Wednesday 28 February 2007

The Sixth Degree of IRC

Being now over 50 and officially an OldFart, I had to revisit. What does an OldFart revisit? Well, his old IRC channel for NotQuiteOldFartsYet. Empty except for one person.

"Wow" I thought, "what an attrition rate!" but the lone person still in channel like a rusting marker buouy told me that the channel had been abandoned in droves and everyone was hanging in a new channel, so I headed over there.

The three people in that channel were similarly either asleep, in town, or on chores. But eventually I began to be able to carry out a strange, time-warped conversation. Several of the occupants I'd met in real life here in Perth, and one of them who went interstate married the bloke that uprooted his life here in Perth and followed her there a month or two later.

As I was chatting, it turns out that the bloke is the agent for one of our PRAWNHEADS members here in Perth although (and despite both living here at one stage) has never met the man he works for. Wow - world of wonders, all that.

But we got along well (in relay mode, his wife was relaying messages between us) and next time he is in Perth he now has a guaranteed lunch date.

So I went to PRAWNHEADS lunch today full of the news but the local chap wasn't there, but one of the others, as I told the story, went "oh yeah that would be so and so I knew him when he ran XYX Storehere years ago!"

Just goes to show. If you live in a geek baby boomer environment, the world really IS a small place...

PS: For the curious, PRAWNHEADS is an acronym for Perth Radio And Wireless Noodle House Eating And Discussion Society, we now have affiliate members interstate %) and we meet weekly for lunch and bullshit slinging. If you feel at home with the name and can spare one long lunchtime a week and are in Perth (other cities coming soon!) feel free to contact us and show up for a lunch...

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