ASCII by Jason Scott

Jason Scott's Weblog

A Great Gift —

This entry logged on September 26th.

One of the greatest things to come out of my documentaries are friendships.

I’ve interviewed hundreds of people. Some I would see randomly, in the middle of events. (This was what I’d try to do to prevent easy biases, which sort of worked.) And others I would make arrangements with because they were experts in something, or conveniently located, or who had experienced something I thought would work out well in the quilt of interviews. I certainly wasn’t choosing buddies.

But you know, every few dozen interviews, I’d find someone I really admired or got along with or found that a couple hour interview turned into an afternoon of hanging out. And sometimes we’d even hang out on later days or see each other at cons. And if I was in town, I’d hang out again.

Like I said, never intended, but now I’ve gotten:

  • Friends who I talk to nearly every week, or even daily;
  • People who insist/expect a dinner when I’m in town and guarantee a great one when I go;
  • Folks who I see a few times in year at events or hangouts who I’d have otherwise missed;
  • People who think of me (and who I think of) when stuff goes by I’d like them to have.

In the speech I gave at Defcon I went off at the end about “Living a full life”, and was talking about breaking out of standardized patterns that can entrap and deaden your interactions with the world. The trick I used was to go out and meet many people on their own terms and in their own homes. It was great.

If nothing else comes of it, many of these friends are for life. That’s just indescribably wonderful.

And as the piles of BBS Documentary discs goes out the door (the pile is really getting low!) and after the pile is gone, I’ll still have these friends. Who could ask for more?


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One Comment

  1. Swede says:

    Inspiring stuff. I don’t know if your remember, but I interviewed you a few years ago. If you’re ever in south Sweden and need free booze, food, sleeping place, women etc, just gimme a shout 😉