If you’ve been in the Convention Center for South by Southwest even once in the past few years, you probably saw and maybe even talked to, a lot of panels (and dudes behind booths). It can be an exhilarating and incredibly useful set of inspiring individuals and just as easily turn to sleep-inducing sludge (you can always blame the beer). Perhaps this is why South by Southwest, being the innovators they are, give the audience the opportunity to tell them what panels to put on. more ›

If you missed out on the initial deadline to participate in this year's inaugural Maker Faire Austin festival, you're in luck! The event organizers have set a new deadline of Thursday, September 6, thereby affording you a comfortable two and a half weeks to come up with your very own zany creation. For an idea of what to expect, the MAKE blog highlights some of the inventions recently previewed at Austin Children's Museum, including hyperbolic... more ›

Maker Faire, the annual Bay Area festival that revels in Do-It-Yourself (DIY) ingenuity, is expanding to Austin this year. The two-day, family-friendly event will showcase some of the coolest shit—arts, crafts, wickedly geeky science projects—you've never seen in your life; think Dorkbot but hulked out. What else would you expect from a festival organized by the staffs of Make and Craft magazines? If you're a "Maker" and are interested in showing off your zany (or... more ›

Slackerwood features some notes and photographs from the Simpsons Feast @ The Alamo Drafthouse. Keith Richards: He didn't mix his dad's ashes with cocaine, you guys. He snorted him outright. Humidity got your hair in a funk? In the U.K., they have hair straightening vending machines. Jealous much? Unpopular Ideas: The downside of cultural diversity. Karl Rove has an iPhone, wears Twins hat to show support for collapsed bridge victims. How is it that... more ›

FRIDAY [22] music • Rogue Wave, Jason Collett at The Parish Room ® music • The Gossip, Mika Miko, Swan Island at Emo's ® music • Rockland Eagles, The Colour, The Shys, The Fall Collection at Emo's music • Kissinger, Driver F, Seaflea at Stubb's music • Brent Fariss / Bill Thompson CD release at End of an Ear (6pm) music • Sybil, As the Phoenix Rises, Smokin' Gun, Wax Dart and Andice at... more ›

THURSDAY [21] books • Chuck Klosterman presents Chuck Klosterman IV: A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas at BookPeople (7pm) ® books • David Oshinsky presents Polio: An American Story at Barnes & Noble, 701 Capital of TX Hwy (7pm) ® books • Ayun Halliday presents Dirty Sugar Cookies: Culinary Observations, Questionable Taste at BookWoman (7pm) music • French Kicks, The Little Ones, The Lemurs at Emo's ® music • The Yellow Umbrella... more ›

WEDNESDAY [20] film • Cinematexas Fest at Various (Various) ® music • Acid King, Black Cobra, The High Divers, Ghetto Princess at Emo's music • Lebanon (ISRAEL), Snake Trap, UME, Something Fierce at Beerland music • Five Times August, Stephen Speaks at Cactus Café music • Jet at La Zona Rosa ® music • Secret Weapons, Til We're Blue or Destroy and The Quicks at The Chain Drive (9pm) food • Angel Valley Organic... more ›

If you were at the past two UT football games, you might remember a couple of commercials that played throughout the game and received a lot of attention from the 80,000+ crowd. Those advertisements were only two out of nine created for The University of Texas last year as part of their latest ad campaign entitled, What Starts Here Changes The World. Legendary journalist and UT alum Walter Cronkite narrates the ads, the brainchild... more ›

If you'll be so kind as to glance at the image to your left, you'll note that Austinist is more than pleased to provide you with your daily phallic fix. And now, to raise your mind from the gutter and elevate it to the highest heights, we bring you an exclusive interview with one of the major players at this weekend's TAFAF, or The Austin Fine Arts Festival. His name is Randy Jewart, and... more ›

There are things to do on Valentine's Day besides go out to dinner, eat chocolate, and put on new lingerie. For example, you could take your date to the 80's Power Ballad Sing-A-Long at the Alamo Drafthouse, a sure-to-be-hilarious night presented by Mr. Sinus' Owen Egerton and Henri Mazza (the program director at the Alamo). From the Alamo site: This February Owen and Henri will present the definitive sing-along for the Valentine’s season, featuring... more ›

We won’t argue that August has been pretty slow when it comes to new music, but there are plenty of great releases that came out today that you need to get your hands on. John Vanderslice - http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/vanderslicejohn/pixelrevolt">Pixel Revolt Not as catchy as his last release, but this one will grow on you. JV keeps putting out quality albums. [mp3: JV – Exodus Damage / upcoming show: 10/27 at the parish] Black Rebel Motorcycle... more ›