Another 'fest' that has come and gone and by the time it was finished I felt like I had my fill.
They always exhaust me. I am not young anymore and persistent socialising takes more out of me than climbing through a window 12 feet above the ground.
Could it be I am a poor socialiser? I already know that and being on HIVE for a decent amount of time hasn’t changed that fact.
Many have posted several articles about HF7, I will post just one and try and do it a little differently as I always do.
Amsterdam
It’s not my first time, but I can’t remember what happened two decades ago so it may as well have been.
I feared for my life several times due to crazy cyclists none of which wear helmets and bear down on you with speed while crossing a road. I never wore a helmet as a kid but in the UK it’s quite normal.
When crossing a road there are FOUR lanes you have to check. Cyclists are by far more the dangerous ones.
It's great if it doesn't rain. I walked a lot from The Student Hotel into the city area. The weather, unfortunately, sucked on Sunday and I was glad of the umbrella I was loaned by @revisesociology.
The Hotel
It appeared that everyone stayed at the Volks, with just me and one of the @liketo developers opting for the ‘other hotel’ that was almost opposite.
...'99% of the HIVE crowd stayed here, this was the happening place and 'that other place' was distinctly unfashionable'...
Quite different from my experience in Krakow where the breakfast room was swimming with STEEM people (then) at the ‘second rate’ place.
I was hoping for some breakfast conversations, such as the ones @bingbabe and I partook in with @felixxx, @meno, and others.
Getting a large cup of coffee seems impossible. The cups were small or extra-small.
The breakfast was decent, and this time I included it, unlike in Bangkok where they threatened to throw me out as I was given a freebie from @goblinknackers.
The Student Hotel was very arty, follow the skulls to the elevators and gaze at the blow-up dolls while waiting for their arrival.
Oh and.. in your room... just in case you need it.
The Talks
These were a very mixed bunch over the two days. I was alert for some, while others had me almost snoring. Not because they were particularly boring, but due to the afternoon slot.
I tend to doze off even if there's a stripper gyrating in front of me after food, but some of the presentations were deep.
One talk by @lasseehlers was unexpected, and I note nobody has mentioned it anywhere so far. While I felt everyone was waiting for him to trip up he did quite well and I felt a little sorry for him.
@lasseehlers is a self-proclaimed HIVE ‘outcast’ and though I didn’t chat for fear of the conversation moving toward the ‘curvature of the earth’, he had some balls to get up on the stage and present.
The @risingstargame talk was quite over-whelming (especially to non-players) and though the stunt by @tdctunes, @steevc, and @atomcollector caused me to laugh out loud I fear many of the audience might have missed it simply because they don't play the game and the 'Illegal Busking' mission doesn't mean anything.
There were many other talks but I don’t want this post to be a tl;dr, so will leave it there.
The People
This is my third event and there is always a core of similar people attending plus a mix of new ones.
...'a much slimmed down @detlev with @gtg and @jarvie in the background'...
It was good to say hello to the ‘usuals’ and that was as far as it went for many. That’s OK, I am not particularly skilled at small talk, and the dedication of turning up is good in my mind.
@steevc looking a little glum. I spent a good deal of time with @steevc and @revisesociology as we have met on numerous occasions and I am comfortable with them.
@atomcollector (@risingstargame) was particularly friendly and won me over with his dedication to the game. I advised him to take something from it, even if it's small. I think he and his wife deserve that.
My conversation with non-English speakers ended with mixed results. I don't hear very well and with all the background noise I was picking up possibly 50% of the dialogue.
This doesn’t bode well for flowing conversation. Day 2 was better as the church wasn’t so deafening and led to a decent conversation with @alexvan about flagging amongst other things.
@lordbutterfly's persona is completely the reverse of what everyone thought and he explained it was done purposely. I managed a chat with him during the final dinner.
Midway through Day 2, I figured I would just ask people for photographs, and that appeared to slightly crack the ice.
@zirochka, HIVE's very own newscaster from the heart of Kyiv will keep informing us of what it's really like to live through a war. I can't take credit for that description, that was @growandbow's.
@brittandjosie was particularly bubbly and made the effort to attend. Maybe @hivewatchers can make the effort to give her a break. Look at her account, she is no fly-by-night and is committed.
I shared a tram ride with @blocktrades and @alpha who I always seem to have a good conversation with. @rollie1212, as always was very friendly.
