I came across my notes from this year’s PodCamp SLC and I thought I would post them here:

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Last March I went to SXSWi 2009. I posted the notes from two of the days, but conference exhaustion got in the way of me posting the notes from the last three days. After much delay, here they are.

From Blog to Book Deal: How-To

Room 18BCD

Tuesday, March 17th

5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Is traditional publishing dead? Apparently not, as many bloggers are landing book deals that extend and enhance their online work. Learn the ins and outs from bloggers who have done it including how to shape a coherent book from tons of posts and involve your readers in your writing.

Hugh MacLeod: Cartoonist, gapingvoid.com

Guy Kawasaki: CEO, Alltop

Stephanie Klein: Author, Greek Tragedy at stephanieklein.com

Kate Lee: literary agent, ICM

Moderator: Pamela Slim: Escape from Cubicle Nation

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• RT @justsomeguy: Never mess with a web server after midnight. It is just a bad idea, plain and simple. #

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Last March I went to SXSWi 2009. I posted the notes from two of the days, but conference exhaustion got in the way of me posting the notes from the last three days. After much delay, here they are.

Therapy 2.0: Mental Health for Geeks

Room 5B

Tuesday, March 17th

3:30 pm – 4:30 pm

What can you do to stay mentally healthy in a Web 2.0 world? Come share your strategies for staying sane in the world that never really turns off. Learn self-care tips for managing work and stress. Discover how to manage social networking while keeping your boundaries intact.

Dr Keely Kolmes: Clinical Psychologist

Thomas Roche: Writer of Skid Roche.

(Continue Reading…)

Last March I went to SXSWi 2009. I posted the notes from two of the days, but conference exhaustion got in the way of me posting the notes from the last three days. After much delay, here they are.

Tuesday Keynote: Chris Anderson / Guy Kawasaki Conversation

Room A

Tuesday, March 17th

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

In 2006, Chris Anderson introduced the concept of the Long Tail. His soon-to-be released book will talk about the power of free. Will his theories stand up to the tough questions of venture Silicon Valley venture capitalist Guy Kawasaki?

Chris Anderson: Wired Magazine

Guy Kawasaki: CEO, Alltop

(Continue Reading…)

Last March I went to SXSWi 2009. I posted the notes from two of the days, but conference exhaustion got in the way of me posting the notes from the last three days. After much delay, here they are.

Social Gamers: Away From the Keyboard

Room 6

Tuesday, March 17th

11:30 am – 12:30 pm

Online social networking sites are filled with data, content that can be used to feed rich and entertaining games. What can happen when we leave the computer behind and move gameplay into the real world? Our panel will explore technologies and methods that allow us to step away from the keyboard and create social games that work within the physical world.

Adam Simon: Moderator Creative Dir/Co-Founder, Socialbomb

Dennis Crowley: foursquare

Kevin Slavin: Managing Dir, Area/Code Games

Daniel Soltis: Interaction Designer, Tinker.it!

Bret Terrill: Dir of Business Dev, Zynga

(Continue Reading…)

Last March I went to SXSWi 2009. I posted the notes from two of the days, but conference exhaustion got in the way of me posting the notes from the last three days. After much delay, here they are.

Is Aristotle on Twitter?

Room B

Tuesday, March 17th

10:00 am – 11:00 am

We introduce a framework for understanding information overload by reflecting on and updating ancient communicative traditions. Aristotle was an information maven and Cicero a communication connoisseur. These classical communicators designed their speeches around five principles: invention, style, arrangement, memory, and delivery. Contemporary communicators build on this tradition with Web-based technologies.

Trish Roberts-Miller: Assoc Professor, University of Texas at Austin

Jillian Sayre: University of Texas at Austin

John Jones: University of Texas at Austin

Jim Brown: University of Texas at Austin

William Burdette: Asst Instructor, University of Texas at Austin

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• Getting slammed with spam again. If you want to reach me use my Gmail address. It’s exactly what you would think it should be. #

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Last March I went to SXSWi 2009. I posted the notes from two of the days, but conference exhaustion got in the way of me posting the notes from the last three days. After much delay, here they are.

