by Flemming Funch
Andrius Kulikauskas came by today, visiting from Lithuania. He stopped by New York and met with Britt, and he's going with Tom Munnecke to the Uplift Academy workshop on Imagine Iraq.
We talked for a number of hours. Great to meet after knowing each other virtually for quite a while. We share many aims and activities and connections, and can probably talk philosophy for quite a while.
The other half of the reason we met is somewhat more sticky, though. Andrius is committed to doing all his work publically, which is why I even mention it here. Andrius met with Britt and me because he got involved in the Xpertweb project, and we made a contract with him for a short term paid engagement. Their meeting in New York didn't exactly go well. People approaching things from very drastically different angles, for one thing. And, well, Andrius is sort of difficult in a number of ways. I hadn't particularly realized or noticed, but he has a very firm set of norms and beliefs concerning how he's willing to work. He doesn't budge from these, and if pressed, he tends to form some strong opinions about the person who he feels is pushing him.
So, before we met, and while we were talking, I was sort of tending towards calling that whole thing off, and just sit and talk philosophy instead. But I changed my mind. I do think it will work, and that Andrius has some significant contributions to make to the project. He has indeed thought it through in a good deal of detail. The working relationships will be a little odd, but that might not matter at all if we get to where we need to go.
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