36 Hours in Austin, Tex.
Erich Schlegel for The New York Times
At the Broken Spoke.
creditsTHE city’s unofficial motto, “Keep Austin Weird,” blares from bumper stickers on BMWs and jalopies alike, on T-shirts worn by joggers along Lady Bird Lake and in the windows of independently owned shops and restaurants. It’s an exhortation for a city that clings to eccentricity, even in the face of rapid development — downtown Austin, for one, is being transformed with a fleet of high-rise condos and a W Hotel, scheduled to open late next year. But this funky college town, known for its liberal leanings and rich music scene, has little to worry about — at least as long as its openhearted citizens, with their colorful bungalows and tattoos, do their part to keep the city endearingly odd. As one local put it: “As long as Austinites keep decorating their bodies and cars, we’re going to be fine.”
Friday
4 p.m.
1) DRESS THE PARTIf you forgot to pack your Western wear, make a beeline for Heritage Boot (117 West Eighth Street; 512-326-8577; www.heritageboot.com), where Jerome Ryan and his team of “boot elves” fashion fanciful boots out of exotic leathers like shark and caiman alligator, using vintage 1930s to ’60s patterns. With colorful stitching, hand-tooling and puffy, butterfly-shaped inlays, they’re instant collectors’ items — and priced accordingly, from $295 to $1,800. Next, stop by the new location of Cream Vintage (1714-A South Congress Avenue; 512-462-3000; www.creamvintage.com) for vintage Western shirts and weathered concert tees, customized to your dimensions by an on-site tailor.
6:30 p.m.
2) MEAT MECCABarbecue is a local sport and there are a lot of competing choices. For a classic pit experience — meaning you can smell the smoke and sauce as soon as you pull into the state-fair-size parking lot — drive 25 miles southwest to the Salt Lick (18300 Farm to Market Road 1826, Driftwood; 512-858-4959; www.saltlickbbq.com), settle into a communal picnic table and order the $18.95 all-you-can-eat platter, piled high with brisket, ribs and sausage. If you prefer to stay in downtown Austin, check out the newcomer Lambert’s Downtown Barbecue (401 West Second Street; 512-494-1500; www.lambertsaustin.com). Carved out of a brick-walled general store that dates from 1873, it is raising the bar (and provoking outrage among purists) with its newfangled “fancy barbecue” — think brown-sugar-and-coffee-rubbed brisket ($14) and maple-and-coriander-encrusted pork ribs ($16).
8 p.m.
3) CULTURAL ANCHORJust off the south shore of Lady Bird Lake is the world-class Long Center for the Performing Arts (701 West Riverside Drive; 512-457-5100; www.thelongcenter.org), opened in early 2008 after an epic $80 million fund-raising effort. It has one of the largest, most acoustically perfect stages in Texas, home to the Austin Symphony, Austin Lyric Opera and Ballet Austin. There’s also a smaller black box theater spotlighting local musicians, improv troupes and theater companies. Even if you don’t attend a performance, it’s worth stopping by for a glimpse of the glittering skyline views from the building’s front terrace.
Saturday
10 a.m.
4) BIKE STRONGExplore the city at a leisurely pace by renting a bicycle from Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop (400 Nueces Street; 512-473-0222; www.mellowjohnnys.com), opened by Lance Armstrong, a native son, in May 2008. In addition to selling and renting bikes (from $20 for four hours), the shop stocks accessories like wicker baskets, Chrome messenger bags and colorful racing jerseys. An adjacent cafe serves protein smoothies and organic coffee. If you ask, staff members will chart an appealing route along Austin’s 20 miles of urban hike-and-bike trails.
1 p.m.
5) LUNCH ON THE GOSome of Austin’s best grub can be found in parking lots and vacant lots, dished out of Airstreams and food trucks by both amateur and professional chefs. You’ll find them all on www.austinfoodcarts.com, but here’s your shortlist: tarragon mushroom crepes with goat cheese ($6.75) at Flip Happy Crepes (400 Jessie Street; 512-552-9034; www.fliphappycrepes.com); slow-roasted green chili pork tacos ($3.25 each) at Torchy’s Tacos (1311 South First Street; 512-366-0537; www.torchystacos.com); and the hot, crunchy chicken-and-avocado “cone” with coleslaw and mango aioli ($5.95) at Mighty Cone (1600 South Congress Avenue; 512-383-9609; www.mightycone.com).
