#sxsw — Public Fediverse posts

Off-season, non-SXSW Austin is its own sort of weird

AUSTIN, Tex.

It feels like I barely visited my favorite part of Texas, and that’s not just because my trip here for the Connectivity Standards Alliance’s Unify conference only spanned three days. This visit has also reminded me that SXSW, my usual experience of Austin aside from one trip here in September of 2018 for the Online News Association’s conference, is not a reliable reflection of the city.

The sidewalks this week aren’t crowded with hipsters and would-be hipsters (i.e., me) wearing the same conference badge, in the process making the number of unhoused people here a little more obvious. Bars and restaurants downtown go by their normal names instead of being rebranded as “activations” for one #brand or another. And instead of delightful spring weather, it’s ghastly hot out–not Vegas-in-August scorching, but also much more humid.

Avoiding that heat by spending so much of my time in Unify’s air-conditioned confines at the Hilton Downtown made this even more of a fake visit for me. I did at least think to stop by a dive bar off Red River Street Wednesday night to get in some local color and put some money into the non-hotel economy.

One other change I noticed compared to March: Austin’s streets seem to have picked up a lot more robotic occupants. Waymos are as ubiquitous as ever, but I also spotted several of Austin-based Avride’s refitted Hyundai Ioniq 5s, at least two Zoox toasters on wheels and one of Tesla’s two-seat, gold-colored Cybercabs–plus delivery robots rolling up and down sidewalks.

(I didn’t get a good enough look at most of the non-Waymo vehicles to see if they had humans at the controls or otherwise overseeing them. Nor did I get rides on any of them, since it was such a short walk from my hotel to the conference venue.)

But one part of Austin did take me right back to my usual marketing-spring-break nonsense: being greeted outside by the airport by the squawk of grackles.

A Gentleman on Brazos • Austin, Texas, USA

Rolleiflex 2.8 D • Kodak Tri-X 400 • 2026

#FilmPhotography #Kodak #TriX #Camera #Film120 #MediumFormat #Rolleiflex #BWfilm #Monochrome #Photography #ATX #TX #Downtown #Austin #Texas #Gentleman #Brazos #Street #Style #Portrait #SXSW #March_12_2026

Weekly output: game development, Tesla Robotaxi, Bluetooth upgrades

I started this week in Austin for SXSW and will start the coming week by flying to Los Angeles, courtesy of an event United Airlines is hosting at LAX to show off tech upgrades coming to its fleet. The airline is covering my airfare and lodging, the reverse of the pattern that has prevailed over decades of my business travel.

3/17/2026: Crafting Global Games with Local Insight and Cultural Fusion, SXSW

I returned to SXSW after a year off when Nika Nour, a pal from D.C. tech-policy circles who’s now a senior vice president leading international business development at Savvy Games Group, asked if I could step in to moderate this panel. And then two of the other panelists got changed out less than a week in advance. Fortunately, everybody else on the panel (Nika, actor/producer/author Anjali Bhimani, and Six Foot chief marketing officer Manuel Delgado) was a practiced speaker and eased my job of leading a conversation about an industry that I haven’t covered that much lately.

3/19/2026: I Got Around SXSW in Tesla Robotaxis: The Rides Were Better Than the Buggy, Juvenile App, PCMag

I thought I should try Tesla’s self-driving-car taxi service while in Austin, but it took a day of unsuccessful attempts before I could book my first ride. And then the experience was surprisingly uneventful, with each of my five rides featuring a safety operator in the front passenger seat who didn’t do anything that I noticed.

3/19/2026: Get Ready: Bluetooth 6 and Other Advances Will Give Your Devices a Much Needed Upgrade, PCMag

PCMag elected to re-publish this post with some new text by me to highlight Bluetooth version numbers.

