2/8     linxu, what is it you guys want from us alumni? Many of us are
        old, disillusioned, lonely, pathetic, and pissed off engineers.
        Many of us are single, still virgin, and almost 40 years of
        age! I'm not so sure that hooking up old and pissed off alumni
        with you happy and optimistic youngin' is actually a good thing
        for you guys. Seriously, don't do engineering and GET A LIFE outside
        of Soda! Screw coding, debugging, and sysadm. It's all meaningless
        and dry, and will get outsourced to India and China anyways.  How
        about ditching your new technical mentoring program and instead
        concentrate on things that'll make your life to be more
        fulfilling when you're older. For example get someone from Cal
        MBA to do tech entrepreneurial talk, or get hooked up with the
        busadm people, like doing a CSUA+MBA+busadm event. Seriously, there
        are so many fine opportunities and fine women outside of Soda.
        You deserve to have a better life than many of us uninformed
        alumni when we were young and stupid and didn't know what we
        were doing.  -disillusioned virgin, should have done something else
        \_ I think its much more for those alumni who would be interested in
           meeting the current politburo and office hosers.  I know a few
           graduated alumns who I think would come and would be nice to see
           again.  This is not necessarily a networking to get current students
           jobs or ellicit donations, but just to involve the alumni with the
           club more.  When I'm an alum I'd like to go to something occasion-
           ally to see how the club is currently functioning.  This is very
           much geared to friendly alumns, so if you are just angry and bitter
           (and don't want to at least act friendly) you probably want to stay
           home. -mrauser
        \_ maybe you should move to an asian country where your poor
           english skills will be less of a barrier to finding eligible
           women.
        \_ speak for yourself.  I could have learned a lot from alumni
           when I was in school if I hadn't been too busy playing on MUDs
           chasing after women--things I had to learn myself after I
           graduated and had to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.
           Good idea on the MBA entrepreneurial talk, though.  That could be
           pretty useful.
           \_ But would you have really listened to the bitter old men or
              dismiss them as, well, old and bitter virgins?
              \_ Well, I've found the "bitter old virgin" stereotype to be
                 mostly untrue -- except in a few cases where it's more a
                 problem of attitude than geek culture.  And yes, I'd have
                 listened to Soda's elder statesmen for general advice about
                 "what happens next", and I'd have looked out for the
                 opportunity to network with people in industry.  Maybe you
                 should get some counseling or something, man, since you seem
                 really unhappy and have a pretty self-defeating attitude...
                 unless you're happy being a old bitter virgin.
                 unless you're happy being an old bitter virgin.
                 \_ Nah, I was an arrogant kid in college and didn't listen
                    to any "elder statesmen" who might have showed up (and
                    few did). Lots of others were the same. It makes me wonder
                    if having an alumni meeting is worth it.
                    \_ The purpose of an alumni meeting is for alumni to meet
                       college girls. Maybe you're too old already though.
                       \_ Hey nineteen, that's Aretha Franklin. She don't
                          remember the Queen of Soul.
                    \_ Assuming you're the op, so you were an arrogant in
                       college and now you're a bitter old virgin.  Perhaps
                       it's time for a change in strategy?  In the mean time,
                       please don't be a bitter dour naysayer of good ideas
                       just because you wouldn't have benefited from them back
                       when you were a young ass. -dans
                       \_ Sorry, !op. The op is obviously trolling. I am
                          expressing the fact that in college, the last
                          thing I wanted to hear is old farts talking about
                          their glorious college days. If it's going talking
                          about the stuff they are doing now, that's better.
                          \_ Then why didn't you say that an alumni meeting
                             where they talk about what they are doing now >>
                             alumni reminiscing about college instead of
                             merely expressing vague, bitter, dour, naysayer
                             misgivings?  Seriously though, thanks for the
                             clarification, I think it's important. -dans
                             \_ No agenda mentioned. Assumed it was going
                                bitter, old virgins showing complaining about
                                the motd and their ideas of improving {unix,
                                nethack,BSG} all of which include more full
                                frontal MOTAS nudity.
                    to whatever "elder statesmen" who might have showed up
                    (and none did). Lots of others were the same. It makes
                    me wonder if having an alumni meeting worth it.
                                \_ That's funny.  All the CSUA allumni I
                                \_ That's funny.  All the CSUA alumni I
                                   know personally are a lot of fun,
                                   including the above dans.  I wanted to
                                   go just because it would be fun.-jrleek
                                   \_ I like feeding the myth. And I troll too.
        \_ Speak for yourself.  I'm a happy, married, going-on-30-year-old
           engineer.  I've liked every job I've had and can't imagine doing
           anything else.  I got my first few jobs because of all of the time
           I spent fiddling on the computer instead of { studying, having a
           life, going outside, etc } while in school.
        \_ Speak for yourself, I'm a happy mid-twentiesomthing alum.  I'm
           totally into the latest of a string of hot girlfriends that began
                                                  \_ pixP
                                                     \_ #t
             Stop being anal about this, P-guy.  ___P   _/
             was first popularized with foodP, which if
             people had really only responded with #t and nothing else
             wouldn't have been a very useful thing.  It just means
             ____? these days, deal with it.
                                                     \_ I date hot girls
                                                        because I like them,
                                                        not so I can parade
                                                        them around like some
                                                        sort of trophy for you
                                                        to ogle. -pp
             \_ ___P and #t are also mismatched conventions.
                \_ ___P ==> ___predicate...ie, boolean.  You know...#t/#f.
                   \_ I'm referring to mixing LISP vs. Scheme conventions.
                   \_ Okay, this is where we tell the joke about there being
                      10 kinds of people in the world, those who can count in
                      binary and those who can't, thereby officially
                      consigning this argument to the nerd humor graveyard
                      after killing it, digging it up, and killing the zombie
                      corpse again. -dans
                      \_ Speaking of zombies, I thought Cemetary Man kind
                         of rocked.  That was a great film.  I've never
                         been as impressed with the Romero Quartet, though.
                         *shrug*
                         \_ I'll have to check that out.  Thanks. -dans
                   \_ analP
                      \_ correctP
           back in my undergrad days.  As an undergrad I spent lots of time
           geeking out, learned a lot, but still made time for a social life
           (not necessarily out of Soda, but a social life nonetheless).  The
           time spent geeking out definitely led to the jobs I've held.  I
           left my most recent gig in November, took a few months off, and am
           excited about the prospects for what's next.
        \_ what about happy old virgins?
        \_ Ah reminds me of the good old days where CS8 (Pascal) was a
           Business Admin requirement (logic, you know) and, as a reader or
           lab aide, the access to cute women was easy...
        \_ To the lonely 40 year-old virgin sodan, if you are truly
           depressed, and want to do something about your life before
           it is too late (or before your sperm all dries up), move
           out of Silicon Valley, seriously! If I am in your
           situation, I would seriously consider working in another
           country (especially Asian country such as China) for a few
           years instead of rotting in the Silicon Valley waiting for
           something to happen. You don't have to work I the tech
           field, teach English, or be a fool and appear in their TV
           shows! Apply for graduate school there. If you work there
           for a few years you'll get to know the girl better so you
           have more to base your decision on. It's an equal playing
           field. It'll be the opposite of Silicon Valley for you. You
           get to say "sorry, I am flattered, but I am not
           interested!". Or you can continue to bitch and moan about
           being a virgin on soda.
           \_ That's only if you want to date Asian women, NTTAWWT. I
              guess it might work also in Latin America, in which case
              you are an f-ing genius.