[Heineken]

No, not really. But imagine there were one---in St. Louis, perhaps (nice and centrally located, at least for US members).

We'd all wear cute little name tags showing both our real names and our virtual names.

There we'd be, milling around, feeling a bit guilty after our gas-guzzling journeys. Attending seminars and workshops. Giving and listening to speeches. Browsing at booths. Doing cocktail affairs. Attending the grand finale and banquet.

And, above all, gawking at one another---in fascination, delight, shyness, fear, and even shock.

Would you dare show up? How would you relate in the flesh to people you've known only "virtually" on this site? People you've admired, loathed, praised, hurled insults at. Do the relationships we establish on this site---both empheral and more lasting---have any meaning that's translatable to the real world?

Or is all just part of the dream, the meaningless background buzz, that finally claims us all?

[rwwff]

No way. I'm convinced you guys would lynch me.


or ignore me.

I'm not sure which is worse.

[azreal60]

Rwwff, if you show up, the beers on me. =)

Assuming I show up, damn gas being so high. Can we get a city that has a nice rail network into it? Not sure, I think St louis does.

[DigitalCubano]

I'll show up as long as you schedule a Doomers vs. Cornucopians tug-of-war.

Kidding aside, I'd be tempted to show up if it jived with my schedule AND if it weren't comprised of unabashedly biased forums (i.e. bash nuclear seminar in lieu of an open dialogue on nuclear).

Yeah, and I'd wear my name tag so that you could all point and say: "so he's the a**hole!"

[RonMN]

I get to be on the doomers side of that tug-of-war

Sure i'd show up...provided i can wear a football helmet to avoid getting punched in the nose

[Heineken]

Somehow I'm getting the feeling there will be no PO.com Convention . . .

[NeoPeasant]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('azreal60', 'R')wwff, if you show up, the beers on me. =)

Assuming I show up, damn gas being so high. Can we get a city that has a nice rail network into it? Not sure, I think St louis does.

[Heineken]

The only problem with Amtrak is that we'd arrive more dead than alive, NeoPeasant. Including, in many cases, terribly late.

I've used Amtrak a lot and it fully reflects the pitiable priority our society has given to rail service. A national disgrace.

[Zardoz]

The best thing about the Internet is its anonymity. Finding out who we all really are would be totally disastrous.

Forget it...

[TheDude]

Great, a nihilistic version of a Trek con. People could show up dressed as gas pumps or windmills.
What kind of beer? Perhaps...Heineken?
That brand name always makes me think of the movie Blue Velvet.

[Laughs_Last]

Is Missouri a CCW state? I know Illinois isn’t. If we do it in St. Louis, everyone who feel carrying guns makes them safe can stand on the west side of the Mississippi. Everyone who feels the opposite can stand unarmed in East St. Louis. Sea-steaders can float out in the middle. This is going to work out great.

[Heineken]

My God, are we really that afraid of meeting each other? Is "anonymity" really that priceless?

If PO.com members can't even hold a convention, and converse civilly with people they have disagreed and argued with, how are they going to handle PO itself?

What about all that talk about the importance of "social capital"?

Just talk.

Doing is different.

Reality is different.

[RonMN]

How about we all chip in & buy a piece of land in this "centeralized location"...then when PO smacks us in the face...we can all go there & grow our turnips.

It'll be the PO convention that never ends

And that Tug-O-War game wont be doomers vs. cornicopians...it'll be all of us pulling the plow.

I'll bring the beer!

[Heineken]

Ha, ha, RonMN.

Butterfly collectors hold conventions. Ditto for electricians, "Star Trek" fans, and toilet manufacturers.

But we reject the idea for ourselves as unworthy.

Go back and read my opening post and the implication it makes.

I knew the idea wouldn't fly, and that's the whole point.

[NEOPO]

I have attended this sort of thing before and we all met up in st. louis in 03'
Several from Germany and others from all over the US.

It was "different" sure but with some people it was as if we would have been close friends no matter what.

A PO crowd doing it? why not - its happening all the time.

If Rwwff shows the pot is on me

[rwwff]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('NEOPO', 'I')f Rwwff shows the pot is on me

[Niagara]

I remember the heyday of the late '90's Nasdaq stock market boom. I was very active in many stock trading forums (Raging Bull, Yahoo, Stockhouse, etc. )

I attended a few of the annual general meetings of companies I owned shares in. It was a weird experience to meet some of the identities from the chatrooms.

Online I was somewhat "aggressive" towards the bashers (those who had short positions and bad-mouthed the stock to disuade investors). I was a bit nervous to show my face and reveal my online identity. Those chatrooms could get quite nasty. They still do.

But it was a great experience. A bunch of met and introduced ourselves, we hooked up for lunch or drinks afterwards and struck up some friendships.

All in all, a nice experience.

[NEOPO]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'N')ow, see here. You're tempting me a bit too much. There is hardly anything funnier that watching stoned people; especially when they try to get excited about something.

[Heineken]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Niagara', 'I') remember the heyday of the late '90's Nasdaq stock market boom. I was very active in many stock trading forums (Raging Bull, Yahoo, Stockhouse, etc. )

I attended a few of the annual general meetings of companies I owned shares in. It was a weird experience to meet some of the identities from the chatrooms.

Online I was somewhat "aggressive" towards the bashers (those who had short positions and bad-mouthed the stock to disuade investors). I was a bit nervous to show my face and reveal my online identity. Those chatrooms could get quite nasty. They still do.

But it was a great experience. A bunch of met and introduced ourselves, we hooked up for lunch or drinks afterwards and struck up some friendships.

All in all, a nice experience.

[Omnitir]

I’d show up so that I could get the chance to assimilate you all into the cornucopian collective. Resistance is futile. Or at the very least, lend some muscle to give the cornucopian side a chance of winning the tug-of-war.

However as much as I would find it interesting to discuss PO with peaknics in real life, I’d just be way too scared of possible gun nuts turning up.

It would be interesting though. I suspect people would be far more friendly with and respectful of each other then they are online.