Topbit Technicals

Written in the autumn of 2004

[edit: Added the ‘Faking It USA’ links at the bottom. They are highly recommended to read]

Hello, I’m Topbit – and I’m shy.

Some would not believe it after the mini adventure that was the Bicon 2004 group photo (and more – but you had to be there), but I consider it to be utterly true. I’ve been the one stuck – of my own choice – on the furthest edge away from the dance-floor all night before, and it’s not somewhere I like to be.

Crunchtime for me came a few years ago, when after years of playing the wall-flower, I got smart enough to figure out it was just no fun – and certainly wasn’t going to become any more enjoyable – I was also alone, and that wasn’t likely to change either. I decided in that instant to do something about it, and so started a process that has, in some fits and starts, has, for the last three years or so, seen me taking a few more risks, and having a lot more fun in the meantime. Bicon, is simply the most recent fun (and what fun!) in a now long line of enjoyable experiences.

Be assured – if you don’t have some significant enjoyment on a regular basis, and you are doing nothing to help that along, nothing is going to change. Waiting for self-confidence to appear – I tried that, it doesn’t work. It won’t find you – you have to go and get it. If you are too shy to even ask for help, then you have a real problem – you may not be able to even get some advice on solving it. This article aims to give you a few ideas on those early steps, and maybe something of a roadmap, similar to what I’ve been following for these last few years.