Even educated tech industry people seemed to have a pretty limited view. Sure, they might be up on all the latest coding practices or whatnot, but I didn’t find too many people to have broader interesting conversations with. Perhaps I’m an East Coast snob, having grown up out here, but when I was living in California I missed the more cosmopolitan intellectualism of the East. But now that I’m back, I don’t really find it any more.

I think the smart and interesting people are out there, but it’s so much effort to find them! I’m sure it’s not helped by my being a bit of a hermit, but even if I were properly motivated I’m not sure how easy it is to find. I have profiles up on the various social networking sites, but I find them more as yearbooks for grownups than actual networking tools. I don’t meet many new people that way.

I used to go to Ryze mixers in the Bay area. There are Ryze mixers out here as well, although I’ve not been. Perhaps I need to get off my ass and do it, instead of lamenting. Going to DC (or Arlington or wherever) from the ‘burbs isn’t really all that far, but it’s hard to get motivated after work to deal with the traffic disaster that is the Greater Capital Area. What to do, what to do?

If anyone knows of any cool networking/whatever type groups in the Northern VA area, I’d be interested to hear about them.