Report on the first "whenever" Aussie Oolite get-together
Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2014 12:39 pm
In what was truly a momentous and historic occasion, today, two Australian Oolite fans actually managed to meet face-to-face for the first time in recorded history. Brits, Americans, and EU denizens who've never been here, will have no real understanding of what a difficult feat this really is. In a land so vast and un(der)-populated that any place less than 100km away is regarded as "just around the corner", where distance is measured in how many bottles of beer you can drink on the journey, and where most Oolite fans are separated by anywhere from several hundred to several thousand kilometres, the logistics involved in arranging such a meeting are truly mind-boggling.
Thus it was with considerable excitement that two Oolite fans recently discovered that not only did they live in the same city (which is over 125km across), but that they actually both lived on the eastern side of said city. Practically a stone's throw away, by local standards.
And so, it was arranged that both should meet this very evening, in the heart of the city CBD, in a pub called the Melbourne Central Lion. A very nice place, I'd like to add, with lots of dark timber furnishings, and muted lighting. Spacious enough that the tables are well spaced out, such that even had there been many more customers than were present on this Monday night, it would not have felt crowded. The beer was cold, the food was hot, and both were of good quality, albeit somewhat on the pricy side. But still, for a popular inner-city pub, to be expected, I suppose.
And so it was that Neelix and myself came to meet, in order that he could show me Oolite running on a real live Pandora console, and that we could discuss all things Oolite. All told, we had three and a half laughter-filled hours, in which Oolite, and future OXP projects featured heavily, as well as sharing information about our backgrounds, particularly in regards to computers and IT.
As it turned out we would both be travelling on the same train-line home, the conversation even managed to continue for another 40 minutes or so, until I reached my station.
Neelix is a great bloke, and I had a very enjoyable time. Thanks for helping make it possible, mate, and I hope we can do it again soon.
The only memento of the occasion, is this pic I took of Oolite running on Neelix's Pandora. Until I saw it for myself, I had no real idea of just how small these devices are. All the pictures on the 'net don't include anything that conveys a sense of scale. My hands are somewhat on the small side, and Neelix's are really not much bigger than mine, so this photo will give you some idea of what a tiny gaming console the Pandora really is.. that screen is only 4 inches (100mm) on the diagonal.
Thus it was with considerable excitement that two Oolite fans recently discovered that not only did they live in the same city (which is over 125km across), but that they actually both lived on the eastern side of said city. Practically a stone's throw away, by local standards.
And so, it was arranged that both should meet this very evening, in the heart of the city CBD, in a pub called the Melbourne Central Lion. A very nice place, I'd like to add, with lots of dark timber furnishings, and muted lighting. Spacious enough that the tables are well spaced out, such that even had there been many more customers than were present on this Monday night, it would not have felt crowded. The beer was cold, the food was hot, and both were of good quality, albeit somewhat on the pricy side. But still, for a popular inner-city pub, to be expected, I suppose.
And so it was that Neelix and myself came to meet, in order that he could show me Oolite running on a real live Pandora console, and that we could discuss all things Oolite. All told, we had three and a half laughter-filled hours, in which Oolite, and future OXP projects featured heavily, as well as sharing information about our backgrounds, particularly in regards to computers and IT.
As it turned out we would both be travelling on the same train-line home, the conversation even managed to continue for another 40 minutes or so, until I reached my station.
Neelix is a great bloke, and I had a very enjoyable time. Thanks for helping make it possible, mate, and I hope we can do it again soon.
The only memento of the occasion, is this pic I took of Oolite running on Neelix's Pandora. Until I saw it for myself, I had no real idea of just how small these devices are. All the pictures on the 'net don't include anything that conveys a sense of scale. My hands are somewhat on the small side, and Neelix's are really not much bigger than mine, so this photo will give you some idea of what a tiny gaming console the Pandora really is.. that screen is only 4 inches (100mm) on the diagonal.
