2011 Recap

A year of progress!

ART TOYS

2011 has been a fantastic year! My collaboration with Toy2R in the Skelanimals Qee Artist Series 2, marked my first ever production toy. A big step forward with the release of this custom toy, Letterman The Hound. This was also the catalyst for my frequent participation in local comic conventions, and art markets throughout the year. Met a bunch of great artists, who have become my table mates at various cons.

I have some new stuff coming up in the new year. I'm planning to do several more Vancouver Comic Cons. Stay tuned, stay safe, and thank you for your support. https://plus.google.com/b/106042054698715164922/

ANDROID

I decided to replace my old gen 1 iPhone with a Nexus S, the Google Samsung collaboration phone. So far it's been a great phone, doing everything that I need it to. The camera takes very nice pics, and Little Photo is my fave photo app. Check out my random pics on http://twitpic.com/photos/albertart

GOOGLE+

Google+ was an unexpected new social networking tool that I have been using quite heavily since it was in beta. The tool has some pretty nifty features that make the experience a bit like Twitter, and a bit like blogger, but very different from Facebook. I plan on using the Hangout feature in the new year! https://plus.google.com/b/106042054698715164922/

I HEART TEXAS.

This year I attended SXSW in Austin, TX. The music, film and interactive festival was a very cool experience for networking, learning, and film reviewing. I along with @debuggirl wrote quite a bit of coverage for our friends at http://HeyUGuys.co.uk

I also made a second trip to Texas for Thanksgiving in November. The Lone Star state is definitely growing on me.

PAX PRIME

This year at PAX Prime 2011, was a little different. Though I didn't spend the entire weekend in the convention, I spent a bunch of time hanging out with Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown inside of Gameworks. I'm looking forward to this game in the summer of 2012. I really enjoyed the arcade atmosphere, and hanging out with fellow VF fanatics.

GAMING

ARKHAM CITY, DEUS EX HR, BATTLEFIELD 3 and SWTOR. Nuff said.

KINECT

I just purchased a KINECT shortly after xmas, and I must say it has proven to be a great way to get young members and grownups in my family active, without having to worry about recharging wireless remotes, and dealing with the hassle of floor pad controllers like a wii balance boards. The house Wii will definitely be collecting dust looking into the new year.

iPAD

I won an iPad at work during a raffle. I beat out over 300 people. I guess I'm pretty lucky! We'll see how 2012 plays out! It's actually quite useful!

NEW FILMS

I have a new short film coming soon! TOP SECRET. For now!

So Long 2011, hello 2012.

Scenes from SXSW 2011 Time Lapse

SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST 2011

And so the SXSW festival of film, music, and interactive has come and gone, and what an amazing experience it was. Debuggirl and myself had a chance to represent the film and entertainment blog HeyUGuys.co.uk during our time in Austin, contributing various film reviews and news to their site. Shout out to Dave for putting up with us!

I saw many great films in the festival, plenty of which just so happened to be documentaries. Being Elmo, Hit So Hard, Conan Can't Stop, Fightville. I also saw Jodie Foster's The Beaver, and James Wan's Insidious, which were both quite good, and Kill List which was my least favorite. Aside films, there was plenty of music, food, and booze hosted by various venues like Purevolume, Youtube, Google etc. I also had a chance to see Game Designer Richard Garriott, get his ass kicked by IBM's WATSON at the Interactive panel.

I put together a short video filmed in and around the Austin Convention, and 6th Street. Though it's not an exhaustive report on all that I did at SXSW, I think it captures just how hectic the festival was. With so much going on, there's something for everyone. I have to rank SXSW as my current #1 favorite festival/conference to attend. I love the town of Austin, and look forward to many more trips in the future to SXSW.