Wondering if Apple supports SXSWi?

SXSWi 2008 is over and done, filed away until next year. During this year the attendees are more than ever bombarded with marketing from Microsoft, Fuze, Miller Lite as well as many more sponsors. This year in my opinion was worse than before as many of the panels were actually just product demonstrations.

One thing I noticed along with my friend Rick Benavidez. Considering the massive gathering or designer and developer talent during SXSWi and that 90% (my estimate) of attendees as well as panelist use MacBooks or MacBookPro laptops. We have to ask “Where the hell is Apple?”

Why are they not a major sponsor in the conference? Maybe they supporting but for some reason just not advertised. Yeah right.

Do you have any proof of Apple at SXSWi? Pass it on Please

You donate we smash…

http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000147065785/

Yet another site where the owners are asking (and getting money) from people for a useless reason. Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for new and strange forms of entertainment. It’s just I think we have better things to do with our general income than pay a few punks to purchase an iPod to just smash it. At first I thought ‘okay, so they don’t like Apple and/or iPods’. But in the 10 minute movie they mention not having a grudge against Apple or iPods. So why then? Well it appears just because.

I think I could find something better to do with $300-400 that just make a movie.

I am definitely in the wrong end of this revolution. Here I am thinking you build something with your bare hands (sweat and tears as well).

My new music source

So I finally made the jump to an iPod. Though it is just a 4G Nano, I think it really rocks. I love the stylish design of the little piece of hardware and it hold a ton of my music. Now since I share an office with 6 women I can simple put on my tunes and stay focused.

This all reminds my of the days when I would write C code way into the night. Sometimes on weekend I’d go home on Friday and not leave my apartment until Monday when I returned to work. I mostly coded the entire weekend. And man did I write some crap. Not sure what it was. I was going through some old archive CDs I burned back in the mid 1990s and what was I smoking or thinking or what???

We all like to believe we are adults and that what we do for a living is some great accomplishment, but seriously. We read posts from Zeldman, Eric Meyer and others that inspire us and think, ‘Yeah I’m rubbing elbows with greatness. Be just a matter of time before I get a big break…’, BULLSH*T. I have to catch myself sometimes. I’m just lucky I’ve got a job. Half the time I’m not even sure what I’m doing. Sure I wanted to develop since I was a wee Junior in High school. Missed most of the 1980s chasing a sales career to earn some cash to chase the gals with. Did really get back into programming until 1991. Even then I was insecure of my abilities. Just makes we wonder if everyone also feel this way? Even at the upper echelon levels.