3 p.m.
6) VINYL TO DUCKSSouth Congress is an appealing neighborhood for window-shopping, or shopping-shopping. Pick up rare and collectible vinyl, from 99 cents to $1,000, at Friends of Sound (1704 South Congress Avenue; 512-447-1000; www.friendsofsound.com), down an alley off the main drag. Quirky souvenirs, like a duck decoy ($28) or antique beaver top hat ($95), abound at Uncommon Objects (1512 South Congress Avenue; 512-442-4000; www.uncommonobjects.com), a sprawling emporium with a flea market aesthetic.
7:30 p.m.
7) BATS!Early spring through late fall, the Congress Avenue Bridge hosts a Halloween-worthy spectacle: at dusk, more than a million Mexican free-tailed bats pour out from under the bridge and head east to scavenge for insects. The best spot for viewing the exodus is from the park at the southeastern end of the bridge, so you can see their flitting forms backlit by the glowing sky. To hear an estimate of the bats’ flight time on a particular evening, dial the bat hot line, operated by The Austin American-Statesman newspaper and Bat Conservation International (512-416-5700, extension 3636).
8:30 p.m.
FRENCH CONNECTION
There’s something almost Felliniesque about driving down a dark road lined with industrial warehouses, and stumbling onto Justine’s (4710 East Fifth Street; 512-385-2900; www.justines1937.com), a new, pitch-perfect French bistro. Outside, a family plays pétanque on the driveway; inside, groups of friends and couples sit on Thonet chairs at candlelit cast-iron-and-marble cafe tables, as a turntable, manned by the owner, Pierre Pelegrin, plays old jazz and reggae tunes. With atmosphere this good, the meal — Parisian comfort food, and delicious — is just a bonus. Order the duck confit ($15) or the steak frites with pepper sauce ($18).
10 p.m.
9) PERFORMANCE ANXIETYThe sheer quantity and variety of music in Austin on any given night can be daunting. Step one: consult Billsmap.com, which lists every gig in the city, highlights recommendations and includes links to previous performances on YouTube. Two spots that reliably deliver a good time are the Broken Spoke, an old-time honky-tonk dance hall (3201 South Lamar Boulevard; 512-442-6189; www.brokenspokeaustintx.com), and the retro red-walled Continental Club (1315 South Congress Avenue; 512-441-2444; www.continentalclub.com), which dates from 1957 and has roots, blues, rockabilly and country music.
Sunday
10 a.m.
10) TAKE A DIPWake up with a bracing swim in the natural, spring-fed Barton Springs Pool (2101 Barton Springs Road; 512-476-9044; www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/bartonsprings.htm), a three-acre dammed pool that maintains a steady 68-degree temperature year-round. There’s sunbathing (sometimes topless) on the grassy slopes, a springy diving board and century-old pecan trees lining its banks. Then, park yourself on the patio at the new Perla’s Seafood & Oyster Bar (1400 South Congress Avenue; 512-291-7300; www.perlasaustin.com) for a decadent lobster omelet ($16) and an oyster shooter spiked with rum and honeydew ($7).
2 p.m.
11) EXPLORE OUTSKIRTSHill County beckons to the west and south of Austin, with rolling limestone hills, wildflower-filled meadows and dozens of wineries. Get a closer look by driving 30 minutes to Bastrop State Park (3005 Highway 21 East, Bastrop; 512-321-2101; www.tpwd.state.tx.us/bastrop), for a hike along the 8.5-mile Lost Pines Trail, which takes you past a creek and a toad pond, and through rock outcroppings, mini-gorges and wooded ravines filled with oaks and loblolly pines. Channel your inner cowboy, especially if you’re breaking in new boots.
THE BASICS
American, Continental and JetBlue fly into Austin from many major cities; a flight from Kennedy Airport in New York in early December on JetBlue runs about $300. Public transportation is lacking — though a light rail is planned — so you’ll need a car or bike to explore the city.
An appealing home base is the lively and pedestrian-friendly South Congress neighborhood. Hotel Saint Cecilia (112 Academy Drive; 512-852-2400; www.hotelsaintcecilia.com), which opened last winter, has nine modern studios and bungalows, and five rooms in a converted Victorian house, starting at $275.
