I've done stuff that normal people would consider ubercool - doing illegal raves, run one of the hottest bars in Ibiza, throwing parties for the jetset.<p>When seen from the outside it looks amazing - you get to talk to models, you get free booze, get in for free at all the clubs and have sex with models.<p>The thing that nobody tells you is that it's hard work. Most of the actors that go to the oscars aren't there to get drunk or laid, for them it's a chance to talk shop with their colleauges. When James Cameron is talking to Natalie Portman he isn't chatting her up, he's trying to get her to star in his new movie. If, by accident, John Cusack gets drunk at one of the clubs he gets into for free he'll be all over the tabloids and he won't get that next role, so he can't do it.<p>A friend of mine just came back from a tour with a known rock-band. They worked hard from nine in the morning until after midnight six days a week. The last day of the week they just wanted to get home to their families. No screwing around with models, no getting drunk and no clubbing. Just hard work. The rockstar life is mostly something the media makes up.<p>Remember that the grass is always greener on the other side. Or as Brad Pitt once said "Fame's a bitch man"
This post put a big stupid grin on my face, just imagining him walking around, and nobody knowing who he is. Him being far more influential and more important than most people in the room, and yet having trouble explaining what he does.<p>It sounds like a family reunion trying to remember people names and telling everyone you make web sites for a living.
"Hi, I'm Linus"<p>"Nice to meet you Linus. What do you do?"<p>"I don't know how to put this, but I'm kind of a big deal"<p>"Really?"<p>"People know me."<p>"Well I'm very happy for you."<p>"I'm very important. The internet runs off my software and my apartment smells of rich mahogany."
"So here's a shout-out to my new BFF's Jon Hamm and DJ."<p>Can someone please make it happen that Linus gets an appearance in Season 5 of Mad Men? He could play an IBM salesman or something like that...
It just occurred to me that if I'd gone to the "Night before the Oscars" party, Linus would have been the only one I'm 100% certain I would have recognized and been certain about his name.
I live next door to a celebrity chef. When I met him, he comes up to me, introduces himself like he's running for office, then there's this pause because he's waiting for the typical "regular guy meets celebrity" reaction. "Haven't you heard of me?"<p>Nope sorry. As far as I'm concerned you're just my neighbor who doesn't walk his dog and lets the yard fill up with dog poop.<p>I much prefer attitudes like Annie Lennox, who once said something about how it's nice to do your own laundry for a change.
Anyone remember Blake Ross’ reaction blog post to the Time 100 dinner he was invited to? His website (blakeross.com) has been taken offline and I wasn’t able to quickly find the post via the Wayback Machine.
well, sounds like a progress. Linus, the top-geek, finally got invited there. That means recognition if not from Hollywood circles, yet from a circle near it.
Not that I'm a huge fan of Linus (though I love his operating system), but I'd rather chat with him than anyone else at the Oscars... unless RMS happens to be there.
I would be in the same boat. I actually like a lot of movies but I am so disinterested in the kind of celebrity idol worship that most are that I don't remember the names of a lot of actors/actresses.<p>I reserve all my idol worshipping for linus
"since geeks in general are seen as the crème de la crème of society". Strange statement, my impression is that geeks don't receive at all enough credits. Every average legal or doctor is a super star compared to a geek at least in Italy.
It is also embarrassing for a society to put on the TV screen everybody but not the guy that created software that really is running the internet. Linux and Git are huge.
Glad to know this that Linus had a good time. His contribution to software are undoubtedly great. But I don't understand what this article has to do with 'hacking' and why is this the most highly rated 'news' article today.
Hey shouldn't it be Linus's blog? You would only write Linus' blog if you were indicating plural possessive such as indicating that it is the Linus family's blog. Not sure about this one. Could it possibly be that Linus Torvalds made a mistake? I think so.
Think of every crucial system running Linux... It seems that this story is backwards. He should be the celebrity, all these idiots were just in front of a camera at some point.