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Review: The Art of LEGO Mindstorms NXT-G Programming

JustJon — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:00:38 +0000

In the six years since LEGO Mindstorms NXT was released (and four years since NXT 2.0), LEGO has released little beyond the basic kits for building robots. The problem is that the system is so versatile and they have released such limited documentation, which is where books and websites come in. One such book is The Art of LEGO Mindstorms NXT-G Programming by Terry Griffin.

The Art of LEGO Mindstorms NXT-G Programming starts by showing the basics and how to build a robot, but the difference between this book and the other NXT books I have looked it as that once the first robot is built, it is the only robot built in the entire book. The focus of the book is the programming rather than the building and construction of different robots.

NXT-G is a programming language based on visual blocks rather than computer language specific words. It’s an excellent resource for people who do not yet know how to program and can introduce a person to concepts that they are heretofore unfamiliar with. From loops to conditionals, everything is represented in NXT-G, and The Art of LEGO Mindstorms NXT-G Programming does a good job of explaining it all and uses pseudo code to help transition a reader of the book to real programming languages.

Starting with basic programming and building to more advanced programs for Mindstorms robots, the book gives a good overview of programming then goes in depth as it explains how the different programs work with the robot. The book breaks down the NXT-G programming concepts into understandable language then demonstrating them with an example program that the demo robot can execute and perform actions based on the prescribed programming blocks.

The Art of LEGO Mindstorms NXT-G Programming also teaches more complex processes through iteration. Griffin creates a program, teaches how it works and then will improve upon the program using more complexities and then goes over what was done at the conclusion of each chapter.

The examples in the book range from simply making the robot play a tone to making robots that can move around mazes by tapping the walls to line following robots. The diversity of the projects give a good range of the capabilities of what the LEGO Mindstorm NXT robotics system is capable of, and gives the reader a good jumping off point to create their own robots.

The strength of The Art of LEGO Mindstorms NXT-G Programming is its focus on programming robots and not the robots themselves. By not having to focus on hardware, it gives a strong programming background to the user, which is why I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn to program and create their own robots rather than just following instructions from a book.

The Mighty Marvel Avengers Movie Marathon

JustJon — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:00:17 +0000

Four years in the making, Marvel Entertainment has been building up to their Avengers movie. Ever since Sam Jackson appeared in a scene after the credits in Iron Man, fanboys have been salivating in anticipation of the eventual Avengers movie. Five movies later, the fans have gotten what they were waiting for.

On May 4, 2012, Marvel Studios unleashed The Avengers to the movie going public, to a record breaking $207 million opening weekend box office. The day before the opening, AMC Theaters did what they called “The Ultimate Marvel Marathon,” a showing of each of the movies leading up to The Avengers followed by a midnight showing of the eagerly anticipated film. Of course, i had to attend the marathon as an experience in movie going.

Upon arriving to the theater a half hour early, I received a laminate to commemorate the event, a comic book, and a pair of 3D glasses created for the event. There were four different glasses to choose from – Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, and Thor – based on the movies we were seeing that day. Normally, a half hour early would be early enough to guarantee a good seat, but the theater was already packed (as I can assume the other of the two theaters showing the marathon was) when I arrived and was lucky enough to find a good seat on an aisle. When the lights went down at 11:30am, we were greeting by Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson, as he would be introducing each movie with in character monologues that were filmed exclusively for this marathon.

The first film was the 2008 movie that started the whole Avengers storyline, Iron Man. Although it has only been four years, with the way technology and political landscapes change, it is as if it was released a lifetime ago. The only thing truly feeling dated about the movie was a MySpace reference. Overall, this is still my favorite of the Marvel movies, with Robert Downey Jr. taking the movie and making it his own. An entertaining film that captures the essence of the character without ever getting boring. The Avengers truly kicks off after the credits, when Samuel Jackson as Nick Fury appears to recruit Tony Stark to The Avengers Initiative.

