An Introduction - Moving to KC

[Jared]

> Open source is that radical communist stuff they do out on the coasts, we
> don't have anything to do with such things, and anybody attempting to load
> such viral software on a company owned PC will be shot.
> 
> This is a great place to move to if you want to get out of IT and become an
> insurance salesman.  Or maybe real-estate.

It ain't slow. It's just got a longer wavelength.

Kansas City's own personal visionary, Clay Chastain, whose ideas
are quite reasonable for the West Coast, is hounded severely by
anyone who has a lick of authority within the city. The Kansas City
Star recently had an article about him pointing out the many
city departments that had issues with his current lightrail
proposal. No one seems to think of the novel idea of HELPING him;
all are unanimous in decrying his efforts. I take this as a sign
that if you want to do anything visionary in this town you have to
do it very very slowly and expect lots of resistance.

I suppose there will be an avenue named after Mr. Chastain in about
80 years. Few then will remember how he was so soundly despised
at the present time. Harry Truman had the lowest approval rating
of the century... now people can't say enough good about him.

As for Open Source in K.C., I would simply add the following parable:

A shoe salesman landed in the far-off and distant country and
telephoned corporate headquarters within a day:
"Please send me back home. Nobody here wears shoes!"
Later, a second salesman arrived and also telephoned within a day:
"Please send a dozen boxcars of shoes. Nobody here wears shoes!"

I like Kansas City. It's slow, but it is stable. I've spent
a lot of time in California, and prefer here.

-Jared