I attended Burning Man again this year. It’s an exceptionally creative and often misunderstood festival. If you’ve never heard of it, check out the event’s website for a very general idea. In the end, the only way to know is to go!
I visited SF for a week in late July. The future seems to arrive a little faster there.
Highs:
-Checking out leading edge music visualization projects by Mary Franck, Jono Brandel, and more, from live presentations by their creators @ Intersection.
-Pizza, presentations, and beer with a few dozen bitcoiners at a co-working space dominated by Bitcoin startups, 20Mission.
-Attending a massive Bitcoin meetup with ~200+ people @ Geekdom.
-Meeting so many people who had invested the best parts of their lives to try something new and change the world in a meaningful way.
Lows:
-Truly exorbitant prices for everything.
-Meeting clearly doomed startup founders.
Favorite Pictures:
In early July I took a trip to Austin. I found the city to be creative, progressive, and innovative.
Highs:
-Attending an IGDA Austin meeting, meeting seasoned game industry pros, and getting their feedback on my latest game.
-Connecting with the passionate and knowledgeable Austin Bitcoin community.
-Trading tales of ventures gone awry over pizza and beer on “The Drag” with a veteran entrepreneur who has lived in 10+ cities in <10 years.
-Discussing future ventures with a possible cofounder @ Austin’s startup nexus, the Capital Factory.
Lows:
-Austin is occasionally still in Texas.
-Feeling like I need to take a shower again after spending 10 minutes outside.
Favorite Pictures:
I visited Seattle for a little less than a week in June. What a creative, modern, and vibrant city!
Highs:
-Spending 6+ hours sharing my latest game, playing games in development, and swapping war stories with a dozen fellow independent game developers @ Roy St. Coffee.
-Exploring the Fremont and Wallingford neighborhoods.
-Meeting legendary entrepreneur Richard Tait at a startup mixer, hearing firsthand how he started the board game company behind Cranium with no prior game development experience.
-Eating ridiculously good grapefruit tofu @ the stylish Plum Bistro.
-Playing innovative indie games early in development, meeting the creators behind them, and receiving feedback on my latest game @ The Raygun Lounge.
-Exploring the offices of Double Down Interactive and learning how a small company starts from nothing and gets acquired for $335,000,000+ in just over two years.
Lows:
-Friendly, but relentless homeless guys trying to convert me to Islam.
-A homeless guy who ran around my bus stop shirtless for 10 minutes shouting “world peace, baby!”, “transcend nationalism”,etc.
-Just all the homeless people honestly.
Favorite Photos:
