Now's the time to let that fanaticism pay off by coughing up the evidence.
We recently ran a short humor piece on the Linux Journal web site that asked the question “Are you a Linux waif?” (/article/5868). The article was submitted by a woman who has been married to a “Linux man” for 13 years. She said she'd understand if we didn't want to run it because it might be funny only to her and her husband.
Whether people found it funny I don't know, but for a lot of people it struck close to home and turned out to be one of the most commented articles on the site, with people writing in to share their own Linux waif stories. The level of raving fanaticism, er, I mean enthusiastic devotion, ignited a spark of inspiration in our free-beer-numbed minds. We came up with an idea that will provide the staff of Linux Journal with some free entertainment, while giving our readers an opportunity to win a truly fabulous prize.
Marc Merlin, Linux Enthusiast Extraordinaire
In the spirit of the old MTV show Fanatic, we will be hosting a contest to discover the most dedicated (rabid) Linux devotee (fanatic). If you can prove to us that you are the superlative Linux zealot, you will win complimentary passage on the Linux Lunacy 2002 Caribbean cruise and a chance to meet some of the most renowned people in the Linux and Open Source communities, including Linus Torvalds, Ted Ts'o and Guido van Rossum. This year's ports of call include Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Holland-America's private Caribbean island, Half Moon Cay.
To enter, simply submit some kind of physical evidence of your Linux ardor to
Linux Journal Fanatic ContestPO Box 55549Seattle, WA 98155-0549
Submissions must be received by July 5, 2002. The grand prize winner and two runners-up will be announced in the September issue of Linux Journal. The runners-up will also receive a most excellent prize.
Example forms of submission are essay, film, photographs or any combination thereof. For instance, a short film of you wearing your penguin pajamas to a five-star restaurant while trying to show the waiter how to hack the restaurant's point-of-sale system (running embedded Linux) to keep a more “accurate” account of tips would probably make you a major contender.
We look forward to receiving your entries. Good luck!