The second film was The Incredible Hulk, a movie that was poorly received when it was released. Unfortunately, time has not helped the film. The first 30-45 minutes is a well done character piece with Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, William Hurt and Tim Roth putting in excellent performances. After that, it becomes a cartoon about two monsters battling each other and destroying Harlem. Too bad they couldn’t do the movie about Bruce Banner instead of his alter ego The Hulk. The final scene of the movie has William Hurt as General Ross get approached by Tony Stark about the Avengers Initiative, but we don’t see General Ross again in the movie series.

After The Incredible Hulk, we return to Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark in Iron Man 2. Although Mickey Rourke as Whiplash is a bit silly, especially in his initial showdown with Iron Man at the race track. This is balanced out by Downey and the interplay he has with Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Don Cheadle as James Rhodes aka War Machine, Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer. The movie is just fun and the final battle with the assorted drones and armored combatants is fun in a cartoony way that works, as opposed to Hulk’s big battle. It was also cool to see Mad Men’s John Slattery as Tony’s father Howard in a cameo. After the credits, we see Agent Coulson arrive in New Mexico to find Thor’s hammer in an impact crater after its fall from Asgard, and a direct lead-in to our next movie.

In a film full of Asgardian Gods, we have Thor. Thor not only introduces us to Chris Hemsworth as the mighty Thor, but we first meet The Avengers’ antagonist in Tom Hiddleston as Loki. The directing by Kenneth Branagh and his dramatic background is quite evident in many of the dramatic scenes and interpersonal relationships in the movie. Unfortunately, it comes across as a bit dry, including scenes that should show the romantic relationship between Thor and Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster, and the movie suffers for it, especially compared the lighthearted tones of the other movies, even with some comic relief from Kat Dennings. After the credits, we see scientist Erik Selvig, played by Stellan Skarsgard, approached by Nick Fury to examine a cosmic cube (the MacGuffin from Captain America) and implications that Loki may have survived his final confrontation with Thor.

The final solo movie is Captain America: The First Avenger. Chris Evans plays the super soldier in the 1940s and his battles in World War II. A mix of pulp and science fiction that feels like it wants to be more like Indiana Jones at times. Although a fun movie, I would love to have seen more of Cap’s adventures with the Howling Commandos rather than the montage that we are treated to in the middle of the movie. Unfortunately, John Slattery is replaced by Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark in the series, but he does a good job with the role. We end after the credits with Captain America waking up in modern day New York, in a warehouse that is somehow in running distance to Times Square (something that can only happen in a movie).

And at midnight, all that was left was some trailers, the final Agent Coulson introduction and The Avengers. While the above movies are one to four years old, I won’t spoil anything from a movie that has only been in theaters for a few days, but I will say it exceeded all expectations built up over the last four years and then some. The wit and sense of action that Joss Whedon showed through his tv series worked completely with the Avengers and was a complete crowd pleaser, including the extra scene in the middle of the credits and the second coda at the end of the credits.

Even with breaks between the movies, 15 hours in a movie theater is a true test of movie going endurance. The most common question I get, besides how I was able to sit in a movie theater that long, is my preference of the movies. From my favorite to least, they are: Avengers, Iron Man, Captain America, Iron Man 2, Thor and Incredible Hulk. While I don’t know if I would do this marathon again (or any of this length), it was quite an experience and a lot of fun to do.

Bronx Zoo Run For The Wild 5K 2012

JustJon — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:00:18 +0000

Two years ago, I ran my first race. A 5K through the roads of the Bronx Zoo in order to raise money for tigers in the wild. I returned for the third time to run the Bronx Zoo again and raise money for lions.

This year, my nephew wanted to run the Bronx Zoo, like he did last year. Unfortunately, my mother forgot her cellphone, which made meeting up with the two of them a problem. Since I was looking for them, I started at the back of the race and had to contend with the slower runners who clogged the narrow roadways in the first quarter mile of the race. I found my mother and nephew walking the course and my nephew began running with me. We ran together for most of the first mile, until we reached the first big hill. Knowing he would be safe, since it was a very closed course and my mother was somewhere behind him, I kept running and waited for him at the finish line.

