Re: Hofstadter Symposium [was Re: it was all a gag]

From: Spike Jones (spike66@ibm.net)
Date: Sun Apr 02 2000 - 22:31:41 MDT


> [Robert Wasley] was transfixed. How often were you going to see an assembly
> of the
> digerati of this magnitude in one room for free? The atmosphere was electric
> and the
> audience totally engaged.

Damn seldom. Once or twice a decade?

Fred Moulton and I agreed that had they offered tickets at 50 bucks
each they still woulda crammed that hall to overflow, and most of us
woulda paid 100.

What impressed me is how extropian notions have gone mainstream in
just 10 years. Consider the first west coast nanocon, hosted by the
K. Eric. There were I think a couple hundred of us there in Palo
Alto in [I think] 1990, the way out on the edge types, the dreamers.
But at yesterday's Nerdstock I saw perhaps a couple thousand all
together if you include all the people who wanted to get in and couldnt.

What do you suppose it will look like in another 10 yrs? I predict
we will all choose subspecialties in the loose collection of ideas we
now discuss in extropians. spike



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