I bought a ticket for PAX East yesterday. I don’t know if I’m going yet (the twin barriers of not yet having a plane ticket and not yet having resigned from my shitty job currently standing in the way), but the sheer prospect of going and being able to meet my buddies from the Squadron of Shame – some for the first time, some for the second time – is enormously exciting. The age of the Internet has given us that curious phenomenon of the “friend-not-met” (thanks to Jenn Frank for educating me in the ways of FOAF some time back) where there are people out there whom you feel very close to despite never having seen their face outside blurry Facebook pictures or iPhone uStream feeds while they’re recording a podcast. You know, for example.
But the Squad are just that. I may be a couple of thousand miles away from them, but they’re my bros, my buddies, the legen-wait for it-dary ones, that sort of thing. Which is why the opportunity to potentially meet so many of them in one place at such a massive nerdgasm as PAX will be beyond awesome – even if podcast host Chris‘ revelation that “if someone threw a grenade in there, they’d wipe out the whole Squad” was somewhat chilling. Who would play Pathologic and then podcast about it for three hours then? (Of course, it may be your opinion that the world can do without three-hour long podcasts on the subject of Pathologic, but that’s a discussion for another day.)
It’s pretty awesome that the Internet, as well as being the home of ridiculous chavs like this, can also be the home of genuine friendships and new ways to stay in touch. I know that every time I sit down and listen to the Exploding Barrel Podcast, for example, it’s like I’m hanging out with Mike Minotti of Bitmob (as he now prefers to be known, formerly Tolkoto) and his brother AJ rather than listening to people I don’t have any real connection with. As time has continued on its way and the good word of the Squad has spread further and wider, mostly thanks to Twitter, we’ve picked up more and more people who want to be involved, some from other sites, some from other podcasts, some who are just awesome people.
And that’s pretty cool. That’s, as they say, some Web 2.0 shit right there. And I love it.
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Agreed. We’re actually gonna be talking about this exact thing on tonight’s Pixel Revolt.
…and you can always count on me for a chilling comment. 😉
Ah, the Squadron of Shame; you make my work day a much more pleasant experience every time a new podcast comes up (don’t mind the naysayers, 3+ hour podcasts are OK in my book). I actually ran across you guys thanks to that joker who commented above me; I used to be a “1upper” what seems like eons ago. Or last year. Whatever.
You guys are brilliant because a) you guys speak to me on an intellectual level because we’re of similar age and disposition, b) you’re a unique voice on the internet (I listen to a lot of podcasts, so this I know!) and c) you’re the type of guys I could see myself hanging out with. Which is what it feels like when I listen to each new episode.
Hopefully you make it to PAX, man. And hopefully you guys vote in a console game that I can play along with the “Squad”, because my PC is not rigged for gaming.
I have also boughten my pass, with no lodging as of yet, as I’m not 100% sure I can make it, but I didn’t want to get shut out.
I still intend to be there. Be afraid.