Gabe takes on South by Southwest Interactive 2010

One of the things I’ve convinced myself of in this past year is that if there’s something I want to do, then I should do it.

Sounds simple right?  But not so much.  In this particular example, South by Southwest, it’s something I’ve wanted to attend for years.  But instead of just deciding I was going to go I wallowed in my cube and read/watched what was going on in the week long center of the world.  I know you’re saying “well it’s your own fault for not doing something you wanted to do”, and it’s true.  It was one of those things I convinced myself that everyone else does, but not me.  For instance:

2007 I had a depressing post, not even making an attempt to think that I should go. Of course that time in my life was pretty crappy and I wouldn’t had been able to go even if I made the decision to.

In 2009 I called it “a big circle jerk, that I want to be a part of”.

At some point after that I realized life was short and from then on I’m just going to do the things that would make me happy, or at least make the attempt to.

So making the trip to Austin this year is quite symbolic for me.  For many it’s that thing people do every year, but for me it’s one of the many things I never let myself do before.

So stupid depressing Gabe history lesson aside.  Fuck yeah – South by Southwest.

I would be going anyway, because I want to, but it just so happens I actually have reasons to go.  With my world surrounded around Mysterious Dottie I can’t not use this opportunity to see what’s going on in the world.  Compare, contrast, maybe even have a few chats.

Aside from the “business stuff”, I’m pumped to see people.  There’s people I’ve known for years that I’ve never met in person that I’ll finally be able to say hi to.

There are some awesome panels I’m really looking forward to.  I put my schedule up if you’re at all interested in what panels I may be attending.  Though it’s just a list of things I may be interested in without taking scheduling into consideration.  I’m sure the process will be dynamic throughout the festival.

And of course: the parties.  Hopefully it’ll be an awesome chance to meet some really neat people from all over the world.  Smart people with ideas, and ambition, and interests similar to mine.

So enough of me blabbing about this.  If you’re at all interested in following my journey to Austin, as always follow me on Twitter, and check out what locations I’m at via Foursquare and Gowalla.  Honestly I’ll probably be using Gowalla more than Foursquare just for this trip because of the Austin home town service advantage.  Plus they’re giving out VIP admission to parties ;)

And lastly: I apologize in advance to all of you following me on services who are going to really get sick of my updates and photos.  Sorry!

