Reactive was fortunate enough to attend SXSW this year, Brett, our man on the ground has returned inspired with plenty to share. His main impression of SXSW? A digital orgy of American proportions. Enjoy it with a margarita and food-truck-purchased taco, preferably.

1. IMPRESSIONS
FROM
SXSW

2. AUSTIN IS A CITY OF
CONTRADICTIONS.WILDLY LIBERAL
YET THE CAMPAIGN HOME OF
GEORGE W BUSH. POLISHEDYET
GRUBBY UNDER THE FINGERNAILS,
COMPACT BUT SPRAWLING.A PLACE
WHERE COWBOYS DRINK WITH
HIPSTERS & TACO’S ARE FILLED WITH
KIMCHI.
WHAT BETTER A PLACE TO HOST THE
WORLDS MOST RESPECTED DIGITAL
ORGY.

4. THE CITY GRACIOUSLY OPENS ITS
DOORS TO NEARLY A THIRD ITS
POPULATION,WHO DESCEND ON
DOWNTOWN WITH LANYARDS AND
IPADS AND SCURRY FROM HOTEL TO
CONVENTION CENTRE IN SEARCH
OF THAT NEXT WHISPER OF
INSPIRATION.
THIS IS CONGRESS AVENUE,THE
EPICENTRE OF COMMUTOR CHAOS
DURING THE FESTIVAL - TAKE A
PEIDICAB TO GET TOYOUR
DESTINATION QUICKER.

6. UNOFFICIALLY AUSTIN IS THE
WORLD’S LIVE MUSIC CAPITAL AND
THIS IS NOT LOST ON THE SXSW
MASSES THIRSTY FOR
ENTERTAINMENT AND AVENUE TO
NETWORK IN AFTER A LONG DAY
LOOKING AT ROBOTS AND TALKING
ABOUT THE ETHICS OF MARKETING
VIOLENT COMPUTER GAMES TO
MINORS.
THE MARGHERITAS COME
RECOMMENDED.

7. THANK GOD FOR UBER & LYFT.
AUSTIN IS A SPRAWLING CITY AND
MOST OF THE AFFORDABLE
ACCOMODATION IS A 20 MINUTE
RIDE AWAY.
WIND THE WINDOW DOWN ON
YOUR WAY BACK TO THE HOTEL AND
YOU COULD BE IN ANY ROADTRIP
MOVIE.THE CITY LOVES WILLIE
NELSON AS DO THE RADIO
STATIONS. JUST ASK THE DRIVER TO
TURN THE RADIO UP.

8. RAPIDLY UNDERGOING A PROCESS
OF GENTRIFICATION THE OTHER
SIDE OF THIS UNDERPASS WAS ONCE
OFF-LIMITS TO TEENAGE GIRLS,
FORBIDDEN BY THEIR FATHERS TO
CROSS OVER TO EAST 6TH ST FOR
FEAR OF THEM RETURNING
PREGNANT.
NOW SPOTIFY HOST THEIR PARTIES
HERE ANDYOU CAN GET A
BIODYNAMIC GLASS OF WINE IN A
BAR WITH POLISHED CEMENT
FLOORS. AH PROGRESS.

9. THE INSPIRATION FOR THOSE
COUNTLESS THEME BARS IN FITZROY
& SURRY HILLS COMES FROM HERE
SURELY.
TEXAS GRILLS, CANTINAS, DAWG
DEALERS & BOURBON BARS ALL PART
OF THE PARADE.
KEYNOTE SPEECHES ENDED AT 5PM,
HAPPY HOUR STARTED NOT LONG
AFTER.

10. NOT EVERYTHING COOL ABOUT
AUSTIN WAS EXCLUSIVELY DIGITAL.
FOOD TRUCKS ARE A MUSTVISIT
DURING ANYONES STAY IN THIS CITY.
THEY HANG IN PACKS ANDYOU CAN
PAY USING A CREDIT CARD SWIPED
ON AN IPAD AT MOST OF THEM. SIGN
WITHYOUR FINGER. HOW EFFICIENT.
CONVENIENT & DELICIOUS.

11. SOCO IS SOUTH OF LADYBIRD LAKE
AND IS WHERE THE QUIRKY SIDE OF
AUSTIN STARTS TO PRESENT ITSELF.
COME HERE FOR GOOD COFFEE,
COWBOY BOOTS AND WEDDING
DRESSES.

12. IT WOULDN’T BE A MAJOR FESTIVAL
WITHOUT THE ODD PEACEFUL
PROTEST. A LOT OF THEM WERE
RATHER NICHE & SLIGHTLY
DISTRACTING.

13. THE CROWDS ON SIXTH STREET.
ONLY A UNI TOWN COULD FILL
THESE BARS ON A NIGHTLY BASIS.

14. YOU REALLY DO NEED TO GET TO
THE BETTER TALKS EARLY IN ORDER
TO GET A SEAT. MUCH LIKE ONES
EXPECTATIONS OF DISNEYLAND, BE
PREPARED TO QUEUE FOR THE GOOD
STUFF.

