mathowie is going to ROFL(con)

Well nobody told me either. You cons really need to do a better job bloody telling people before the @#$% event itself.
posted by Skorgu at 6:02 PM on March 27, 2008

So, you're planning a gathering that you won't be attending?
posted by Dave Faris at 6:09 PM on March 27, 2008

If anyone wants to get together and say hello to Matt while he's in the area, I'd be interested in coming - he's the only mod I haven't met yet!
posted by yhbc at 6:12 PM on March 27, 2008

I was going to be in NYC that week and my first thought was that it sounded kind of like a silly conference, but a friend was going and urged me to go since similar site people were going to be there (reddit, etc) and we sorta kinda help promote memes, if not these days as well as digg, we certainly used to.
posted by mathowie at 6:12 PM on March 27, 2008

And yeah, I will totally grab the Tron Guy's package for a photo if I can.
posted by mathowie at 6:13 PM on March 27, 2008 [3 favorites]

I may be down there that weekend too. A get together would be fun.
posted by jessamyn at 6:20 PM on March 27, 2008

Will actual LOLcats be attending, or just pictures of them?
posted by lukemeister at 6:22 PM on March 27, 2008

They will be there, but they may not be visible.
posted by cortex at 6:23 PM on March 27, 2008 [3 favorites]

mathowie, you know just what to say to get me to space out for a minute.

Or ten.
posted by damnjezebel at 6:40 PM on March 27, 2008

I'll be there. I'd be down with a meetup also, but it'd have to be on Saturday -- I'm booked Friday night. If that doesn't pan out, the conference itself should be a good time anyway.
posted by danb at 6:54 PM on March 27, 2008

So, you're planning a gathering that you won't be attending?
While I have helped organize a couple Mefi Meetups that I could not attend, I have no affiliation with ROFLCon, as much as it may seem like a natural. I stumbled onto the site and went WWHHOOAA when I saw Our Matt on the guest list. I just felt somebody had to be alerted. I'm only the messenger. Do not shoot the messenger. Or the piano player. Or the Deputy.
posted by wendell at 8:00 PM on March 27, 2008

Me? I'm so old skool I was already registered when this thing was going to be held at Harvard in a broom closet. Just me, #1 and Tron Guy, so close I could smell the spandex (not to mention what Tron Guy was wearing).
posted by Horace Rumpole at 8:02 PM on March 27, 2008

we sorta kinda help promote memes

i think metathowies is a pretty cool guy. eh facilitates the transmission of subcultural shibboleths and doesn't afraid of anything
posted by Greg Nog at 8:30 PM on March 27, 2008

Why is this here? How is this MetaFilter related? Since when do we use MeTa to advertise anything ending with "-con"? Who is Matt Haughey? I'm so telling mathowie about this, you guys.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 8:39 PM on March 27, 2008

someone forgot to invite the time cube guy and the real ultimate power guy (if, in fact, they are two different people)
posted by b1tr0t at 9:26 PM on March 27, 2008

Waxy is not on the list. Horrified.
posted by gen at 9:53 PM on March 27, 2008

Nor is Polly Esther.

(your favourite list of internet celebs sucks)
posted by UbuRoivas at 10:30 PM on March 27, 2008

MetaFilter: totally grabbing the Tron Guy's package for a photo if we can.
posted by scrump at 12:38 AM on March 28, 2008

hands off my package.
posted by trondant at 12:44 AM on March 28, 2008 [1 favorite]

Yeah, hands off trondant's package. It just arrived from amazon.com.
posted by wendell at 2:26 AM on March 28, 2008

yhbc: "If anyone wants to get together and say hello to Matt while he's in the area, I'd be interested in coming - he's the only mod I haven't met yet!"

Yes. Yes yes. I need to buy that man a beer for every time I've been a loudmouthed dick. No, I don't mean one beer for each time.

From the schedule, it looks like most of the ROFLcon-associated drinking events are occuring on Mass Ave between MIT and Central Square (Asgard, Miracle of Science, Middle East). Maybe we can avoid internet famous person overload by hitting up Flat Top Johnny's and CBC again?
posted by Plutor at 5:09 AM on March 28, 2008

I will definitely be there for this one.
posted by backseatpilot at 5:24 AM on March 28, 2008

Awesome.

