Archive for January, 2006

Recently there has been a fair amount of discussion regarding whether blogging is a “new media”, or an [unjust?] empowering of mediocre authors, creating a glut of useless information.

For what it’s worth, let me say to you, all bloggers: keep on bloggin’.

For every haughty old world journalist, for every ambitious futurist (even those who are mostly right), for every unemployed potato farmer in Idaho:  keep on bloggin’.

The world may or may not care what you had for breakfast, or how you felt when you saw new fallen snow for the first time. It may not change the world when you write a 5 page review of your new sneakers. But for someone, somewhere, even if it is only yourself, it brings pleasure and value, and in a world of artificial enjoyment, that is something of which to be proud. Of your page: tell family, tell friends, tell no one; they are your thoughts and they have value of their own.

And some day, if someone asks the great and powerful Goog for 5 pages of intimate thoughts on a new pair of shoes, enjoy the moment of connection with another that you might not have had otherwise.

Keep on bloggin’.

Technorati Tags: blogging, new+media

Since there haven’t been many (any?) Wordpress meetups that I’m aware of in Austin recently, I’m taking it upon myself to set one up!

I figure we could have some excellent participation and attendees during SXSW, so I’m setting it up initially for Saturday March 11th at 6pm-ish to whenever. Details can be found here and you can sign up to track the event and so forth. I think this is a great opportunity so hopefully I’ll hear from quite a few of you! (Also, if you are aware of a good venue during this time, I’d like to know as well, otherwise I’m playing it by ear for a bit).

Update 3/2/2006:
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Ok folks, I’ve worked with Will and I think we’re going to use the same venue or thereabouts as BarCamp because of the amenities and price breaks, but it’s going to be a separate part of the restaurant (or nearby location) with dinner tables etc.

Like Irina suggested @ upcoming, I want to have a “dinner” portion so we can have some quiet conversation, etc. before any other festivities

So for those that want to drift off and participate in BarCamp, great, otherwise we’ll hang in our area, or can head out to any of the other bars/restaurants in the area.

So, while not required, I’d appreciate a comment or email if you have any concerns with this arrangement, otherwise I plan to see you there. You can also ring me at 512-736-7897 with any questions/comments.

Here’s the menu link, looks good and affordable: http://www.thistlecafe.com/menu/downtown/maincourses.html

And check out some pics of the venue at http://www.thistlecafe.com

Update 3-7-2006

Just wanted to confirm to everyone that we’ll have our own [section of the] venue from 6pm to 8pm for dinner/meetup, then from 8-9 regular Barcamp will start to resume, followed by a band and continued festivities. So, try to get there at/before/around 6 if you want to order food!

Also if you have any fun items you want to demo/project during the dinner/meetup, please drop me a mail so we can slot any time if needed). Note this is NOT an agenda, just an opportunity for some live hacking/learning/boasting

Technorati Tags: SXSW, Wordpress

Well, sort of

Over in the links sidebar I have added a link to my 43things list.  If you have some things you want to do in your life, but need a little push getting started, or enjoy feedback (or even competing), I highly recommend 43things.

If you pick something that someone else has already started an entry for (and trust me, it seems like there is pretty much one for everything) you get to see all of the hints, tips, and progress that others have opted to post. It’s great for motivation, and sometimes the hints that other uses post are just what you need to crack the nut.