Shindig!

Some notes from my dinner with the bloggers and assorted hangers-on last night, hosted by Robert Scoble (who may think I’ve been stalking him at these gatherings, having shown up at one in New York last month) and Hugh MacLeod:

[Scoble, a cornfed American boy if ever there was one, notes tech differences between the US and UK, saying he’s “seen no Macs since leaving the states”. Actually, I’ve got one, as do many other astrophysicists — we like the Unix back-end, combined with the fact that it “just works” in ways that Linux still, sadly, doesn’t (broadband, wifi, MS office interoperability). Also, we think we’re quite stylish, for scientists.]

wmap_sphere.jpgGot to talk with Megan (a.k.a. Jane Galt), the brains behind Asymmetrical Information, chat with frequent dinner-attendees Barry and Rachel, and debate politics with Perry. Like Gia, I think I need to finally move to my own domain — this one’s a bit hard to pronounce (and has been subject to altogether too many outages of late). Lots of expat and visiting Americans, it seems. Apologies to the others I met — and the dozens I didn’t get to meet. Along the way, I seem to have promised to lead the bloggers through a powerpoint presentation on cosmology at some future event, in order to explain once and for all this picture, which is my mobile phone’s wallpaper.

Apologies that I may have been a bit surly with Lloyd, who was recording the event for digital posterity.

Alas, despite promises of “pretty authentic” Mexican food, the fajita-ish slop, although plentiful, was bland — Central and South American food is one of few cuisines that London seems yet to master. But it was nice to find a plentiful selection of US micro-brews like Anchor Steam alongside the Mexican stalwarts Dos Equis and Modelo.

Photos here (I’m the one in the loud shirt…).

3 responses to “Shindig!”

  1. gia avatar

    Nice to meet you the other night, Andrew!
    I’ve got a domain name all ready to go, but I’m not sure my server at the University of Manc is the right place to host it… What is the deal at Imperial regarding ‘personal’ things on their servers…? At what point could your blog become an issue?
    I don’t do illegal things with my blog… but I aften enjoy a spot of Christian-bating… Which surely must be a required practice in any physics department… 🙂

  2. Lloyd Davis avatar

    No harm done here Andrew. I interpreted it as mild discomfort, nothing more.

  3. OracleAppsBlog avatar

    Variety and Spice at the London Geek Dinner

    Last week I attended the London Geek Dinner hosted by Robert Scoble and Hugh Macleod. I must be the last one to blog about this as I'm a bit stretched for time right now. Anyhow, it was an awesome evening. Personally, it was the best social eve…