Poor Matt. He can't go anywhere without strangers trying to buy him a drink! Such is the trying life of the Internet Celebrity.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 5:55 AM on March 28, 2008

Matt Haughey? Isn't that the Star Wars MacBook kid?
posted by ND¢ at 7:41 AM on March 28, 2008 [1 favorite]

Such is the trying life of the Internet Celebrity.

Going to lunch with Matt is like going to a Beatles concert with Wifi.
posted by cortex at 7:46 AM on March 28, 2008

I'd be up for meetup-age, although I was stupid and didn't sign up for the actual conference. Parts of it take place in my building, though, so hopefully I can sneak in.

CBC is fine with me. Really, anything that's not the Asgard makes me happy. I quite like the Cellar, if people want to head up Mass Ave a bit further towards Harvard. It's not that big, though, and on a Fri/Sat it may be unreasonable to get a group of any size in there.
posted by heresiarch at 8:46 AM on March 28, 2008

the classic community blog MetaFilter

We're classic?

Nice.
posted by quin at 9:03 AM on March 28, 2008

yay!! I'll be at a meetup!
posted by darsh at 10:20 AM on March 28, 2008

And yeah, I will totally grab the Tron Guy's package for a photo if I can.

I'll be in my bunk.
posted by deborah at 2:25 PM on March 28, 2008 [1 favorite]

I'll be in my bunk.

:D
posted by jessamyn at 2:29 PM on March 28, 2008

31 If x=meetup then I=will be there
posted by not_on_display at 3:02 PM on March 28, 2008

Dang. I was going to register but I kept putting it off, like "I don't want to be too hasty about this" and then I find out registration is closed.

Sometimes rationally thinking things through doesn't pay.
posted by champthom at 3:18 PM on March 28, 2008

I am pro-meetup.
posted by brett at 5:22 PM on March 28, 2008

If we end up doing a meetup, it'll have to be Saturday night. I don't get in until late Friday night (like 10pm or so)
posted by mathowie at 10:51 PM on March 28, 2008

If we end up doing a meetup, it'll have to be Saturday night.

That's what I like to hear!

I'll leave the venue decision to the big boys, since I'd end up suggesting this really great pizza parlor I found or something.
posted by danb at 7:02 AM on March 29, 2008

I went to Do-Re-Mi in Brookline for awesome private room karaoke with a bunch of friends last night, and all I could think was "I have no idea what Mefites sound like singing." Not entirely convenient for the out-of-towners staying near MIT, but.. well.. food for thought.
posted by Plutor at 10:10 AM on March 30, 2008

Hey, Plutor, Do-Re-Mi is in Allston, not Brookline--right across the street from Deep Ellum and less than a ten-minute walk from Sunset. Yum!

Might a relative n00b be welcome at such a star-studded meetup?
posted by kwaller at 6:17 AM on March 31, 2008

Allston, Brighton, Brookline, they're all one blurry cloud labeled "somewhar down the green line" in my mind.
posted by Plutor at 6:28 AM on March 31, 2008

That place is a Karaoke bar? I always thought it was a money-laundering front! (I used to be in a band that practiced underneath the Brazilian and Thai restaurants there.)

The Miracle of Science Bar & Grill seems like it would be more locally accessible, but I dunno how well it fares against other Kendall/Central venues. (I had good burger and beers on a date there, once.)
posted by not_on_display at 1:06 PM on March 31, 2008

I actually wanted to plan a Karaoke meetup, but I don't know any karaoke places 'round here. *monitors thread closely*
posted by Eideteker at 5:41 AM on April 1, 2008

Should we make a new MeTa thread that's more explicitly "Mathowie/Jessamyn/Boston/Cambridge meetup, April 26. Be there or be highly embarrassed"?
posted by Plutor at 6:10 AM on April 3, 2008

Yes, of course.
posted by Eideteker at 7:44 AM on April 3, 2008

If lurky, underposting MeFites can go, I'll be there.
posted by DonnieSticks at 11:55 AM on April 6, 2008

If lurky, under-21 Mefites can go, I'll be there.
posted by martinX's bellbottoms at 9:39 PM on April 6, 2008

That's also the opening weekend of the Cambridge Science Festival (/and/ NEFFA); we held a meetup of relatively low attendance but great fun at last year's CSF Science Triva Challenge, which will be on Wednesday the 30th this year. I was hesitant to post a top-level meetup request for that since I wrote questions for this year's event, but if anyone else wants to go, let me know!
posted by nonane at 6:23 PM on April 7, 2008

kwaller: I don't see why not!
posted by danb at 8:37 PM on April 7, 2008

O HAI. I'll be going to this. However, I'm no fun whatsoever, so I'd tend towards locations that 1. are not karaoke bars and 2. are near public transpo or ROFLcon itself.
posted by jessamyn at 9:27 PM on April 7, 2008