More affordable are the 40 rooms at the Hotel San José (1316 South Congress Avenue; 512-852-2350; www.sanjosehotel.com), which are airy and simply adorned with Indian bedspreads and framed vintage concert posters. Doubles with shared bath from $95; doubles with private baths from $160.
Nearby is the year-old Kimber Modern Hotel (110 The Circle; 512-912-1046; www.kimbermodern.com), where six minimalist rooms, from $250, open onto a hammock-strung patio shaded by a giant Texas live oak tree.
Here is the original:
36 Hours in Austin, Tex.
Marketing through Social Media channels still leaves many marketers scratching their heads but occasionally the industry is provided with some inspiration to help provide a guiding light.
Take for example a new project to help market a new Ikea store that has cost nothing but returned huge dividends – both in doing its job and in subsequent PR.
One of the most popular facilities of Facebook is the ability for users to upload and share photos. Hand-in-hand with that is ‘photo-tagging’ where users can tag themselves and their mates in a name and shame style.
It’s the popularity of this that provided inspiration for Forsman & Bodenfors in Gothenburg.
The team first created a profile for the new store’s manager – Gordon Gustavsson.
Over a two week period, different pictures of shopfloor showrooms from the new store were then uploaded to the profile page.
Facebook members were then encouraged to request Gordon as a friend. The first to tag themselves to a specific item in each showroom photo then won that particular Ikea product.
As each Facebook user tagged themselves, news of the action also appeared on their news feed, creating a viral effect as the campaign was shared between friends and was spread across thousands of different profile pages.
Commentators have given the campaign the thumbs-up for ingratiating the brand into a new community while incurring minimal cost.
To see an indepth case study of this campaign, see the video below.
Read more from the original source:
Ikea campaign innovation on Facebook breaks new ground
Joubert/Photo Researchers, Inc A neuron in the brain.Researchers at Princeton University recently made a remarkable discovery about the brains of rats that exercise. Some of their neurons respond differently to stress than the neurons of slothful rats. Scientists have known for some time that exercise stimulates the creation of new brain cells (neurons) but not how, precisely, these neurons might be functionally different from other brain cells.
Original post:
Phys Ed: Why Exercise Makes You Less Anxious
The ASP.NET Ajax Library Beta was released today! The five big things I’m going to talk about in this post are:
1. The ASP.NET Ajax Library is now in Beta
2. Contributing the ASP.NET Ajax Library to the CodePlex Foundation
3. Merging the Ajax Control Toolkit with the ASP.NET Ajax Library
4. Plans to provide support for the ASP.NET Ajax Library
5. ASP.NET Ajax Library features that provide:
* Powerful developer libraries and tooling support
* Performance – build high performance websites
* Interoperability – use it with any server platform and alongside jQuery
* Extensible – build on top of the library and inherit from controls like DataViewSince July last year the team has been cranking out new features in 6 previews, each with exciting innovations including powerful productivity benefits for developers, performance enhancements to make your website faster and making the library interoperable with multiple server platforms and other JavaScript libraries like jQuery.
The Consumer Electronics Association held its annual CES preview in New York this week.
See the original post:
Sneak peek at new gadgets: CES 2010 preview
Pushing a big product rollout, CEO John Chambers said the company is turning aggressive as the economy recovers.
More here:
Cisco bets big on collaboration
Microsoft to Open Source the .NET Micro Framework
Read the original post:
Microsoft to Open Source the .NET Micro Framework
My world has changed (and I get to share with you)
Twitter’s new list feature is one of those things that seems simple on the surface and is easily ignored.
But it has deeply changed how I get my news and how I interact with the tech community.
Click through these lists and you’ll see a different world than you would have thought possible on Twitter. This is the order I visit the lists in the morning:
Tech News Brands.
Here’s 500 tech news sources. Everything from the Wall Street Journal
to TechCrunch. Watch this list for a few minutes and you’ll be up to
date on what’s happening in tech right now. This is far more complete
than Techmeme or Google News and far faster too.Once I’ve gotten up to date on the news, I check out the people who write and produce the news.
