Bluecadet Interactive

Thousands of nerds flock to Austin every March for the SXSW Interactive festival to learn about emerging technology, see grumpy cat in the flesh, and check out the best new digital works and innovative ideas. This year, Troy and I were two of these lucky nerds. Here are some highlights:
 

Poptech holds an annual conference in Camden, Maine that "brings together a global community of innovators from many fields to share insights and work together to create lasting change." I think of Poptech as a mini TED with a twist. In addition to the speakers on stage at Poptech were 22 Fellows -- people who are spearheading new ideas in science or social change. Below are some of our favorite experiences and presentations from the conference.

Pilobolus

UP: The Umbrella Project

Have you ever participated in a spontaneuous, collaborative, live public art project? It's a lot of fun. The modern performance company Pilobolus enlisted several hundred volunteers to participate in a live performance using umbrellas fabricated with multi-colored LED lights created by the MIT Distributed Robotics Laboratory. The performance was simultaneously projected onto a large screen. Read More

Bluecadet will be hosting a free happy hour and open house as part of this year's DesignPhiladelphia festival. Each year DesignPhiladelphia's festival highlights creative work from every part of Philadelphia's vibrant design community.

Our happy hour will be featuring our latest interactive touchscreen exhibits, websites, and apps, as well as delicious Underdogs hot dogs. Come grab a drink and a dog, and check out what's new. Vegan dogs and gluten free buns will also be available.

In web design, like print design, it takes a while to develop an effective creative process—hours of pushing pixels and creating idealized designs (that a client might not approve), making revisions, racking up hours, making more revisions. But eventually, we learn how to make it all work.

This was an exciting year at the American Association of Museums annual conference in Minneapolis. Bluecadet projects received four MUSE awards, hosted a session on creating interactive exhibits, and attended a party at the Minnesota History Center that included an elderly nun giving free massages.

Bluecadet is excited to have received 3 nominations and 10 honorable mentions in the 16th Annual Webby Awards.

Our SXSW panel takes on Requests for Proposals, and brings them down to size. We're teaming up with Happy Cog, Weblinc, and Four Kitchens to improve the RFP process.