Note: This single post will serve as my centralized SXSW blog experience. I have found it difficult to blog while at conferences but I want to keep you updated with what’s going on and what amazing conversations (and experiences) I’m having. I will change the date above to indicate the last update time!

Friday 3/12/2010

My first day at SXSW. I was presenting today as well, “How Sci-Fi Shapes The Internet”.

I made it through my presentation and was happy with how I remembered the content! Unfortunately, I was planning to use the “Remote” app which would allow me to control my Keynote presentation from my iPhone but they just couldn’t find each other on the network. Also, I had planned to stand and walk around but the room was setup for a panel. No worries! Had a great turnout of about 200 people!

After I was done, I stayed for “Black Blogging Rockstars” which was submitted by Maurice. @jbrotherlove, Gina (@BWBConference), Deanna (@clutchmagazine) and Maurice (@mauricecherry) were on the panel which discussed what Black people could do to become rockstars. This included monetizing blogs, networking outside your blog topic, trying out new themes and functionality.

For example, Deanna saw some blogs were using Seesmic which allowed you to leave video comments. She added this, excited to see what sort of movie comments her readers would leave. Turns out her readers weren’t that hot on the technology.

Gina talked a lot about the disenfranchisement of Blacks in blogging and how they need to realize the huge potential to earn money via content. She covered direct ads on the blog, funding for political blogs, funding for 501c3 and direct solicitation.  I hear Gina on this because after I heard Angel speak at last year’s Blogging While Brown, I stepped up and began testing out ways to monitize my blog.  More on that later.

The panel was wonderful!  Full of detailed stories, passion and solid advice.  I was tweeting up a storm and will grab those tweets to insert here.

I saw a lot of people I had met at other conferences but also people who had only been “Twitter friends” like Anjuan Simmons

Nichelle Stephens and Faith Dow

If not, no worries!  Join us for this great happy hour at SXSW and we’ll be more than happy to make it rain!

The SXSBW (South By Small Business Web) will be:
Conference: SXSW 2010
Date: Saturday, March 13th, 2010
Time: 4pm – 7pm
RSVP for Happy Hour and get there early!

Maybe you’re already using something like Freshbooks, Mailchimp, Batchbook, Zendesk, SurveyGizmo or Shoeboxed to manage your invoicing, email newsletters, contacts, customer support, surveys or receipt management online.

I’ll be there on behalf of Zendesk as well as Helen Yu, new Director of Product Marketing.  We’ll have goodies and t-shirts to hand out!

Also, make sure to check out my presentation.  Yes!  I’m speaking at SXSW!

Happy hour sponsored by Freshbooks, Mailchimp, Batchbook, Rackspace,  SurveyGizmo, Shoeboxed, Formspring, Wufoo, HandDetection, TeamSupport, ODesk, OutRight,

RSVP for this event because people will have a chance to connect, discuss and learn how diversity in technology is changing the landscape in terms of perceptions, marketing and career opportunities.

photo credit: anthony mattox

Meetup Info

Conference: SXSW 2010 Music, Film and Interactive
Event: Blacks In Technology Meetup
Date: Friday, March 12th, 2010
Time: 6pm – 9pm CT
Twitter hashtag: #bit
SXSW event page
Register using Eventbrite
The Carver Museum & Cultural Center
1165 Angelina Street
Austin, TX 78702-2034
Google Map

I heard about last year’s event from several SXSW’ers (including @swirlspice @fredricmitchell and @calinative) that said it was great to connect with other people at SXSW who were Brown.  Sometimes when you go to conferences and you’re Brown (or female or something else that doesn’t make you a White Male), you can feel like an outsider.  This is a great way to welcome people to SXSW!

Many thanks to Jeff Bowman of Ogilvy and SXSW for sponsoring this event!

There was a press release put out by Jeff of Ogilvy which made it onto CNN so I’ll pull from it:

Ogilvy & Mather North America will host and moderate a panel and discuss the impact a multicultural and multi-ethnic society has had on technology and the digital space on March 12th at the acclaimed South by Southwest Interactive Conference (SXSW).   The panel will be followed by a networking “Meetup.”

Featured panelists include musician and new media pioneer Ryan Leslie (http://www.ryanleslie.com/), Kety Esquivel (http://www.ketyesquivel.blogspot.com), CEO for Latinos in Social Media; James Andrews (www.BeEverywhere.tv), founder of digital strategic consulting firm Everywhere; and Nichelle Stephens (http://keepingnickels.com/), blogger and social media expert.  This year’s panel follows last year’s successful Blacks in Tech launch at SXSW that attracted over 100 participants and provided a forum to engage the black technology community in the festival itself.  With this event, the group is expanding its reach to include the Asian and Hispanic communities to provide a multicultural exchange.

