SXSW

In Austin, TX for South by Southwest Education Conference, Interactive, and Music & Film Festivals. And I am excited! I ‘ve picked up few apps to help out over the next two weeks. The obvious ones of course are the SXSWedu & SXSW Mobile apps. Austin Food Carts helps you track down any of the great food carts the city has to offer. RideScout will help you made use of the multitude of transportation options.

Early restaurant recommendations Easy Tiger Bake Shop & Beer Garden and Annie’s Café and Bar.

iPeat’s new look: Intent

I recently watched this TED video given by John Hockenberry on design. But the message was clearly about intent and how our own self image of how we perceive and project our self effect how others perceive us. Which reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:

I am not what I think I am, and I am not what you think I am. I am what I think you think I am.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ti_i-M3pk5M]

So this along with couple of recent podcasts from Pamela Slim’s Escape From Cubicle Nation podcast (Grow your business through referrals: expert interview with Bob Burg & The dirty little marketing secret no one is telling you). Got me thinking I should do a little redesign myself and do a better job projecting my self image. Not only through design, as you see I gave my site quick redo, but also actions, and attitude. So the past couple weeks my new mantra has become intent.

P.S. I am heading to the ISTE conference in San Diego in a week, which was also a motivating factor as I hope to meet some great new contacts.

Bot SPAM fail

Yesterday I received this @ reply in twitter:

C21Oakville meant to b answered i guess RT SheLuvsEMO: Omg_ItsAshCash Mannnnnn WTF was yo question?!? Lol  ‘

Followed by the link I was suppose to click on. This is about the 4th or 5th of these I have received the last couple weeks.  My question is what human is this suppose to fool.  I don’t eve know what it is attempting to say.  Is the bot just pulling random parts from other tweets?

Locked out a God send

Last night as I left my apartment a cry of horror came from the back of my brain just as the latch of the door clicked.  A burst of emotions hit me quickly changing from panic to rage to self hatred. Even though I knew the back door was both locked and chained, I went around to the rear entrance and confirmed what I had already known.  Then a small glimmer of hope the bathroom window beside me.  I checked it … also locked.  Another half hour of frustration followed as I desperately alternated from trying to force the window open and unlatching it with a credit card.  As my mood finally calmed down and switched to acceptance, I began thinking clearer.  Actual solutions presented themselves… phone no also locked inside … car keys also locked inside …landlord number also locked inside and couldn’t remember his name …campus is open until elven I can look it up online.   Alas a solution had emerged.  I headed back to campus, ran a few Google searches, and recognized his number when I saw it.  I called the number only to get voice mail.  Left my message and proceed to watch hulu for the next two hours as I waited for the return call that never came.  Since, I did have my wallet it dawned on me that if he doesn’t call back I can just get a room at the Comfort Suites in town.

When I check into the hotel, the attendant gives me a rate even lower than the AAA rate despite my not having the card… things are looking up.  Upon entering my room and see that gorgeous flat screen tv, I recall all the college basketball games being played on ESPN.  Since I have forgone cable, I would have missed these games at home.  Watching the games, I looked forward to a long shower, I only ever get ten minutes of hot water in my apartment, and the continental breakfast in the morning.

Side note major kudos to Comfort Suites the room was emmaculate was complete with:

  • the aforementioned flat screen tv
  • two beds
  • couch and coffee table
  • fridge
  • micro wave
  • a heating system with digital display allowing to actually set the desired temperature
  • an alarm clock with preset buttons to local country, classical, and pop stations as well as a line in

I mention all of this because by the end of the night and into this morning I was actually happy that I had locked myself out of the apartment.  It was like a little mini vacation right in the middle of the week that recharged my batteries.  And with the economic times what they are, it was a very affordable way to do so.  So, if you are feeling warn out and have been cutting corners to save money and just need a cheap way to get away from it all, call your local upper scale hotel you could probably dicker a pretty good price.

AJSPS