Adam Shostack 
When someone [you're talking to] asks you “what’s new” at a conference, the very worst answer is “same old thing.” You have a chance to remind them of who you are, what makes you special, tell a funny story like “I don’t think I’ve seen you since X happened...” Even if you want to say “same old thing,” you can say, ‘It’s amazing, but I’ve been farming cabbage for 16 years now! Whodda thunk?"
Also some nerds are bad at faces and need a reminder. Or, you look great with that new beard. Or something.
jaark@adamshostack that works in reverse too, some of us are real bad with faces and might not quite know who is asking or when they last saw them... 'not much' is a default polite response until more context can be gathered to converse properly.
@jaark Tell a story anyway. The conversation was handed to you, the other person can always say, "I think we saw each other at X" if they're bored.
Jon Callas 烏@adamshostack I live up to the old WC Fields quip, “I always forget names, but I seldom remember a face.”
The reason non-answers are bad is because the conversational baton was just handed to you, and you're batting it away, rather than taking it. You're making the other person do all the conversational work.
Do you really have nothing you want to talk about? Why are you even at the conference?
Jonathan Yu@adamshostack I think it's unfair to expect me to be in a mood to socialize just because I'm at a conference. People attend for all kinds of different reasons.
Though I also agree, if you're trying to meet people, then it makes sense to be sociable!
@jawnsy I mean, I'm assuming here that someone wants to talk - they're at a networking event, or has come up to say "good to see you" or whatnot.
If you're not in a mood to socialize, it's totally fair to say, "I have to run, sorry" or even "sorry, feeling overwhelmed, not wanting to talk."
@adamshostack I think what I'm proposing is that conferences are not necessarily networking events for everyone at all times. I often go to events just to eavesdrop on others and watch a few random talks to keep a pulse on things. Same for meetups. I'm not always in a mood to be sociable :)
DeeAnn Little@adamshostack I think it's an okay response, especially at a conference since they can be overwhelming at times. Sometimes people just want to quietly hang out without added social pressure, at least for a little while.
Sheldon@adamshostack if someone unexpectedly asks me out of the blue what I've been up to I have 2 reactions.
1) Why'd you have to ask me that? I barely know what day it is today.
2) Where the hell do I start? Does he really want to hear about the colonoscopy I had last month?
Granted it's a conference and if you go to one of those things, you should be prepared to run into someone you know and have some good responses ready to roll.
That said, if you've ever been to a high school reunion you'll know what I mean when I say that the conversations you think you're going to have never end up being the ones you end up having. If you over-prepare, it'll be obvious. Normal conversations never play out the way you foresee.
Semitones@sysop408 @adamshostack I'm guilty of "same old thing" (not at conferences) because I'm usually not prepared for the question. Sometimes saying "same old thing" gives me the time to follow up with something more interesting. "You know, been farming cabbages, etc"
@semitones @sysop408 not at a conference, totally legit. At a thing where you're wanting to network, I encourage everyone to have at least some semblance of a thing you want to talk about.