If we know how many people are coming, we could always try to reserve the back room at John Harvard's or something.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 6:58 AM on April 8, 2008

That is a capital idea. Good beer, decent food, good place, T-accessible. I just sent the Harvard location an email asking what restrictions there are and if it's available for the 26th. If I don't hear back by this afternoon I'll give them a call.
posted by Plutor at 7:18 AM on April 8, 2008

If you get some actual comfirmation, it may be time to move this to an actual meetup thread.
posted by jessamyn at 8:55 AM on April 8, 2008

April 26 is currently available. Here is the description of the room, along with a menu:

"We have a Function Room that holds 55 people for a sit down dinner. We do not have a separate room charge. To book the room exclusively there is a minimum expenditure of $500 Mon-Wed or $800 Thurs & Sun evenings. This charge is exclusive of a 5% Meal Tax and an 18% Gratuity. If the food and beverage sales are not at the minimum then the difference is applied as a room charge. The reservation is scheduled for two hours."

My first thoughts are that $23 a head (dinner 1 menu) is going to be too steep for some, and the recent west-Mass meetup might balance out the added draw of mefi-lebrities. It might be a challenge to get the 30+ people necessary to get close to an $800 check (even adding on drinks).

We might end up with more people if we got a bunch of stuff from the "Starters and Samplers" menu and said "anyone who comes, throw in as much food money as you feel is appropriate" and keep our fingers crossed that it works out. But the last person there would probably get stuck with an outstanding balance.
posted by Plutor at 10:45 AM on April 8, 2008

hmm, plutor if you think the food is worth it, I can pony up the dough and write it off as a mefi entertainment expense. So i guess put me down for covering up to a grand on that.
posted by mathowie at 11:40 AM on April 8, 2008

Holy shit.

I'm not sure if I'm the best person to vouch for the food. I've eaten there exactly once, and I remember it being pretty good. I can definitely vouch for their great (brewed in-house) beer and their classy ambiance. But I've never been in their function room, either.

Robocop? Anyone else? Will this meet local Mefites' high standards?
posted by Plutor at 11:52 AM on April 8, 2008

We ate and drank at the Dirty Truth for about seven hours and only spend $250 even with overpriced beer. If mathowie wants to chip in, that's totally cool but we might also look in to what other venues are decent. Also sit-down dinner sounds unfun and two hours is about a half to a third the time we'd want. I'd say hell no on this. Shoudl we start a meetup thread to get a head count?
posted by jessamyn at 11:53 AM on April 8, 2008

Oh dammit why do I have plans that weekend.
posted by cortex at 12:00 PM on April 8, 2008

The food is decent pub food and the beer is pretty good depending on what they have on tap that day (sadly, the Midwinter Imperials will be all gone). I've been in the function room before and its decor is about the same as the rest of the bar.

But the time limit of two hours and the 'sit down dinner' lockdown is hella lame.

I know that people can reserve tables in the bar area, as I have been chased out from beneath the Cam Nealy window more times than I can count. I'm unsure, though, how many tables we can reserve at one time. It may be worth it, though, depending on the number of people who are planning on showing up.

A meet-up thread with a better headcount may be in order.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 12:04 PM on April 8, 2008

Boston Billiard Club has function rooms. There are rooms with anywhere between 1 and 4 tables (roughly $30 per table per hour). The two-table rooms can "fit 30-35 people" which would probably be plenty big for us. Or three-table for 50 people. Cons: It's 21+ on Saturdays, plus $14+ per person for food.

