So it's been Thanksgiving over the past 24 hours in the USA (NZ as always was in the future, and had the 26th yesterday) -- and being a USA holiday it always has a remarkably big effect on the Internet feeds that I read. Over the 24 hours which are Thanksgiving in the USA, not only are there many fewer posts, but many of them are about Thanksgiving. Even 20 years after I started reading things on the Internet (where the effect was very obvious due to the Internet being very USA-centric at the time), the Internet (or at least the bits that are of most interest to me) are still very USA centric.

Still, it's good to remember to be thankful from time to time. Despite the various issues that crop up in my life from time to time, it's sobering to remember I'm living in an enlightened age, in a (mostly) first world country earning a very comfortable living. Not everything is idillic, but there is much to be thankful for. And as things to have as the reason for a holiday, being thankful seems like a good one.

This weekend is KiwiCon III, which is "New Zealand's Hacker Con". Once again they've managed to "sell out", or at least "reserve out" since the online registration just holds a ticket for you until 30 minutes before opening. But it's still impressive to run a popular conference for a relatively niche area, with people flying in not only from around the country but also from Australia and parts further away for the conference (there were a few who flew in from the USA last year -- which was also run very close to (the USA) Thanksgiving). And it's great that it's right here in my own city. (As is Linux.Conf.Au in January; the passport I'm renewing isn't going to see quite as much use in the near future as it normally would have.)

As usual, Kiwicon is "cash only". But some people's belief that everywhere takes plastic these days was so strong that they stood in line for 10-15 minutes before finally giving in to the message that these Hackers really did mean "anonymous cash only" and heading off in search of a money machine (fortunately for them there are several nearby). So as a final observation, thanks that we live in an age where (mostly) it's possible to live without carrying large amounts of cash around.

"The future is already here - it is just unevenly distributed." May it become more evenly distributed, so more people have more for which to give thanks.