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Cocktails for programmers

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Re: Cocktails for programmers

#111
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My wife is a bourbon/whiskey snob. She mocks me when I make a jack and coke.

(a) your wife is awesome, (b) I too am a whiskey snob, (c) there's really nothing wrong with Jack Daniels or for that matter with jack & coke, (d) there is something wrong with mixing vodka and cola and calling it a cocktail.

there are many things wrong with Jack Daniels.

Re: Cocktails for programmers

#112
Gotta chime in here because I do this professionally.

This is why people don't like cocktails. These are seriously terrible. I wouldn't serve any of these, ever.

I don't want to be overly negative here, but no number of pull requests will fix this. Rather than try to salvage these, I will offer take out anyone who's interested and introduce you to a bunch of the top folks in the food and drink biz. There's really not a friendlier group of people, and learning about wine and spirits is a lot of fun.

Re: Cocktails for programmers

#113
post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

(I think you are reading into my comment something I did not write. I do not know what you think my "idea of a conference" would be.) I have tried to have technical conversations at parties and in bars with people I know to be interested in and knowledgeable in the topic. It's basically impossible. Firstly, the loud music and other conversation makes it very hard to hear what they're saying, and the things said there…

My issue is this line: "Because their job is to organize a conference, not a party." You are saying that conferences should not be like parties, because conferences are not like parties. You are just using your restricted definition of conference (not like a party) to support what you think a conference should be (not like a party). My take on it is that some conferences empirically do have many similarities to parti…

> You are saying that conferences should not be like parties, because conferences are not like parties

Not quite.

What I am saying is that conferences and parties have different goals. The goal of a conference is to advance the field. The goal of a party is to have fun. The goal of a conference is not advanced by organizing a party, nor is the goal of a party advanced by organizing a conference.

A conference can (and perhaps should) have many elements of a party in it — evening social activities, perhaps even in a bar where alcolhol (gasp!) is consumed. All of this may be perfectly fine. But, these activities should be organized with the goal of the conference in mind.

However, what many conference organizers seem to do is fill the days with talks, (while minimizing the time between talks to fit as many as possible), and then on the evenings they try to organize the best party they can think of. The best party, mind you, not the best socializing activity, which might have advanced the networking in the field, but the best party, whatever the tastes of the organizers and/or the prospective attendees.

This makes the conference a series of undiscussed talks in the daytime, followed by a series of usually pounding party keggers at night. The talks can be watched at home if they are filmed, and the parties can be had locally, too. There is no reason to attend these kinds of conferences. Unless, of course, you are already connected and go to any number of conferences a year and meet all the same people — your party buddies.

Re: Cocktails for programmers

#114

Gotta chime in here because I do this professionally. This is why people don't like cocktails. These are seriously terrible. I wouldn't serve any of these, ever. I don't want to be overly negative here, but no number of pull requests will fix this. Rather than try to salvage these, I will offer take out anyone who's interested and introduce you to a bunch of the top folks in the food and drink biz. There's really not…

I disagree that "this" is why people don't like cocktails. That's a very broad statement, encompassing thousands of (existing) drinks that are great. I think it's more of a taste preference and has little to do with bad prior experiences. If said people are basing the totality of drinking cocktails based on their first go at it, there may be a bigger problem there.

Re: Cocktails for programmers

#115
post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My issue is this line: "Because their job is to organize a conference, not a party." You are saying that conferences should not be like parties, because conferences are not like parties. You are just using your restricted definition of conference (not like a party) to support what you think a conference should be (not like a party). My take on it is that some conferences empirically do have many similarities to parti…

> You are saying that conferences should not be like parties, because conferences are not like parties Not quite. What I am saying is that conferences and parties have different goals. The goal of a conference is to advance the field. The goal of a party is to have fun. The goal of a conference is not advanced by organizing a party, nor is the goal of a party advanced by organizing a conference. A conference can (and…

> The goal of a conference is to advance the field. The goal of a party is to have fun. The goal of a conference is not advanced by organizing a party, nor is the goal of a party advanced by organizing a conference.

That is nothing more than your personal take on what a conference should be. The reality is that many conferences aren't like that. It is no skin off your back if other people have a different idea if what a conference should be, and implement their vision of a conference.

Nobody is saying you have to go enjoy a party-like conference, and all I am saying is that you in turn should not tell other people that they shouldn't.

Re: Cocktails for programmers

#116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel as if bourbon is a better drink for coding while tequila is a better drink for going out all night and puking before bed

I'd suggest trying a better tequila.

There's no such thing. Tequila is nasty poor man's liquor, only made palatable to yuppy palates by insisting you can only enjoy it by inbibing in a taste bud numbing cocktail of salt and lime juice before you drink it.

That said, I enjoy a good (=nasty) tequila every now and then. Just like I enjoy a good glass of paint thinner aka Moutai on occasion: give the ol' taste buds a little workout.

Re: Cocktails for programmers

#117

This is nonsense. I'll have a Jameson on the rocks, please.

Jameson, aka the whisk(e)y for people who don't like whisk(e)y.

It's smooth, soft and pleasant, nothing like the nasty, grating stuff they produce in Scotland. A favorite of mine, for sure.

Re: Cocktails for programmers

#118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

(a) your wife is awesome, (b) I too am a whiskey snob, (c) there's really nothing wrong with Jack Daniels or for that matter with jack & coke, (d) there is something wrong with mixing vodka and cola and calling it a cocktail.

there are many things wrong with Jack Daniels.

But those wrong things are somewhat diluted by the Coke, quite literally. Not worth wasting good whiskey on a Whiskey and Coke.

Re: Cocktails for programmers

#119
post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can appreciate not liking the brogrammer phenomenon, and not being interested in conferences that are so party-focused, but this guy really has a huge bug up his ass about other people enjoying themselves. "I'm not interested in 'partying hard', I want to talk with like-minded people about subjects I don't necessarily get to talk about at the office." Well, guess what, you can't force people to sit down and talk no…

> you can't force people to sit down and talk nodejs with you if they want to drink instead. Apparently, if you give most technical conference attendees the option (and venue, drinks, transport, etc), they will opt for going drinking in environments not suited for conversation. If this happens, I interpret it as a failure of the conference organizers. Why? Because their job is to organize a conference , not a party.…

Conference attendees are still paying customers. Giving them what they want tends to result in repeat business.

Re: Cocktails for programmers

#120
post #98
post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I HATE FUN TOO LETS NOT HAVE FUN TOGETHER.

These conferences are not supposed to be maximizing the "fun" factor for the attendees. The conferences are, first and foremost supposed to be useful for collaboration and networking in their stated field .

A lot of people network through socialising and, yes, drinking.
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