Catch the Assembly '01 Buzz He and his friends were proud to show off to me, and explain the lightning-quick speed of the network. The monitor showed a server ping time of just 4 milliseconds, compared to more typical speeds of 100 or 200 milliseconds, they said.
It's hard to overemphasize the cosmic or even spiritual aspect of linking up with all that connectivity and power, like being part of Star Trek's Borg collective. Tapping into the network -- to many, at least -- means being a part of a whole and, contrary to some of the grousing from hard-core demo coders, the young gamers seem mostly in awe of demos.
"It's such a beautiful audio and visual show," said Mikka's friend Mikko Ikola, also 15. "The music and video compos are so beautiful."
But Assembly is a party, and that means a full assortment of kicks. A couple dozen beanbag chairs were stretched out before a screen as big as some art theaters house, showing DVDs of recently released Hollywood movies. Lounging while watching George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg shiver under water in that famous boat movie was a surprisingly effective way to recharge for more demo viewing.