Category: sxsw

20×2 7.0: What If?

20×2 was tonight, and I was #8 in the lineup. Max and I created the movie below, and it was shown tonight… the “world premiere” if you will. Here is it, if you want to check it out. I was thrilled that people laughed in the right spots, and it got some big applause afterwards.\
A huge thank you to the star of the movie, Max, for sitting through my silly questions and giving such thoughful answers. I’ll try to put together an outtake package of the stuff that was funny but didn’t quite fit into the 2 minutes. But, right now, it’s sleepytime!\

<embed src=”http://www.vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=153002″ quality=”best” scale=”exactfit” width=”400″ height=”300″ type=”application/x-shockwave-flash”></embed>
<br />
<a href=”http://www.vimeo.com/clip:153002″>20×2 2007: What If We Put Max in Charge?</a> on <a href=”http://www.vimeo.com/”>Vimeo</a>

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The Jaywalking Hokey Pokey

I went to dinner last night with some folks from the Ghost in the Machine panel and some of my favorite south-by pals. Kevin Smokler convince a bunch of loons into doing the Hokey Pokey in the median of South Congress. I, being a rational human being aware of his own mortality, did not. But, that didn’t stop me from filming it:\

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<p id=”HokeyPokey_480×360.flv”><a href=”http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer”>Get
the Flash Player</a> to see this player.</p>
<script type=”text/javascript”>
var FO = { movie:”https://media.dreamhost.com/mediaplayer.swf”,width:”480″,height:”360″,majorversion:”7″,build:”0″,bgcolor:”#FFFFFF”, flashvars:”file=http://dev.lawver.net/media/HokeyPokey_480×360.flv&showdigits=true&autostart=false”
};
UFO.create(FO,”HokeyPokey_480×360.flv”);
</script>

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Ghost in the Machine: Spirituality Online

Today is panel number one for me at SxSW. I just got back from lunch with the panelists, and I have to say, this panel is going to be a lot of fun. I feel a little out of place, but I’m honored that James asked me to join in the fun. The panel is hopefully going to be led somewhat by the audience, but we’re probably going to talk about how being online and talking about religion has impacted our lives and our faith, and how online community both helps and hurts. It should be an interesting discussion, and one that hasn’t really taken place as SxSW before.\
I hope to be able to contribute something. James and I are both “generalists” on our blogs. We talk about whatever strikes our fancy. The other folks on our panel: Rachel, Hussein, and Gordon are all pretty specific in their subject matter. I think there’s an interesting discussion in how we use our blogs to discuss religion, and how our blogs have changed how our friends and families interact with us, and how we interact with your faiths. We’ll see what happens.\
Whatever happens, lunch was a special experience. We had six people (Gordon’s wife joined us) around a table sharing a meal, and discussing their faiths without judgement, with interest is what each other had to say and how each other related to their faiths and the “real” world. It was a lot of fun. If that same spirit carries on in the panel, we’re in for a treat. I can’t wait to see how it turns out.\
Today at 5 in 9C (or 9-something… I don’t remember).

Kevin Smokler and Dave Thomas Under Pressure

I stayed up way too late last night having fun with my SxSW pals Kevin Smokler, Dave Thomas and James McNally. I ended up driving us around to Bryan Busch’s SxSW Karaoke Kick-Off (not the real title, but close). I didn’t plan on singing anything, but I ended up doing a duet with MD of TMBG’s Don’t Lets Start, and with Dave on Shock the Monkey. The song of the night though, was Kevin and Dave’s version of Queen’s classic Under Pressure. I didn’t get the whole thing, but here’s the last minute:\

<p id=”MVI_0450_480×360.flv”><a href=”http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer”>Get
the Flash Player</a> to see this player.</p>
<script type=”text/javascript”>
var FO = { movie:”https://media.dreamhost.com/mediaplayer.swf”,width:”480″,height:”360″,majorversion:”7″,build:”0″,bgcolor:”#FFFFFF”,
flashvars:”file=http://dev.lawver.net/media/MVI_0450_480×360.flv&showdigits=true&autostart=false”
};
UFO.create(FO,”MVI_0450_480×360.flv”);
</script>
\
I think you’ll agree, it’s superior to the original is almost every way.