Several other witnesses attended, some of them tough to converse with, although I can always talk music with @gtg if need be.
Maybe I should have talked more Python and asked the question, ‘to avoid a comment going under the dust level and paying ZERO, what is the minimum amount of vests it requires?’
Yes, I am still looking for the answer to that one.
I have quite a few more images, but will leave it for now as this is getting quite wordy.
Did I enjoy HF7? Yes.., but it will probably be my last one, they do serve a purpose and thanks @roelandp for hosting it again.
If you found this article so invigorating that you are now a positively googly-eyed, drooling lunatic with dripping saliva or even if you liked it just a bit, then please upvote, comment, rehive, engage me or all of these things.
Last hivefest , and we just got aqcuinted ! It was nice meeting you in the lobby on my first day. I was a bit nervous but you and Steve made me feel at ease. Your game enthusiasm was great to hear as a non player and indeed I did not get the police act but enjoyed it! Thank you for that sweet shoutout but if it will work… I hope so I missed the closing dinner because after returning home Saturday evening I found out on Sunday morning ghat the little one had C so I could not. All was a blast and a new experience and I wouldn’t have want to missed it. I wish you well and hope that this wasn’t the last.
Hug from Rotterdam
Sorry you couldn't be there for the last meal, but I enjoyed hanging out with you. I really need to go back to Amsterdam to see more.
Hope your kid is okay.
!BEER
He is but he did tested positive so didn’t want to take the risk and take covid to hivefest , you should come and when you do let me know I will join for a beer or coffee
Take care Steve and never stop being you “ the hiver that got arrested with a guitar on stage “😉
I think that moment will stick in a lot of minds. Thanks to all the 'Dutchies' for making us so welcome.
!BEER
View or trade
BEER.Hey @brittandjosie, here is a little bit of
BEERfrom @steevc for you. Enjoy it!If you like BEER and want to support us please consider voting @louis.witness on HIVE and on HIVE Engine.
View or trade
BEER.Hey @brittandjosie, here is a little bit of
BEERfrom @steevc for you. Enjoy it!Learn how to earn FREE BEER each day by staking your
BEER.It was cool to see your face on the post too. ☺️
Hope your little one is OK, they tend to shrug these things off easily. I woke up with a bad throat today.., could be I picked up something over there.
Hé is nog sick at all and does school now by zoom. I am negative and also not I’ll. but I didn’t want to take the chance but now you feel your throat aswell. Maybe do a test anyway. Hope it’s just the aftermath of four days that were very intense but cool.
On the first day I made my way down to a McDonalds. I remember using those touch screens to order.., the ones that have thousands of germs on them and could find no COVID killer gel in the store.
Then I started eating my fries.., that possibly could have been infected. Funny how you remember these things?
Well that’s because you go and think back. I had that gel in my black purse. I carried it with me but test so you know. Here it’s back to the daily routine which is good. And the boys do great via zoom and teams better than me hahah
Hi, it was a pleasure to meet you and exchange ideas, and sad to read that it might be your last HiveFest. Maybe you will change your mind in the years to come.
On the HiveFest posts, I hope to read many more, as nice reminders of these great days.
Likewise, I felt we made a connection. I wish I would have had more talks like ours. @steevc told me he caught you playing Splinterlands on you phone.., I don't think I could handle that now.., too many cards!
Definitely.
Yes, he was looking as we have been on the same #BeerSaturday table. It was an Alpha card tournament, where I randomly put most of games in, to win at least one game to be in the money. Else the fee would have been lost.
I have heard about this, there are so few players that you almost always come away with profit. If it exists, then do it.
I try to finish in the top 4 spots at these tournaments, but playing on mobile, in the mid of #BeerSaturday event, is just damage control.
The Alpha tournaments are profitable, but at least a win is needed, and also expensive, due to the value of the cards.
Would be nice to see HF8 in Canada next time!
I did read that SF2 was originally going to be hosted in the USA, so it can't be counted out. The Ill-fated SF5 had rumours of Mexico before both COVID and the STEEM Fork occurred.
If we could do it in Canada I might even be able to attend! Dragging my ass to a different country a year after buying a house was out of the question lol. But in-country I could probably swing. We should definitely push for one of the upcoming HF's to be here!
Calgary or Edmonton would be a good choice.
