eBay Live:party like it's 1976 and 1776?

In an unusual move this year, eBay has separated the Meg keynote and gala event.  Usually those are on the same night and flow into each other.  This year Meg's keynote is Thursday at 6pm and then the Gala is Saturday evening (featuring Kool and the Gang!)

Well, worry not eBay Live party animals!  Today, CNET reports that Google Checkout is hosting a big "Let Freedom Ring!" party at eBay Live after Meg's Thursday PM keynote.   The event is to protest the fact that eBay continues to block Google Checkout on eBay claiming it is not scalable and unproven/not secure.  In the article, Ben Ling @ Google mentions that this is silly because Google Checkout is taken by about half of the top 500 Internet Retailers. 

Regular readers know where I fall on this issue.  Hey maybe we could all bring some Canadian Tire Money (allowed on eBay.com as a valid payment option, while Google Checkout is not) and throw it into the harbor?

Comments

[Sandy]

I don't know what Keynote Speeches and Galas you've been going to but for the last 3 years Meg's keynote speech has been on one night (2004 it was in the morning) and the Gala is on the last night. In 2005, in San Jose, they shuttled us to the HP Pavillion where we made a good attempt at filling it up. Last year the keynote was at the Mandalay Bay event center and we heard Davey Jones from the Monkey's belt out some songs we've never heard before.

I'm not sure why this is important either.

[Dave]

actually, you should have titled this "party like it's 2002", which was the year PayPal threw a similar t-shirt revolution party at the very first eBay Live (this was just before eBay bought PayPal).

after a torrent of PayPal t-shirts were on proud display the next day, Meg eventually capitulated and bought the company. ok, well maybe it took a few more months, but it went something like that ;)

pix from the paypal party at the first eBay Live, courtesy of ina steiner @ auctionbytes:
http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/pages/ebaylivepics/11pp.JPG