Mar 14
SXSWi geeks gathering
2008 at 03.33 pm posted by Veerle Pieters
So I left Austin and arrived in New York safely for the last days of our US trip. It has been a little weird compared to previous years because the weather wasn’t that great in Austin. Most of the days had wind, some rain and Cindy even saw a tornado!
No Summer joy
I was really looking forward to enjoy some sunshine to get rid of the cold I had. Only the last day was nice and warm and cozy enough to lay on the grass around the conference center. Now that we are in cold NY the weather in Austin is nice, sigh.
SXSWi
The conference itself has grown even bigger then last year. It's the largest one I have ever been to. That's not always for the better because some of the coziness that made it what it was is gone. I still had fun with the unexpected turnouts and it was so great to see many friends again. I went to a few sessions and one of them was the sneak peak of ExpressionEngine 2.0 which I will talk about later here. If you are interested in following along with what was going on at SXSWi you can watch a video or audio from most sessions. They are gradually coming online. Another funny thing that became popular during the event is bixbyheart.com, an iPhone application that also works in Safari. It's about our friend Mark and his love for bacon :)
One of the more memorable moments was Jon Hicks being reunited with the flat Hicks version and getting branded underwear :)
At the screen burn arcade I managed to capture Master Chief playing Guitar Hero :)
It's about the people
Most other good times are about being surrounded by like minded people and having great conversations. We had dinner a few times with the *original* Mint inventor and not that lame bank thing that couldn't come up with their own original name. I've tried many new things I've never eaten before etc.
Geeks love Bowling
One of the funnier events was Geeks Love Bowling. Cindy (and the N’clud guys) set this up after the event almost didn't went through. Started only at the end of January she did an awesome job in making this a free event for everyone on the 52 teams/lanes. Yeah you did read it right, 52 teams and a full house. One of the prizes you could win was Office 2008 for Mac and I also enjoyed the branded M&M's :) You can see a few picts below.
New York
The last few days of our trip we are spending in the Big Apple. Should be fun and I'm sure there will be many pictures coming as well.
26served
1
Austin’s a cool city. I was there for a conference a few years ago and had a great time. Did you do the bat bridge thing? Touristy, yeah, but very cool.
2
I won a copy of Office 2008 from bowling. Too bad it was a copy of Office 2008…
3
It was great to see both you and Geert again this year. More good memories, laughs and bowling fun. Next year though we should maybe practice a bit. And we need jerseys for the team!
4
those m&ms;are really cool!
5
Thanks for the BixbyHeart nod Veerle, see you next year :)
6
It was so great to spend time with you two again this year. Hope you have lots of fun in New York, and a safe trip home! :)
7
:) I miss you guys!
8
Very nice review!
9
Thanks for the post! Love all the photos, and looking forward to more from the Big Apple!
10
Veerle,
I loved your SXSW recap. Wish I could have gone this year.
Don’t forget to see Spamalot while you are in NYC!
11
This years SWSX was one of the best ever, looking forward to going next year and seeing yo uthere.
12
Great pics! Thanks for sharing. Master Chief on Guitar Hero is my fave. :)
13
I love the M&Ms;too! Office 2008 isn’t a bad prize (unless you use macros, that is…). Looks like a lot of fun was had by all :-)
14
This are great photos. What camera do you have?
15
i also saw a tornado two weeks ago in Florida. It isn’t funny at all
16
What’s the camera you used for these pictures? I love the low light photos!
17
Andreas Beierl said:
I am using a Nikon D50 with the kit lenses and a 50mm 1:1.4 D
18
I wanted to ask that exact same question! The photography is awesome. I was planning to buy a DSLR anyway. Can’t wait to get this one…
19
Great review - I wish i could´ve been there too , but too bad i have school and live in Germany =[
and yeah .. nice pictures !
div^
20
I am currently using the 10.2-MP D60 from nikon and it has to be the best camera I have ever owned. Sadly I have dropped a few times already but still working great. I was curious when I came to your page about your camera as well because I get those perfect pics back also. Looks like a great trip and pics.
21
Glad to know you’re having a good time
Enjoy the time off!
22
To have a rest with cool company is the best way to spend time! You are a great team!
23
What post editing have you done to those photographs?They look really warm and vibrant!
Another tutorial perhaps on the process here? I loved your vintage effect tutorial. I would love to know what you have done to these pics.
24
It was great to meet and have multiple opportunities to talk with both of you (and a lot of others too!) at SXSW this year. I know I am looking forward to next SXSW as well! Enjoy New York, and a safe trip home.
25
I only use nikon, they’re great because they almost bounce when you drop them, much like a rugedised laptop. If you are a professional photographer, you have to expect to drop now and again so it is always worth paying that little bit extra for something that bounces, it saves a lot of hassle and money in the long run!
26
Hi Veerle. I’ve seen a video about Data Portability at SXSWi, what I think it’s amazing! I just want to share, and maybe if you were there, you can give us some words about this cool project!