Because I got such a poor start due to the enclosed road and slower runners, my time was 25:59, which unfortunately was down from my 24:17 from the previous year. My nephew did it in approximately 40 minutes, which meant he was down from the prior year, but he didn’t have someone running with him to keep pace with for the entire 5K.

I also did my annual April Detox to prepare for the 5K and get myself in shape for upcoming races this year. After a month of training and dieting, I lost 11 pounds and got myself back into shape for the upcoming Brooklyn Half Marathon and the other races I will be running for the rest of 2012, including a return to the NYC Marathon.

The Bronx Zoo Run for the Wild is usually a fun race and fun to run with my nephew. It’s a great start to my running season and can’t wait to hit the road again as I begin my road to the marathon.

Review: Aftershokz Sport Headphones

JustJon — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:00:22 +0000

I’m always looking for the best headphones to run with, so when I came across the Aftershokz Sport Headphones, I needed to check them out. Rather than going in-ear like most sport headphones, the Aftershokz Sports go in front of the ears and use patent pending military special ops bone conduction technology to give a completely different listening experience.

By having the Aftershokz in front of the ears rather than in, the sound is not of the highest quality, or as my friend Stuart put it, he felt it was like listening underwater. Since fidelity is not the top priority when exercising, this is easily overlooked when running. By not covering the ears, it makes it much easier to hear all the sounds around you, from people to vehicles. All the outside noises also affect the Aftershokz less because they aren’t overpowering the sounds going into the ears.

The Aftershokz are held in place by a plastic band that hooks over the ears and goes behind the head. They are actually very comfortable and do not move when running. I never had to adjust the headphones at all while out running and only removed them when done or when people tried to talk to me.

The Aftershokz are powered headphones that have a clip on remote that contain the battery and controls. My one complaint with the headphones are this battery pack. The cable length from the pack to the headphones are long enough to reach an arm band, but I have an iPod Nano I clip to my pocket, so I am forced to clip the pack to the neck of my shirt. On the pack is three buttons, power, volume up, and volume down. These controls only affect the headphones themselves, but the Aftershokz have a lower volume in general, so the headphones need to be turn up to the max all the time and the iPod turned up louder than with other headphones. I would have preferred to have the buttons control the iPod than the headphones, but these issues are my only real complaints about the Aftershokz.

Even with my problems with the battery pack, the Aftershokz have easily become my favorite running headphones. They have become my go-to headphones not just for running but for listening to podcasts on the go. The Aftershokz Sport Headphones are everything I could want out of headphones to exercise with.

Review: Sol Republic Tracks Headphones

JustJon — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:00:04 +0000

SXSW was awash in technological devices and products, many of which were available with the right opportunities. Like the Samsung Galaxy Note and the Livescribe pen, I was able to receive a pair of Sol Republic Tracks headphones to listen to my music and podcasts with.

My normal headphones tend to be in ear, since I like the portability and size, so I was unaccustomed to hearing over the ear headphones when I put them on. The Sol Republic Tracks rest on top of the ear, but have plenty of padding to keep them from being uncomfortable. I used them off and on for 12 hours with only minor discomfort, but that may just be because I am not used to these types of headphones than anything else. The cans are adjustable and can be easily slid up and down the headband or removed completely. The headband itself has padding on the inside of the top to keep them from being uncomfortable on the head.

With good high range and solid bass, the Tracks sound really good. The solid construction gives music good depth and blocks much of the outside noise to allow more enjoyment from music. Even with spoken word, like podcasts, voices are crystal clear and easily to understand. Even when I loaned them to friends to try out, they were impressed by the sound.

The only complaint I have about the Tracks is the bulkiness. Since I’m not used to wearing headphones this large, I’m unaccustomed to having to wear them around my neck or find a place to put them when I’m not listening to them. It’s nice that the cable can be removed when not listening to them, so they don’t get in my way.

In addition to being removable, the cable has inline controls. When using the Sol Republic Tracks with my iPhone, I can not only raise and lower the volume put answer and hang up on calls with the press of a button. The ability to control my iPhone without having to take it out of my pocket while listening to music is always a bonus to me.