Here you’ll find 491 journalists and bloggers and see what the back
channel is. Often this is more interesting than the tech news brands,
but it’s lots of fun to flip back and forth while some big news story
is breaking.Want to know what the news will be tomorrow? Well, the rich guys who
are funding companies often know what will be big and so I watch this list of 415 venture capitalists and angel investors to see what they are thinking about.The venture capitalists, though, are fun to contrast with 447 people who founded their own companies. Often these two lists have divergent points of view that are fun to flip back and forth between.
After all that I visit the tech pundits list. These are 451 folks who love to tell you what they think happened.
If you’re an entrepreneur I’ve built a list of weapons for you.
Everything from stationary companies to Yammer, for keeping your team
up to date. This is still a list in progress, so if you have a company
that has a weapon for entrepreneurs, let me know!What about tech company executives? I have a list of 283 who are CEOs, CTOs, CIOs, or VPs.
Lots of times news gets announced by these people. Marissa Mayer, for
instance, announced that Google had made a search deal with Twitter and
if you were following this list you would have seen that.Here’s a list of 376 tech companies and their official PR accounts (everyone from Google to startups). I find a lot of new products here and find out about updates, too.
Web Hosting and Cloud Hosting/Cloud Computing list.
500 people, news sources, hosting companies (not just Rackspace,
either). I’m trying to keep up to date on the hosting business and
Cloud Computing and this is how I do it. Find a more complete list
anywhere.Everyone should watch their coworkers. I do the same, with a list of 302 Rackspace employees and data sources. Have you made a list of your coworkers? Why not?
These are my core information lists that I check many times per day.
But I have a few specialized lists too:
TechStartups:
this is a list of 500 startups that most people won’t have heard of yet
(mostly early stage). I’ll work on this list more over the next few
weeks.Geolocation
(174 people and companies). I’m interested in developers and companies
that are building new kinds of apps that use GPS and location. Things
like Foursquare and Gowalla (both of those are on this list, along with
the founders).iPhone. 500 of the top iPhone app developers and companies and other influentials and programmers.
Twitter tools and devs
(353). Twitter has a growing ecosystem of companies and people who are
developing tools and services. This list has everyone I’ve been able to
find so far.Tech Event Organizers (239). These are people who run events and the events that they run. Everything from Emerging Tech to BarCamps.
Video or audio shows
(101 people and shows). These are podcasts and video shows, mostly tech
centric. Everything from Leo Laporte’s shows to Gillmor Gang.My favstar list
(500 people). These are the people I’ve clicked “Favorite” on the most.
Favstar.fm keeps track of who I favorite the most and puts them on this
list. It’s actually one of my favorite lists, but less focused than the
others.Web Innovators (79). If you’ve done something big for the Internet I put you on this list.
Programmers
(306). I’m not sure what I’ll do with this list in the future (Twitter
limits me to 500 people and obviously there’s more than 500 programmers
in the world). But, if you are looking for what programmers think this
is a good place to start.Most influential in tech
(225). This is my most followed list, but it’s also the most
subjective. What makes someone influential? Well, I study who has the
respect of their peers and who gets stuff done. Or, who has a bully
pulpit and can get things focused on.Anyway, if you are looking for other lists, I highly recommend using Listorious, which is a service that tracks lists (you have to add yours, if you haven’t you really should).
If you think you should be added to a list of mine, let me know in
the comments here or drop me a line at scobleizer@gmail.com. Thanks and
hope you get some value out of these. I know that these have
dramatically changed my world.A few other things: 1. you should check out my favorites list. Every day I put my favorite tweets on there. In about two months I’ve put 8,000 items on this list.
My favorite Twitter client is now Seesmic Web, which supports lists now (and other new Twitter features like Geolocation). The other day I interviewed the Seesmic team about these new features and the video is very telling.
Read the original:
My world has changed (and I get to share with you)
A look at the latest security patches and vulnerabilities, courtesy of Sourcefire.
The rest is here:
November Vulnerability Report – SourceFire
Researchers at MIT are working to develop a set of algorithms and a robot to help with everyday errands.
Originally posted here:
Johnny 5 takes driving lessons
On Tuesday Intel started selling a new e-reader that can snap pictures of books and newspapers and then read them back to people who have a hard time reading the printed page.
Source:
Intel shows e-reader for the visually impaired