Gabe’s Week of Tweets for 2010-03-07

• I setup one of those "ask me stuff" things at Formspring. Because that's what I do, I create accounts places. Enjoy. http://bit.ly/cHvyKZ #
• Bummer, the Penis Pig got removed from the wall of Caffeine dreams. #
• Americans: We're assholes about everything else in the world. Let the Canadians have hockey. It's more than fair. #
• hahaha RT @LastRights: They've got healthcare, lets take the hockey! #
• hahaha RT @alexpgates: #ethnocentrism http://yfrog.com/32douxj #
• Q:Why are monkeys freaky-ass scary? A:I don't know. But let me look that up:http://tinyurl…. http://formspring.me/gabekangas/q/245187606 #
• http://twitpic.com/15zllz – I went to import the new @answerteam album into iTunes. I think they lied to me. #
• Q:If you actually had a TV and were forced t… A:It would probably have to be The Vampire D… http://formspring.me/gabekangas/q/245755445 #
• Going to cave and buy an external mouse for working with my laptop. Less than ergonomic workspaces are taking a toll on my mousing hand. #
• I installed Gowalla last night just so I can use it at #SxSW and gain entry to the Gowalla / Diplo party. What an odd world we live in. #
• I go from "how cool!" to "you asshole!" when I see #NIN posting more gear on eBay. Selling it really means he's not going to use it anymore. #
• Just got my first apple mouse. The mighty mouse is pretty sweet after a few minutes with it. #
• Q:If you had a ridiculous iPad and I gave yo… A:I would not :) It would "accidentally rip… http://formspring.me/gabekangas/q/247644847 #
• RT @Nomad_Lounge: Nomad is Hiring Rock Stars. Quit your other job. Omaha's best lounge has open server positions. http://fb.me/5RKxXoW #
• Q:Since we just finished the Olympics, pleas… A:Obviously the show would be "TRON on ice"…. http://formspring.me/gabekangas/q/250100956 #
• Very funny. An episode of the Totally Rad Show from 1986. http://www.totallyradshow.com/episodes/episode-153-51286.html #
• Just read an email from @u2acro. I'll have to reread it because my eyes glossed over and all I remember is her saying "tell me to shove it". #
• I think SEO is Internet snake oil. #sorryJustHowItIs #
• Just caught word of a neat mini-event that hits #OMA tonight. http://motownbound.com/ – Blue Line NoDO @ 7:30. Who wants to stop by? :) #
• . @downsdesign @sarahdavidson Post Sake Bombers there's a roadtwipish ditty over at Blue Line promoting motownbound.com. I'll prob stop in. #
• \o/ RT @cnnbrk: Same-sex couples will be able to apply Wednesday for marriage licenses in the nation's capital http://on.cnn.com/d4BQA8 #
• For something you have to "apply" to do, they certainly don't turn down enough marriage applications. #
• Q:You're not a sports person, but which spor… A:Recently I found the love of flat track ro… http://formspring.me/gabekangas/q/255231473 #
• The #Motownbound crew is going to be at Blue Line NoDo at 8:30 tonight. I'll be heading down, who wants to join me? #
• Hanging with @fandangochica (fandangochicken) at blue line with the #motownbound crew. Neat stuff! #
• My first time at the homy inn! http://yfrog.com/56×2zj #
• Had a great time tonight hanging out with the #motownbound crew. Met new friends! Thanks @ianhelliot,@tytysimmons,@lindspete,@beSEWcreative! #
• RT @ianhelliott: Pls RT – We just posted a new video about the journey! Next stop, Chicago!
  http://www.motowbound.com #motownbound #
• The band "Unsaid" just came on my iTunes shuffle. Nobody will understand this, but I had to make it public. *shutters* #
• Anyone have any connections to an IRC operator on EFnet? RT if you're in the circle of nerds who know what I'm talking about! :) #
• Has anyone seen @nonmayorsuttle around? Since the snow stopped he disappeared. #
• There's nothing you shouldn't be able to schedule online. #
• An awesome documentary if you're into the early dotcom culture and a want to hear a great story of someone in it. http://bit.ly/a69en #
• I got comic books from the @maukingbird comic crew. Saw she was here via foursquare. Technology! http://yfrog.com/cah31j #
• "Bangs are like beards for girls" – @ReelVixen #
• Watching @BT's Macworld presentation to clear my head. When all fails, let BT help. #
• Man, @BT really gets it. Hearing him speak is so inspiring. #
• "I need a tool to do something, and it doesn't exist. So I have to get a soldering iron or xcode out and do something meaningful." – @BT #
• I just ousted @wahoobudd as the mayor of Upstream Brewing Company on @foursquare! http://4sq.com/5rB05 #
• I just became the mayor of The 49r Lounge on @foursquare! http://4sq.com/y58al #
• A show called "Porn 101" is in at the 49r. Complete with uber-fake breasts host. Awesome. #
• Thanks to @ReelVixen I know that MC Frontalot is going to be at #sxswi I've always wanted to see his show! #
• For this week's #FollowFriday I recommend you follow @jgarfink. She likes the Fifth Element and will tell you that oatmeal isn't a meal. #
• Fun reading this thread http://bit.ly/d09H0F with all the "I guess it's no Ghosts 2 after all" thoughts. #
• Saw Alice tonight. Nice to look at, and an ok film if you go in with low expectations. #
• Hi! #
• Has anyone seen @icedogchi? I'm assuming he's dead until future notice. RIP. #
• Going through the motions, attempting to push through the feeling of absolute defeat. It's tough. </imFuckingVagueToo> #

gabek’s weekly LastFM for 07/03/2010

1. Nine Inch Nails 19
2. Imogen Heap 18
3. Blaqk Audio 16
4. Dj Phanta C 14
5. Owl City 9

Overall listened to 114 artists with 181 different tracks this week.

