Snuggle up next to your laptops again for this week's installment of a mildly confusing feature in which we ask those ensconced too cozily in your SF bubbles to take a step back, summon your inner C.W. Nevius, and try to understand why some in the outer counties and elsewhere in this country (certainly not us!) might look askance at the way we do things here — if for nothing else than to enjoy an ironic chuckle at our own expense. If all of this seems too difficult, please refer to our other recurring feature, 7 Reasons to Love San Francisco, and be on your merry way.

Today's edition: the kooky conventioneers who like coming here, because SF loves a kook

Not only do we get the honor of regular 9/11 conspiracy conventions, but today we hear that nearby suburb San Leandro will be hosting a UFO conference in September. The conference, called UFO X Fest, purports to explore, "UFO's, Science, Technology, 2012, Signs & Symbols, Conspiracies, Earth Changes, Crash Retrievals, Ancient Civilizations, Reptoids, Crop Circles, Space, Time, Conciseness [sic], GOD and Existence." This gets one thinking. Why must all impassioned, non-gun-toting (we think), non-conservative, fringe-dwellers converge here for their meetings? Is it just the climate and swell tourist attractions that make this a prime conference locale for many wealthy industries (see also MacWorld, Oracle OpenWorld, the dentists, the psychiatrists, etc.)? Or have we become a haven for all manner of nutjobs?