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Dream Come True

I love SxSW, and one of my favorite events of the conference is 20×2. I got an e-mail from Kevin Newsum this evening inviting me to be a part of this year’s event!! I’ve been to the last four (I told Kevin three, but I’m sure it was the last four – I can’t believe this is my fifth SxSW), and loved every single one.\
What’s 20×2? Twenty people get two minutes to answer a very broad quetion. My favorite ones were “What’s the word?” and “What’s the big idea?”, and some of my favorite people have done it, including Dave Thomas, Kevin Smokler, Josh Benton and James McNally, and it’s a lot to live up to. This year’s question is “What if?” and I’ve already got some ideas. I don’t think I can stand up and take exactly two minutes with what I want to cover, so I’m thinking of doing a short film to answer the question. Not sure exactly what yet, but it’ll be something.\
On top of that, this month I’m launching a new site that Jason, Cindy, Ari, Jenna, Shadia, Jayna and others (who really need to get websites so I can link to them) have been working very hard on, writing an 80 page chapter for Christopher Schmitt’s new book, working on two panels for SxSW this year, and putting together a panel discussion for work. February is going to be very busy.\
Now? I have a cold. I made it through work today (got a lot done, but it’s easy to get a lot done in one day with a cold with Rails), but I am shot. I’m gonna go take some NyQuil, crawl into bed and watch the rest of Robot Chicken and then go to sleep.

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SxSW Panel Online Finally!

You can go get the audio from our panel at SXSW (Convincing Your Company to Embrace Web Standards to get the slides) over on their podcasts page, or get the mp3 directly.\
I just listened to it (Steve listened to it to too, and we traded jokes) and here are my totally shallow observations after listening to myself:

  1. I did a really good job of not talking fast. I talk much faster than that normally.
  2. I sound a little bit like Kevin Smith and that kind of scares me.
  3. Note to self: don’t laugh into the mic
  4. Don’t encourage Marc Canter. No good can come of it
  5. My panelists kicked ass.
  6. Jeremy Keith loves Mr. Chipman\
    It makes me want to do a panel next year… even though it was really stressful getting this one together.\
    Update: Steve and got a transcript from Casting Words, you can go look at it if you want.

Pictures Of Me Looking Stupid

I spent a lot of time making faces. Here’s a selection:

Come To My Panel… Or I Will Cry

Come to Convincing Your Company to Embrace Standards this morning! If you want a preview of the presentation, it’s here. But, it would be better if you help fill up the room. If the room is empty, I’ll be sad, although it might make doing the presentation a little easier.\
And, if you don’t care about standards, but still have a small group that needs to convince a large group to do something, you might get something out of today’s panel. It’s all about subverting from the inside and effecting change within large organizations with limited means.\
Should be fun! See you there!

Blogging While Black Revisited

Like last year’s Blogging While Black, this year’s did not disappoint. It is my favorite panel so far, and I left with a lot of interesting thoughts in my head and a lump in my throat. It expressed, through the lens of what it’s like to express your cultural identity as a black person online, my absolute favorite thing about blogging: that blogging allows me to get a glimpse into lives, cultures, situations and events that I would never have to opportunity to otherwise. The panel is that same experience as an “out of browser experience.” I don’t know what it’s like to be black, or the challenges faced by minorities in coping with what feels like being stuck in two worlds: the black community and a society dominated by white culture. It was just fascinating to me, and I thought the panelists did a fantastic job of expressing their individual issues, their internal struggles, and the larger questions raised.\
I especially love George Kelly. George and I don’t get to spend enough time together, but from the moment I met him, I loved him. George is one of the most beautiful people you will ever meet. He is kind and deliberate in everything he says. He glows with kindness in a way I’ve never seen before, and love being around. He is whip-smart, eloquent and inspirational (the “out of browser experience” line is his, as were several other winners in today’s panel). I think he takes great pains to make sure that the people around him feel included and a part of his space (which I don’t think makes sense, but I don’t know how else to express it). George, you are a prince among men, and I hope you know it.\
I wish I could express how great the panel was today. It was more than the sum of the words spoken or the people in the panel. Last year, I felt a little uncomfortable, sitting there feeling like an intruder in what looked like a private discussion among a community I didn’t belong to. Today, I felt like I was being drawn into a discussion, an open expression of what it means to be black. I wasn’t being talked to, I was being talked with, and the difference was subtle, but everyone in that room was involved. About halfway through, almost all the laptops were closed and everyone was jazzed. We were all awake (even though it was the last panel of the day), and participating. There was laughter and some challenge, and some pain. But it was all done together, as a single group. I don’t think anyone left that room feeling left out or alone. We left having experience something together.\
I’m really really tired now, and that probably made no sense, but Blogging While Black encapsulates what makes SxSW so special. Even though it’s huge this year, and I’m hobbled and stressed out about my panel, I felt that attraction, that feeling of belonging, that recharges me and keeps me going for another year. Thank you, George. Thank you, Lynne. Thank you, Jason. Thank you, Tiffany. Thank you, Tony.