“Partnering with SXSW and Ogilvy to create the festival’s first diversity driven event builds awareness of the tremendous multicultural talent and thought leadership within the technology space,” explained Jeffrey Bowman of Ogilvy.  ”This panel and the event following it expands on both the festival and the agency’s efforts to foster greater diversity and inclusion within the industry.”  We’ve worked with social media strategist like James Andrews (www.BeEverywhere.tv), Wayne Sutton (http://socialwayne.com), Adria Richards (http://butyoureagirl.com), and Maurice Cherry (http://www.mauricecherry.com) to pull this event together.”

SXSW is seeking to promote diversity and inclusion as a cornerstone of the Festival and has created a series of panels that feature diverse thought leaders within the festival. The Ogilvy panel will be followed by the “Blacks in Technology Meetup” from 6- 9 pm at the Carver Museum, also hosted by Ogilvy. The event is open to all new media professionals and those hoping to break into the industry.

ABOUT BLACKS IN TECH (BIT)

Blacks In Tech originally started as a few blacks within the technology and social media space met at the SXSW Interactive Conference in the Spring of 2005. At the time the world of technology and social media was emerging.  They pondered the idea of having more blacks in technology and hypothesized about barriers to being more social on-line. Some of the early thought leaders that night were Lynne D. Johnson (http://www.lynnedjohnson.com), George Kelly (www.allaboutgeorge.com), Jason Toney (http://misterjt.typepad.com), jbrotherlove (http://www.thebrotherlove.com/journalogue.php), Tiffany B Brown (www.tiffanybbrown.com), E J Flavors (http://ejflavors.com/) and Jeffrey Bowman (Twitter:  @jeffreylbowman).

In 2009 they organized a mini panel at the SXSW Conference and exceeded conference organizers expectations.  They’d proven to organizers that there is a thriving black community within the technology and digital space.  The mission for Blacks In Tech is to accelerate technology innovation, education and wealth creation within underserved markets through the use of technology.  You can follow Blacks In Tech on Twitter @blacksintech.

ABOUT SXSW

South by Southwest (SXSW, Inc.) is a private company based in Austin, Texas, with a year-round staff of professionals dedicated to building and delivering conference and festival events for entertainment and related media industry professionals. Since 1987, SXSW has produced the internationally recognized Music and Media Conference & Festival. In 1994 as the entertainment business adjusted to issues of future growth and development, SXSW added conferences and festivals for the film industry (SXSW Film) as well as for the blossoming interactive media (SXSW Interactive Festival). Now three industry events converge in Austin during a Texas-sized week, mirroring the ever increasing convergence of entertainment/media outlets.

I even went to the doctor to ask if I could cause the early onset of diabetes simply by using too much sugar in my coffee. He said no so I continued to pour on the sugar without a care in the world.

photo credit: Surat Lozowick

Today as I sit here in my hotel room for SXSW which begins tomorrow, I wasn’t happy with how much sugar I had for breakfast.  I’ve made drastic reductions in my sugar intake in the last month and eating cornflakes, orange juice and yogurt with a cup of coffee has left me feeling a bit bogged down.

I’m Your Pusher

Sugar was easy to get. Sugar was my friend. I started drinking coffee when I was 14 and found it to be a great medium for delivering both a sugar and caffine rush. Remember that I have ADD so caffeine does not affect me the way it does other people so I viewed coffee as a delicious, toasty warm treat that was my gateway to adulthood. The sweet, syrupy taste of of a strong cup of espresso with steamed milk and a generous pour of sugar was a welcome sight each morning in my early 20′ s.

Breakout

I started getting really bad acne at the age of 26. They were painful, large cysts along my jaw line. They were deep made my tender. Before, I had regular pimples but nothing like this. I looked to the world of formal medicine to help me fix it. but it

My dermatologist had me take pills (tetracycline?). And then Retin-A, then a few laser treatments (holy cow! Expensive!). Then I changed the cleanser I was using on my face. I tried to stop using benzyl peroxide otherwise known as Clearasil. I mean sure to wrap up my hair every night but nothing seemed to help.

I was in denial. I didn’t think that sugar could be the problem.

Eventually I read that I could have a hormone imbalance and one of the solutions was to take birth control pills. One of the side effects of this could be cancer so I decided to look for a different solution.

Exploring Natural Acne Remedies

I tried all sorts of things like putting egg whites on my face, masks with various food items but nothing was working.  I would be okay for a day or too and then another huge, painful pimple would show up.