Totally agree. Both cities are pretty easy for anyone to get to and have tons of great accommodations available.
Maybe even @lacking could come down from the North Pole!
That would sure be nice! I haven't seen him or his wife since they moved... But it's also like 5k per person just to get back to Sask from up there so here's hoping his wife gets a fat raise before then! HAHA
Thanks for giving me the chance to put some faces to names.
It's good that you put yourself out there and expanded your horizons, and mine with your pictures.
We had five days in London, travelling back on the 6th Sept, there was a Hive meet in the evening of the 6th down there but sadly we were back home by then.
The big question is; did you do any Urbex whilst you were out there? You were actively scouting when on the way to the Halifax meet :)
No, and I saw nothing. The laws could be different in Holland, it could be criminal to trespass and I make a point of not exploring alone if possible.
It was about meeting people, creating connections and socialising. Something I am not particularly good at.
It is called adrenaline!!!! which must be lacking at the event.
Victor Meldrew mode?
Now I am getting seriously worried about you!
Ho hum
I struggle to hear, I know you have the same problems. While it's all great in abandoned metal hospitals (we can't hear the ghostly trolls over our shoulders), it's bad in noisy places.
Nah.., I filled two 'small' ones up every morning. The queue tended to be large though. They need more machines.
Yes I would be totally lost unless there were subtitles!!! maybe you should get some big chunks of plastic in your ears, they help marginally for me, maybe beneficial to you?
I have some, used them, they helped. I was picking up 70% of the dialogue instead of 30%.
I know the feeling!!
I’m so glad you took a ton of pictures of everyone. Happy to be able to virtually meet so many unique people. Traveling from the USA this year was out of the question for me. I’m glad things went well overall.
It's an experience and a better one if you are the social type. I talked with maybe 60-70% of the attendees. Sometimes it's hard to crack the ice if you don't know the person you are approaching knowing the only commonality you have is HIVE.
I used to not be the social type, but now I definitely am. I feel like I can talk to literally anybody about basically anything. I would enjoy meetups like this, but sadly there never seems to be any here in the USA.
It was a pleasure to meet you again dear @slobberchops and hope to see you even inbetween the next hive meeting.
We plan a few #HiveMeetupAachen and I will let you know
Good to see you again, you always make me laugh.., there's some natural comedian in you somewhere! Until next time..
that is my entertainer part. I like to have fun and addict other with this way of life and laughing dear @slobberchops
Same here. Although I believe I hear good, maybe I am not used to noise anymore. Good photos, by the way. 👍
It's gratifying to hear (not literally) that people who can hear 100%, also can't hear much. It hardly makes for good conversation. I remember going to clubs when I was younger and having to yell into people's ears. Maybe we should have tried that?
It just occurred to me that people who can't hear at all have an advantage in this case by using sign language.
You always take good shots. I'm right there with ya in terms of events. I've had my share and they just drain me anymore lol Looks like you all had a good time though.
Thanks, not all of them came out well but I try. I have mixed feeling about it, just like the previous two.
Nice meeting you!
And never say never mate!)£)
Yeah, I felt the same after Bangkok and Krakow!
then we will meet next year 4 sure)
Great pics, lordbutterfly looks entirely different from what I expected! I remember after the first one I was done in with it all. But that might have been the drinking 🙂
Hey @meesterboom have you been at the HiveFest and I missed you??
Unfortunately I wasn't there this year mate! I am going to Ibiza tonight and couldn't do both!!
I only understood....
...thought HiveFest might be a good start for that.
:0)
LOL, many people said the same.., even @roelandp during his talk. The HIVE documentary he is involved with (and that I failed to mention) looks very promising. They are targeting NetFlix as an outlet. It's ambitious but we will all see it anyway,
Can you imagine if it hit Netflix that would be huge!
Looking forward to it, I had actually forgotten all about it
Yes, I was thinking that. Would it bring the crowds.., it might bring a trickle. NetFlix is also regionalised so we might not see it on there.
Definitely a trickle at least. I forgot about the regionalised part. That would suck slightly
So you are saying if I were to ever make it over there for one you wouldn't come to see me? Alex is a pretty solid fella. Even though I suck at small talk too, I wish I could have been over there so people could at least put a person with a name. I've tried to stay away from Lasse, I know there is some ill will there.
