Day 0
Like the previous 3 years, I spent the day before the start of SxSW at work. Leaving early, I picked up my brother at the airport late in the afternoon, and then headed downtown to get our badges, and bags of shit
.
Much to my great annoyance, they did not have sufficient supply of the SxSW Film Books, so I was forced to return for my bag of film shit, on the first day.
After the badge pickup, we met up with some of my brother's current and former co-workers for some beers, followed by dinner the Chuys on Barton Springs Road. I had a fried Avocado, a very interesting dish.
Day 1
James Webb NASA Telescope
Initially, this seemed like a great idea. Even though it was raining, I had come prepared with an umbrella. The presentation was over at the Long Center, however, and I had to take a shuttle to get there.
When I finally saw the display and demos, I must say I was underwhelmed.
The entire presentation was dumbed down to the lowest common denominator, and the speaker did not appear to have done any preparation for the talk. He spent the entire time zooming in and out a multiple display setup, with very little explanation.
Bre Pettis Keynote
I headed back to the Convention Center to hear Bre Pettis talk about his 3D Printer company, Makerbot. I had actually met Bre at a Barcamp in Austin about 5 years ago. He was very active in the Maker
community. It appears he still is.
I may have to look into buying a 3D printer of my own, in the near future.
Toward the Unification of Physics
University of Texas Physic professor, Steven Weinberg, gave a talk on the recent discoveries of a heavy particle at CERN, that completes the Standard Model. He then went on to discuss what else remains to be done, in order for us to have unified theory of all matter and force.
I found this talk to be interesting, but then again, I was an Engineering Physics major in college. I will say that unlike the NASA presenter earlier in the morning, Professor Weinberg was very comfortable speaking in front of crowds, and his lecture was clearly thought out beforehand, and executed flawlessly.
Awe Inspiring Web Typography You Can Do
I decided to attend this talk with my brother. It was interesting to go to something that was Design
oriented, rather than technical.
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
Although it was a major feature release, and would be in the theaters shortly after SxSW, I decided to see the Incredible Burt Wonderstone, anyway. The film starred Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, Jim Carrey, and Olivia Wilder, with everyone but Buscemi present for the screening.
The basic story line features a pair of aging Vegas magicians, played by Carell and Buscemi, and patterned after Zigfried and Roy, defending their turf against an upstart, street magician, played by Jim Carrey. Carrey's character is an composite of Criss Angel and David Blaine.
Although I found some laughs and chuckles, I recognize that I have a quirky sense of humor, and as a result, don't expect this film to do well, when it is released.
The Burt Wonderstone Trailer
You can watch the trailer here:
TPB AFK - Pirate Bay Away From Keyboard
My second film of the night was a documentary about the 3 Pirate Bay co-founders, in the days before their trial started. An engaging and interesting story for sure.
The Pirate Bay Trailer
Cheap Thrills
The last film of the night was a narrative about a new dad, facing eviction and a layoff. Drowning his worries in booze, he inadvertently crosses the paths of some psychopaths, looking for some dark and sick entertainment.
No comments:
Post a Comment