The search led me to the co-op. I had been there before because it or I could always find lactose free milk and then discovered lactose pills. For those of you who don’t know lactose intolerance means that you have a problem digesting milk and milk products. In fact, 75% of the world is lactose intolerant. Anyway, the wonderful deli smells drew me in. I began sampling some of the food. It was pretty good! And so began my journey into the world of natural foods and homeopathic skin care.

It took two years of shopping at the local co-op before it decided to join and become a member. Once it did, I felt entitled to assess staff more questions, especially questions about my health. I began trying skin care products, deodorants and face care items.

Did you know that you can use coconut oil on your skin? It’s actually quite good for you and is closer to mimicking your body’s own natural skin oils versus mineral.

Skin Care Can Be Dangerous

During this time of experimentation, I was determined to stop using benzyl peroxide. One of the most frustrating things about using it was that it bleached my clothing. I have lost many favorite shirts to the curse of Clearasil.

I also learned that anti-inflammatory ointments like cortisone were not good for use on the face (can cause the skin to thin) and my skin could become dependent on it.

This meant I needed to find a solution that reduced the severity of my acne in the most natural way possible.

Ch, Ch, Changes

The change to my skin didn’t happen overnight but over the period of one year, I began to notice a change. I was having less, cystic breakouts after changing all of my body face care products to ones I purchased at the co-op.

One of the things the staff suggested is that I reduce my sugar intake. I didn’t like this.  Remember, sugar was my friend.  Of course, at one time, cigarettes had been my friend too and after smoking for almost 14 years (started when I was  13), I quite for good in 2006 (age 28).  I began to think about sugar as a possible addictive agent…

I was becoming desperate to get rid of this acne. Not only was it painful, I started to scar more frequently. It seemed like a vicious cycle of breakouts, trying to get rid of the acne and then dealing with the scars.

I now use Dr. Hauska face products and love it!  It’s homeopathic and smells wonderful!  I saw even more improvements after using a base set of cleanser, moisturizer and night treatments!  Woohoo!

Yeast. It’s an organism that makes bread grow. It loves sugar. The co-op staff and my friend @swirlspswirloth mentioned probiotics. I had tried to eat yogurt every day but found it hard to hit it down and look forward to eating it. I wasn’t sure what probiotics were but it sounded like I wouldn’t need to try and get down a cup of yogurt every morning. Turns out probiotics were live bacteria that you took each day that capsule form to help with digestion. They could also help control yeast overgrowth.

As a woman really east overgrowth I knew of was yeast infections. Thankfully those have been few and far between in my life yet I’ve been given the “opportunity” by American television to see all the “wonderful” as its for feminine hygiene products. Joy of joys.

Lasting Change In Effect!

So back to probiotics. Each time I asked about the co-op, the staff said that I should also reduce my sugar intake. This caused me to feel defensive. I’d like sugar. Why should I think that it was causing my acne? Why these people want me to stop eating sugar?

I begin to look into sugar and started to experiment with sugar alternatives. In February 2010, I tried Agave nectar Which is from a plant that sort of looks like an aloe plant.

I was also moved to try this because I started probiotics in January and felt that they are having a positive effect on acne.

Third I met several people who were moving to gluten-free diets. Gluten is derived from grains like wheat and some people are highly allergic to it. This means they eat carbs that come from potatoes, rice and other non “cereal” crops. I had tried gluten-free desserts at the co-op and some quite tasty so I wondered to if reducing my sugar intake and exploring gluten-free products would continue to improve the condition of the skin.

In the month of February, the only time I had table sugar was when I was out having coffee. I was able to avoid consuming any table sugar at home.

Has this made a difference on my acne?

It has!

I’m happy to report in the last two months I have seen a significant reduction in new outbreaks. This means a combination of homeopathic skin care products plus probiotics plus a reduction in in table sugar has started me on the path to acne recovery. Now that I am no longer breaking out several times a week, I am able to address the scarring.   I’ve been experimenting with an at-home glycolic peel which has been going quite well!

all continued to do pose related to health, my acne and co-op stuff throughout the year so stay tuned by subscribing to the RSS feed.

Wow, I have no idea what a “ham egg roll” is but this looks like ham on toasted english muffins with some cheesy stuff on top.

#nomnomnom!

  
Download now or listen on posterous

Memo.m4a (3226 KB)

Yes, McDonalds is my gateway to my childhood.  The cheeseburgers remind me of time spent with my dad and the chicken McNuggets were one of the first things I was able to buy at McDonalds all by myself!

Sometimes, when I’m sad about missing my dad (or him missing all the cool stuff I’m doing), I go to McDonalds.  This is maybe 2-3 times per year and somehow…it takes me back to childhood.

Before the drama.  Before the divorce.

Bluey my Chihuahua waiting for the french fries tonight with me

Posted via email from adria’s posterous

Shared from Adria’s Posterous site of verbal reflections http://adria.posterous.com

Do you look forward to the future where humans will travel throughout the galaxy and live peacefully without war, hunger or global warming?

