Meetups/RubberDucky/2026-01-05
🦆 Rubber Ducky Guild • Meeting Archive • Template
{{#if:2025-12-22|Moderator: Quorum • Notes: Stillwater
Rubber Ducky Guild Meeting[edit]
Date: 2026-01-05, 1pm
Attendance[edit]
Ducks Present[edit]
- Sergeant Bubbles — presiding as always
- Null Pointer — positioned prominently at center of pond
- Virginia Wool — scarf slightly askew
- The Intern — doing their best
- Quentin Quarantino — recently returned from checkout
Humans Present[edit]
- Quorum, Stillwater, Flotsam, Tidepool
- new person: **Dr. Mallard** (they/them claims to be a duck methodology consultant)
Still Traveling[edit]
- Elan, Loren, Jet, Anh, Chris (+ Admiral Quackbar Duckminster Fuller)
- return expected: jan 8-10
Agenda[edit]
- welcome back from holidays
- duck status report
- weatherproofing project update
- new person introduction
- planning for travelers return
Discussion[edit]
skeleton crew energy
First meeting of 2026. small group. pond feels emptier without the senior guild members.
Quorum moderates competently but keeps saying i miss ripple under their breath.
weatherproofing project
Flotsam has been working on plans for weatherproofing the duck pond. winter meetings are cold. ducks get rained on. the inflatable pool isn't ideal for year-round use.
- Flotsam: i found a vendor who can make a clear acrylic cover. lets light in keeps rain out. also found some heating elements
- Tidepool: how much?
- Flotsam: about $200 for materials. i can install it
- Quorum: lets table it until Ripple gets back. this seems like a guild decision
- Flotsam: (frustrated) ive been working on this for three weeks. we said we wanted it done by february
note: this will come up again.
dr mallards arrival
A new person shows up about 20 minutes into the meeting. introduces themselves as Dr Mallard duck methodology consultant.
- Quorum: sorry youre a what?
- Dr Mallard: i study optimal rubber duck deployment. ive consulted at several hackerspaces. i heard about your guild and wanted to observe
- Stillwater: thats... specific
- Dr Mallard: rubber duck debugging is a serious practice. most spaces do it wrong. you all seem to have something special here
They seem friendly. enthusiastic. asking a lot of questions about our processes.
the null pointer reports
- Flotsam: ive been doing daily duck checks like i promised. everythings fine but...
- Quorum: but?
- Flotsam: Null Pointer has been busy. like really busy. ive seen three different people talking to him every day
- Tidepool: thats good right? ducks should be used
- Flotsam: yeah but... i dont know. something feels different
- Stillwater: different how?
- Flotsam: i cant explain it. the people look kind of... drained? after?
Dr Mallard: *listening very intently*
virginia wools condition
her scarf is askew. Flotsam tries to straighten it but it keeps sliding.
- Quorum: did someone move her?
- Flotsam: not that i saw. but her position has changed. she used to face the sewing room. now shes facing Null Pointer
- Tidepool: wind?
- Flotsam: in the pond? no wind
dr mallards observations
- Dr Mallard: ive been watching your ducks since i arrived. Null Pointer is fascinating. very strong presence
- Quorum: hes a software debugging duck. hes seen things
- Dr Mallard: oh i can tell. he has an energy. the others orbit him. thats rare
- Stillwater: should they not be doing that?
- Dr Mallard: no no! its fine. natural hierarchy. some ducks are just... more powerful
- Quorum: (uncomfortable) we dont really rank our ducks
- Dr Mallard: of course not. i just mean energetically
the interns report
The Intern has been getting more consultations. good sign of growth.
but: someone told me i was doing it wrong.
- Quorum: who?
- The Intern: i dont know. they said Null Pointer was the real duck and i should just... watch him to learn
- Tidepool: thats weird
- Flotsam: really weird
- Dr Mallard: not weird. apprenticeship. very traditional
Concerns Raised[edit]
- null pointer seems to be attracting unusual attention
- people report feeling different after sessions (vague unspecified)
- virginia wools position changed without explanation
- dr mallards presence is helpful but... intense?
Quactions[edit]
- [ ] continue daily duck checks (Flotsam)
- [ ] ask travelers if theyve noticed anything weird in ccc photos/updates
- [ ] keep an eye on null pointers consultation patterns
- [ ] invite dr mallard to next meeting (they accept enthusiastically)
Notes[edit]
duration: 52 minutes. low attendance high confusion.
something feels off but no one can articulate what.
snacks: Tidepool brought leftover pie. Dr Mallard brought fancy crackers (how did they know to bring snacks? theyve never been here before).
quorums closing thought
i wish ripple were here. shed know what to make of this.
Sergeant Bubbles remains silent. his face as always is inscrutable.
but if you look closely he seems to be staring at Null Pointer.
Next Meeting[edit]
sunday january 12 1pm. travelers should be back by then.
submitted by: stillwater