SXSW Interactive party by day. Squishees, Monsters, Live Music and plenty of Weirdness.
Monthly Archives: March 2015
Bee + Art + Tree
This tree was blooming in full on pink blossoms and its vicinity to the modern art sculpture made for some nice photos. The bee was an extra bonus as I made my way along Congress Avenue.
The Frank Frazetta Collection
As part of the SXSW festivities in Austin, Robert Rodriguez has opened up a gallery of Frank Frazetta artwork. They asked for no pictures to be taken once I was inside the gallery, so unfortunately, I didn’t get any photos of the great original art. Below is a copy of one of his prints (the original “Egyptian Queen” was on display and the colors and details were much better in person). You can find more information at several places on the web, including the online Art History Museum. The news is that Robert Rodriguez is planning to direct a live-action relaunch of “Fire and Ice”, the 1983 animated feature by Ralph Bakshi and Frank Frazetta. I’m sure it will be filled with awesome creatures, kind of like the miniature creature that tried to attack me outside the venue. 🙂
SX Create
Another SXSW free event happening this weekend is SX Create. This one has tons of creations and hands on activities. There are robots, art, 3D printers and other cool techie things to play with and destroy. This event also runs through Sunday evening.
SXSW Gaming Expo
So the SXSW conference is in full swing today. My first stop was the Gaming Expo. This is an event for the super nerds with all varieties of games, drones, computer vendors, software vendors, artists, cosplay people, and other fun things to see and experience. It is a free event and runs through Sunday night in case you find yourself in Austin this weekend.
Fogo de Chão
Today’s most awesome lunch was the result of a small bet with a friend of mine – don’t gamble kids! I lost the wager, so we agreed on dining at Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse as payment. If you haven’t been, this place is wonderful for meat lovers. You start off by getting comfortable and ordering drinks. You then make a quick run to the salad bar which is enough for a large meal in itself. When you are ready for the fire roasted meats to arrive, turn the card at your table to the green side up. A parade of wait staff with a variety of delicious hot meats on skewers will begin to arrive at your table and hand carve the selections of your choice. When you need a break, just turn the card to the red side up. My favorite was the Alcatra, a “special cut of top sirloin originating in the steakhouses of Southern Brazil”. We also tried the Caipirinha, which is Brazil’s national cocktail, made with cachaca (sugar cane hard liquor), sugar, and lime. The dining experience was superb, and I can’t wait to go again!
Sharing – Autodesk Pixlr
From a Sanrio tweet,
“If something wonderful happens to you, don’t keep it all to yourself. Share it with friends.”
Last week, I was looking for an App that would allow me to overlay one photo over the top of another. A friend recommended the Autodesk Pixlr photo editing App as a solution. The “double exposure” feature did exactly what I wanted, and as an extra bonus, the Pixlr App is free. I have been playing around with this App since then and so far, I really like it. Give it a try if you are looking for something like this. 🙂
Wall
What would it be like to put all of your belongings on your back and just go? Â To travel. Â To visit some place new and to experience a different culture. Â Not knowing when you might return…
“Nobody else needs to know
Where we might go…
We could just run them red lights
We could just run them red lights”
Where we might go…
We could just run them red lights
We could just run them red lights”
Blur
Ever taken some throwaway snapshots that had some cool colors or interesting subject matter, but were taken from the wrong vantage point? That is what happened at sunset tonight. Instead of tossing these, I added a simple blur effect to try and make things better. The first photo has a circular blur, and the second photo has a linear blur. I didn’t fall in love with either one, but the colors of the sunset were nice.
For those who are wondering, I have added the original photo from the first edit below. Now you can see everything before the blur was added, including all of the nice colors from the sunset and the not so nice reflection from the window I was standing behind. 
Up-Up-Up With a Fish
It rained all day today, and then it rained some more. After work, I find myself in the Round Rock Public Library, where they were holding a demonstration of a 3D printer in action. I rounded the corner, and found this piece of Art (number 923 out of 2500). Pretty cool, and totally appropriate for today’s weather.
“The sun did not shine.
It was too wet to play.
So we sat in the house
All that cold, cold, wet day.”
It was too wet to play.
So we sat in the house
All that cold, cold, wet day.”
earthrobert 