Sexual Exploitation, Sexual Expression and Self-Defense – Room 5A

Monday, March 16th
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Sexual exploitation and sexual expression are inherent in everyone’s online experiences, whether intentional or not. Bloggers, community site users, community managers, web celebs — everyone will eventually face a sexuality-related crisis where knowing the difference, and how to protect yourself is crucial. From the personal to the professional, we will demonstrate and discuss instances, legal realities and tactics for survival and success. We’ll also cover the import and impact of the Lori Drew/MySpace Suicide trial (where Drew was convicted of a federal misdemeanor for violating MySpace’s terms of service in order to bully a teenager), Missouri and California’s new cyberbullying laws — and how it all applies to sexual expression and sexual attacks for individuals and social network websites.

Violet Blue

Jason Schultz

(Continue Reading…)

Last March I went to SXSWi 2009. I posted the notes from two of the days, but conference exhaustion got in the way of me posting the notes from the last three days. After much delay, here they are.

Change Your World in 50 Minutes: Making Breakthroughs Happen – Room A

Monday, March 16th
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Gain real-world ideas for markedly improved productivity from an industry expert and passionate speaker who always inspires SXSW audiences.

Kathy Sierra CreatingPassionateUsers (Continue Reading…)

Last March I went to SXSWi 2009. I posted the notes from two of the days, but conference exhaustion got in the way of me posting the notes from the last three days. After much delay, here they are.

Monday Keynote: Virginia Heffernan / James Powderly Interview – Room A

Monday, March 16th
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Open source art evangelist and political activist James Powderly talks about his craft and his mission with Virginia Heffernan, who writes The Medium column for The New York Times Magazine.

Virginia Heffernan: Columnist , The New York Times

James Powderly: Research Dir, FAT Lab

(Continue Reading…)

Last March I went to SXSWi 2009. I posted the notes from two of the days, but conference exhaustion got in the way of me posting the notes from the last three days. After much delay, here they are.

The Real Technology of Indiana Jones – Room B

Monday, March 16th
11:30 am – 12:30 pm

Archaeologists no longer rely on whips and fedoras; they now use a range of sophisticated digital tools to collect information in the field and study it in the lab. Too often, though, this wealth of information meets the same fate as Indy’s discoveries, locked away in digital ‘warehouses’ where no one can see it. The archaeologists on this panel present different projects that use web platforms and open-source approaches to bring digital archaeology out of the warehouse and into the public eye. Learn how archaeologists are using interactive media to open their data and processes to the public; discuss the creation of an online archaeological community in Second Life; and explore ancient cities across space and time using publicly-available online tools.

Colleen Morgan: Archaeologist, UC Berkeley

Stuart Eve: Dir, L-P Archaeology/UCL

Bernard Frischer: Rome Reborn

Moderator: Adam Rabinowitz: Asst Professor, University of Texas at Austin

(Continue Reading…)

Last March I went to SXSWi 2009. I posted the notes from two of the days, but conference exhaustion got in the way of me posting the notes from the last three days. After much delay, here they are.

Presenting Straight to the Brain – Room A

Monday, March 16th 10:00 am – 11:00 am

Is there a way out of the oppressive PowerPoint culture that surrounds us? Yes: skip the fonts and graphics talk, and explore how the human mind learns. When you accept what the research says about the brain, you’ll have no choice but to present a clear and compelling multimedia story.

Jared Goralnick: Productivity Evangelist, AwayFind

Cliff Atkinson: BBP Media

Kathy Sierra: Creating Passionate Users

Craig Ball: Pres, Craig D Ball PC

(Continue Reading…)

Last March I went to SXSWi 2009. I posted the notes from two of the days, but conference exhaustion got in the way of me posting the notes from the last three days. After much delay, here they are.

Make It So Sexy: Lustful Design in Mainstream Science Fiction

Nathan Shedroff Program Chair MBA in Design Strategy, CCA – He showcases the examples of sex and technology design in science fiction.

Chris Noessel Sr Consultant, Cooper

They are playing S.E.X.Y.R.O.B.O.T. by the Pinker Tones in the background. – He showcases the examples of sex and technology in real life and how it compares to our fiction.

www.nathan.com/thoughts/makeitsosexy.pdf (Continue Reading…)

Last March I went to SXSWi 2009. I posted the notes from two of the days, but conference exhaustion got in the way of me posting the notes from the last three days. After much delay, here they are.