I don't know. I almost veto'd this one. We could have gone to Gran Canaria for a week instead. Food on tap, and beer.. and sun. Yeah, Alex was great.., and fortunately for the both of us, it was in the church were I could hear most of his conversation.
Yeah, I guess that would be tough given the fact that you have already been to at least one. For me it would have been a harder sell since I have never been before.
I know you are not the most social guy, but I think you quite enjoyed yourself. The Hivers are just so good to be with.
I tended to cling on to you or @revisesociology. I'm fine once the ice had been thoroughly broken and gone. I do better at localised events with fewer attendees.
Excellent write up and tertific photos of some of the main faces of Hive - they are hard work but worth making the effort - I've got a few left in me yet!
Thanks, I have a whole load more pics, and noticed none of the ones I posted contain you. I have a few of you in reserve. One day they will come out.
I always assume you as you looked on your DP🤐....but now i see you😃 "Spread the Love" thing in hotel room is quite uncommon. May be it was sign of pure hospitality for all the customers😲 ..#hivefest is one thing that every users like to attend. It is a great way to know person in real that existed in blockchain world....👍 nice to know you experince....
It was Amsterdam and the hotel was super-arty. In the public areas it was quite normal and a lovely place.
It was really nice meeting you in person :)
..and you, I wish I wasn't so tongue-tied when talking with people I don't know well.
Hello, I hope you are having a good time... I am priyan (@priyanarc), we talked about the urban exploration project. I asked you about the ideas and we talked about abandoned buildings...
Here is me with @tibfox...
Oh, I remember.., my statement was a generalisation.
I also couldn't talk to many people because of my work schedule. I am glad that I have met you in person :)
Good shots you took there Chops, and it was a pleasure seeing you again and hopefully not for the last time.
I agree with you on the amount of background noise which doesnt help me as well, maybe that is the real reason why I step outside so much ;))
But jokes aside, you should join in next time for sure as well and we could use a little bench in the sun outside for a talk with less background!
Ps..python skills? Mr tech right there!
That would suit me better. In Bangkok I managed more chat as the outside was warm and we saw no rain.
Hardly! I can get by.., it's a vast language that taps into all things.
As a HIVE newbie (well, almost 12 months on the blockchain, 9 on hiveblogging) I have to say, I've enjoyed immensely seeing everyone posting their Hivefest debriefs. Looks like a wonderful event to augment what happens online. But, honestly slobbers - that hotel of yours... I need to remind myself not to stay there ;)
It was a really nice place and possibly the quietest hotel I have ever stayed in. Not a peep during the night.
So many awesome faces. Hopefully next year the markets are better so my wife and I can attend again.
It could well be on your continent next time, who knows?
Great to meet you and have a few chats. Hope you do consider another one!
Was a pleasure, maybe another one.. I have been in this frame of mind about them in the past.
I'm with you on too much socializing.😂
It's so interesting to match the faces to the names;-)
I love Amsterdam and have precious memories of living in the Netherlands, and wished that I could have attended... Someday I hope!
I have more pictures, but didn't want to overload the post. I may release the others sometime in the future. It is good to put faces to names.
ok, cool! I'll look out for those photos:)))
Starting to see that hive draws a lot of cool people to it's platform that are cool in real life
This is amazing I hope I can be there one day thank you for sharing with us. It looks wonderful
!ALIVE
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Thanks so much for giving us a picture of the faces. Tried following on YT
I m sure you all had great fun and learnt a lot.
Any talks where the next one will be?
They are generally once a year, historically it has been November but the weather tends to be bad then.
Oh that's true.
So till next year.
And I don't want this to be your last either. Hehe.
Maybe on the virtual space?
Nice pictures and oh, that hive bag is cool
I have 3 now, from 3 fests.
So many new faces and some familiar ones too. Good to see these pictures, I am sure you all had a wonderful time as always. I was in Swiss at the same time, as I had mentioned before that there were some plans and they came up at the same time. Hopefully next year I can be there :-)
Yes, we missed you this time, there's always a next time.
Nice writeup thanks for sharing. Didn't see you in any of the pics..share your pic too.. cheers
I am quite photo-shy, you can see me in others' blogs if you look.
Nice post!
Loved seeing the faces of some of the ppl I follow :)
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Hive fest must have been so much fun...
I have decided to add it to my bucket list...
I will try my best to attend the next one.. its time to start saving for it.
Great to meet you and hear your stories at Hive Fest!