I’m in Austin, TX at SXSW Interactive, the mecca of all things tech/social media/web2.0, blogging on the fly in a hallway lined with bloggers, twitterers, and podcasters in the humongous Austin Convention Center. Simply stated, this conference is unlike anything that I’ve ever experienced in my life. To be surrounded by so many people who share my passion for the web is exhilarating! And what’s more is that there are so many dope things to be had, and experienced at just about every turn here–from the latest and greatest web apps and services, to films, games, parties and schwag (tons of it)! It’s only my second day here (first full day of panel discussions) and, while this may sound kind of corny, already I’m beginning to feel rejuvenated. I’m remembering why I fell in love with blogging, why I created Gureala, and most importantly, the power and possibilities of the web. It’s beautiful.

Although today may not be an official national holiday, and many of us are at the j-o handling business as usual, the feeling in the air right now is nothing short of electric. Head nods, daps, moments of shared laughter and tears. Everyone just seems to be a bit happier, prouder at the moment. And rightfully so. For we, the people of the United States, have just chosen our first African-American President: Barack Hussein Obama. Just reflecting on that point right now hits me pretty hard in the chest. No doubt, this is the greatest moment in our nation’s history and, to be a witness to it all is truly a blessing.

Photo via NYT

[H/T: Allan Cole]

Taking it all in. Still can’t believe what I’m seeing right now. Simply put, WOW!!!

After months of anticipation we made it here–finally! Just got back in from my polling place here in DC and, man, it feels like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. Without a doubt, this will go down as my most memorable voting experience ever!

Surprisingly, the wait in line wasn’t as bad as I expected. About an hour tops but, honestly, I wouldn’t have been mad if it were longer. It was just so great to stand in line watching, listening and talking with so many people who, at 6:45 a.m., were wide awake and genuinely excited to get inside to cast their vote. Even the kids who were waiting alongside their parents didn’t seem to mind being out so early. Such a beautiful sight to see.

I have a feeling today will be a great day!

Thanks to all your nominations, Gureala is now a finalist for Best Science/Technology Blog in the 2008 Black Weblog Awards! I couldn’t have advanced to this round without your support! Seriously. Still, the battle is far from over…

Now that we’re offficially on the ballot, I’ve got to call you guys into action once again, and ask that you visit the BWA Finalist Ballot and cast a vote for Gureala (remember, Best Science/Technology Blog). The same rules still apply: one vote per person/per email address, however, this time around you have to cast a vote in all 30 blog categories before your ballot can be submitted. There are lots of great blogs on the ballot (from humor, to celeb gossip, to music and beyond), so take your time and check a few of ‘em out after you show your love to Gureala!

Voting ends August 31st, so hurry! In the meantime, many thanks in advance!

What’s goin on, folks! Nominations for the 2008 Black Weblog Awards are now underway, and Gureala.com needs your support, and most importantly your vote, to make it onto this year’s ballot!

The rules are simple (one ballot submission per person/email address, valid email addresses only), and the process is quick and easy:

Visit the BWA’s official nomination ballot, fill in the required name and email fields, and paste Gureala’s address (http://gureala.com/blog) under the following categories:

Best Science/Technology Blog, Best New Blog and Blog to Watch

(Of the 30 categories on the ballot, Gureala fits into those 3 the best. However, if you see additional slots where you feel the site belongs, feel free to drop it in!)

So that’s it! I appreciate all the support that I’ve received from you all over these past 9 months, and look forward to informing and entertaining you here on Gureala for a long time to come. In the meantime, spread the word and thanks in advance for your votes!

I didn’t get around to sharing this bit of news last week, but Gureala was recently added to the 2008 edition of A Blog List. The list, compiled by Stefano Ricci of the Italian cool hunting blog ELMANCO in conjunction with Fubiz (France), is a global directory of the best design, graphics, fashion, advertising and new technologies blogs on the web. Major shout out to Stefano and Fubiz for the recognition! Just when I’m thinking that no one’s out there paying attention to what’s going on here on the site, I receive news like this in my inbox!

