Wednesday, March 12, 2003

March 12, 2003

AUS to STL: My last few moments in Austin for this trip, spent in companionable conversation with Tantek and Carole and then lunch with a couple of dear old friends who don't even have cell phones. Imagine!

So, SxSW? Shark? What shark? I didn't see any shark. Reports of this conference/festival/five-day marathon's demise are premature. Like Austin, it's changing. Always changing, dynamic and interactive in the best way. There's a book in the gift shop at the Omni, $12.99 for a slick hardcover touting "High-Tech Austin". It was published in 2000 and when you hold it in your hand, it feels like a pressboard tombstone, so much gone. The biggest players, the swankiest South-by parties, the lavish excess of the bubble, all vanished. Walk around downtown and see all the closed restaurants and bars.

But notice there're a lot of "coming soon" signs, even in the shells of places I used to hoist Shiner and order flautas. So much gone, but so much still here and so much to come. The money may be gone but the real currency -- creativity, spunk, amazingly fucking brilliant people -- are still here, and that's the most important part.

I'm stupidly tired, laden with ideas and pumped full of...well, whatever it is I come here for. And a little disappointed, as always, that we have to leave camp and go back home. And that I have to miss The B-52s at Stubb's tonight. I probably could have stayed one more day.

Too long at the fair. And just enough. Further bulletins as events warrant.

Further: Well, the B-52s cancelled. But still.