# I just attended a scientific conference. I was almost always the last one to finish clapping. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 8, 2018, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-attended-a-scientific-conference-i-was-almost-always-the-last-one-to-finish-clapping/824170 "2018-11-08T00:45:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-attended-a-scientific-conference-i-was-almost-always-the-last-one-to-finish-clapping/824170/1 "2018-11-08T00:45:51Z")
This is as mundane and pointless as a post will ever get, so I found the right forum. I was just at a scientific conference in Washington DC for a few days. Nearly every time a speaker was introduced or finished their presentation, I made sure to clap longer than anyone else in the audience. This is a game that I made up long ago. Because no one else in the audience knows that it’s a game, I can win every time! The only exception during the conference was when I told a former colleague about my game. He won the next round of applause. ---
**Author:** ![I\_wasn\_t\_truly\_absent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4da419/32.png) [@I\_wasn\_t\_truly\_absent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_wasn_t_truly_absent)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-attended-a-scientific-conference-i-was-almost-always-the-last-one-to-finish-clapping/824170/2 "2018-11-08T01:22:20Z")
😃 you sound like you might enjoy this one, try to say thanks and/or thank you waaay too much in a short interaction with a stranger it can be kind of fun I had to stop because it began to feel a bit rude. It is fun though, try it! harmless and silly! Do you have a dorksome face you apply to the overclapper or are they just quietly enthusiastic? Please throw in a big whoop or a whistle next time especially if your friend is competing! ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-attended-a-scientific-conference-i-was-almost-always-the-last-one-to-finish-clapping/824170/3 "2018-11-08T01:33:42Z")
I love it! A few years back some friends and I came up with a series of similar secret games. The one I remember in particular was finding ways to slip the phrase “I love you” casually into conversation or exchanges with strangers without them reacting. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-attended-a-scientific-conference-i-was-almost-always-the-last-one-to-finish-clapping/824170/4 "2018-11-08T01:41:46Z")
Maybe hold up a cigarette lighter if you really like the speaker. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-attended-a-scientific-conference-i-was-almost-always-the-last-one-to-finish-clapping/824170/5 "2018-11-08T02:11:46Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > I love it! A few years back some friends and I came up with a series of similar secret games. The one I remember in particular was finding ways to slip the phrase “I love you” casually into conversation or exchanges with strangers without them reacting. That reminds meow of something… ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-attended-a-scientific-conference-i-was-almost-always-the-last-one-to-finish-clapping/824170/6 "2018-11-08T02:13:10Z")
As long as you clap on 2 and 4, not 1 and 3, it’s all good. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-attended-a-scientific-conference-i-was-almost-always-the-last-one-to-finish-clapping/824170/7 "2018-11-08T02:23:50Z")
I thought there was no end to The Clap. Oh, wait, that’s Herpes. ---
**Author:** ![skdo23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@skdo23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skdo23)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-attended-a-scientific-conference-i-was-almost-always-the-last-one-to-finish-clapping/824170/8 "2018-11-08T02:49:02Z")
Without revealing too much info online, my brother spoke at that conference. I’m sure he appreciated your enthusiasm.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-attended-a-scientific-conference-i-was-almost-always-the-last-one-to-finish-clapping/824170/9 "2018-11-08T04:02:29Z")
A few other mundane, pointless musings about my Washington trip: 1. I rode the merry-go-round Saturday on the National Mall around the time that all the museums were closing. I was the ONLY ONE on the merry-go-round!!! No squealing babies to listen to. 2. I lived in the area for a couple years in the late aughts. I grew to know and love the recorded voice of the lady on the Metro trains telling everyone “step back…doors closing” and “when boarding, please move to the center of the car.” However, most of the old trains have been replaced by these newfangled, Space Age-looking 7000 series trains. The new trains have a different lady’s voice accompanied by a different set of dings. ☹ 3. I’d forgotten how much more substantial the Washington Post is compared to the Chicago Tribune. However, the Post doesn’t have the daily Jumble puzzle, and its advice columnist is far inferior to the Tribune’s Ask Amy. ---
