Web 2.0: It's just a conference

I've been to quite a few conferences, and both for the ones I've attended and the ones I haven't, there's often this feeling as the time draws near that This is the Center of the Universe, and Great Things Will Occur. Well, it usually turns out that a conference is just a conference. Great things may occur -- you're seeing an enormous conncentration of activity timed to these three days, including the launch of Zvents -- but that isn't really happening "at the conference". I just sat through my first workshop session (never mind which one) where I saw some really smart guys present (with moderate success) some software that they've worked really hard on. This will be repeated, ad infinitum, for the next three days, with occasional wonk-fests about XML over HTTP, and at least one great moment that would have been great to see, if it hadn't cost so damn much to me bere. So even if this is the center of the universe, (a doubtful proposition at best) I keep reminding myself, the universe is a very large place.