Well that was a fun evening. I’ve entered the Googleplex, gained a pocket full of kryptonite and stroked a flying car. Better yet, I’ve downed several bottles of beer with some of the greatest minds on the planet.
This is SciFoo, an invitation-only unconference of brilliant minds (and me), organised by Nature, Google and O’Reilly. A couple of hundred people – scientists, artists, business folk, technologists – are brought together in Google’s HQ in Mountain View to discuss life, the universe and everything.
At the opening session, each delegate is asked to give their name, job and three words to describe their interests. Many selected safe, descriptive terms but with so many creative types around we got a fair few chuckles. Our very own Jenny Rohn received the biggest huzzar for declaring ‘Scientists are sexy’. Timo Hannay of Nature.com playfully suggested ‘Print is dead’, to which Nature Editor Phil Campbell retorted ‘Print lives yet’. And author Neal Stevenson broke the rules by using a sentence to describe himself: “Putting the ‘hard’ back into ‘hard science fiction’”. Very apt, if you’ve read one of his novels.
I don’t think I’m going to get much sleep over the next two days. Much more soon…
Endlessly jealous here. Have a wonderful time! Enjoy the food. What were your three words?
Brown, Matt Brown said in his finest Sean Connery voice of course
Last week Ronaldo, this week Connery. He’s so adaptable, our Matt.
Hey, I’m here too
My
lawyersblessed local shopkeeper aka Amjit has asked me not to comment any further at this juncture.My three words were something like blogging, communication and whisky. Not necessarily in that order.
Hey Sabine – I’ll keep an eye out for you. Although I don’t know what you look like and my eyes are starting to go a bit wrong after only two hours sleep in 40 hours.
Fun, and strange. Hopefully, fecund.
Bloody hell Heather, what kind of message are you trying to get across?
Doesn’t anyone want to know what my three words were?
Some of us are paying attention, Jenny.
Wow. I used to be a lot better at reading posts while half asleep after a few drinks.
No doubt, Jenny, you’ve also missed that Matt’s description of the conference being brilliant minds (and me) means he thinks you’re a brilliant mind.
Have fun stroking cars, or whatever it is you are doing there.
My three words – “You lucky bastards”
@Richard. Oops. I wasn’t invited, and those were not intended to be my three words. Just commenting on the SciFoo thing. Then again, they’re not so badly chosen. But I don’t need to hope for fecundity – been there, done that.
@Jennifer: go ahead, it’s your turn!
I think I’m with Henry. Sounds like it was a blast.
My pain is sharpened because I was there last year, and it was indeed a blast. Still, I can always retire to my beach hut and consume myself in fits of impotent jealousy.
So EuroSciFoo 2008 for Cromer?
Good idea. We can play beach cricket and have a barbecue.
yay! Bags I cook. Or keep wicket, not bothered which.
Great. Bags I film it.
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I wasn’t aware of SciFoo events until after last years one.
Re. this years event, I recall leaving a message on a forum somewhere to the effect that I knew the Foo Fighters (as if) and I would ask if they would be interested in attending.
Someone responded with something like “wow – that would be cool”
My brother is “Dave Grohl” in Foo Fighters cover band (Faux Fighters?), maybe he can get his band to play SciFoo Cromer… rpg on wicket, cos you don’t want me playing cricket. I’ll bring some good Memphis BBQ…
I’d love to be a fly on the wall at this SciFoo thingy :)
I think they should hold the next one in Thailand and it could be the ThaiFoo.
Brilliant, Frank !
Is that Matt in yet another guise?
Possibly – Maybe
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Oh bugger, Bjork wrote a wee ditty in this regards – see above.
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Definitely unrelated.
Is it as much fun as I imagine the TED conferences are, another conference I’m unlikely to find myself at…