I really like the Sol Republic Tracks headphones. They sound great, feel good and work well with my iPhone. At a suggested retail price of $100, you can’t go wrong with these headphones.

Chevrolet Introduces Mylink

JustJon — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:00:07 +0000

A big showing at the NY International Auto Show this year was interactivity between cellphones and the automobile, specifically the radio. With the proliferation of smartphones and apps, it makes sense to attempt to bring that technology into the automobile, and the next iteration of Chevy’s radio technology to make use of it is called MyLink.

In a partnership with MTV Scratch, Chevrolet looked into what Millennials looked for in a car. Ultimately what they found was that Millennials were not as interested in cars as they were in their cellphones. They send 60+ texts a day, are 6x less likely to have a driver’s license and think of the car more as utilitarian than a sense of personal style, deferring to their online personas as their personal style.

The Chevy Sonic and Spark will have usb and audio in ports to allow cellphones to work with the radio. In addition being able to play music off the iPhone/iPod/Android, which the Sonic I took to a Sonic Drive-In was able to do, there is now more integration. In addition to reading music off them, there are now apps that work with the phone. There were three apps shown – Pandora Radio, Stitcher Radio, and GoGoLink Navigation.

While Pandora and Stitcher are user controlled streaming radio stations, GoGoLink is an interesting concept. After purchasing the GoGoLink to the smartphone for a one time fee, the app and maps are downloaded into the phone. When connected to the car and executed on the screen, the car’s GPS works off of the phone, loading all maps and taking all GPS data directly from the phone. Rather than having to pay an additional cost for a GPS or buying an external GPS, it seems like a good idea.

My biggest issue with this system is my inability to get directions and talk on the phone at the same time. At times, I talk on the phone (with a hands-free device) while driving, but since I am on Verizon, I cannot get data and talk at the same time. Does this mean I cannot use the GPS on long drives if I don’t already know how to get to my destination?

The rest of the MyLink radio is bright and easy to read. Menu navigation is kept simple and the text is large enough to read at a glance while driving to play music or make a phone call using the radio to the connected phone. When the car is in park, it can even play videos or show pictures that are stored on a phone. The one issue I had with the previous iteration, which I was unable to check on MyLink, was whether they had improved music selection on the phone or whether it was still a chore to select music that was at the end of the alphabet with a large music library.

Overall, the radio is a definite improvement over the previous version of the radio that was in the Chevy Sonic. I like the further integration of smartphone and automobile and look forward to seeing where car manufacturers take it in the future. Perhaps our cars will one day be completely controlled by our phones.

Must Have Apps For the Samsung Galaxy Note

JustJon — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:00:49 +0000

The Samsung Galaxy Note is a hybrid tablet phone with a 5.3″ HD screen, 4G LTE speeds and 1.4 GHz dual core processor, making it the prefect platform to get things done, and it takes good apps to take it to the next level. With the Android Marketplace’s 425,000 apps to choose from, there are plenty of choices to utilize on it.

All of the apps below can be loaded directly from the Android Marketplace by clicking install on the web page or by loading them via the Marketplace app on the phone. Most of the apps are free, so no cost is incurred downloading most of these applications.

