SXSW Confidential, Part 3: Miscellany

Gotta clear out some final SXSW loose ends so I can go on with my life!

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At least they wont ever change this one, I guess.

  • Virginia Murdoch suggested the creation of a Society for the Preservation of Paul Rand Logos. I could not agree more. I have a message for companies currently sporting a Paul Rand Logo: You Do Not Need A Redesign. If you do it, it will suck. I still can’t beleive that any design firm would have the audacity to actually accept such an assignment.
  • We went to see a show at Austin’s Harry Ransom Center entitled “Technologies of Writing“… It was a fantastic show, with comprehensive examples of writing tools and technologies from around the world and through all of history, including: mysterious Mesopotamian pre-cuneiform objects, Linear-B decryption documents, a Gutenberg Bible, Gertrude Stein’s exquisite stationary, a sample page of Charlotte Bronte’s insanely tiny handwritten manuscript, a vitrine dedicated to the history and techniques for the manufacture of pencils, an early dictaphone, and so much more. It’s a tour de force, really, and anyone interested in information, communication, and even just writing, should pay this show a visit. Many kudos to the curators: I hope it goes on tour.
  • I had the great pleasure of meeting most of the members of the crew from Pixelworthy, a talented web firm from my birthplace and hometown, Philadelphia.
  • I thought that the SXSW Web Awards show was a little boring, but perhaps that’s only because Behavior didn’t win either of the awards we were nominated for! Still, there was one highlight: After one winner thanked God for his professional success, the very next winner solemnly thanked… the Giant Spaghetti Monster! The audience roared with approval. Bravo!