SXSWi final day: More trade show and Funny or Die panel

3/16/11 1:51 AM

The interactive portion of SXSW wrapped up today and I spent most of the day interviewing exhibitors at the trade show about their companies and what they have to offer. The Accent will be publshing a SXSW guide for the best technolgy services, gadgets and apps that were showcased at this year's trade show in the next March 28 print edition. Here a few of the companies and apps that we will be featuring that you will be able to read more about: NewTek Tribcaster A high definition (HD) portable live production system that one operator can use to simultaneously produce, live stream, broadcast, project and record HD and standard definition network-style productions. Basically it is a television studio in a box. iheartradio ...

SXSWi day four recap: Trade show, Felicia Day and Angry Birds

3/15/11 12:53 PM

Maybe I had a case of the Mondays yesterday, because I really was not feeling up to attending many of the panels yesterday. More likely though, it was the giant, overwhelming crowd of festivalgoers that filled up the convention center as music badge registrants showed up for the first time since SXSW started. I just really wasn’t feeling up to being in the huge crowd again after an exhausting past three days, but nevertheless, I found myself in the position of a lab rat as Assistant Editor Sarah Vasquez and I trekked through a maze of exhibitors for the first day of the trade show. Sarah is the "Queen of Swag" in the newsroom, so we found ourselves quickly snatching up t-shirts, pens, and even lube and a condom from local newspaper Austin Chronicle who passed out Planned...

Nerd talk with Chris Hardwick and John Oliver

3/15/11 1:49 AM

I have to say the highlight of my day today was attending a live podcast by Nerdist Chris Hardwick at Esther’s Follies (the Page One: An Inside Look at the New York Times documentary is a very close second). Comedian Hardwick is best known as TV host for Websoup on G4TV and as a writer for tech magazine Wired, but is also known as the Nerdist to his 1.4 million followers on Twitter. The podcast began with jokes from Hardwick with co-hosts Jonah Ray and Matt Mira talking about Mira’s back surgery and their experiences in Austin over the past few days. “I enjoy Austin,” said Hardwick. “I’ve almost been gouged in the eye by more ironic mustaches than anywhere else.” Hardwick went on to explain how he believes the city is obsessed with...

New York Times Documentary

3/14/11 6:15 PM

Earlier today, I attended a movie screening for SXSW Interactive that I have been looking forward to seeing ever since I first heard of the movie. The film, Page One: A Year Inside the New York Times, is a documentary giving audiences an inside look at the New York Times newspaper. “This film is about the New York Times, about sort of journalism broadly at a moment of great change,” said Director Andrew Rossi before the film began. I highly recommend this film. Whether you are involved in print media or you are just interested in news in general, this film will open your eyes and show you how newsrooms work from the inside. The film followed three writers, David Carr, Brian Steltar, and Tim Arango and their editor Bruce Headlam who all write for the Media section...

SXSWi Day three: Pee Wee Herman talks about acting career

3/13/11 2:54 PM

Paul Ruebens, most commonly known as the character Pee Wee Herman, participated in a live interview with Mike Sampson, editor-in-chief of JoBlo.com. Rubuens discussed his acting career from its kick off in the 1970s through the present and where its headed in the future. A new HBO Special will be aired on the channel March 19 starring Ruebens ashis title character for The Pee-Wee Herman Show on Broadway. The show was originally taped Jan. 6 and will be shown in high definition, something Ruebens joked about during the panel.  "How do i continue doing this for even a short period of time and be old?," Ruebens asked, thinking about how far his career as Pee Wee has came.  Ruebens mentioned how he was more comfortable filming his new movie on broadway than as a feature...