KuraFire Network

SXSW Interactive 2006 is behind us; actually, it's quite a bit behind us already. However, I went on vacation directly afterwards so I never really got round to writing down my views on the conference. I still haven't, and probably never will in the fullest extent, but here's an overview of my personal highlights of this year's SXSW.

Instead of a giant story covering all of SXSW Interactive, I'm presenting to you a boring list; while not as interesting, it'll at least be convenient and it'll be done. There is only one "worst" because, well, I tend to not care much (and thus, remember) about the less fun things at such events, but the one "worst" I've listed is one I couldn't not care about. Now let's get to it already!

Best panel

A tie between Holistic Web Design and How to be a Web Design Superhero. The Holistic Web Design panel was enjoyable, but mostly very informative (and inspiring). The Superhero panel was less informative, but endlessly enjoyable and the slides were hands down the best of all of SXSW.

Worst panel

This is generally not something you really want to express about your own industry-colleagues, but Dogma Free Design was really a bummer. Four well-known, respectable design experts and what do they use for slides? Bright yellow backgrounds and white (or grey?) text. WHAT?! I'm no design expert by any standard whatsoever, but something tells me that when your slides literally and honestly hurt the eyes, you're not doing it right. It was absolutely dreadful. Suffice to say, I couldn't read a single slide from the location I was sitting (other side of the room). Beyond just the slides, however, the panel was very unstructured and disorganized. Within 20 minutes into it, it had reduced itself to a discussion between the panel and the audience, leaving little to no real panel discussion or presentation for the rest of the session.

Best keynote

Now, since I've only seen a small part of one keynote during all of SXSW, I'm going to pass on this.

Best evening event

Hands down, without a shadow of a doubt, the Avalonstar Bowling Extravaganza. That evening was just too cool for words.

Best party

Media Temple afterparty. All parties were truly fantastic, but the MT party just had that little bit of extra spunk to it.

Best lunch place

Las Manitas; also great for breakfast!

Best dinner location

Moonshine! I had two great dinners and wonderful evenings there, and also a very enjoyable afternoon having drinks with Halley Suitt and Eris Free.

Best coffee

The coffee during breakfast at the Hampton Inn; using the hazelnut creamer, that coffee was just Dee-lish.

Best joke

"I use pants." It's an insider's joke that only two or three people will get, but the joke was by Matthew Oliphant and I don't think I'll ever not grin when I think back to it.

Best quote

If I can get it to be non-Flash, I would be happier.
- Glenda Sims, biggest advocate of Flash that I know

Now for some other highlights:

Coolest dude

Bryan Veloso. Guy wins a Web Award, organizes the most awesome evening event of the conference, is a ridiculously talented and inspiring designer, and yet he's still the most down-to-earth dude I've ever met. There's no end to his Cool™.

Coolest dudette

While Molly is generally my fave female of all my Web-friends, I'm going to have to go with Stephanie Sullivan this time around. Steph and I had the most interesting, inspiring or just plain deep conversations throughout the week, it was great.

Most huggable person

Glenda Sims. I hugged my share of great women at SXSW but Glenda and I hugged pretty much every single time we came across one another, either in passing or wherever. Too much fun :-)

Most excited about meeting (male)

A tie between Bryan Veloso and Dave Shea. Bryan's a good friend that I was really excited about to meet, but Dave's been one of my biggest inspirations since the very first moment I got into web standards, and it was a real pleasure to finally meet him in person and have a chat with him.

Most excited about meeting (female)

A tie between Eris Free and Halley Suitt; Eris is such a talented designer that she just blows me away, but Halley and I have been good friends for.. well, longer than I can remember, and I was really excited about meeting her.

Best Foosball player

Patrick Haney (not a sausage). Dude kicks my ass in foosball and he's just a ton of fun to hang out with.

Craziest person

I mean this in a most complimentary way, but Chris Mills ties it with Robert Nyman. Both made me feel inferior in my own craziness, sometimes. Awesome.

Least suitable to give directions

Me

Least suitable to follow directions given by me

Steven Marshall

Biggest photography-addict

Andy Budd and Dave Shea take this one. Good thing all their photos are top quality, otherwise it'd be a bit of a shame.

Best bowler

Ryan Brill (I call dibs on you for next year!)

Most likely person I wanted to spend more time chatting with

Everyone.

Most inspiring person

Gah… I found inspiring things in everybody I met. C'mon, it's SXSW!

Least likely to smile in front of the camera

Mark Norman Francis (though Craig Cook came close to making this another tie)

Most likely to attempt smiling in front of the camera, but ending up looking ridiculous/crazy/scary (pick one to three)

Me

Biggest surprise when meeting in person (looks)

Shaun Inman. He is way shorter than I'd thought!

Biggest surprise when meeting in person (personality)

Scrivs. I knew he was a cool guy and such, but I'd always expected him to have a totally incompatible personality to me; nothing like it, we got along great.

Biggest surprise when meeting in person (ego-stroking)

Jeffrey Zeldman. Never expected him to know me and be so excited about meeting me and having a chance to talk with me.

Biggest surprise when meeting in person (unexpected encounter)

Robert Scoble. Didn't know he was going to be around, really, but when I met him through Halley, he was a very funny and pleasant guy.

Most likely to be running around all the time

Me

Most likely to forget people's names (or mix them up)

Me! Nick's got it wrong. ;-)

Apologies for the lack of link love.

As a closing word, I do want to say that I had the most fantastic time at SXSW. It was as much enlightening as it was inspiring, being around so many incredibly talented, creative professionals. Above all, however, it was the people that made it an amazingly fun, pleasant event, and I want to thank everybody I met and hung out with for their presence and general awesomeness.

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