StartupCafe

Halloween is a chance to let your wild side out for a night with no explanation and no apologies needed. Well okay, that may be most weekends at Potterrow, but there’s a very diverse range of self-expressions on the 31st October that does not emerge on an average party or fancy dress occasion. As I see it, there are three defining elements to this fantastic holiday: the candy, the costumes, and of course the pumpkins.

The candy tradition seems to be largely overlooked in the UK, with the exception of six 10 year old children that wound up raiding our kitchen for anything edible and sweet (we refused to let them tap our alcohol stash – what is up with kids these days?). The costumes here were in full swing though, and I loved seeing pirates, puppy dogs, Teletubbies, and black eyed peas (yes, the beans) all celebrating at the same event. However, what I love even more is the rising coolness of technology-related ensembles: dressing up as an ipod, a mobile phone, or video game characters. I actually heard about one party that had two Lara Crofts – what a night!

Growing up, I always saw pumpkins as a chance to carve wacky faces into a gourd. My pumpkin artwork at the age of 20 was probably not much different from my attempt at the age of 5. But this year things were different. Much to our friends’ horror, my flat decided to carve techie pumpkins to showcase our inner geeky talents. I mean, to show off our cool factor… Initially inspired by Robomotic’s impressive startup pumpkin, what we wound up with was a trio of logos representing our household purchases from Apple, LG, and Amazon. Turns out that spooked our friends more than a jagged-toothed jack-o-lantern would have!

So, how did you express yourself this Halloween? What were the best techie costumes or pumpkins you encountered? And did you come away with any new aspirations for next year?