Most heard song with 4 play/s:
Unemployed In Summertime by Emiliana Torrini

Gabe’s Week of Tweets for 2010-02-28

• My Dropbox broke. Had to delete ~/.dropbox/dropbox.db to fix it. 200+ meg db file it now has to recreate. Odd. #
• The Hooked suspension team has a show at Dr Jack's in Bellevue tonight at 6. I totally dig that stuff. #
• "Watch midget porn. It makes you look huge". Yes someone bought that shirt. She has no teeth and is in Bellevue. #
• I'm spending my Sunday night watching people get hooks through them and suspended in the air. Where do I sign up? (yup, serious) #
• RT @timheidecker: Season cinco one week away!!!!!!! #
• I like this interview on SPN discussing Omaha compared to "top down" cities such as Chicago. Accurate and interesting. http://bit.ly/cysV9h #
• RT @alexpgates: It's party time! Happy Birthday George Washington! http://what-cheer.com/partytime #
• I like when I can spend lunchie times with @geekyfemme. #
• I just noticed on SLAM that @theanswerteam is playing at The Sydney this Saturday. Don't think I can make it, but you probably should. #
• Did you guys know @pgcales left his full time gig to work in his passion of creating custom furniture? I had no idea! Just talked with him! #
• I'm going to try and remember to point @timothykephart to any web site that I think looks nice and is written in PHP. –> http://infegy.com/ #
• I'm watching High Fidelity and being nostalgic. #
• Wonder how long this thing has left in it? http://yfrog.com/1ducaxj #
• He needs friends RT @alexpgates I finally decided to see what this MySpace thing is all about. Friend me up! http://bit.ly/c2Lxsv #
• RT @OxRxG: Hey! Could you spare a few moments of your time to help us out? Get the details here: http://ping.fm/dpc6X #
• http://twitpic.com/1540t3 – I hate you Facebook. Your moral compass when it comes to ads points in the wrong direction. #
• So @harmarsuperstar just mentioned he'll be playing @the_sydney on Easter Sunday (April 4th). He rose again indeed. #
• Watching the movie adaptation of Jesus Christ Superstar. Makes me want to share this: 1999 Madison Scouts. Love. http://bit.ly/ddMXip #
• Yup. I made one. http://yfrog.com/1dd8swj #
• Just got a spam from the military outlining the benefits of service including a "Fre e GI BILL". No mention of a side effect of death. #
• Hey, @boutcher is following me on twitter! Wait, that means he stopped following me. Hmph. #
• RT @mahafestival now's your chance to be heard. Who would you like to see play at MAHA this year? And yes, please retweet. #retweet_thursday #
• It throws off my day when I don't talk to @ReelVixen. I have a system. Now I don't know what happened on The View this morning. #
• Disaster? RT @KETV: Omaha, Council Bluffs and surrounding counties will get federal disaster assistance to pay for snow clean-up and damage #
• I can't think of the "Pew Research Center" without making "Pew Pew Pew!" laser gun sounds in my head. #
• A site called @macflam started following me on Twitter. For a second I thought it was the perfect site of Apple and Drums. Not so. #
• Regardless of what country you're from I can't imagine not wanting Canadians to win Olympic hockey. #
• Argh. It was an optimistic good day, and now I have to redo a bunch of work. I need to gain design talent. #
• Oh caffeine dreams… http://yfrog.com/4f5femj #
• It's @programmerman! http://yfrog.com/4af1cjj #
• Looking forward to seeing @theanswerteam tonight. #
• RT @rob_sheridan the US government poisoned alcohol during prohibition, killing around 10,000 people: http://is.gd/9lJjp – via @slashdot #
• "I guess I didn't know it. Get busy child. Wop wop." – Crystal Method. #
• I was just presented a copy of the new album from @theanswerteam. #
• I just ate a random cupcake that was handed to me by a stranger. I assume no death will come of this, but no promises. #
• Math rock is alive and well at the Sydney tonight. #
• I met @hollienicole for the first time tonight. It was bound to happen. in reply to hollienicole #