15. CAN ANYONE SPY A MOVIE STAR IN
THIS PHOTO?

16. TRANSPORTATION WASVARIED AND
MORE OFTEN THEN NOT,
SPONSORED. HITCH A RIDE ON THE
INTERSTELLAR TRANSMISSIONS AT
YOUR OWN RISK.

17. SO, LETS PLAY
A GAME OF
HOT OR NOT AT
SXSW 2015

18. 1. WEARABLES?

19. 2. DRONES?

20. 3. UGC?

21. 4. ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE?

22. ANSWERS
1. NOT
Perhaps due to fatigue or disinterest, wearable tech was no darling this year at SXSW with
most scratching their heads at the $10K iWatch and identifying that really these lovely analog
replacements are nothing without a mobile phone. So why bother some would argue.
2. HOT
Drones were popular this year, but only the good ones of course. This drone helps with aid
relief in natural disaster zones, that drone assists with crowd control. SXSW was a drone free
zone outside of the exhibition centers mind you. Oh and yeah the personal drones were kinda
cool too!
3. NOT
Most were saying that we have reached peak narcissism and that user generated content is
becoming rather yawn without the parameters of craftsmen to make it mean something.
Curation is still an emerging trend, just make sure it is qualified and there are experts
somewhere to be seen to ensure credibility.
4. HOT
All those movies we enjoyed in the 80’s & 90’s are starting to become a reality in the area of
AI. Of particular debate and discussion was the role AI will have in translating big data in
meaningful ways. The ethics of how we treat this emerging robot class was also an
interesting debate.

23. SO,
WHAT WAS TRENDING THISYEAR
AND HOW DO WE ENSURE
CONTINUED RELEVANCE IN THIS
RAPIDLY CHANGING INDUSTRY?

24. AMY WEBB’S RULES TO REMAINING ON
TREND WERE SIMPLE:
1. WHERE/HOW ARE PEOPLE
WASTING THEIR TIME
2. WHERE/HOW ARE PEOPLE
HAVING DIFFICULTY WITH
TECHNOLOGY
3. WHERE/HOW ARE PEOPLE
LOOKING FOR INFORMATION
4. WHERE/HOW ARE PEOPLE STUCK
5. HOW DO PEOPLE WANT TO BE
PERCEIVED

25. HERE ARE MY
HIGHLIGHTS FROM
SXSW 2015

26. ATTENTIONATION
MESSAGING
PLATFORMS
HAPTICS
AMBIENT
INTERFACES

27. CONSIDER A FUTURE WHERE
DECISIONS ARE MADE WITH A SWIPE
AND WIN OR LOSE IS DETERMINED
IN A MATTER OF SECONDS.WELL
THAT FUTURE IS HERE AND
ATTRACTING THE ATTENTION OF
OUR AUDIENCES NEED SO MUCH
MORE THEN A PUSH NOTIFICATION
TODAY. APPLICATIONS AND UTILITIES
WILL SUCCEED THAT UNDERSTAND
THE SUBLETIES OF GAINING
ATTENTION.WITHOUT BEING
ANNOYING THAT IS.

28. CHAT COMMUNITIES AND
MESSAGING PLATFORMS LIKE LINE &
WHATS APP AND WE CHAT ARE ON
THE MARCH AND ARE NOW WORTH
MORE THEN TELEVISION NETWORKS
IN SOME CASES. AND THIS GROWTH
WILL BE EXPONENTIAL IN THE
SHORT TERM AT LEAST AS WE START
TO PLAY, PLAN & PAY IN THESE
ENVIRONMENTS MORE. CONSIDER
THE MESSAGING APP THE NEW
HOMEPAGE. WHAT CAN WE DO
WITH THAT?

29. HAPTICS IS AN OLD WORD THAT
NOW HAS A NEW MEANING. IT IS
THE COMMUNICATION OF TOUCH
AND TECHNOLOGY IS MAKING THIS
SENSE AS IMPORTANT AS SIGHT AND
SOUND IN DIGITAL EXPERIENCES
THESE DAYS. HOW CAN WE BEAT THE
PORN INDUSTRY TO THAT NEXT
COOL USE OF HAPTIC TECH?

30. THERE ARE INTERESTING THINGS
HAPPENING WITH AMBIENT
INTERFACES AS DEVELOPERS WORK
TOWARDS ACHIEVING THAT GOAL
OF CREATING TECHNOLOGIES THAT
DISAPPEAR INTO A USERS
SURROUNDINGS.TECH SO SIMPLE
YOU FORGETYOU ARE USING IT.
HOW DELIGHTFUL.

