Live, unfiltered notes. May have some of my own thoughts. I somehow ended up front row center next to a data viz writer named Hunter Whitney, who works on health care UX. Unexpectedly great chat about the conference–and of course about Big Data with my brother, an AT&T organizational psychologist.
Live Notes – mostly unedited.
People who were virtually here
Assange and Snowden and letter from Kansas congressman complaining about SXSW– what was he doing that was so important that he couldn’t come to SouthBy? In Congress?!
People who weren’t but ought to be here
Electronic politicians From Europe, Mayoral candidate in Paris, Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet–right wing, but here looks leftish.
– her significance
– waging a good social media campaign, technically savvy…us, in the future
Gianroberto Casaleggio and his M5s was able in Italy to unite angry factions. Best electronic organizer, very honest. Is a Bruce Sterling Dopolganger. Has every Web 2.0 book– everyone who has been at SouthBy.
– Right and Left immediately formed a coalition to through them out — calling them the populist clowns.
Watch people who are getting some traction doing what we dream.
People Who Ought to be here from Texas
* Barrett Brown, Aaron Swartz of today.
Is in prison for threatening police. Wrote friendly articles about hackers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrett_Brown
Vast nebulous pack of beltway spooks.
* Cody Wilson. Right wing anarcho student radical. Distributes handgun plans, all plastic except for 10 penny nail, 3D printed. Bit coins can pay for guns in Austin.
* Ross Ulbricht. Major BitCoin narcotics crime lord that drank the koto laid from BitCoin fountain. Anybody can buy anything from anywhere. Silk Road founder. He’s very SouthBy. Disruption. He’s our Mr. Hyde, our dark side of the force. Prosecutor was interesting.
* Texas Cryptologic in San Antonio and their tailored access project. Who are these guys?
* Joint Threat Research Intelligence Group (British) – misinformation experts, make fake victims, sit there just messing with us. JTRIG. Not going to end well because of bad karma, doing the wrong thing. Hackers and spooks.
Who Else?
New Orleanian refugees from Katrina. He suspects California will come here, they are next because of water. Climate change wolf isn’t at door, it is in the living room. Might happen fast.
Casino Economy where up the ultra-wealthy can buy anything.
The future is old people in cities afraid of the sky.
What kind of life would they have? Made a prototype.
Stop Making Sense:
Standing in the warm breeze in front of the convention center, it slowly incurred to me what this talk meant. Don’t be so damn obvious, is what I think it says to me. Don’t just take Snowden and Assange at face value. Look a bit closer for interesting connections in unexpected places. Don’t resist education and health care as topics. Fact check.
Work Different 
Leave a Reply