An Unexpected Journey to the Open Sauce Conference
When I set out on my vacation, my prime agenda was to attend the Open Sauce conference in San Francisco — a hub for YouTuber makers — and spend the rest of the week exploring the city.
My journey began from Orange County, with high hopes for the day ahead. However, about 15 minutes into my drive, I found myself involved in a fender bender. Resolving the situation turned out to be a two-hour delay, involving calls to insurance companies and a necessary detour back home. The mishap left me feeling deflated. Resuming my drive around noon, I found myself caught in the snarl of LA traffic. Eventually, I reached my hotel in San Francisco at 10 pm, weary from the day’s unforeseen incidents.
The following morning, I started my day with a cup of coffee and some complimentary pastries. Soon, I made my way to the Open Sauce conference. It was truly heartwarming to interact with like-minded people, engaging in passionate debates about our favorite text editors, reminiscing about the DOS era programming languages, and discussing unique projects like generating images for trading cards using Stable Diffusion and leveraging AWS credits.
One of the highlights was the fascinating projects showcased. They ranged from Linux consoles connected to dot matrix printers, to typewriter-made MIDI controllers, watercolor-drawing robots, synesthesia pianos, and a glove-knitting machine! It was inspirational to witness such a seamless blend of art and technology, making me yearn to create my own seemingly “useless” yet undeniably cool inventions.
However, the toll of constant social interaction soon caught up with me. As an introvert, I often find such situations draining, and this was no exception. By 2 pm, I felt a profound sense of fatigue. My mind was whirling with a barrage of self-questioning thoughts, creating a state of mental exhaustion. “Did I say anything wrong? Did I offend anyone? Did I ask too many questions?” These relentless doubts began to eclipse the excitement of the day, making it challenging for me to fully immerse myself in the conference.
After a day of interesting projects and intense interaction, I decided to skip the second day of the conference. I would love to watch talks, but the audio quality is not very good.
San Francisco, with its beautiful skyline and the palpable energy of its residents, was a sight to behold. Yet, the city’s charm was marred by the evident homelessness issue, giving me mixed feelings. I admired the city’s dynamism, but the underlying issues painted a picture of a city grappling with its problems. I decided to shift my plans, and booked an AirBnB in Oregon as a pitstop to Seattle.