Proliferating Cypherpunks Groups!

[Timothy C. May]

Paul Ferguson writes:

>  You're right, Eric -- we are mad as hell, too. But I'm not about to
>  jump on a flight to the west coast to simply share strategies. The
>  fact that I would even consider it negates the functions which we are
>  working towards, no? I propose that us east coasters organize and
>  meet as well. Pat and I are DC bourne, for those interested, I'd like
>  to propose a DC local meeting. Suggestions? Keep in mind that I'm in
>  NYC during the week, so my only available meeting times aare on the
>  weekends. (By the way, lets get our shit together DC'ers. We need
>  technologists, not lacidaisical idealisms.)
>  
>  Your DC based Cypherpunk group is hereby established. BTW, if anyone

Hear, hear! We need more such groups!

I get occasional messages from folks bemoaning the fact that the
Silicon Valley seems to be where it's all happening. Well, it's easier
for *you folks* in other areas to pull together a local meeting than
it was for Eric Hughes and others of us to set up the first such
meeting last September. A list now exists and that helps a lot.

(I'll grant you that some of your communities may be more scattered
and out-of-touch with each other than our community was...it seems we
in the Bay Area mostly all know each other through frequent parties,
Hackers Conferences, science fiction groups and parties, high-tech
startups, Xanadu, VR, "Mondo 2000," "Wired," and so on. In other
less-interconnected areas, you may have to advertise well in advance
on this list and perhaps even elsewhere to reach enough like-minded
people. But not to sound snotty or anything, that's how your
"backwater" regions like Washington can become "happening" places like
our area....actually, this is a gross exaggeration, as D.C. has had a
very active "2600" group, as has NYC, so neither is a backwater.)

There are currently 3 groups holding physical meetings, that I know
of:

* Silicon Valley/San Francisco Bay Area, meeting since September.

* UK Cypherpunks, meeting in London since around December/January.

* Boston Cypherpunks, just had its first meeting recently.

There are several very active Cypherpunks in the Southern California
area, covering San Diego, LA, and as far north as Santa Barbara. Some
of them have asked us to have a Cypherpunks meeting down there, which
we may still do (personally, I favor some kind of "West Coast
Cypherpunks" meeting just before or just after the Crypto Conference
this summer, held as always in Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara is about
halfway between the two extremes, and is a nice place to meet.). 

But a better idea is for the SoCal Cypherpunks to form their own
group.

Likewise, the Washington, D.C. area seems a natural spot, as there are
several Cypherpunks that I know of off-hand who're in the area.

New York, too.

Well, you get the point. No permission is needed!

Good luck in these dark days.


-Tim May

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