From Flickr and Beyond: Lessons in Community Management

Heather Champ Dir. of Community, Flickr

Jessalyn West Dir of Operations, MetaFilter

Micah Schaffer YouTube

Mathew Stinchcomb VP Community, Etsy

Mario Anima Dir Online Community, Current TV

(Continue Reading…)

Last March I went to SXSWi 2009. I posted the notes from two of the days, but conference exhaustion got in the way of me posting the notes from the last three days. After much delay, here they are.

Sunday Keynote: Nate Silver interviewed by Stephen Baker

Stephen Baker The Numerati, BusinessWeek

Nate Silver Founder and President, fivethirtyeight.com

Nate Silver:

I was using this to procrastinate about the other stuff I was supposed to be doing. It was born out of frustration with with Fox News. Polls were too much a part of the narrative. I’m NOT a big fan of polls. There is room for some common sense in this. (Continue Reading…)

Last March I went to SXSWi 2009. I posted the notes from two of the days, but conference exhaustion got in the way of me posting the notes from the last three days. After much delay, here they are.

Making Whuffie

Tara “Miss Rogue” Hunt

@missrogue on Twitter

What is whuffie? A word coined by Cory Doctorow. He’s crazy about Disneyland. Down and Out In The Magic Kingdom It introduces whuffie instead of money, which is social capital. Influence, access to resources, favors, reciprocity, etc. When you ping whuffie, you get a score that you can buy stuff with. (Continue Reading…)

Last March I went to SXSWi 2009. I posted the notes from two of the days, but conference exhaustion got in the way of me posting the notes from the last three days. After much delay, here they are.

SXSWi 2009: No Budget to Lo Budget
Megan Scibona
Jason Nunes
Felicia Day
Michael Nigro
Kevin Sullivan

(Continue Reading…)

Carol is still in ICU. I’m pretty much incapable of writing right now. To all of you who believe that artists must suffer to create, you’re full of hooey. I have always been worthless when I’m in pain and now is no different. It’s the main reason that I have such a large backlog on Starling Fitness and The Gadgets Page. I know that some times I won’t be able to write, so I build up a few weeks of entries for a buffer, just in case.

I forgot to post my notes from the last three days of SXSWi 2009, so I’m going to post those here over the next few days. I wanted them to be online and now that I can’t write on my own, I’ll just post my old notes.

• RT @communicatrix Just did an overlay of the food pyramid with Maslow’s hierarchy. If I become self-actualized, I do get to eat candy again? #
• RT @nicky187 If you become self-actualized, you don’t _have_ to have the candy, but you can if you want to. ;) #
• Funny video of a kitty in a suitcase. Peek-a-boo! http://bit.ly/Bumqy #
• Neo kitty fights off a swarm of Agent Smiths… er… pups! http://bit.ly/r2vRH #
• Brilliant short film about communication. http://bit.ly/Hhqk4 #

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Carol is still in ICU and things don’t look good for her. I’m not allowed into the room right now, so I’m just trying my best to not go crazy. I found this comic the other day and I thought I’d share it with you.

• something positive: archive

I love Something Positive. I’ve been reading it for many years now and just seeing the familiar characters makes me a little happy, even when they are miserable.

My life is upside down right now. Carol is in the hospital and they can’t really figure out what is causing all her troubles. I feel a little lost right now.

• Thanx @mgm luv u RT @postsecret: Love is sleeping light so you can hear when your spouse is struggling through a nightmare and wake them up. #

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I had kicked Maggie off my comfy chair in the bedroom and plopped her onto the bed. When I looked up, she was cleaning Elvis’ ears. She does this several times a week, but usually I can’t get to my camera in time to catch them on film.

This time, they were both so mellow that I got FIVE minutes of video. Here are the cutest 70 seconds:

When Linda died, I thought I would never see anything this cute again, so seeing Elvis and Maggie together like this makes me happier than I can say.

My mom emailed me the photo they took when I first walked into the door at my surprise party.

Within seconds of that photo, my mom was crying. You would have thought it was her surprise party. Within seconds of that photo, Kristen was hugging me and I barely knew what was going on or who was hugging me. It was all such a surprise!