Gabe’s Week of Tweets for 2010-02-21

• Really? More snow? Stop plz. #
• http://bit.ly/bdccuV Funny, but why does everyone assume all guys play video games? I'm starting to think something is wrong with me. #
• RT @ericwareheim: happy vagina day #
• Hedwig's "Origin of Love" just came on shuffle. This is my attempt at valentine's day, I guess. Mutant 8-appendaged bi-sexed creatures=love. #
• Has everyone wished @mckito a Happy Birthday!? I haven't. Until now. Happy birthday, Sarah! #
• RT @katieontheradio RT @ccooke6685: Dodge Road Closed West Of 144th Street – Omaha News Story -KETV Omaha: http://bit.ly/9pClvB via @addthis #
• I obviously don't see the appeal of moving away from Omaha that others do. #
• RT @secos: getting rid of one of my favorite domains: siliconeprairienudes.com Hopefully it will find a new home. #
• I know you're all aware, but @rahulgupta is one awesome guy. #
• Is tonight the night you're supposed to go out and drink a lot? I lost track on the party calendar, I don't hear much as far as plans. #
• So is anyone doing anything fun tonight? #
• The poor guy is going timed pull only. Like the dark ages. RT @johnhenrymuller: Giving up sweets and push email notifications for lent. #
• o/~ Goin' to the temple and we're, gonna get buried! Goooin' to the temple of Locke! o/~ #LOST #
• It has come to my attention that the Zyrtec-D I take on a daily basis will increase my blood pressure. But it works so well! :( #
• #retweet_thursday RT @Mortythemouth: Almost time to fish out some old jokes to honor @RT_Thursday. #
• It's days like this I wish I had Dreamweaver. Can you buy it alone or just a part of Adobe CrazyStuff? #
• This video never gets old. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7m6p3_cooking-by-the-book-remix_fun #
• There are some words that I swear I'll just never be able to spell correctly, and it's frustrating. #
• RT @heathermccain: friend of mine was laid off today @whitepatrick. my creative partner 8 years. super-talented. anyone looking 4 a writer? #
• I was just asked by someone who's not from here to give her advice on different coffee shops. She asked the right person. #
• I usually have no issues with Facebook throwing errors, but I'm kind of working on actual work dealing with FB right now. So like… don't. #
• Heading over to Barley's Tip Top to see what kind of crazy thing @slobotski is serving and what shoes @lasertron has designed. #
• Had fun seeing a couple fun people tonight! :) Though I left @gt_jenn and @fandangochica so they could talk underwear photos without me ;) #
• Freaked out a bit, Mint.com sent me a low balance push notification saying I only had $100 left in my checking. Thankfully it was wrong. #
• Wonder why I was the only one who never heard of @JohnnyCupcake before today? Another t-shirt business? *yawn* #
• Do not let @dannyaway convince you that chatroulette.com is anything more than random dudes showing their junk online :) #
• Are acronyms allowed on words with friends? I'm not really sure of the rules. #
• Hanging out downtown at the Halo 'stute today. #
• OH, to @redsesame: "You're good at using swoops". #
• There's a drumline show in Bellevue and @OxRxG tomorrow. Decisions, decisions. #
• Men Without Hats – Safety Dance is today's Friday jam at the 'stute. Also it needs to be remixed with the Doogie Howser theme song. #
• http://twitpic.com/1479os – The @1984creative crew with @JohnnyCupcakes. #
• Someone anonymously sent me a free account for suicidegirls. Is today some kind of awesome holiday I'm not aware of? #
• I see @ErinHawkins! #twitterstalk #
• DJs at the 49r? How did hipsters allow allow this? But…awesome! #
• This is the best music ever played at the 49r. #
• I just became the mayor of Old Dundee Bar & Grill on @foursquare! http://4sq.com/38Nc8s #
• There's no proof this ever happened. RT @Terahann: @gabek is singing along to travis tritt. HELP US! #
• Watching @beckyhasrabies roast coffee beans at @cdomaha! First time i've been here when she's been roasting. Neat! #coffeepr0n #
• Facebook, please knock it off. I'm trying to write an app for you. You'd like that, wouldn't you? So please stop throwing errors. #
• Just because I can work a compressed timeline doesn't mean I need to. Next time I'll add a couple days to whatever time I "need". #
• Just got a spam advertising the benefits of bamboo flooring. If anyone is in the market or building an island shack I can pass it along. #
• RT @slobotski: good photos from @johnnycupcakes while in Omaha…I think he liked it. http://tinyurl.com/johnnycupcakesinomaha #
• I just met @tinyxl's mom. Jealous? #
• Writing Facebook apps requires you to throw out half of what you know about Javascript, but not knowing what half. #
• Alright, time to stop work for the day and go see the @OxRxG! #
• At the derb. *drool* Go @OxRxG! http://yfrog.com/au1fcej #
• There's a guy behind me yelling "Get'er done!" and not trying to be ironic. He's a Sioux Falls fan. #
• 55-10. The @OxRxG is dominating the first half. http://yfrog.com/3710725266j #
• 74-10 about 1min left in the half. Big crowd. Done with updates for a while :) http://yfrog.com/32vq4tj #
• I'm pretty sure I just walked by someone I saw on Intervention. #
• Injury for Sioux Falls. 99-10. 11min left. SFRD pissed and scoring a bunch. #
• And it's over! @OxRxG wins! 117-87. http://yfrog.com/3lojflj #
• Full spectrum. I've seen @sandikbar give a talk on MySQL caching and now seen her kick ass. Not sure what I enjoyed more. #
• Btw, Roller Derby has pushed aside curling as my new favorite sport. So there is an activity Nebraska and I can agree on after all. #
• haha on this episode of Caprica a guy is flipping through the radio and one of the songs on is the 1978 theme song for Battlestar Galactica. #