I’ve been wondering where all the action is in Portsmouth. Back during the Bubble, there were dozens and dozens of interactive shops cropping up. The area was even given a new monnicker: The eCoast. Unfortunately, I’m not aware of where the eCoast is headquartered, or even if it’s more than just a handful of dreams anchored by a few web pages. That’s the trouble with organizations; oftentimes, there’s nothing very tangible about them. I’d feel a lot better if, at any time I felt like it, I could drive to Portsmouth and visit some kind of artifact somewhere and be at the eCoast. Heck, it could even just be a physical bulletin board that someone nails to the side of a building. Put a small table next to it and a URL, and you’ve got a location. Bring some beers and you’ve got a party!
Anyway, I’m starting to hook up with people in the area, so we’re planning on having some kind of regular lunch thing to see what happens. For me, it’s an interesting experiment in being someplace else and seeing how that affects my social surface area; it’s amazing what happens when you just make the effort to not be where you usually are. I suspect that’s when the real magical things happen.
If there’s anyone out in Portsmouth with an interest in chatting about productivity, design, freelancing, or just swapping stories, drop me a line! I’m going to be around there more often.
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Jeff L 
Mark 
I, as an attending lunch member, think our first order of unofficial business should be to refresh eCoast.com!
As the other attending lunch member, I see that as an interesting potential activity!
Howdy folks! I just stumbled upon this (although I wasn’t using Stumble Upon) and wanted to introduce myself… I’m one of the originators of the eCoast and would love to hear more of your thoughts on what it is and what it could or should be.