**Author:** ![popomomo\_cocoyoyo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3da27b/32.png) [@popomomo\_cocoyoyo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/popomomo_cocoyoyo)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-attended-a-scientific-conference-i-was-almost-always-the-last-one-to-finish-clapping/824170/10 "2018-11-08T04:07:14Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Maybe hold up a cigarette lighter if you really like the speaker. Maybe not during a conference on Global Warming. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-attended-a-scientific-conference-i-was-almost-always-the-last-one-to-finish-clapping/824170/11 "2018-11-08T04:09:58Z")
> [@popomomo\_cocoyoyo](#): > > Maybe not during a conference on Global Warming. Linda Perry wore leather pants to a PETA rally. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-attended-a-scientific-conference-i-was-almost-always-the-last-one-to-finish-clapping/824170/12 "2018-11-08T12:51:10Z")
I attended a conference specifically because a friend from Cornell was speaking and it was an excuse for a get-together. When he was introduced, he knew I was in the audience immediately. While everyone was clapping, I was the only one whistling (tastefully). ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-attended-a-scientific-conference-i-was-almost-always-the-last-one-to-finish-clapping/824170/13 "2018-11-08T13:10:00Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > This is as mundane and pointless as a post will ever get, so I found the right forum. I was just at a scientific conference in Washington DC for a few days. Nearly every time a speaker was introduced or finished their presentation, I made sure to clap longer than anyone else in the audience. This is a game that I made up long ago. Because no one else in the audience knows that it’s a game, I can win every time! The only exception during the conference was when I told a former colleague about my game. He won the next round of applause. That’s crazy. I mean, like, in a good way. ---
**Author:** ![I\_wasn\_t\_truly\_absent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4da419/32.png) [@I\_wasn\_t\_truly\_absent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_wasn_t_truly_absent)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-attended-a-scientific-conference-i-was-almost-always-the-last-one-to-finish-clapping/824170/14 "2018-11-08T15:32:09Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I attended a conference specifically because a friend from Cornell was speaking and it was an excuse for a get-together. When he was introduced, he knew I was in the audience immediately. While everyone was clapping, I was the only one whistling (tastefully). Sooo, not a wolf whistle then, … Mozart? 🙂 I’ve actually had proposals (of all kinds, but marriage) during Bodigliani Del Queso’s little games, terrible terrible games. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-attended-a-scientific-conference-i-was-almost-always-the-last-one-to-finish-clapping/824170/15 "2018-11-08T15:38:23Z")
Have you ever won the game with a single clap? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-attended-a-scientific-conference-i-was-almost-always-the-last-one-to-finish-clapping/824170/16 "2018-11-08T16:08:47Z")
> [@I\_wasn\_t\_truly\_absent](#): > > Sooo, not a wolf whistle then, … Mozart? 🙂 No, the sort of whistle that accompanies “Whoop, whoop, whoop!”. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-attended-a-scientific-conference-i-was-almost-always-the-last-one-to-finish-clapping/824170/17 "2018-11-08T17:20:16Z")
People who keep clapping after the rest of the audience has stopped are like the people who just can’t stop asking the speaker questions. C’mon already, we’ve got bathrooms and meals to get to. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-attended-a-scientific-conference-i-was-almost-always-the-last-one-to-finish-clapping/824170/18 "2018-11-08T17:33:48Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > People who keep clapping after the rest of the audience has stopped are like the people who just can’t stop asking the speaker questions. > > C’mon already, we’ve got bathrooms and meals to get to. I’m with you on the questions part. In fact, of all the years I’ve been attending this conference, I’d never asked a single question until this most recent one. Fortunately my question was an actual question and not a 500-word essay, and the speaker’s answer to my question was a simple “no.” ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-attended-a-scientific-conference-i-was-almost-always-the-last-one-to-finish-clapping/824170/19 "2018-11-08T17:42:20Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > That’s crazy. I mean, like, in a good way. Crazy in an annoying way. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2018, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-attended-a-scientific-conference-i-was-almost-always-the-last-one-to-finish-clapping/824170/20 "2018-11-08T22:52:34Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Crazy in an annoying way. I think it would only be annoying if two or more people were playing. Somebody is always the last person to clap and you never notice it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-attended-a-scientific-conference-i-was-almost-always-the-last-one-to-finish-clapping/824170.md?page=2)