Want to break into the business of film, radio or books?

Join me Friday at SXSW when I present
“How Sci-Fi Shapes The Internet” at 2pm in the Austin Conference Center, 9ABC.

Friday at SXSW, I will take you on a journey as we explore how great authors and directors of science fiction helped to shape our Internet.

Session Info

Conference: SXSW Music, Film and Interactive Festival Austin, Texas
When: Friday, March 12, 2010
Where: Austin Conference Center, Room 9ABC
What: “How Sci-Fi Shapes The Internet”

I am very honored to of had my submission selected for this year’s conference!  Thanks to the encouragement of Erica Mauter and Anjuan Simmons, I submitted a topic from the heart that I am passionate about sharing.

How am I feeling? Excited to present this topic because Sci-Fi allows us to think outside the box.  We are no longer restriction to “what was” but instead can focus on “what can be”.  This skill has been essential in terms of our NASA space program and the development of the Internet.

I will be covering two of my favorite Sci-Fi producers, Alfred Hitchcock and Rod Serling and how their early life experiences affected their work.

We’ll also look at how you can take lessons of the past and apply them to getting published in film, television or as an author.

Look forward to seeing you Friday at 2pm at SXSW!

photo credit: tuxthepenguin84

Ok, I’m totally liberating all the parties listed for Saturday from this awesome list of SXSW parties posted by Austin360.com for my blog. Thank you for putting this list together!

Saturday, March 13

• Yeast By Sweet Beast, time TBA, Chain Drive, ST37, Low Red Center, Xathax and Static Storm System and more, $5
• SXSW Blogger Lounge, 9:30 a.m. at Austin Convention Center room 19A, free with SXSW Interactive badge, info
• Mobile Social SXSW 2010, 2 p.m. at Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop, bike ride, BBQ and variety show, RSVP
• Film Texas Reception, 3 p.m. at Iron Cactus, SXSW Film/Screenburn Panelist Badge Required
• SXSBW Happy Hour, 4 p.m. at PureVolume House (504 Trinity St.), RSVP
• 3six5 meetup, 5 pm, Ginger Man, RSVP at twtvite.com/nmcqxe
• Dorkbot, 6 p.m. at Brush Square Park – East Tent, think of it as a science fair with free beer, SXSW Interactive badge required
• Mozilla SXSW Happy Hour, 6 p.m. at Cedar Door (201 Brazos St, 78701), RSVP here
• KickApps’ SXSW party, 6-8 p.m. at Hickory Bar
• SXSW Opening Night Happy Hour, 6 p.m. at Paradise, SXSW Interactive badge or a Razorfish business card required for entry
• Digg Nation Live, 7 p.m. at Stubb’s with The Walkmen and more, free, info
• SXSW Cocktails & Hors D’oeuvres with Spiderwood Studios, 7 p.m. at Speakeasy, SXSW film badge required
• frog design’s SXSW Interactive Opening Party, 8 p.m. at Mexican American Cultural Center
• Gawker Media and io9’s Time Bender, 8 p.m. at Pure Volume House with MC Frontalot, free drinks, RSVP
• Ning SXSW {RV}IP Lounge and Karaoke, 8 p.m., Location TBA, follow @ning and @RVIPLounge on Twitter for info
• AMODA Digital Showcase + Laptop Battle, 9 p.m. at Club De Ville with live video and interactive art and music from Random, Heitor Alvelos, Anselmo Canha, João Cruz, Pierce Warnecke, Daetron Vargas, more, info http://do512.com/event/2010/03/13/amoda-digital-showcase-laptop-battle
• Love Project Journey Party, 9 p.m. at Headhunters, info
• Shutterstock Interactive Party, 9 p.m. at Beauty Bar with bands TBA
• Happy Cog’aoke, 10 p.m. at Scoot Inn
• The PureVolume House, 504 Trinity St., free food and drinks,RSVP

A big thanks to Chad Swiatecki over at Austin360.com for such an extensive list!

The lists goes on to cover every single day of the Interactive/Film portion and it doesn’t stop there! You then have a ton more in the music portion of SXSW!

I’m not a party hound but I am looking forward to SXSW next week since folks call it, “Spring Break For Geeks”

I threw the tweet into Google Translator and got this:

From:

Mein #FollowFriday: Because she has the sweetest smiling @adriarichards und weil hier etwas neu geboren wird

To:

My #FollowFriday: Because she has the sweetest smiling @adriarichards born here and because there is something new

So it seems I share “new stuff” and I smile! Thanks @janexnerteam!

Hooray for Twitter bringing the world together!