Mike took some photos of me with some of the decorations as well:

It was a great party and I’m so grateful to everyone who attended and planned it. A special thank you to Mike, Stacey, Dan, Reed and Mom!

• Thank God for my British friends. They are the only ones awake when I’m up at 3am. I feel alone at this time of night. #

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Last night, I dreamt I was in a college play. I had a tiny, bit part as a harried mother. I arrived at school and realized that it was the first performance of the play. I remembered the gist of my small bit, but I couldn’t remember my lines. No one had told me when practice was, so I just was performing without any rehearsals. I couldn’t find a copy of the play so that I could even just look at my lines before I went on stage.

I performed WONDERFULLY. Despite not getting one line correct, I got across the exact idea that I was supposed to and the person playing opposite me did a great job ad-libbing. The audience thought I was great and wanted to see more of me.

I still felt like a failure…

Here is the postcard that Swatch sent me to announce the 2009 Swatch Club watch:

The postcard is advertising the new Swatch Club watch called Street Club.

Looks pretty cool!

• Our mail server is being SLAMMED with spam right now. If you need to get a hold of me, use my Gmail account. DM me if you need the address. #
• Are your a geek from Utah? follow @LauraMoncur (via @SheilaAtwood) Actually, follow @CodeAway. That’s where I’m posting all my UT Geekiness! #

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I saw this commercial for the Barbie Townhouse and it reminded me how much I wanted it.

I don’t remember how much it cost, but I REALLY wanted it. My dad made me an awesome dollhouse instead with five rooms and a carport for my Barbie Starvette. There was even an outdoor patio.

I’ve looked through all my photos and all of Stacey’s photos and we don’t have one picture of that awesome dollhouse. Not one.

I tried to draw a picture of it, but I can’t get the perspective right. My little drawing doesn’t convey the awesome magnitude of how cool this house was.

The long top room had a slanted roof because it was the attic. I always imagined Skipper staying up there and it represented my room in my mind. The two middle rooms were bedrooms. The room on the right had a door that opened up to the patio over the car. Each of the four rooms had a real window. The main floor had a kitchen and a front room. The front room also had a door that opened up to the front of the house. The roof had shingles. The front of the house had a porch. It was seriously AWESOME!!!

When I was done playing with the house, I gave it to Stacey. When she was done with it, she gave it to a Jehovah Witness family she knew that had a whole house full of girls. I’m sure that toy was just as loved by them as it was by us.

I wish I had a picture of it…

• RT @Zadi New FU “Your Copyright Can Kiss My Ass” is ruffling feathers. Pls RT. Important topic. http://epicfu.com/eu #
• RT @SheilaAtwood Mothers Day cards your kids can color. http://bit.ly/BTZFs #
• HAHAHA!! Fear a high school reunion? Hire a stripper (via Reuters): http://tinyurl.com/cba5lx (via @vinceblackham) #
• Thanks @epicfu (http://is.gd/vFwR) for the wonderful and disturbing video. Watch until the very end! http://is.gd/tPiV #

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I love this photo of the Summer Pimps here:

• Plaid Stallions : Rambling and Reflections on 70’s pop culture: More Summer Pimp Action

When I was a kid, all the grownups wore clothes like this. It all reminds me of my childhood. I remember looking through the Sears Catalog for toys and finding clothes just like this all the time.

The guy on the right has the most awesome pattern on his outfit. I took a bit of it and made it blue. I couldn’t get enough of the pattern to tile, however. Here is what I came up with.

Maybe someone out there has better Gimp Skillz than I do and can make a tile-able version of this pattern. That would be totally cool!

• I’m awake despite the freedom to sleep until 8am. Excited to go on a walk with @nakedjen this morning! #
• RT @motivation: “Laughter is by definition healthy.” – Doris Lessing http://tqpage.com/1718 #
• Note to self: Next time we go to Moab, I want to say here. Is that OK, Stacey & Dan? http://www.redcliffslodge.com/rates/ #
• Cutest white fluffballs! Honduran white bats sleeping in a huge leaf. http://tinyurl.com/d9z9oz #
• RT @a7an Very clever use of flickr’s layout. http://www.flickr.com/photos/norby #

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I just wanted to remind you that I’m on Twitter. Every post from this blog has a link on Twitter and any random thoughts I have throughout the day will show up there as well.

