Speakers in the News »

12/23/05
JOHN BATTELLE

2001 SXSW Interactive Festival Keynote Speaker John Battelle has posted his annual list of technology / online media predictions for the coming year. Among the 17 insightful prognostications about 2006 developments , he includes this gem about the ongoing struggle between hype and reality: "'Web 2.0' will make the cover of Time Magazine, and thus its moment in the sun will have passed. However, the story that drives 'Web 2.0' will only strengthen, and folks will cast about for the next best name for the phenomenon." Battelle's most current book "Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed our Culture" was published in September.

12:16pm CST | +

12/22/05
KYLE MACHULIS

The online sex magazine Nerve contains an essay from Kyle Machulis about the growing presence of women in the gaming industry. He writes, "In the mindshare of the American mainstream, video games are the realm of boys. Not men, not girls, certainly not women. Just boys. They're what you buy your ten-year-old for his birthday so he'll stop yelling at every video-game commercial that comes on. They're an alternative to the ball pits at Chuck E. Cheese. There was a time where this was inarguable: during the mid-'80s, Nintendo reigned supreme and the core demographic age of gamers ranged fairly low. Today, according to the Entertainment Software Association, the average gamer is thirty years old, and 43% of gamers are women. Many women gamers are also designers, and they're leading the way into new realms of sexual exploration." Hear more of the insights of Machulis on the "Secret Sex Lives of Video Games" panel at the 2006 SXSW Interactive Festival.

10:11am CST | +

12/21/05
DORI SMITH

Dori Smith of dori.com bemoans the lack of non-male voices at technology events in a strongly worded post on her site, "I'm tired of writing this same damn post over and over again, and I'm perfectly willing to stop writing it if people would just stop provoking it. Yes, it's another new conference where only men have what it takes to be invited to speak: The Ajax Experience 2006. It's May 10-12 in San Francisco. I could go, but I'll probably stay home instead and work on my Ajax chapters, as they'll be due right around then." At the 2006 SXSW Interactive Festival, Smith will participate on the "WTF: WaSP Task Force Panel -- Getting the Job Done" panel.

11:23am CST | +

12/20/05
MATTHEW MULLENWEG

Matthew Mullenweg

As noted in a press release posted on their site today, the open source personal publishing site WordPress has struck an alliance with Yahoo!: "We’re very excited to announce we’re adding a new host to the page with a familiar name - Yahoo! We’ve been working with the Yahoo Small Business team to create a solution that gives professional bloggers exactly what they want from their hosting providers. . . .We think the above makes a very compelling case for WordPress users to check out Yahoo! hosting and see what we believe is the best WordPress hosting experience on the Web. As always, if you have any feedback on Yahoo! or any other host we feature, please let us know." The above release is authored by WordPress founding developer Matt Mullenweg, who is speaking on the "DIY Now More Than Ever" panel at the 2006 SXSW Interactive Festival.

1:11pm CST | +

12/19/05
CHRIS LOCKE

In a post on IT Garage, Chris Locke explains his approach to blogging, as well as the rational behind the personal publishing system that he uses: "I am proud of being on Blogspot mostly because I am showing the world (that exceedingly small slice of it that actually reads my shit anymore) that it is not necessary to use one of those ready-made templates they give you. Well no, actually you do use one -- pick something dead simple -- and then you hack the crap outta that sucker. That's what I did, yes. On the aforementioned Mystic Bourgeoisie. You bet. I made it so complicated that it took me a month to figure out how to post into it. But you pick these things up. Trust me." At the 2006 SXSW Interactive Festival, Locke will participate in the "Cluetrain: Seven Years Later" session that will analyze the long-lasting impact of the trendsetting book that he co-authored.