Last year I came

Last year I came away from South by Southwest feeling inspired and ready to conquer the world. There were no limits to what we could all do.

This year things were a tad grim, the free drinks were non-existent, the parties were smaller, glitz and glamor were out, cozy, intimate gatherings of friends were the norm. It was great to see that personal publishing was still alive, and will be for some time. All the stimulation and conversations made transitioning back to work at my day job quite difficult. Why can't work be that stimulating? Is there any real reason it can't?

Looking back, one question keeps popping into my head: given all the motivated, smart, like-minded people present, why the hell aren't we working on interesting projects, building new businesses, or creating collaborative spaces together? Just look at all the gathered talent; we're stuck, sitting on our islands, separated by geography and employers.

When are we going to wake up, come together, and create a motherfucking revolution?

Pyra was one example. 37signals sound like they're doing everything right. I have no doubt that Adaptive Path is going to go far, given the talent and dedication in the partners. So that's a few companies that did/are doing something special.

I wish those companies were just a few of many.