CompuServe Messages

Thanks for your kind words and the encouragement. My knees are a little shaky to tell you the truth. I may burn up like a shooting star. But I do have to stand up for what I believe is right. I'm not sure I've really been a "true lurker." Fact is, I've often been quite visible. But, when I introduce myself to people, five minutes later they call me "Keith." Anybody ever do that to you? Anybody ever call you Keith? I don't get it. A lot of people know me from roles I've played over the years. For 3 of the last 4 SIGGRAPH 3D Studio gatherings, I'm the guy who went around the room picking up everybody's demo tape. They travel hundreds and thousands of miles to the show, demo tape in tow, and at the last minute some of them become awkward, shy and bashful about showing their stuff to peers. I'm the cheerleader. I go around the room, cajole them, bolster their egos, pry the tape out of their clutches, stack them up next to the monitor and say Gary lets roll tape! Minutes later, everybody is applauding. And why shouldn't they? I've had fun networking with people. Introducing people to one another. Providing some kind of service here and there and having fun doing it. I introduced John Wright of Viewpoint to Todd Rundgren and Jaron Lanier. I introduced David Cohn of Cadalayst to Alvy Ray Smith just to watch Dave say "I'm not worthy." 🙂 A lot of people remember after a little prodding. I'm not going to go into the rest. Face-to-face encounters only once a year with someone who's appearance changes radically from that of a monk with a salt-and-peppered beard to that of a moshing, hairless, skinhead causes many to forget. I guess my normally low profile and my chameleon-like characteristics don't always serve me well. But I've not been on a popularity campaign. I just keep doing my thing. And every once in a while I punch through the clouds. This is another one of those times. I look forward to seeing that new appelation. In the long run, it probably won't make much of a difference. Your work speaks for itself.