SmallPAX

So I mentioned the phenomena of ConVoice last time out - the dropping of my voice a half-octave in timbre over the course of convention. My voice doesn't strain so much as it grows barbs that rattle in my throat to the amusement of others. It is generally harmless and (provided I stop talking) goes away soon enough.

But there is also the legendary ConCrud, which is that exhausted feeling you get after a full-tilt weekend of not relaxing so much as plowing full tilt through a loud continual party. And for those of us WORKING that party, it is just as bad, if not worse. After a convention, participating companies can see increased absences as well as reduced productivity for about a week.

But sometimes it goes above that level, for example, the PAX Pox, or as someone on the AION team termed it - SmallPAX. There have been cases of flu (swine and otherwise) reported out of PAX, which was a perfect breeding ground for germ-swapping (all of those controllers and keyboards passing through multiple users). So the casualty list from the convention is larger than normal, and in addition, some of our number are home just staying out of the way to avoid either coming down with something or spreading it to others.

As a result, I've gotten more done in the past two days, but now I'm getting the wooziness as well. And I don't know if it is just general issue exhaustion (Yeah, I spent Memorial Day playing games with friends) or something much more dire.

And come to think of it, if belonged to a major competitor that was looking to cripple the rest of the industry, PAX would be an ideal vector to spread a virulent, productivity-crippling virus that would immobilize the designer/programmer population.

Of course, the release of Rock Band: The Beatles will do the same thing.

More later,

Update So the local channel Q-13, which handled the convention minimally throughout the weekend (no other records on their web site), now LEADS the evening news with report. Yahsee, its only NEWS when bad things happen.