Junto Philadelphia

Last week I got to participate in an institution hundreds of years old... and it wasn't patriarchy!

Junto was started in 1727 by the irresistible Ben Franklin (what, you don't find the guy who invented bifocals and the armonica hot?). As you might imagine, meetings took place in Philadelphia. Meetings filled with discussion on a wide range of topics -- including philosophy, science, and business. Meetings with a purpose of bettering each other. Wikipedia tells me this is exactly my cup of tea.

Naturally, I was very glad to be invited to the modern incarnation of Junto in Philly. P'unk Avenue now hosts the event, and draws a lot of great people to the meeting (they also serve a mean tomato pie). The structure's more laid back -- besides the feature presentation of the evening, there's a focus on getting to know the other community members there. It's a tech-savvy membership, which also means the potential for awesome geek-outs while randomly chatting is high.

Did I long for the questions of Juntos past? A little, I do have a penchant for meetings with curious structures. Did I have a good time? Absolutely. Did I feel better off for having gone? Yes. (Am I starting to sound like Donald Rumsfeld? Err...)

I'm looking forward to the next Junto. It's an event that makes me wonder what took me so long to get back into local tech communities.