[LispSea] screw the stone soup, we'll have a meeting and order what we like

[Brandon J. Van Every]

Anthony Fairchild wrote:
> Daniel,
>
> I'm bummed, I was really looking forward to the group.  I should have 
> spoken up earlier, but:  I'm a bit of a newbie to Lisp, so that really 
> does not qualify me for teaching, but I am willing to contribute in 
> any other way that I can.  If anything I would just like to meet other 
> lispers in the area, it does not have to be a formal group to start. 

Well, ok, let's put this to rest right now.  If Daniel won't lead, I 
will.  Or I will lead until Daniel comes to his senses.  The problem 
with my own brand of leadership, is I've got financial issues and I may 
have to abscond to, say, Colorado to make more money.  If my job 
situation was stable, I'd call a meeting immediately, say for 1 to 2 
weeks hence.  But as it stands, this week I have to figure out how I'm 
going to pay the bills next month.  Once I've figured that out, I'll 
make an announce.  Perhaps by then, Daniel will have reconsidered and I 
won't need to.

If I call the meeting, it'll be like the SeaFunc format.  We'll meet at 
a bar or restaurant, order our own food and drinks, and talk about Lisp 
and Scheme stuff.  I don't have any presentations to offer, nor will I 
try to organize one.  If anyone has a laptop and wants to do some 
show-and-tell, that's peachy.  When starting a group, there is inherent 
value in getting people into the same room face-to-face.  E-mail isn't 
that "warm" a medium, as Daniel has discovered.  I think people can be 
more easily motivated to do stuff when they are flesh and blood, not 
bits and bytes.

High probability I will pick the same date, time, and venue as either 
the SeaFunc or Ruby meetings.  I'm perfectly happy if in practice, the 
group resembles a large contingent of SeaFuncers who are only discussing 
Lisp and Scheme.

>
> Thanks for your efforts in attempting to get this group going.  If 
> there is still any hope of getting something going, even informal, let 
> me know what I can do to help!

The best thing you could do is be sure to show up and run your gob if I 
do call a meeting.  :-)  Groups require a quorum to get going.  I 
definitely think we have a quorum now.  If Daniel wants to reassert 
himself and do more than what I'm suggesting, that's great, I'm all for 
it.  In other groups, I have often been the gadfly that spurs people to 
get on with it and do greater things.  I just don't accept things like 
despair for an answer.  Let's not forget that the Lisp, Scheme, and 
OCaml groups were the kernels that made SeaFunc, and that it worked.


Cheers,
Brandon Van Every

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