Apps

Angry Birds – The popular game is a quick addiction and a great way to pass the time while knocking down the pigs.
Angry Birds Space – The latest game in the Angry Birds franchise not only looks great on the Galaxy Note, but it has levels that are exclusive to the Note.
Astro File Manager – An easy way to view the file and directory contents of the Note.
Barcode Scanner – When you come across a UPC or QR code and want to look it up, this is the best app for scanning and reading them.
Bump – A fun way to share contact information with people by bumping your phones together. The future of business cards.
Comixology – The 5.3″ screen is the perfect place to view digital comic books, and Comixology is the best comic book reading platform.
Connectbot – SSH client to connect to remote servers.
Draw Something – The hottest game right now is even better with a bigger screen and the Galaxy Note’s included stylus, allowing you to outdraw all your friends.
DroidLight – For those times when you really need a flashlight, instead of using the screen to illuminate, use this app to turn on the LED flash on the back of the Samsung Galaxy Note.
Evernote – Stay organized by writing and syncing notes with the Evernote website and apps for desktop and other mobile devices.
Google Sky Map – The app I always use to demo the phone. Run the app and point your phone at the sky to get an Augmented Reality view of the constellations overhead.
HBO GO – If you subscribe to HBO, you can watch the Sopranos, The Wire, Game of Thrones, True Blood, Sex and City and all your other favorite HBO original series, in addition to select movies, streaming directly to your phone.
Key Ring – This great app scans the barcodes on your rewards cards (or any card with a barcode, like a gym membership), so you don’t have to carry the cards. When checking out, just hand the phone to the cashier and let her scan the UPC from the phone.
Kindle – For those times when you want to read and don’t have a book available, the Kindle app has a built-in bookstore and can whisper sync with your Kindle and other Kindle apps.
Mother TED – Mother TED gives streaming access to every TED Talk released online, sorted by name, category, etc. and streams them to the phone in very clear audio and video.
Netflix – Watch all the streaming movies and television programs with your Netflix streaming account.
Pandora Radio – A streaming music app, like Last.fm, that allows me to listen to radio stations based on a band or song I like.
Seesmic – A nice looking Twitter client that allows the monitoring and posting of tweets from multiple accounts.
Shazam – When I am listening to the radio or in a store and wonder what song I am hearing, I let Shazam give it a listen and it comes back and tells me who I hear.
Shop Savvy – When you are shopping and want to compare prices, scan the UPC barcode with this app and get prices from around the web and local brick and mortar stores to see where you can find it cheaper.
Spotify – An extensive library of music at your fingertips, available for streaming any time and any place.

Android phones just keep getting better and better, and the Samsung Galaxy Note is no exception. The larger screen, fast data, and dual core processor are the best platform for using all your apps.

Review: Samsung Galaxy Note

JustJon — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:00:40 +0000

Samsung introduced their hybrid tablet phone, the Galaxy Note, during a Super Bowl commercial that had everyone singing “I Believe In A Thing Called Love” by the Darkness the next day. At SXSW, I met Jen Friel, who was representing AT&T down there, and she gave me one of 5 Samsung Galaxy Notes that she was giving away in Austin, Texas.

Normally when I review a phone, I carry it around with me for a week or two and try to get as much real world experience as I can. The most notable thing about the Galaxy Note was my inability to carry it in my pants pocket. It was fine when I was wearing a jacket or wearing cargo shorts, but I couldn’t simply put the phone in the pocket of my jeans.

Screen The screen on the Galaxy Note is a 5.3″ WXGA Super AMOLED HD screen. This means that the screen is larger than the average phone but smaller than most tablets. It’s a bit tough to reach to control one handed and I had trouble reaching the entire screen. One handed accessibility aside, the screen was vivid and easy to read, whether I was reading with the Kindle app, playing Angry Birds or watching a video.

Applications The available applications for an Android phone are second only that to the iPhone, so there is no problem finding applications to do whatever you want. As a bonus for Angry Birds fans, the new Angry Birds Space has an exclusive level for Samsung Galaxy Note owners and free access to the Danger Zone levels (usually an in-app purchase). One problem I had with the applications was the inability to change the applications in the dock area at the bottom. I would have preferred to swap out apps I don’t use in favor of those I do, but could not find a way to do it.

Battery Life The Note has up to 10 hours talk time and 250 hours idle time. I haven’t used the phone to its fullest potential, but the battery was enough for me to read books and stream videos via Netflix for hours. I did not have the 4G LTE turned on (since I had no SIM card), so I don’t know how much more of a drain that would have put on the phone. Like any smartphone, I would still consider charging nightly, since regular usage uses the battery within a day.

