Infrequently Noted

I just landed in Vegas where i'll be for the next several days at Mix '08. I'm looking forward to hearing more about what the IE team has in store for IE 8. I've got a whole stack of questions and they've promised a frank discussion without any pre-conditions or NDAs. This oughtta be good. If nothing else, it will tell us how far retracted the IE Cone Of Silence (TM) is. I've got hope, but I've been teased before and despite an impending Beta, there's precious little to go on about what IE 8 really will and won't be (or even when).

I'm not a gambler, and generally don't like Vegas, which makes me all the more excited to be going to SxSW directly from MIX. I haven't been in a couple of years, but Dylan has been keeping the annual Dojo Salt Lick field trip alive, and I'm excited to be able to be able to join the rest of my (mostly Silicon Valley) compatriots in stumbling around Austin under the influence of Shiner and BBQ. If you're also going to be in Austin (at SxSW or not) and want to join us in our trip to BBQ Mecca, just RSVP and let us know how many you intend to bring and whether or not you can drive others.

Oh, and there will be an auspicious panel wherein authors of successful JavaScript libraries will all thank John for doing the work of proposing a panel and therefore ensuring that we all have an excuse to come to Austin to drink Shiner and eat BBQ. The last time I went to SxSW I hosted a panel with some of the smartest people I know and it went over like a lead brick, convincing me once and for all that SxSW is the Jerry Springer Show of technical conferences and that the point of panel discussions there is to stir shit up. It doesn't even matter what it is...everyone else there is nursing the same mild, Shiner-induced hang-over and if they really cared about technical content...well, they would have gone to ETech.

If you're going to either MIX or SxSW, let me know! Conferences are always more fun when you know the Hallway Track is going to rock.

Update: there's much to say about MIX now that it's over and IE 8 is in our hands, but apparently we've communicated about the Salt Lick thing very poorly. While we'd love it if you'd RSVP to rsvp at dojotoolkit dot org if you're joining us, what you really need to know is when and where. Namely:

When?

8pm, Sunday March 9th

Where?

The Salt Lick
18001 FM 1826
Driftwood, Texas 78619

Remember, it's BYOB and if you RSVP we can help coordinate rides and such. Looking forward to seeing you there!