August 26

August 29

The greatest of all time is the centerpiece.

The other greatest of all time is a close second.

Greetings from unincorporated Rabbittown, Georgia.

The found art grand champeen.

The statute of limitations is a wonderful thing.

… and then there was Account Service.

Location is everything.

Mmmmm, paneling!

The early piece of news was that more badges were sold for interactive than for music or film. That’s a first. The second big piece of news hit everyone while they were still in the badge pick-up line. All the badges had QR codes and there was a concerted effort in place to get them used. There were QR helpers helping those who needed help, QR signage directing you to the helpers who were helping those who needed help, and there were QR instructions in the official SXSW pocket guides for those predisposed to spend the bulk of their time looking down.

The sum of this second big piece of news is that we now have our own official Vendor, Inc. QR code.

Here’s how to use it:

1. Download a QR reader app to your mobile phone (I-Nigma, Bee Tag, or Google Zxing Reader).
2. Open the app and scan the QR code above.
3. Select “Go Online”

Yee-haw, right back where you started in 3 easy steps! Pretty cool when you consider the possibilities. Health, nutrition, or pretty much anything you might ever see that interests you. Get your very own QR code here.

Next up was geo-location. The first lesson learned was that it’s not cool to check in using one of the apps if you happen to be Facebook friends with the developer of a competing app. Allegiance drama aside, absolute craziness is about to hit in this space and it’s going to be a really good thing. Mobile devices, cameras, GPS, video, and mobile advertising are about to collide and become a total freak show. None of the pieces are figured out yet relative to the end game, but you can see it coming together and there is zero doubt the mobile space is about to get super ridiculous good.

Some panels were great, some were hijacked by the questioner and others were saved by the questioner. There were literally hundreds of panels, everything from Nina Hartley to Bob Garfield. The Funny or Die guys were great, it’s fun seeing folks in the early stages of such a great idea.

One thing you could sense by walking the halls was that everyone  knew they were in the middle of something that was already great, yet still in its infancy. In the moments when people would look up from their mobile devices, computers, cameras, etc., there were really cool and genuine analog connections going on everywhere.

Valerie Casey gets a huge nod for being a badass in her keynote message. She basically walked onto the stage and indicted the entire conference, and rightly so. She then proceeded to rally everyone behind her. Her message is about as important as it gets.

The music portion of the week officially began on Wednesday with a second trip to pick up a second badge with a second QR code. On the walk back to my car I stopped by the IFC Crossroads space and caught the Drive By Truckers taping. A nice start and perfect shifting of gears heading into the rest of the week.

The week completely changed Wednesday night with the passing of Alex Chilton. It became a part of nearly every set by every band for the remainder of the conference. From Deer Tick’s drunken beyond pale tribute to “Alex Chipmunk,” to the official Big Star show Saturday night at Antone’s. Much like the Velvet Underground quote, Big Star didn’t sell a ton of records but everyone who bought one started a band.

I was lucky to see Alex do solo shows a couple of times in Atlanta, and with the Posies version of Big Star at Tramp’s in NY (with Tommy Stinson’s band, Perfect, opening). Everyone was really looking forward to the Big Star panel and Saturday night show. So sad.

It’s been a hard year for Memphis, losing Jim Dickinson and now Alex Chilton. Two all-time greats. RIP. “I never travel far, without a little Big Star.”

The week kicked off with the discovery of a portrait of Vendor’s original founder, thank you Kelly.

DBT at IFC Crossroads.

Separated at birth?

Joe working the vacant Creative Circus booth.

Band of Horses at Stubb’s.

Deer Tick likes them some cocktails.

Band of Horses at Central Presbyterian.

Lucero.

Memphis boys.

Tribute show set list.

The empty mic.

Now that it’s SXSW eve it’s looking like our friends that will be descending on Austin are going to be treated to stupidgood weather through the weekend.

If you’re going to be in town, don’t be shy about stopping by our global headquarters to say hi, catch up and treat yourself to a free Vendor, Inc. pickle.

Travel safe and welcome to Austin.

Our first business cards.

The Vendor Inc. SXSW “Waiting For Godot” Stage’s first winter.

Our first embossing.

Our first rubber stamp.

Our first First Aid Kit.

Our first thank you note.

Our first gift received.

Our first misspelled outgoing holiday schwag.

Our first gift wine received.

Our first tequila received.

Our first electrical issue.

Our first post new business meeting bbq feast.

Our first contract.

Our first revenue.

Our Veer or Die pocket guide arrived today. It’s a conveniently sized meditation on the key to good fortune, happiness, supreme health and general decency.It can also be used to open various locks.

Start-up Journal: Policymaking.

Starting a new company falls in the category of  knowing the job is dangerous when you take it. Unexpected things happen on a daily basis. In our case it’s been things like impossible phone system manuals, plumbing that works in reverse and the first time a guest walks into the office carrying a shotgun. In our case it was the good kind of guest-walks-in-carrying-a-shotgun situation, as opposed to the bad. Basically a social visit, with shotgun.

Once the social visit was completed, the guest forgot the shotgun. Not the keys, wallet or credit cards; just the shotgun. Which left us sitting there in our office, with the shotgun. After the initial synchronized “holy shit there’s a firearm on our couch,” we took a picture to commemorate.

The picture led to a quick search. It told us the shotgun ran anywhere from $17,500 to $60,000. This probably helps pay for things like their site, downloadable pdf, logo and tag “A Tradition of Performance.” We also learned that the K-80 is a piece of art handmade in Ottsville, Pennsylvania; a high-end sporting gun made to shoot clay. So we shot a few neighborhood mailboxes and stop signs.

Then we  moved on to more pressing thoughts. Like, do we need a firearm policy?

My only experience with firearms in the workplace was once having to sign a document that forfeited my right to carry a concealed weapon to work. Until that point I had just assumed the thousands of co-workers I’d come across in my career weren’t packing. Apparently not so.

Rather than consult our attorney, we did another quick search. We found that in Texas you can pack concealed licensed heat in the workplace, unless warned otherwise. So we considered our options.

First, we could require everyone to pack concealed licensed heat. I’d lived in Georgia and was aware of the Kennesaw Gun Law that required the presence of a gun and ammo in every home. We could try to do the same and call it The Vendor Inc. Heat Mandate, or something.

Second, we could allow people to pack concealed licensed heat, but not require it. Those that don’t want to pack heat can carry a wrench in their jacket, or just wear the jacket.

Third, we could prohibit firearms in the workplace altogether. However, our search engine lawyering skills uncovered some nuances. To prohibit firearms in the office we’d need to clearly post a sign that screams firearms are not allowed. But, according to Texas Senate bill 730, we can’t prohibit the packing of concealed licensed heat in our parking lot.

From a Vendor Inc. policymaking point of view, we interpret Senate Bill 730 as saying we can’t keep people who are packing heat out of our parking lot, much less fire someone for packing heat in the parking lot. However, since Texas is an “at-will” employment state, we can fire someone for no reason who is packing heat in the parking lot.

It’s the subtle differences that mean everything.

We have yet to establish a firearms policy, but are carefully considering all options.

Next up in Start-up journal, Infrastructure.

The site unofficially launched this week so a few of us got together Saturday to properly decompress. Where the large mammals actually came from is still being sorted out, but they were the size of small buses and had great momentum. Apart from the goring it was mainly bumps and bruises. As a general rule never trust anything bigger and dumber than you are. Other than that, the flautas and corn chowder were outstanding.