsen Hayden / Moderator

Downpressor, you do a good imitation of being reasonable when you want to. It’s late, I’m tired, and you’ve been a pain in the wazoo all day. Just knock it off.
Antinous

If Teresa put that, it means that DWNPRESSOR and MOONBAT have the same IP address, so the latter.
Takuan

so have a drink and crash. The place won’t burn down.

more and more it’s starting to feel like Callahans
DWNPRSSR

Why d <>y d thngs hr tht y wld nvr d n br?