communication breakdown

Shaun Does Dallas

Well, I'm back from Dallas, where I spent the last four days at PyCon, a software development conference centered around the Python programming language. Sounds like a blast, huh? I went with a group of 5 co-workers, and all in all I'd say we all had a positive experience. Here are three things you may or may not want to know:

• Despite warnings from friends, I was wholly unprepared for the level of nerditude that we faced there. I guess I should have seen it coming - after all, it was a conference for a programming language. But I guess I just assumed that there would be a fair amount of people like me and my co-workers: software developers, yes, but also reasonably healthy and well-balanced people. Not so much. It was full-on Nerdapalooza out there, and it was just plain scary. Now, to be fair, all of these jokers were crazy smart; in fact, I'd go as far as to say most of the people there were of a vastly higher intellect than myself. But you know the old saying about how stereotypes wouldn't exist if they weren't true? It sure felt that way this weekend. Jean shorts, unkempt hair, stupid shirts - the geekdom was out in full force. For a while we played the "Spot the PyCon attendee" game while sitting in the hotel bar, but we gave up because it was just too easy.
• The location was nice, despite the fact that I didn't really get to experience "true" Dallas. It kind of felt like when you take a cruise and go to "Jamaica" - you don't really experience true Jamaican culture, because the little portion of the beach where you stop is Tourist Central, totally catered to cruise patrons, and littered with vendors and attractions. PyCon sort of felt the same way - the event was held in a nice hotel, but it was away from downtown, and while it was surrounded by about 8 billion restaurants, the whole area felt very catered to travelling businessmen/executives. However, we ate like kings and got to chill a fair amount, which made for a relaxing weekend.
• On the way back to the airport, I saw one of the coolest things I've ever seen. We were on the highway, driving about 65, when this lady a couple cars ahead of us decides she needs to exit NOW. The problem is, the exit she wants is approaching rapidly, and it's pretty apparent that she's not going to make it. But she was not to be denied. She turns the wheel pretty sharp and starts darting across lanes, cutting off people in her way. She finally gets into the right-most lane, but at this point she's already passed the offramp. However, she continues to try and exit, so she ends up in the triangular area between highway and offramp (that is, the triangular area you're not supposed to drive on). What she doesn't realize is that she's hurtling straight towards an exit sign. We see her slam on the brakes, but we all knew what was coming: sure enough, watching her as if in slow motion, she totally obliterates the exit sign! It lays a mean gash in her bumper, metal shards fly everywhere, the sign flies up in the air, hits the top of her car, and then it flips over and falls. The best part is, she just keeps driving! And to top it off, she was on a cellphone the whole time, and even after hitting the sign, she never hung up the phone. Once again - it maybe a stereotype, but steer clear of women drivers on cellphones. Especially if you are an exit sign.