by Michael S. Kaplan, published on 2007/07/24 19:59 -04:00, original URI: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/michkap/archive/2007/07/24/4034548.aspx
You almost certainly don't care. Truly!
So I spent a bit of time at the [Microsoft Internal] Product Fair today. I just scooted on over.
Scooting to the various tables, seeing who was there, getting SWAG, entering drawings, asking questions. You know, the usual....
I also really confused the woman handing out snow cones when I asked for one that was half blue raspberry and half cherry. :-)
But in the end, it was not a much fun as I would have liked.
I couldn't get anywhere near the popular tables without either being rude or having a handler with me to run interference for crowds and, well, be rude.
I was able to get at the less popular tables because (duh!) they were less popular. But usually there was less of interest to me, too.
It was not a statement of accessibility of the event itself, because I was able to get everywhere if you ignored the huge throngs. But I couldn't ignore the huge throngs since they were in the way a lot of the time.
It isn't like they could run a less crowded version and ask all of those people to run tables just so a few people like me could see stuff (this was a suggestion one person made after we watched someone cut me off and almost get hit by the scooter which was in line for a particular table since I didn't expect someone to do that).
So in the end it was more of a Product [Un]Fair for me, though mainly because I didn't want to be "that guy".
You know the one I mean. The one Richard Brooks was talking about in the second episode ever of Law & Order (Subterranean Homeboy Blues) when he suggested to an arrogant Akili Prince that "No one likes a wiseass in a wheelchair." Because I know I wouldn't like one either, even if I acted polite about it.
It is probably just me. I mean, no one was being rude, but no one noticed. Until they did and then they quickly moved out of the way and acted like they had been doing something wrong.
Which they weren't.
In the end, I hated making people feel bad, they probably weren't thrilled will feeling bad, there was no international table that I saw, and I didn't get to see lot of the stuff that looked really interesting.
So maybe I'll skip it next time. There are more important things in the world than swag. :-)
On the other hand, if they have a separate event for the interns next time, maybe I can convince somebody that I should be allowed to attend that slightly more accessible event? Another good idea from someone who noticed when I was having trouble....
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# Wayne Steele on 25 Jul 2007 11:30 AM:
Actually, I believe the product fair happens again today, for the Interns. If you just scoot on over, I doubt anyone will care.
# Michael S. Kaplan on 25 Jul 2007 11:36 AM:
Really? I thought the intern day came first!
Hmmm.... I'll have to give that a shot. Thanks. :-)