Originally Posted by The Story

Linux Social Experiment…People have NO clue

I spent a day doing something I see people do every day and never give them another thought.

There is hardly a street corner or intersection in Austin Texas that does not have bedraggled soul standing there with a sign in his hand. Sometimes they have spouses, some have kids, sometimes they have dogs…but regardless of who they have with them, there is a constant.

They all hold signs.

The idea came to me while I was helping my daughter with her homework. There was no direct reason why I should have come up with the idea during that event. It was just a random thought on which I followed through. What if I were to stand on a street corner with a sign in MY hand? One in which did not ask for money, food, a job or sympathy, but offered to give people something for free? What if I offered people waiting at the stoplight of a busy intersection free Linux disks?

I spent the next two evenings burning disks, covers and putting them in cheap cases. I made 60 of them and put them in two shoe boxes. The next morning, I traveled about 3 miles to an intersection of William Cannon Blvd. and the I-35 feeder road. I parked my pickup truck in the Kmart parking lot and carried my stuff over to my corner. It was there I sat up shop at 7 AM.

After 20-plus years in the United States Army, I have an aversion to barbers and razors. With the aid of a pair of old blue jeans, run down tennis shoes and a ratty old jacket, I didn’t look much different than any other street person. My “sign” was a 3x3 cardboard boxtop with the following message.

Stop paying for the privilege of using your computer. Get your free Linux disks here.
Ask scroungy-looking guy for details.

And in droves, by the dozen and then by the hundreds…they ignored me. I made it a point to attempt eye contact with everyone in the closest lane to me. When cars were stopped at the light, I had several disks in one hand and the sign in the other. It was amazing how many people found things to fiddle with in their cars when I looked at them. As the traffic idled at the light, I would walk down the median and hold up my sign so they could see it clearly. It was shortly after the morning work rush hour that it began to happen.

People gave me money…

And cigarettes…

4 gave me gift certificates to local eateries.

Some gave me phone numbers.

Go figure.

They were not reading my sign. They just assumed I was begging for money, and they handed it out the car windows and quickly retreated to their sanctuary. Most had the power windows rolled up before I could say thank you.

It was only after the morning rush that people actually seemed to read my sign and asked me what it was all about. Many judged that I had been hired by someone to do this thing I was doing. but in the 200 or so people in that day that actually spoke to me about what I was doing, only 9 knew anything about Linux. I gave away every disk that day. Those that took the time to speak to me were genuinely interested in the concept of a free operating system. All but a handful had the slightest clue that there was an alternative to Microsoft Windows. The thing that struck me most was the relief on their part when they found I wanted nothing from them. Some laughed and joked with me, others just wanted to get on their way. At 4:15 PM, I was out of disks and the traffic was picking up. It was again rush hour and those who waited at the light wanted nothing but the comfort of their homes. They wanted nothing to do with some scruffy-looking guy standing on the corner with a sign in his hand.

It was beginning to hint at darkness when I picked up my boxes, sign and my trash. I had packed a small lunch in a paper bag and put it in one of the shoe boxes. Mixed in with the empty sandwich wraps and chocolate milk carton was my “earnings” for the day. I got back to my truck and started it, wanting nothing but to go to my own home. As I waited for the engine to warm, I looked across the parking lot at the opposite corner of the traffic light. Some middle-aged guy with a worn field jacket and a ball cap stood on the corner holding a sign. I put my truck in gear and entered traffic, then stopped at the light where he stood.

I rolled down my window and motioned him over. He looked behind him and then to the side, not sure if I was signaling to him. I made the gesture again and he warily approached.

“How you doin’ buddy.”

The guy looked at me and shrugged.

“OK I guess…it’s gonna get cold tonight.”

I shook my head in agreement and reached into the shoe box next to me and took out my lunch sack. I stuck it out the window and handed it to him.

“Here you go man. You have a good day.”

The guy took the bag and said thanks without looking in it. I pulled away and smiled. I had spent hours and hours creating those Linux disks I had given away, but giving away that grease stained lunch sack was better. I fought the impulse to look in the mirror and see if he was checking it out. I had already tallied the contents.

Currency = $144.09.

Cigarettes = 4 packs.

Gift certificates for a meal at Chili’s, Applebee’s and Logans = 4.

Standing in that man’s shoes for a day…

A gift that cannot be measured.

All-Righty Then

helios