Streaming Johnny Carson's iTunes

Tonight at the reboot meetup, I met Olle, who proved to be a kindred spirit in innumerable ways.

One of the things we talked about is compatibility as regards workmates. The question we posed: how can you determine whether you will be able to work with someone in a “synergistic way.” In other words, you “get” them and they “get” you, and things flow along effortlessly. Or at least thrillingly.

We were talking open source project development, not moving rocks, so we assumed that some degree of intellectual, philosophical and/or spiritual symbiosis would be required. But how do you gauge whether it exists before you’re in too deep — deep enough that the inevitable “break up” must happen.

Some of the ideas on the table: you’ve read the same books, appreciate the same programming languages, read and appreciate each others weblogs.

We could agree that we’d both been members of both very compatible and hopelessly incompatible teams. We could describe in bitter detail where things went off the rails when they did, and why. But when it came to any sort of predictive measure, I don’t think we reached any conclusions; but we had a lot of fun trying.

Which brings me to my main point. As I mentioned earlier, I’m staying in the same hotel, and thus inhabiting the same subnet, as Cory Doctorow.

Cory has iTunes music sharing turned on.

I’ve got his 7,941 song music collection streaming randomly through the ether into my ears right now.

I should be asleep, but I can’t turned it off: this guy’s got an amazing pile of albums, a collection that hits an uncommon lot of “because you bought this, you might be interested in this” buttons for me. And I’m afraid that he’s going to go to sleep soon, and the stream will go dark.

Would Cory Doctorow and I be able to work together because I dig his taste in music?