Arisia can be quite different things to different people. It's like when someone tries to describe what LiveJournal is like - what they see is the slice of LJ that comes out of who their friends and friends' friends are and what communities they're on. Arisia experiences are partly that - who you go to the con with and who they know - and of course partly what your focus is in your choice of things to go to. So now we know what kind of Arisia this reporter's friends are into. And yes, that is a real slice of Arisia, and one I've experienced (by choice) most years. But it's certainly not a representation of everyone's Arisia.