Ballad of El Goodo

March 20, 2010 ~ Just a few days after the death of Alex Chilton, his band Big Star plays at SXSW with many paying their respects by filling in on lead for their friend. #alexchilton #bigstar #sxsw #elgoodo #johndoe #chuckprophet #music #musicsky #musiciansky #rockmusic

https://robinbannks.com/2026/03/20/ballad-of-el-goodo/

‘They Will Kill You’ Cast Joined Under One Condition: “Please Don’t Make It Camp”
#MovieNews #Movies #Andymuschietti #BarbaraMuschietti #HeatherGraham #Myhala #PatriciaArquette #SXSW #TheyWillKillYou #TomFelton #WarnerBros #ZazieBeetz

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/they-will-kill-you-zazie-beetz-patricia-arquette-camp-sxsw-1236540393/

‘They Will Kill You’ Review: Zazie Beetz Saves Sister From Wealthy Satanic Cult In Adrenaline-Pumping Thrill Ride — SXSW
#Festivals #Reviews #Myhala #PatriciaArquette #SXSW #TheyWillKillYou #TomFelton #ZazieBeetz

https://deadline.com/2026/03/they-will-kill-you-review-zazie-beetz-sxsw-1236746474/

‘DreamQuil’ Review: Elizabeth Banks and John C. Reilly in a Visually Adventurous Slice of Dystopia That Feels Like Yesterday’s News
#MovieReviews #Movies #ElizabethBanks #JohnCReilly #JulietteLewis #SofiaBoutella #SouthbySouthwest #SXSW #SXSW2026 #SXSWReviews

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/dreamquil-review-elizabeth-banks-john-c-reilly-1236533277/

‘The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother, Hillel’ Review: Netflix Doc Is Funny and Moving, but Could Use More Hillel Slovak
#MovieReviews #Movies #AnthonyKiedis #Flea #Netflix #RedHotChiliPeppers #SouthbySouthwest #SXSW #SXSW2026 #SXSWReviews

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-rise-of-red-hot-chili-peppers-our-brother-hillel-review-1236530654/

‘The Sun Never Sets’ Review: Dakota Johnson and Jake Johnson Bring Warm Chemistry to Joe Swanberg’s Wishy-Washy Romantic Dramedy
#MovieReviews #Movies #CoryMichaelSmith #DakotaFanning #Jakejohnson #JoeSwanberg #SouthbySouthwest #SXSW #SXSW2026 #SXSWReviews

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-sun-never-sets-review-dakota-fanning-joe-swanberg-1236524935/

‘Ready or Not 2: Here I Come’ Review: Samara Weaving Provides Bloody Good Time In Radio Silence’s Sequel — SXSW
#Festivals #Reviews #KathrynNewton #ReadyorNot #ReadyorNot2 #ReadyorNot2HereICome #SamaraWeaving #SarahMichelleGellar #SXSW

https://deadline.com/2026/03/ready-or-not-2-here-i-come-review-samara-weaving-sxsw-1236746451/

‘The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother, Hillel’ Review: A Blistering Portrait of the Band’s Early Years Melts Into an Overdone Lament
#Variety #Reviews #AnthonyKiedis #Flea #HillelSlovak #SXSW #TheRiseoftheRedHotChiliPeppersOurBrotherHillel

https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/the-rise-of-the-red-hot-chili-peppers-our-brother-hillel-review-sxsw-1236686307/

Paul Rudd, Nick Jonas Get Violent as Songwriting Goes Wrong in ‘Power Ballad’ Trailer
#MovieNews #Movies #HavanaRoseLiu #JackReynor #JohnCarney #Lionsgate #NickJonas #PaulRudd #SXSW #Trailer

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/power-ballad-trailer-paul-rudd-nick-jonas-sxsw-1236528092/

Jamie Lee Curtis Has Some Ideas on How to Protect the Film Industry
#MovieFeatures #Movies #BrittLower #DavidDastmalchian #FreakierFriday #Halloween #JamieLeeCurtis #RheaSeehorn #SXSW

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/jamie-lee-curtis-producer-sender-sxsw-feature-1236527474/

Elizabeth Banks Takes on Trippy Body Horror and the Allure of AI in ‘DreamQuil’
#MovieFeatures #Movies #2020 #AlfredHitchcock #BlackMirror #DanielKwan #ElizabethBanks #JohnCReilly #LolCrawley #SXSW #Thebrutalist

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/elizabeth-banks-dreamquil-exclusive-sxsw-1236526132/

Samara Weaving On Her Gory SXSW ’26 Double-Feature, Unexpected ‘Scream Queen’ Status & “Quiet Dreams” Of Doing Improv: “I Was A Scaredy-Cat Growing Up”
#Festivals #News #CarolinaCaroline #OverYourDeadBody #ReadyorNot #ReadyorNot2 #ReadyorNot2HereICome #SamaraWeaving #SXSW

https://deadline.com/2026/03/samara-weaving-gory-sxsw-26-double-feature-1236731645/

SXSW: ‘Margo’s Got Money Troubles’, ‘Ready or Not 2’ Headed to Austin
#MovieNews #Movies #ElleFanning #MargosGotMoneyTroubles #ReadyorNot #SXSW

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/margos-got-money-troubles-ready-or-not-2-sxsw-line-up-1236473210/

Ballad of El Goodo

March 20, 2010 ~ Just a few days after the death of Alex Chilton, his band Big Star plays at SXSW with many paying their respects by filling in on lead for their friend. #alexchilton #bigstar #sxsw #elgoodo #johndoe #chuckprophet #music #musicsky #musiciansky #rockmusic

https://robinbannks.wordpress.com/2025/03/20/ballad-of-el-goodo/

SXSW Midnighter Pic ‘The Surrender’ Lands At Shudder, Gets May Release Date
#Acquisitions #Festivals #News #ColbyMinifie #JuliaMax #KateBurton #ReleaseDates #Shudder #SXSW #TheSurrender

https://deadline.com/2025/03/the-surrender-release-date-shudder-1236330427/

‘The Surrender’ Review: Julia Max Explores Grief And Loss In A Bloody Supernatural Horror – SXSW
#Festivals #Reviews #ColbyMinifie #JuliaMax #KateBurton #Review #SXSW #TheSurrender

https://deadline.com/2025/03/the-surrender-review-julia-max-colby-minifie-kate-burton-gory-supernatural-horror-sxsw-1236320492/

Blake Lively’s Texas Drop ‘Em Moves Reveal Larger ‘It Ends With Us’ Trial Strategy For Next Year
#Legal #News #AmberHeard #BlakeLively #ItEndsWithUs #JohnnyDepp #JustinBaldoni #LivelyBaldoni #MelissaNathan #RyanReynolds #SXSW

https://deadline.com/2025/02/blake-lively-trial-strategy-justin-baldoni-1236278393/

AUSTIN–This week started with stories datelined from a city some 4,000 miles east of D.C. and ends with pieces datelined from a city about 1,300 miles southwest of home.

3/4/2024: SpaceX rivals pitch their phone-to-satellite alternatives, Light Reading

I wrote most of this piece recapping an MWC panel featuring multiple non-SpaceX satellite-to-phone services–including my Falls Church neighbors Lynk Global–on the flight home to D.C., then somehow pieced together enough scraps of jet-lagged consciousness to finish and file it Thursday night.

3/5/2024: FWA cheer spreads across the world, Light Reading

My MWC coverage wrapped up with my writing and filing this post about fixed-wireless access Friday afternoon. One thing that continues to be great about this event: how it exposes me to multiple non-U.S. perspectives on wireless-service situations we have here.

3/6/2024: Biden’s Broadband Chief Sounds Alarm on Expiring Affordable-Internet Subsidy, PCMag

This post was going to recap a few different panels at ACA Connects Summit, hosted by a D.C. trade group for smaller Internet providers, and then a publicist for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration asked if I’d like to sit down with NTIA administrator Alan Davidson for a quick conversation after his panel.

3/9/2024: 5G Home Internet Soars in 2023, As Cable and Phone-Based Broadband Slump, PCMag

I wrote up the latest subscriber stats gathered by Leichtman Research Group, showing the continued conquests of fixed-wireless services. Contrary to a prediction I’d offered in a post about a previous LRG broadband update, T-Mobile did not end 2023 as the fifth-biggest ISP because the privately-held cable provider Cox still has a few more hundred thousand subscribers, in LRG’s estimate.

3/9/2024: Actors Union Rep Warns Game Studios Over AI: Odds of Strike Are 50-50, PCMag

I put this panel–featuring my fellow Georgetown grad Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, now SAG-AFTRA’s chief negotiator–on my SXSW schedule early on because of its intersection of technology, policy and culture.

3/10/2024: Printer Bashing and Staplers: ‘Office Space’ Cast Files a TPS Report at SXSW, PCMag

I quote from Office Space almost as often as any other movie I’ve seen–and that includes the original Star Wars trilogy and Dr. Strangelove–so there was no way I wasn’t going to see this panel. Even if I then had to watch it on SXSW’s YouTube stream because the room in the Austin Convention Center hit capacity while I was still on line to get in.

3/10/2024: Cybersecurity as a Cornerstone of Brand Trust, Grit Daily House

I moderated this panel–featuring Zach Eikenberry, CEO of Hook Security, Jess Garza, owner of Texas Performance Pyschology, and Andy Bennett, CTO, Apollo Information Systems–at an offsite venue for my fellow conference person Jordan French’s startup-industry publication.

https://robpegoraro.com/2024/03/11/weekly-output-satellite-to-phone-services-fixed-wireless-access-broadband-buildout-risks-2023-broadband-subscriber-stats-actors-negotiating-for-ai-rights-office-space-reunion-how-companies-talk/

#ACAConnects #actorsStrike #AffordableConnectivityPlan #AlanDavidson #Austin #Barcelona #BEAD #cybersecurity #DuncanCrabtreeIreland #federalBroadbandBuildout #fixedWireless #FWA #informationSecurity #LeichtmanResearchGroup #LynkGlobal #MobileWorldCongress #MWC #OfficeSpace #OneWeb #SAGAFTRA #Sateliot #southBySouthwest #sxsw #VerizonHome5G

Surprise podcast drop!!!

There's so much awesome queer country happening next weekend (3/15 - 3/17) including Meanwhile in Music's showcase in Austin, the Country Soul Songbook online, and the FIRST live Rainbow Rodeo show in NYC!

https://rainbowrodeomag.com/episode-20-queer-country-weekend-extravaganza/

#QueerCountry #Americana #LiveMusic #Austin #sxsw2024 #sxsw #NewYorkCity #lgbtqnewyork #washingtonheights #harlem #inwood

SXSW Preview + Hot List: Movies With Pedro Pascal, Ayo Edebiri & Diane Warren For Sale As Stormy Daniels Rides Into Austin To Shake Up Festival
#Acquisitions #Festivals #News #CivilWar #DianeWarren #PedroPascal #StormyDaniels #SXSW #TheFallGuy #TheUninvited

https://deadline.com/2024/03/sxsw-2024-movies-pedro-pascal-diane-warren-stormy-daniels-1235849458/

Guy in front of me at this show is wearing a shirt printed with The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymous Bosch and it’s AWESOME 🤘 #sxsw #HieronymousBosch

DOJ has eyes on AI, antitrust chief tells SXSW crowd
https://www.axios.com/2023/03/13/doj-kanter-ai-artificial-intelligence-antitrust

#Congress #Department_of Justice (DOJ) #SXSW #Big_Tech #Antitrust_law

DOJ has eyes on AI, antitrust chief tells SXSW crowd
https://www.axios.com/2023/03/13/doj-kanter-ai-artificial-intelligence-antitrust

#Congress #Department_of Justice (DOJ) #SXSW #Big_Tech #Antitrust_law

DOJ has eyes on AI, antitrust chief tells SXSW crowd
https://www.axios.com/2023/03/13/doj-kanter-ai-artificial-intelligence-antitrust

#Congress #Department_of Justice (DOJ) #SXSW #Big_Tech #Antitrust_law

DOJ has eyes on AI, antitrust chief tells SXSW crowd
https://www.axios.com/2023/03/13/doj-kanter-ai-artificial-intelligence-antitrust

#Congress #Department_of Justice (DOJ) #SXSW #Big_Tech #Antitrust_law