MEGAN MCCARTHY — It's once more into the breach at 111 Minna, the same damn art gallery/bar that's hosted any number of Web 2.0 parties, for the latest incarnation of the SF Beta demo-drinkiefest. The same old crowd of gadflies mixed with a few new faces and marched right by the superfluous jazz trio in the front room, homing in on the back room with the demos and instantly-devoured hors d'ouvere platters. One surprise was the presence of an actual Pastafarian pirate, but he left before I had a chance to interrogate him. When SF Beta began in October, it was yet another startup-meets-investor snoregasm, with the detached hipsteresque twist of making the startups pitch their ideas in haiku. Thankfully, this practice has been discontinued, leaving the demos for those who want to play with them, while the rest of us remained more bar-focused. Enjoy the photo gallery crafted by the collar-throttling mastery of Lane Hartwell. Notes and select pics after the jump.


Observe the CORPORATE EVENTS HOSTESSES handing out nametags. Why the hell are there so many of these damn "networking" meet and greets? There seems to be critical mass of people who were not around during the first go-round and want to try this stuff again. Though since you see a lot of the same people at every party, they're just as likely here for the booze. They're so like us.


So, I talked to Dan Hübner, Jeska Dzwigalski, and Ben Glenn of Linden Lab, none of whom are the gentleman above. Dan is the Director of Community Affairs or, as he puts it, the man in charge of Gray Matters ( i.e., ageplay, etc.). Jeska is a community manager, and Ben just got hired a month ago. I wanted to ask them about the rumors of Scientology in Second Life, but then Dan started talking about his real-life interactions with SL denizens, culminating in a story about having to go to a business meeting at a furry convention. He claims he did not wear a panda suit, nor did he attend any furry parties. Again, so he claims.


The Second Lifers continued, telling me how much SL has grown, and the wacky surprises perpetrated by the community. In beta, one user created a spaceship which coasted around beaming up other people's avatars. This proved popular with the more passive types, who commenced to waiting placidly for someone to beam them up. That almost perfectly encapsulates a great deal of the Second Life experience, really.


James Hong of Hot or Not fame was also present for the festivities, as was this guy, who took his shirt off for no reason. We asked Hongfor his opinion on our Vlog Hot poll, and he said it would be idiotic not to include Adriana Gascoigne, even though she doesn't have a regular videoblogging gig. Coincidentally, Gascoigne was standing right next to him at the time.


Here's Leah Culver exhibiting toothy happiness. Given how many times I've been here, and how many times I'll likely be here again, I finally introduced myself to the bartender. Of course, I then forgot her name. Bethany? Was that you? Never mind, I'll see you soon.


Full gallery here.

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