Austin is way too cool to sit in a room full of bloggers (for very long), so I slipped away to go “Keep Austin Weird” in my own way.  As you well know, 6th Street is the place to be (although there are some pretty cool things popping up on South Congress …).  And, overlooking 6th Street is a gem of an old hotel — The Driskil.

Handheld Groupie @SXSW

On my very first journalism trip, even before they let me out of J school, several writers and I stayed at the hotel.  I remember two things — an immaculate lobby .. and a lounge singer named Donna Menthol.  Wonder if Donna still got those pipes …  After a few spins on the mountain bike and some random photos, I headed to the hotel.

I can assure you that there was no Wi-Fi at The Driskil on that journalism trip.  How about now?  Why, yes there is.  I slipped into an easy chair in the lobby and discovered two Driskil hotspots — the Driskil Hotel and the Driskil Conference.  I am “on holiday,” so I opted for the first option.

I gotta tell you, the signal is not very strong, and the speed is so-so, just 36 mbps.  But, no problems.  You just accept the terms, stare at the grand hotel lobby photo on the splash page, and you are good to go.

The Driskil hotspot performed flawless — a treat after all of the misfires over at the SXSW Blogger Lounge — 6 pings.

Know what I saying?

Obama's Uncle Sam

Presentin

Mascot Massacre