Camera The Samsung Galaxy Note has a 2MP camera on the front and an 8MP camera with LED flash on the back. The camera took excellent pictures in my tests that were very detailed and vibrant. The phone has no hardware button to activate or trigger the camera, something I really liked on previous Android phones, but the screen is large enough to have a big, easy to use button to trigger the camera.

iPhone 4S, Samsung Galaxy Note, Kindle Touch 4G, iPad

Media Player The standard Android audio and video players that are built into the Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system and access to Google Play to purchase and stream music. The built-in speaker is passable, but sounds good using external speakers or headphones. If you have a large music collection, the Note can play the MP3, AAC, AMR, WMA, WAV, FLAC and OGG formats, plus it can play the MPEG4, H.263, H.264, DivX, WMV and VC-1 videos formats up to 1080p, giving a lot of options for audio and video content.

Keyboard The Galaxy Note has the Android, Samsung and Swype keyboards pre-installed and can be chosen between in the settings. Although there is no physical keyboard, the larger screen gives plenty of real estate for typing with thumbs, but is tough to type with one handed. The Galaxy Note also comes with a stylus to tap out the keyboard or draw onscreen with, which seems like a throwback to the old Palm Pilots rather than the latest technology (but does give an advantage when playing Draw Something).

Phone Unfortunately, I did not have an AT&T SIM card in the Samsung Galaxy Note, so I can’t judge how call quality is. Holding the phone up doesn’t feel too uncomfortable, but I don’t know how it would feel for long phone calls and would probably opt to use a headset to alleviate that issue.

Hardware The Samsung Galaxy Note sports a 1.4 GHz dual core processor and 16 Gb of RAM under the hood to give a very smooth experience. I didn’t find any hiccups or lag that I got from the early Android phones. The phone itself feels sturdy and has the right amount of heft to give it a good feel in my hand.

While the Samsung Galaxy Note seems like a solid device and could get more work than a normal sized phone, it’s the size of the phone that makes me hesitate to recommend switching to it as someone’s primary phone. The inability to comfortably carry it without a jacket or bag makes it tough to make someone’s personal phone, but it makes an excellent personal assistant and gaming platform.

Livescribe Pen at SXSW

JustJon — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 13:00:47 +0000

When I was at SXSW Interactive, PepsiCo was doing some interesting things in their area of the Austin Convention Center. They were displaying assorted technologies, like future vending machines and panes of glass that could display video or be interactive. One of these technological displays I got to participate in was an interactive experience utilizing Livescribe pens.

The Livescribe pen works like a normal pen, but has a small camera at the tip and a small LCD screen on one side. When used with a special paper with very small dots, it is able to track the writing and record it into the pen for downloading to a computer. Additionally, certain triggers can be put into the paper to trigger actions in the pen, from playing sounds to recording audio to displaying information on the pen’s screen.

As part of the PepsiCo promotion at SXSW, participants were given a pen and special notebook to perform actions in. The book gave instructions on how to use it and the pen would occasionally give advice for things to do in the book. Doing certain hidden actions also triggered things within the pen – tapping the moon made the pen howl and displayed “Team Jacob” on the pen and tapping silhouetted heads made a sound and displayed “Mystery Theater” – showing the pen’s capabilities while showing the developer’s sense of humor. As we used the pens, we gained points and achievements, which were displayed in a leaderboard at the PepsiCo area along with some of the things we drew in our notebooks.

The notebook allowed me to take notes during a panel and record audio along with it, which could be played back and show what text was written as the speakers were talking and sync it. It also allowed for any drawings or writings I did in Austin, Texas to be downloadable to look at later on my computer. Now that SXSW is over, I’m still using the pen, but am slowly learning the software. I’m guessing there is an OCR program somewhere, but in the meantime, it’s easy to export what I’ve created to PNG or PDF to my computer, Evernote, Facebook or a few other places for use elsewhere.

The Livescribe pen is a pretty amazing piece of technology. The ability to take my writings and export them for reuse is a real convenience. Using a pen is something we all learn very early, so it’s very intuitive to use – just start writing – and just as easy to retrieve the information from, by just plugging it in to the computer. A simple convenience that I can carry in my backpack and create designs or art and upload them to the computer to refine and finish.

SXSW 2012 Recap

JustJon — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 13:00:32 +0000

It’s been a week since South By Southwest Interactive has ended. It was a whirlwind of a week filled with parties, events, panels, concerts, and other chaos. It would be impossible to recap the entire SXSW, almost as impossible as it would have been to see everything in Austin, Texas at that time, so these are my personal highlights.

