Monday, October 17, 2016

Pictures from Wikiconference San Diego

Enough of reading, here are some "tricky pix" taken by yours truly at Wikiconference San Diego the first weekend of this month.

Here is James Alexander of the WMF in the middle of lecturing me why I can't attend the conference. The woman in grey in the far background probably alerted Alexander that I had arrived using the tablet she had for check-in work. Alexander kept asking who I really was, claiming that the name I had given was fake, and that I would be refunded. I went into the San Diego Public Library anyway....

Only to be followed around by two women in red shirts who kept demanding that I go downstairs (so security could kick me out). It did not matter that I said I was a journalist (which I am, as was the fake name I used); they did not care. My mere presence in a public library which they were using less than 20 percent of was somehow intolerable to them, even though I spoke to only one Wikipedian who wasn't conference staff. The blonde Redshirt is "Sydney", the brunette I don't know, the woman is allegedly Fluffernutter. Yes, the man is Kirill Lokshin, organizer of the event and quietly furious I was "fucking things up" somehow. Photo taken on the roof of the library, 9th floor.

Same floor, seen from the other side, me seated. I know I kept switching floors to avoid the Redshirts. Does anybody know who these three people are?

This photo was from the same position; the black blob on the bottom is my backpack. Anybody know who all those people at the table are? Does the woman on the right with the red bag ring any bells? How about the woman with the ballcap in the back left? Some of the people on that floor were just civilian normies; I don't expect everyone to be a Wikipedian.

This was earlier than the last two photos, taken inside the Wangenheim Room on top of the library. The guy on the mobile phone is another of the Redshirts, possibly a junior Redshirt (the sort that died quick on Star Trek). The group at the table on the far left might be important, as might be the guy in the chair dead center.

Here are some more denizens of the 9th floor, shot from the Wangenheim Room (they now call it a "collection"). Anybody look familiar?

 Awful photo of the reading room on the 8th floor; thought I could catch some Wikipedians lounging around. Taken through window on 9th floor. Lots of windows in the new SD library; every speaking room had a window at the door.

Another out-of-sequence photo; Robert Fernandez (Gamaliel) on the far left. Lokshin talking to brunette Redshirt. Yes, that is the same male Redshirt. They were watching and waiting for me to do something stupid, meanwhile I was doing what I came there to do (i.e. just take photos).

Now the shit has finally hit the fan; at this point I am being escorted out of a public library by cult members. Notice how Lokshin attempts the Scientology "bull baiting" stare, while James Alexander looks like he wants to eat my camera. Sydney is on the farthest left. Note Kirill's ORGANIZER tag.

Last photo; Sydney gets flashed in the face. Alexander truly furious now. While walking out to the street I ran across William "Monty" Burns, said something deliberately theatrical and confusing and shook his hand. Now my hand has fallen off. Sweet Jesus, he is a very short man.

The final fucking insult; for the temerity of showing up as another person because my cover has been blown thanks to that stukatch tarantino, I have been globally banned from the Wiki-world, even though I was never an editor, administrator, WMF employee, or associate of a Wikipedian before I joined Wikipediocracy. Total outsider, and banned for trying to collect photos for Mr. Barbour, who would use them for his book. Now the gloves are off and the beatdowns will be double.

Finally, the street guy who spoke up for me while James Alexander tried to get me to say my name.

 Notice in the background that the two Redshirts were being briefed on what to do about me by Lady in Grey. Street guy's name is Paul Rollins; he's on Facebook, ladies!


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15 comments:

  1. My God... what a bunch of almond Joys without the coconuts. These Wikimedia Numb-nuts need to understand they are a joke with out a life. They are with out souls.

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  2. How can these WikiMedia chase you off a "public space"? Is not the Library common spaces open to the public?

    The Arrogance of these Wiki cultist, I would have called the Cops on them...

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    1. They were renting space from the SD Library; really they were using less than 20 percent of the library space because the auditoriums they were using for the speeches only could contain 30-40 people. I could not take photos of the speeches because there were large inner windows at the front of the room and I didn't want the speaker stopping and yelling at me.

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    2. If they were renting the "whole" library then they would have the right to control the space for the time contracted with the SD Library. But, if they only rented the auditoriums and not the common spaces, then you could have told them to pound salt. It would be interesting to file a freedom of information request with the SD Library for the Contract, terms and payment the SD library received from the Wikicorp.

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    3. There was no payment. The venue space was donated. The budget is public.

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    4. To Mr. Anonymous: Is that you, Jimmy A.?

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    5. I think if the SD library had not received any payment and public funds were used to host this, then it would be implied that The Wikicorp had no right to limit access the public spaces of the library. The GOONs pictured, had no right to force you to leave, and in fact if you wanted to, you could have let them call the cops and have them explain to the cops why they were "looming" on you in a threatening manner. I would suggest in the next such encounter, you have a few friends with cameras recording the encounter and be ready to call the police on them... any rate just my thoughts

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  3. Well, it was nice to encounter you anyway. Pity you had a bad day. I would have bought you a beverage of your choice had you come to the Tilted Kilt after.

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  4. "Tricky pix"? The event was free for people to photograph. Only people with red lanyards didn't want to be photographed. There are hundreds of photos on the Commons and social media.

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    1. "Tricky pix" was me being sarcastic. The hope was to get images of people who never posted images of themselves, and not to take photos of Lokshin and company.

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  5. How did these buffoons ID you as a threat? It seems that it should be easy to infiltrate a "free culture" event.

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  6. By the way, wasn't this supposed to be a major conference? Looks like all they had in attendance were 30-40 churlish, paranoid, overweight, geeks. This is what the "Wikipedia Movement" has been reduced to? How sad.

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  7. Is the Wikipedia movement like the one which happens once a day?

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  8. Scary... it reminds me of what life must have been under Nazism or Stalinism, when all your movements and words were spied and surveiled. But Wikipedia is far worse, it has become a thought police

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