Newscoma

I wouldn’t have known the instant reaction about Sara Lacy’s interview with Mark Zuckerberg and how the audience absolutely went for blood over what is being called a trainwreck.

AUSTIN, Texas — They came expecting a civilized, one-on-one discussion, but they got what some attendees described as “a train wreck.”

Ballroom A of the Austin Convention Center was packed to capacity on Sunday evening for an hour-long intervew with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the keynote speaker at this year’s South By Southwest Interactive festival. The 23-year-old billionaire founder of the social networking site was interviewed on stage by author and journalist Sarah Lacy. Using her unique, friendly style of interviewing — closer to two friends chatting than a straight question-and-answer session — Lacy tried to get the notoriously tight-lipped Zuckerberg to open up. But the discussion rarely strayed beyond the usual business fare and eventually descended into a string of awkward moments punctuated by the audience’s heckling.

“Talk about something interesting,” one attendee yelled about half way through the keynote. The remark was met with waves of cheering and applause.

Meanwhile, members of the audience participated in a backchannel discussion on Twitter, with users of the microblogging site directing most of their animosity at Lacy’s unorthodox interview technique.

“Never, ever have I seen such a train wreck of an interview,” said Jason Pontin on Twitter. “Poor girl, flirtatiously awful tho’ she was.”

This all happened in a matter of about three hours. It hit the Internet immediately.

Lacy went on later to put on Twitter:

seriously screw all you guys. I did my best to ask a range of things.

Yep, them there internets are fast and so much of it was done on Twitter and in instant fashion.

Grabbing the popcorn and sitting back.

There was even a cartoon put up instantly.

It’s stuff like this that changes the game of journalism, blogging and social media networking platforms. And I’m watching. Man, cause the game is changing.

We have a lot to learn and it’s happening right now.

Damn, if it doesn’t make want me to go to Austin next year.

A very sad Newscoma.

Friday night is sold out to see Diary of the Dead at the Belcourt. He’s not coming to the midnight showing on Saturday. I waited about a day too long. I shouldn’t have slept the weekend away and bought them right away.

I, my friends, suck.

Poo.

Still going to Full Moon though. Need to get rooms and get my horror geek on.

Now, let’s vote.

Do I need a new tattoo? I have one. Do I need two?

Talk amongst yourselves.

 I don’t know. Sometimes I think of my own mortality as I’m sure everyone does. I’ve been thinking of things that I would like to do before I succomb to the that big recliner in the sky.

I know.

I’m also an obituary junkie. I like this site. Sue me.

With that said, here are some things I want to do before I die or I’m on a walker.

• Go to Comic-Con.
• Work at a job where I get to travel. I had one of these at one times and I loved it. Hooterville is fine but I like going places.
• Live one summer in Brattleboro, VT. I was up there about 20 years ago and it is just about plum awesome.
• See a penguin in it’s natural habitat.
• Work on a political team of my choosing.
• Get a novel published under a pseudonym.
• See waterboarding completely banned.
• Be a zombie extra in a movie. (I want to be a crazy cat lady zombie, alas, I have no cats but I was a theater major so I can do some sort of method thing or something.)
• Spend eight months in Europe. (I did this a million years ago and I want to do it again.)

Yeah, I have goals.

One quick note, if any of you ordered a Stewman benefit, the lovely Ivy has them in her possession. I haven’t told you in a while and I figured you might want to know. (Round of applause for Ivy.)

Update: Actually, I guess this should be titled Things To Do Outside of Hooterville Before you Die. My Bad.

I’m randomly looking about at political news this morning afternoon (I slept until noon. An old broad has to get her sleep but I never do that so I’m somewhat surprised myself.)

A couple of things crossed my mind as I sipped my first cup of coffee for the day.  First of all, Dennis Hastert, of course, resigned and his seat is now held by a democrat. This is bigger news than you would think.  Bill Foster won the seat and will head to Washington.

But there is an underlying issue here that is impacted by national politics. Obama campaigned for Foster, John McCain campaigned for Foster’s GOP opponent, James Oberweis. It may appear like a small matter but it’s not. Hastert’s old seat was rooted deep in the middle of Republican country. And apparently Obama pulled more weight with voters than McCain. Oberweis was apparently well-known in this part of Illinois although he had lost in the past. But the thing is, in politics, there is this old thing sort of like the Academy Awards where people feel it’s that candidates “time.”

He, in all honesty, should have won. He had more money (1.2 million from the GOP and only $620,000 for the Dems) and more face recognition.

He didn’t.  And now it’s in the hands of the blue.

It goes without saying that every vote is necessary right right now. Obama won Wyoming yesterday which halted some of Hillary Clinton’s momentum, but it just created more of a speed bump. You guys know where I lean and I’m watching this.

It’s because every vote counts.

These elections are like driving on a back road covered in hidden ice this year. You don’t know which way your car is going to go as it could either way. But the most interesting thing from yesterday from a national perspective is what Bill Clinton said.

In Mississippi, Clinton brought up a Clinton/Obama ticket. I don’t think this is going to happen but the big question is why? Why is the former president bringing this up?

He said:

“You look at most of these places — he would win the urban areas and the upscale voters, and she wins the traditional rural areas that we lost when President Reagan was president,” he said. “If you put those two things together, you’d have an almost unstoppable force.”

Clinton moved then to take another question, before he returned to the subject, saying he didn’t blame either candidate for not wanting to put the matter on the table now. “Nobody wants to give up the top spot until the voters get done voting,” he said. “[But] if you got the assurances of ultimate unity, then it’s a great mistake for other people to try to shut this process down early. I mean, the last primary is June the 7th. I didn’t get the votes in ‘92 to be nominated until June the 2nd. We don’t need to be in any hurry, let everybody vote.”

I don’t see it. But then again, I thought Betamax machines would still be around in 2008. I find this interesting. I don’t think it’s going to happen because would Clinton be alright with an Obama/Clinton ticket? I’m thinking not.

But Bill knew this would get some national play. And a Clinton never says anything without there being some reason behind it.

Interesting.

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This is just about right. I tried to put this up at MCB from our pal Fishwreck (best name evah) and I couldn’t get it to look all pretty and stuff, so decided to put it here.

This video explain Twitter perfectly. Let’s not forget it was Sleepy Dad who found it first.

Awesomeness.