Agree on the real thread.
posted by Plutor at 12:15 PM on April 8, 2008

Also worth considering is Cambridge Common or Christopher's. Both have good food (Christopher's is pretty veggie-friendly, too) and nice draft lists. I have been part of large parties at Cambridge Common before and things worked well. I expect Christopher's, which has an extra floor and is owned by the same folks, could do the same.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 3:01 PM on April 8, 2008

Looks like criteria are something like

- decent food
- decent beer selection
- local to ROFLCon location or someone has to drive mathowie and he is tall [pb too, though he is not quite as tall]
- veggie options a plus
- underagers welcome a plus
- casual dining/drinking a plus (i.e. okay for people to wander in/out of)
- seats roughly.... 25?
posted by jessamyn at 5:57 PM on April 8, 2008

That sounds probably about right. Although that's probably a good list of criteria for any meetup.
posted by Plutor at 4:41 AM on April 9, 2008

I just sent off a query to Christopher's, which I think satisfies Jess's requirements. It is near the T (Porter Square), within walking distance from Harvard down Mass Ave, has a good beer list and rotating draft specials, veggie/organic options (Buffalo Tofu!), and pretty spacious.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 5:22 AM on April 9, 2008

Christopher's is definitely good. Toad is right next door, and although it's only 21+, as it gets late, perhaps we could shift over there for The Fathoms Trio, whoever they are.
posted by Plutor at 5:34 AM on April 9, 2008

I just heard back from Christophers - No go. :/
posted by robocop is bleeding at 9:41 AM on April 10, 2008

Apparently The Cellar has some rentable space? No information online.

Anyone ever been to Silvertone near the Common?
posted by Plutor at 10:27 AM on April 10, 2008

Wonder how my gf would feel about having 25 mefites over. I mean, we're convenient to the Framingham/Worcester line of the commuter rail.

O HAI I MADE U A PARTY BUT THEN I INVEITED ONLY MY FRENDS 2 IT
posted by Eideteker at 12:32 PM on April 10, 2008

The commuter rail is not "convenient" as most people traditionally understand the term. My sister is in Davis though, maybe I should ask her.
posted by jessamyn at 12:37 PM on April 10, 2008

I know I mentioned them before to exactly zero applause, but there's always the CBC-and-Flat-Top-Johnny's route. Good places, extremely convenient, no private back room action but that's the way we usually swing here in B-burg.
posted by Plutor at 1:46 PM on April 10, 2008

For our visitors' reference: CBC aka Cambridge Brewing Company and Flat Top Johnny's, both less than a ten-minute walk from ROFLcon.
posted by Plutor at 1:53 PM on April 10, 2008

"The commuter rail is not 'convenient' as most people traditionally understand the term."

You've got to be shitting me.
posted by Eideteker at 2:35 PM on April 10, 2008

No, I'm not. Telling someone who is from a totally other city to get on a subway and then take a train out someplace for a meetup isn't really convenient when most of the options we're talking about are walking distance from their hotel. I'm sure we could carpool if your gf was up to it, but I think someplace nearby would be a better option.
posted by jessamyn at 2:39 PM on April 10, 2008

You missed my sarcasm. Let's ride the commuter rail together sometime, so you can feel my seething hatred. My treat!
posted by Eideteker at 7:58 PM on April 10, 2008

Ah, sarcasm. It brings us all together.

*wipes a tear*
posted by Plutor at 3:15 AM on April 11, 2008

The CBC/Flattop option may be the best option. I'll drop CBC an email about 25 or so people for an informal event.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 4:27 AM on April 11, 2008

CBC has responded promptly! It looks like they'd be happy to give us some space by the bar. I'm following up to make sure that includes tables, as 25 standing Mefites milling about may get old, fast. Plus I want to make sure folks can sit and eat as they desire.

One thing, though - what time should I set things up for? That is, if the location meets with people's approval?
posted by robocop is bleeding at 7:00 AM on April 11, 2008

I actually sent them an email last night, and they never replied, unless agonizing silence is an implicit "sure we can do that". Considering the Saturday schedule for ROFLcon has an event called "Comment Thread" from 6-6:30 that's likely pertinent for our visiting royalty, how's 7 or 7:30?
posted by Plutor at 7:06 AM on April 11, 2008

Sure, 7-7:30 makes sense. I'd likely be there earlier than that (assuming I'm defacto contact person) so folks not going to the con can swing by earlier.

Do we have an ending time? Or should we just pencil in mysterious '???s'?
posted by robocop is bleeding at 7:22 AM on April 11, 2008

Okay, we're good to go. Should I start an honest meetup thread?
posted by robocop is bleeding at 8:29 AM on April 11, 2008

Please.
posted by Eideteker at 10:06 AM on April 11, 2008

Done!
posted by robocop is bleeding at 10:37 AM on April 11, 2008

Second Skin will apparently be shown during ROFLcon.
posted by Dave Faris at 10:33 PM on April 12, 2008

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