You can follow me here:

• Laura Moncur on Twitter

If you live in Salt Lake City and are a geek, you should follow my CodeAway account:

• CodeAway on Twitter

That is the account where I’m going to be posting all of the Utah Geek events like CodeAway, the Utah Blogger/Geek Dinner and anything else I hear about.

• RT @bradmccall I’ve tracked down the source of #swineflu http://twitpic.com/46ada #

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I have been reading the Questionable Content web comic since the beginning. One of my favorite characters is Hannelore, the germ-fearing OC savant. With all of the hulabaloo about the swine flu, it’s nice to know that Hannelore is ready for the Apocalypse.

• Hannelore (hanneloreEC) on Twitter

I’ve got 500 surgical masks, twenty gallons of hand sanitizer, and a flare gun. As ready for swine flu as I’ll ever be.

Don’t forget your Tamoxifen, Hanners!!

I had no idea that Jeph was writing tweets for all of his characters in the comic. It was a joy to read them all!

• RT @rishil: Great Example of how boring products can be made interesting with a bit of creativity http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWRyj5cHIQA #
• Who eats Papa John’s Pepprocini? (via @SteveJerman) I do… #
• If you are following me for links to UT Tech events, please follow me here: https://twitter.com/codeaway #
• RT @ThinkGeek: “for int’l, non-US geeks who we <3 very much indeed: get $10 off order > $30 (excl shipping & taxes) w/ code SAVE10.” #
• RT @PatnOscars http://twitpic.com/44br7 – Test our Big O cookie topped with vanilla bean ice cream at our San Marcos and Mission Valley … #

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My family and friends threw me a surprise birthday party two weeks ago. I’ve been waiting for some pictures from the party to talk about it, but I haven’t received any photos yet, so I decided I couldn’t wait any longer.

I’ve talked before about how important my birthday is to me:

• My Birthday (Part 1 of 2)

• My Birthday (Part 2 of 2)

Being Jehovah Witness as a child, I missed many birthdays, so every birthday is REALLY important to me, even though I’m an adult. This year, I turned 40, which is a major milestone for some people, but it doesn’t feel all that different from 30 to me, so it didn’t seem like a big deal.

We had plans for my birthday with my family on Sunday, but Saturday, my mom said she wanted to take me shopping for my present. I was alright with that, so we spent a few hours at Fashion Place Mall looking around. I let my mom buy me a purse, some shoes and a couple of video games. We were all meeting at my house to go to dinner afterward. When I walked into the door, they all yelled, “Surprise!”

I have never attended a surprise party. I tried to throw one for Mike for his birthday about fifteen years ago, but I couldn’t keep the secret and I told him. I was completely fooled. I had no inkling that anything was going on, so the surprise was complete for me.

You know in movies, when they show somebody’s life pass before their eyes? They always show a scene from a surprise party. Do you want to know why they do that? It’s because, when it really works, at that moment you feel so completely loved. All these people went to all this trouble to set up a party just for me. They kept the secret for weeks. Hundreds of emails went back and forth, planning and deciding all without my knowledge.

Last Saturday, Stacey saw that my balloons still had some bounce to them and said, “Hey, Laura’s balloons still have helium in them. We should use them to sing songs on Rock Band.” I sniped back at her, “Don’t you touch my balloons!!” Mike smiled and said, “I was going to suggest that it was time to take them down. I guess I dodged a bullet there.”

BEST PARTY EVAAARR!!!!!

• Testing Birdhouse. I think it might be better for me than some other Twitter clients. #
• RT @codeaway: The SMCSLC Meeting on May 21st needs a venue. Does anyone out there have one? http://smcslc509.eventbrite.com #

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In contrast to yesterday’s epistle, here are a few of people who have jumped on the bandwagon of making fun of Twitter.

Joy of Tech:

Twitter Dat:

Twitter Whore:

Twouble with Twitters:

Only the future will tell what Twitter will be to us. Will it be the next Second Life? Will it be the next Microsoft Word? It’s far too soon to tell right now, but kicking it while it’s “down” is just jumping someone else’s train.

Twouble with Twitters via: BloomBurst – The Vox Pop Design Blog » Blog Archive » Twitter: Location Independent Friendship or Narcissism Unleased?