31. COMMUTER UTILITY
PEDESTRIAN
LUXURY
LIFESTYLE LEVELER
TRANSACTIONAL
GENTRIFICATION

32. YES I HAVE ASSERTED ALREADY HOW
MUCH I LOVE THIS NEW WAVE OF
COMMUTER UTILITIES THAT
CONTINUE TO IMPRESS WITH THEIR
SIMPLE INTERFACES AND INTUITIVE
CUSTOMER SERVICE. HOW CLUNKY
DO ANALOG SYSTEMS FEEL NOW.
WHAT I HADN’T CONSIDERED
THOUGH WAS HOW THESE APPS ARE
REPLACING THE AWKWARD
TRANSACTION OF MONEY WITH
WARM CONVERSATION & GENUINE
HUMAN INTERACTION. HOW
GENTRIFIED.

33. FUTURE OF
STORYTELLING
NARRATIVE
CONTROL
DATA ARTS
VIRTUAL
SOLIDARITY

34. LOOK UP THESE GUYS.
THEIR WORK IS PRETTY COOL.

38. INTERNET OF
EDIBLE THINGS
CONSUMPTION
EFFICIENCY
TRACKABLE TECH
ACCOUNTABILITY

39. IS THIS THE FUTURE OF
CONVENIENCE AND MAYBE EVEN
URBAN GROCERY SHOPPING?
PERHAPS.
SEE: http://blog.uber.com/essentials

40. WANT TO KNOW WHETHER THAT
AVOCADO IS RIPE? WHY DON’TYOU
ASK IT:
SEE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Q4GdIV8G0dE

41. THE FUTURE OF HEALTH TECH IS
COLLIDING WITH FOOD TECH
ALLOWING SELF DISCOVERY &
DIAGNOSIS THROUGH PORTABLE
DIGITAL DEVICES THAT CAN
MEASURE SUGAR CONTENT OR THE
PRESENCE OF GLUTONVIA A DIP OR
A SAMPLE.
MAKING CULINARY CURIOSITY
SAFER.WHAT COULD HEALTH
BRANDS DO WITH THIS TYPE OF
TECH?

42. AND LETS NOT FORGET TECH FOR
PETS…

43. TEMPORARY
ANONYMOUS
MESSY/REAL
ANTI-NETWORKS
WHERE MY
PARENTS AREN’T

44. ANOTHER BUZZ SUBJECT AT THIS
YEARS FESTIVAL WAS THE EMERGENCE
OF THE UNSOCIAL NETWORKS.
THOSE ANONYMOUS AND
TEMPORARY SPACES THAT ARE
GAINING POPULARITY AND
NOTORIETY BOTH ON AND NOW
OFF CAMPUS.
SEEYIKYAK, SNAPCHAT & UNSEEN
FOR REFERENCE

45. SERVICE
MEMORY
AGGREGATED
CONDENSED
ACTIONABLE
DOMINANCE OF
THE PUSH-WEB

46. THE FUTUER OF ECOMMERCE IS
CURATED, POSSIBLY BROWSERLESS
AND INTELLIGENT ENOUGH TO
MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS AND
THEN LEARN AND REMEMBER WHAT
YOU LIKE AND DON’T LIKE, BECAUSE
YOU TOLD IT SO, OVER TIME.
LOYALTY THROUGH SERVICE
MEMORY.
SEE:TRUNK CLUB

49. WABI SABI
TRANSIENCE
IMPERFECTION
IMPERMANENCE
ILLUMINATING THE
PERILS OF YOUR
INNOVATION
HAPPINESS

50. THESE TWO MELBOURNIANS FROM
THE LAB GAVE AN INTERESTING TALK
ON THE DIGITAL SHIFT. LOOKING TO
A FUTURE WHERE INNOVATORS ARE
MORE HONEST ABOUT THE
IMPERFECTIONS OF THEIR
CREATIONS AND WORK WITH THEIR
USERS TO IDENTIFY RISKS PRE
LAUNCH WHILE ETHICALLY
RESPONDING TO THEM POST
LAUNCH.THE LAUNCH OF THE
GOOGLE CAR COMES WITH MANY
ETHICAL DELIMAS THAT WE ARE
ONLY NOW STARTING TO PROPERLY
DEBATE

51. WABI SABI IS THE JAPANESE WORLD
VIEW OR AESTHETIC CENTERED ON
THE ACCEPTANCE OF TRANSIENCE &
IMPERFECTION.
AS WE MATURE AS DIGITAL CREATORS
AND INNOVATORS WE ARE
REALISING THAT NOT EVERYTHING
WE DEPLOY NEEDS TO BE PERFECT
THE FIRST TIME AROUND. IT CAN BE
ORGANIC AND CHANGING AND
THAT IS WHERE TRUE INNOVATION
CAN THRIVE.

52. SEE:
http://www.toyota-global.com/
tokyoms2013/fv2/

54. TRANSHUMANIST
TECHNOLOGY AS A
LIBERATOR OF
HUMANS FROM THE
LIMITS OF OUR
BIOLOGY
CONSCIOUSNESS
REPLICAS

55. SEE:
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/
future_tense/2014/09/
virtually_human_we_need_human_rights
_for_cyberconscious_beings.html

56. SEE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=KYshJRYCArE

58. THANKS