Gureala’s amongst good company, with a few of my favorite blogs and giants of the tech/cool hunting game also making appearances on the list: Kanye, Engadget, Jean Snow and Hypebeast to name a few. There are tons of great blogs to be discovered on the list, so do yourself a favor and explore the thing in its entirety!

Staying on the theme of innovation…If you have a some innovative ideas in mind that you’re dying to share with the world, and you just so happen to find yourself in the vicinity of Monterey, California this weekend, make an effort to stop by the Bil Conference. Unlike many of the super exclusive tech/design/idea-sharing conferences that we sometimes hear about, Bil is open to any and everyone and its completely free to attend. The official site sums up the general idea behind Bil like this:

BIL is…
an open, self-organizing, emergent, and anarchic science and technology conference.
Nobody is in charge.
If you want to come, just show up.
If you have an idea to spread, start talking.
If someone is saying something interesting, stop and listen.

Pretty simple. In the meantime, have a look at this tentative list of presenters and presentations.

Some Four huge announcements out of San Francisco today as Steve jobs delivered his annual keynote address at the Macworld Conference & Expo. Sadly, there’s still no word on an official IM client for the iPhone, however, 3rd party apps should be coming soon –software developer kits are set for release in February. Now, let’s take a look at today’s announcements:

#1 – Macbook Air:

Apple today introduced the world’s thinnest notebook: MacBook Air. It measures an unprecedented 0.16 inches at its thinnest point while its maximum height of 0.76 inches is less than the thinnest point on competing notebooks. In addition to a stunning 13.3-inch LED-backlit widescreen display, MacBook Air offers a full-size and backlit keyboard, a built-in iSight video camera for video conferencing, and a spacious trackpad with multi-touch gesture support, letting users pinch, rotate and swipe. The new notebook is powered by a 1.6 GHz or 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4MB L2 cache, and it includes as standard features 2GB of memory, an 80GB 1.8-inch hard drive, and the latest 802.11n Wi-Fi technology and Bluetooth 2.1. Starting at just $1,799, MacBook Air begins shipping in two weeks.

#2 – Time Capsule

A backup appliance that works seamlessly with Time Machine to automatically and wirelessly back up everything on one or more Macs running Mac OS X Leopard, Time Capsule combines an 802.11n base station with a server grade hard disk in one small package. “Bring Time Capsule home, plug it in, click a few buttons on your Macs and voilà—all the Macs in your house are being backed up automatically, every hour of every day,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. When it ships in February, Time Capsule will be available in models featuring 500GB and 1TB hard drives for $299 and $499, respectively.

#3 – iTunes Movie Rentals

Available today with the free download of iTunes 7.6, iTunes Movie Rentals allows customers to rent movies for as little as $2.99 and watch them on their Macs or PCs, all current generation iPods, iPhone and Apple TV. Featuring movies from all the major movie studios—20th Century Fox, The Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Lionsgate and New Line Cinema—iTunes Movie Rentals is expected to offer more than 1,000 movie titles by the end of February, including over 100 titles featuring stunning high definition video with 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound. Movies can be rented directly from a widescreen TV using Apple TV.

#4 – iPhone/iPod Touch Updates

iPhone Software Update 1.1.3, a free software update available today via iTunes 7.5 or later, brings significant new features to iPhone. After installing the update, iPhone customers will be able to automatically find their location using the redesigned Maps application; text message multiple people in one message; create Web Clips for their favorite websites; customize their home screen; and watch movies rented from the new iTunes Movie Rentals right on their iPhone.

With the installation of this major software upgrade, the best iPod becomes even more: the world’s best Wi-Fi mobile device. The upgrade—available from iTunes for just $19.99—adds five more great mobile applications to iPod touch: Mail, Maps, Stocks, Weather, and Notes. It also includes such new features as Web Clips, a customizable home screen, and the ability to watch iTunes Movie Rentals on iPod touch.