Open Knowledge & Pi

Yabley barbly comrades; this Saturday I will be attending Open Knowledge 1.0 in London. I can't actually afford it, or rather I can, but it means eating nothing but 8p packaged noodles from Tesco's for the next week or two. I am banking on the whole ordeal being important and insightful for my poor underdeveloped mind or something. Plus, how could I say no to a pretentious Web 2.0 title?

I am a greedy little information hound. If I was a Top Trumps card, my tag line would be 'Insufferable Little Know-It-All: 100x∞. My own manic need/desire to know stuff carries me through these stages:

First: Silent Observer - I sit and wait, like a ninja, ready to knife the soft underbelly of knowledge and eat its sweetmeats. Once obtained, sense of security fills me and I move on to,

Second: Overzealous Questioner - The Spanish Inquisition has nothing on me; every pause in lecturers/speakers monologue or request for 'Are there any questions, comments?...' and I'm already speaking. I can't help it. My head is filled with bees which lead on to,

Third: Head-Full-Of-Stars - is my Indian name. Actually no, that's Hester Saint-? McGuire -- and a whole nother story. But presuming the former was my feather-not-dot name, it would be because my brain buzzes with the dead reflections of information that are beamed out to me and kept safe. Until somebody says something which is Not True in my mind, and I correct them without pause for social ramifications.

Thus the title of 'Insufferable'.

Okay yeah so whatever, basic psychology aside, why am I going? Well a lot of reasons; I haven't attended any events like this, and I like connecting with information. Because I like connecting with information, I like the concept of Open Knowledge as a whole, because I like information to be free. (Sidenote: I cried every single time I watched Born Free as a child...) The speakers from Open Media and Open Science/Civil really intrigue me, and I hope to learn something awesome.

But an amusing sidenote: it's at Limehouse Town Hall -- sure it's a minutes walk off of the DLR, but it's d-d-d-dodgy around there. Or it was? Gosh, the whole docklands changes so freekin' rapidly I can never tell anymore.

All I know is I have the most vivid memory of watching a junkie come on the DLR at Limehouse, and sit down in the seat across from me. I could stare openly because: A: he was fucked out of his skull, B: I wear sunglasses at night (because the future is so bright). It was strange; they seemed perfectly normal and inoffensive save for the fact that they were very obviously a smackhead. Weird. I get worse vibes from the crackheads up in Camden, but that's a given.

Sad facts of humanity aside; I will update the situation with lovely information on Open Knowledge 1.0 after I attend. If I do attend - and I'm not eaten by wild dogs or something beforehand.

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In other news: happy Pi Day, Humanoids!
¡ <3 teh π