[TAG] One for Ben

[Ben Okopnik]

On Wed, Jul 14, 2004 at 12:45:30PM -0700, Rick Moen wrote:
> Quoting Ben Okopnik (ben at callahans.org):
> 
> > On Tue, Jul 13, 2004 at 11:04:28PM -0400, Brian Bilbrey wrote:
> > 
> > Hi, Brian -
> > 
> > First time I've seen you on this list. Welcome!
> 
> Yes, indeedy.  
> 
> Ben, have you noticed that this is sometimes an insanely small and close
> community?  

Yep. I noticed that with long-distance sailing, too; a Norwegian captain
that I met in a Caribbean port ten years ago ended up sitting next to me
at a Thanksgiving dinner in Morehead City, NC - and it took the two of
us a few minutes of staring at each other to figure out the how and the
where from (and we'd spent lots of evenings drinking each other's liquor
and telling sea stories.) Another skipper, whose boat I admired and
lusted after in Montauk, NY happened to pull into Boqueron Bay, Puerto
Rico just as I was talking about him. Happens all the time - and it's
not like there's a shortage of ports _or_ sailors in the world, and
there are hundreds of thousands of miles of even standard routes! I've
given up trying to blow it off as coincidence.

In the world of computers - well, Jim and Heather saw this one. My first
time in the Bay Area, and they drag me to some long-standing "every
Wednesday" geek party... and it turns out that I know a number of people
there (something like 6 different folks, some of whom go _way_ back with
me). Moreover, a large number of the remainder are one degree of
separation away. *And*, besides everything else, a couple of friends
that I was supposed to meet for dinner the next night walk in. 

Oh, and best of all - turns out that Jim and I have crossed paths a
number of times at an SF club (we're both members) in LA, about 15 years
previously. My brain almost melted down trying to figure the chances of
all that happening.

> I've been running into Brian Bilbrey for years and years,
> and I'm not 100% sure I've ever met him in real life, but I've always
> admired his style.  He's bright and articulate:  You'll like him.
> (Besides, I just learned how to make fresh pesto from his blog, so the
> day is not wasted.)

Hey, all right! Not that it's necessary to join TAG, but a
recommendation from Rick is good as gold in my book. Add a good pesto,
and you're in like Flint. :)


* Ben Okopnik * okopnik.freeshell.org * Editor-in-Chief, Linux Gazette *
-*- See the Linux Gazette in its new home: <http://linuxgazette.net> -*-