Best Place to Hang Out I’m biased on this one, since I was hired by IRL Productions to be the Technical Supervisor for the Conduit Corner, a place to hang out, get macaroni and cheese from the Kraft macaroni and cheese truck, have Oreo cookie ice cream sundaes (and have the awesome birthday cake Oreo cookies), get massages, get wifi, get electricity to charge cell phones and just relax in a hammock or swing chair. A most excellent oasis blocks away from the Austin Convention Center.

Best Concert Thanks to American Express, Jay-Z played in the Austin City Limits theater, which only holds 2,000 people, and was streamed to YouTube. I was able to stand up by the stage with Jen Friel and see Jay-Z up close. It was pretty epic to see an artist who can play Madison Square Garden from ten feet away. He can play a crowd of tens or hundreds or thousands, but he was up close to a smaller, lucky crowd.

Best BBQ In Texas, barbecue is a dietary staple. Many parties offered free bbq or trips to places with bbq. Of the ones I got to eat on this trip, the best was Salt Lick BBQ. I first had it there on my second night at the Freshbooks ranch, but it was also at the MapQuest ranch and the Boxee kegger as well. I most assuredly overdosed on bbq in Austin.

Best Party Without a doubt, the best party I attended was The Daily’s Pool Party. After a couple days of rain and cold, the sun finally came out in time for the pool party at the Ashton. A great vibe, good bbq, good people and everything it takes to make an excellent party. I think everyone who attended would agree with how awesome it was. And kudos again to IRL Productions (even if I had nothing to do with that party).

Best Swag I was lucky enough to finally meet Jen Friel in person at SXSW, and she was representing AT&T down there. She was going around giving out AT&T promotional items – from hats to bags to USB keys – and each day she gave away a Samsung Galaxy Note, the cellphone/tablet hybrid. She was kind enough to give me the one for the first day, and it’s hard to top it. The runner up for me was a Livescribe pen from PepsiCo as part of the promotion they were running (something that needs a full write up unto itself)

Best Promotion When I got invited to the Warby Parker Citizen’s Circus through a Klout Perk, I had to go check it out. While I went early and they weren’t entirely set up when I got there, I got to check out their products. I was so impressed that I purchased a pair of glasses from them when I got home. (I needed to get my prescription from my eye doctor, so I could not do it there) I think it’s a pretty effective promotion if they got me to purchase glasses several days after visiting their SXSW event.

Best Service I am a bit biased because I went on the Chevy SXSW Road Trip last year, but to have Chevy cars available to drive you or be driven was quite convenient during the day. It helped me get from the Austin Convention Center to the Conduit Corner quickly when I needed to go from a panel to the Conduit Corner or some other far off location in Austin.

Best Panel To be fair, I was so busy, I only made it to two panels. The first was Hunt or Be Hunted – Get the Design Job You Want, which featured my friend Whitney Hess. The other was from Marvel comics, where they introduced their Infinity Comics app and the Marvel AR app. I was very impressed by the new technologies from Marvel and like the idea that they are attempting to explore the technological boundaries outside of the printed page.

While I spent a lot of time at parties and events, it was impossible to hit everything. So many overlapping choices made it impossible, plus they tended to be fairly spread out. The Screenburn Arcade was so far out of the way, I doubt many SXSW attendees made it over there. Even going to visit it for the Marvel panel was a minor issue, but the Screenburn Arcade felt more like a comic book convention than part of SXSW, with many attendees who were much younger and even some cosplayers.

SXSW is a fun, exhausting adventure and while it has taken me days to recover from being there, I look forward to going again next year. I cherish the time I got to spend with my New York friends who I never get to see in NY and those from all over the country that I only get to see at SXSW due to geographic differences. Saying goodbye to them all and Austin was like leaving summer camp, saying goodbye and telling everyone you would keep in touch until you saw each other again next year.

To see the pictures I took at SXSW, check them out on my Flickr.