New This Week, Part 15

Although I had a marvelous week here, it only yielded one little piece two little pieces of news:

1. Software: Digsby
Picture taken from the Digsby website

Pidgin sucks monkey butt as it doesn't work well with Skype, in spite of the Skype plugin. I guess the programmer of said plugin is to blame but regardless of that, I decided to get rid of Pidgin and switch to Digsby even though it doesn't handle Skype at all. Not a problem since Skype had to run in the background anyway.

What I like about Digsby is the way you can easily (more so than in Pidgin) combine people who use several instant messengers into one contact, and that Digsby also handles e-mail accounts and Twitter fast and conveniently. Plus, I'm intrigued by its Web 2.0 looks. Cute, colorful, easy to use, taken! :)

2. Beer: Delirium tremens
Last weekend, Santa offered me a bottle of this outstanding Belgian beer. No, not the Santa you think, the Demoscener Santa.
The beer has 8.5% alcohol so basically, this bottle gives you the spin of two bottles. Way to go! It's funky-tasting, too! I like it!









A Few Words on Breakpoint

Although the festival I attended over the Easter weekend -- "Breakpoint" -- is neither new nor has it really brought anything absolutely new, I need to mention it here because of the outstandingly great time I had there. For years I felt a tiredness about the Demoscene, complaining that nothing was changing, you always saw the same faces, that I felt like I had moved on, and all sorts of things like that.

This year, I didn't only have an incredible time meeting old and new friends and laughing so often and hard that I'd sometimes have a hard time believing I was awake. I have also felt the fire again that used to drive me years ago. The urge to make music, to be part of the creativity and energy that's omnipresent there, and to be one of the countless energy currents you can't but run into.

With every word you hear or say there, with every second you spend with one of the innumerable creative minds, with every sunbeam you feel on your skin sitting outside chatting away, I felt and knew that I was part of something very powerful.

And I want to contribute again, to give back to this community that has given me support and affirmation for years. Never in my life have I experienced a community in which you encounter so little ego, so little hostility, and at the same time massive potential, hospitality and warm-heartedness.

As much as I know how weird we are in the Demoscene, as much I openly admit that I love you guys for the wonderful family that you are. And being at thanking you, thank you very much for giving my ladyfriend such a warm welcome. I could tell in her eyes that she was having a wonderful time.

Thank you.