The TAMPA DESO MEETUP this weekend was a massive success.
We still have no idea which way DESO is going to go. But what we do know is that we are surrounded by some amazing folks, and we needed to build this.
Mechell Lord, Katiann, Cate Colgan and William Laurent all put in a tremendous amount of work to put this thing together, and we are very grateful for everything they’ve done.
This weekend was about trust. We’ve been interacting in the virtual world for 200+ days now. But who are we really dealing with?
It was time to find out.
The first thing I realized was that I was surrounded by some really smart people, with no qualms about making the first gesture of goodwill. So impressed with the conversations I had, and seeing how much depth there was to each of these folks.
Cassius Cuvee — Not sure if he is a rapper turned brainiac, or brainiac turned rapper, but spend a few minutes in a room with him and you’ll realize — he’s got the gift. And it was a hell of a lot of fun watching him experience an Oculus for the first time.
Sandi Rose is scary smart. Not so much in an intimidating way, but it was pretty inspiring. She’s done her homework. I haven’t formulated the words that can describe her well enough, so I’ll just leave it to you to get to know her (hint: do it).
Would have loved to spend more time talking to @kad because I think we share a similar vision about what what the Metaverse really is, and what it could be. But now we know that.
ThePennyTrader had never been on a plane before. Never left his state before. He decided this was important enough to take that step. Now was the time. I admire his courage. Imagine the effect this experience (and the others leading from this) will have on him. I feel that.
Perhaps the most useful conversation I had was with @meeks who gave me the straight feedback I needed on my writing. One word: minutiae. Need to be careful not to derail myself by getting hung up on too many details.
I wish I could share more about everyone else I met (so many stories), but if there was one thing clear to me, it’s that this community is composed of the most diverse and inclusive group of people I’ve ever met. And if this level of brainpower is eye opening. It’s nice not having to dumb down the conversation, right?
I guess that’s the biggest thing. With all these folks representative of the rest of the community, I have even greater confidence of where DESO is going.
We have the ability. And now we’re starting to have the trust.
Thanks Mike, it was great to finally meet up!