Once A Nerd, Always A Nerd

I can’t wait for SXSW.

Around this time last year I wrote about it being my first trip back after a six year hiatus, and it lived up to all of my expectations. One of the things I mentioned in that blog entry was all of the discussion around Ev Williams and Pyra Labs during my first go-round. Last year, I bumped in to Ev and Biz Stone at the drink line during the 8-bit party, and got to talk to them about some of that, and what was then the beginnings of Twitter. What made the parties really fun for me last year was the accessibility of all of these folks from across the country who are otherwise ireally tough to have a casual conversation with. It’s like a virtual community spread out all over the place convening in one walkable spot for a little while.

I still remember it as the event in 2001 that convinced me I wanted to make a career for myself in Web culture somehow. Last year, I covered it for EarthLink. This year, I was determined to send myself, despite the protests by my bank account.

I recently came across this picture of me from 1984 rocking one of those tiny tabletop Pac-Man machines at a school function, to give a sense of how deep the geek vein runs:
Ready For The 8Bit Party, In 1984
I am so glad i can still remember the names of everyone in the picture. To extreme left, Ryan T., playing a Coleco L.E.D. Football handheld. In the center, Darren, waiting for his turn on the Pac-Man machine. And to the right, the illustrious Neil(Cornelius), showing some 1984 style with those Nikes that would probably be worth a lot more today.

If you’re reading this and you’ll be there, I’d love to meet up with you. I’ll be arriving tomorrow evening. If not, I apologize in advance for being one of the people clogging up your information streams with SXSW stuff for the next several days.

Oh, and if you are still looking for accomodations, or know someone who is who is not creepy, I may have a spare bed in my “1BR suite”. Drop me an e-mail.

4 comments

  1. Look at you tinkering! Youngin’ you, are all deep in concentration fixing a Pac-Man. Too cute!

    I hope you are having a blast in Austin and can’t wait to hear all about it when you get back.

    p.s.- I like how multicultural you were. I mean, you even hung out with redheads!

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *