Quixotic Bravado by Josh Babetski

• Booth done. Where’d my Saturday go? I hope everyone stops by when SXSW Trade show opens at noon. We’ve got schwag, news, and a race track!
• @icelander: Got your book signed. Merlin Mann was VERY gracious and cool.
• to all you sxsw rookies: when the drinking’s done, go down 6th to Katz’s deli.
• Develop Freely! Introducing: MapQuest Platform: Free Edition. Developer Choice! Unlimited Routes, Maps, Geocodes! http://tinyurl.com/2sgbs2
• Now that the work is done — Let’s go bowling: http://live.geekslovebowling.com/

Develop Freely!

Today MapQuest announced a Free Edition of their platform: 6 APIs for mapping, routing, and geocoding in JavaScript, AS3 (ActionScript 3: Flash Flex, AIR), FUJAX (write JavaScript, get Flash), Java, .NET, and C++.

Check out the MapQuest Developer Blog. Here you’ll find a familiar author among all the how-tos and other useful information. Then check out the MapQuest Developer Network and go build something cool with one of the APIs. Developer Choice: we gots it. 

• at guero’s taco bar. love this place!
• @hicksdesign just met you in the hall. thanks for the buttons; don’t forget to swing by the MQ booth tomorrow.
• Finally breaking from booth set-up. Missing a box and the plasma screen install is pending.

• Went to County Line for Dinner. Local know-how at work for great BBQ.
• just chatted with @garyvee in the conv. center lobby. looking forward to wine "gathering" late tonight!
• Perks of shorter line for being an exhibitor offset by 3 attempts to get photo on pass. Badged up and in a panel.
• last year I had to ship home the 3 big bags for a total of 27lbs. Not nearly as much in them this year.

• @parkerkrhoyt At least he didn’t ask you to "hold this" as he finished up… and wasn’t talking about his phone.
• @JasonCalacanis Everything I’ve seen so far here and elsewhere says the PS3 is the player to get. BTW: You coming to SXSW?
• Hitting 6th street soon. I love Austin!
• At Threadgills for lunch. Haven’t been here in years!
• @AntTheLimey LOLcode is the next big thing. I agree we should support it in 5.4.

Recent links for http://del.icio.us/quixado:

• Coding Horror: I Repeat: Do Not Listen to Your Users Listening to users is a tricky thing. Users often don’t know what they want, and even if they did, the communication is likely to get garbled somewhere between them and you. By no means should you ignore your users, though. Most people will silently and f
• mezzoblue § Chalkwork iPhone & iPod Touch Free Icons
• Secrets Secret Prefs for OS X. Secrets is in Beta and many of these options can harm your system if used improperly.

• @twitter will put the smack down on those trying to sell usernames. Kudos! In related news, are you following @mapquest? Props to @chipd too
• @garyvee wine drinking in austin? Anyone else, I’d ask what was wrong with them. where? when? how?
• Up way to early.
• @Hicksdesign suggest you use a schwag for schwag criteria for handing out. The artsy fartsy ones:great. Swing by the MQ booth we’ll barter.
• Had smelly guy next to me on plane, airline ripped the zipper off my luggage, wound up with a mini-van. Had some Rudy’s; all is well again.

• @tnats I think your Wii Stats are inflated.
• @alexdesigns I second the Rudy’s recommendation. No Austin trip is complete without getting brisket from a gas stations. http://rudys.com/
• A never ending stream of meetings before I roll out to SXSW!

• Getting ready to fly home. Wish I could have stayed for the rest of the beach party, but have to finish getting ready for MQ at SXSW.
• A day of rest before SXSW madness. Going to lunch with T, then going to do non-techie things like play my new Wii and watch movies in HD.

• Just got in from a great event in Miami Beach. Talked to lots of folks; great time. Bridge closed on way back; sat in traffic. That sucked.
• At Jerry’s Famous Deli in Miami. Their bad service, not so famous.
• Back at Nikki Beach for the AOL beach party. My job is rough sometimes.