Places to eat in Austin, SXSW-style!

Many of you know that I'm always bragging about my Texas heritage. Can't help it! Texas is a great place! And when SXSW is in full-swing, it's a great time to soak up all that is Austin!

Just like last year, Chef Watson will be active at SXSW. We have a Chef Watson session in the making at the historic Driskill Hotel this year. You can check it out on the SXSW website -> http://schedule.sxsw.com/2015/events/event_IAP44524. Bring your recipe ideas!

There are so many things to love about Austin, but I must admit, my favorite thing about Austin is the food! So, in spirit of Chef Watson coming back to SXSW, I've comprised a list of Austin foodie places! Get ready for some great food!

We gotta start with Mexican food!

  • el Alma (http://www.elalmacafe.com/)
  • Mama V's Quezzadillaville (http://www.mamavsaustintx.com/)
  • Licha's Cantina (http://lichascantina.com/)

BBQ, anyone! Yes!

  • Black's in Austin (http://blacksbbqaustin.com/)
  • Micklethwait (http://www.craftmeats.com/)
  • la Barbeque (http://www.labarbecue.com/)

Then there's Southern and Southwestern style!

  • Fixe - Austin’s Southern House (http://austinfixe.com/)
  • Olamaie (http://olamaieaustin.com/)
  • Chavez (http://chavez-austin.com/)

Asian food is sooo delicious!

  • Ramen Tatsu-Ya (http://ramen-tatsuya.com/)
  • Koriente (http://www.koriente.com/)
  • East Side King (http://eskaustin.com/v2/south-lamar/)
  • Sway (https://swayaustin.com/)

And last, but not least, FOOD TRUCKS!

  • Peached Tortilla (http://www.thepeachedtortilla.com/locations/)
  • Be More Pacific (http://www.bemorepacifictruck.com/)
  • Chi'lantro BBQ (http://www.chilantrobbq.com/)

IBM @ SXSW: Geek Girls, #Selfies, Supercomputer chefs, and more!

I’m an Austin gal at heart, so there’s hardly a more exciting time of year for me than SXSW! Once again, IBM will have a huge presence at SXSW Interactive, so I just can’t wait to see my passion for the city of Austin meet my passion for the work we do at IBM!

There will be so many great sessions and events to experience, but I want to give you a taste of a few that I’m really excited about! I hope you’ll check these out and add them to your SXSW schedule! See you in Austin!

Friday, March 13

Social Media Today Breakfast (http://schedule.sxsw.com/2015/events/event_OE03970)
8:30AM - 10:30AM
Join me for breakfast and discussion about how people and technology are transforming businesses. We’ll discuss the new way to work. Request your invitation here: http://bit.ly/SMTSXSW

Decoding Gender Diversity in Tech (http://schedule.sxsw.com/2015/events/event_IAP41428)
3:30PM - 4:30PM
The shortage of women in tech is no secret. The industry has fewer female executives and founders than almost any other. Why the disparity? Learn more about the issue and how companies can fix the gap, with thoughts from Alexa Scordato of Stack Exchange, Carolina Huaranca of Girls Who Chode, Darrell Silver of Thinkful, and Savannah Peterson of Shapeways Inc.

Saturday, March 14

Can anyone really trust user generated content?(http://schedule.sxsw.com/2015/events/event_IAP41634)
12:30PM - 1:30PM
In this session, Gene Austin, CEO of Bazaarvoice, discusses the dark side of social media, along with the impact of inauthentic behavior on businesses and consumers, and what each of us can do to create a web worthy of our trust.

City 2.0: Why Local Gov. Bets on Civic Innovation (http://schedule.sxsw.com/2015/events/event_IAP35776)
3:30PM – 4:30PM
Rapid technological advances, explosive urban growth, and changing economic dynamics are presenting a host of new challenges for U.S. cities. In order to stay competitive, urban leaders are re-envisioning how to run their cities, from meeting the basic needs of constituents to tackling complex urban challenges. Hear from Jessica Singleton, Digital Director from the Office of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, as well as leaders from Chicago, Boston, and San Francisco to see how cities across the US are tackling these challenges.

Sunday, March 15

Geek Girls are Chic! 5 Career Hacks (http://schedule.sxsw.com/2015/events/event_IAP31283)
11:00AM – 12:00PM
Join Elizabeth Caudle, Director of Girls Who Code, and me as we discuss why women in tech matter, how innovation will benefit, and how to foster an interest in tech. Learn why women need to take risks and embrace failure to give them the courage to crash through the glass ceiling or start a new business!

*Following this session, I’ll be available for book signing on 4th floor of Austin Convention Center in SXSW Bookstore at 12:00PM. Come by, get a book and say “Hi!”


Anatomy of #Selfies That Sell
(http://schedule.sxsw.com/2015/events/event_IAP37904)
11:00AM – 12:00PM
Join Pau Sabria, CEO of Olapic, and Chris Haines, Director of Strategy for Fluid, for an insights-packed discussion of the visual commerce landscape, including new data about consumer appetite for visual commerce, the Top 10 best converting photos of 2014, the most innovative and successful brands and retailers in visual commerce, and how to plan your approach to integrating customer photos.

Monday, March 16

How Chef Watson Changed the Way We Prepare Food (http://schedule.sxsw.com/2015/events/event_IAP44524)
9:30AM – 10:30AM
Learn how Chef Watson has changed the way we interact with and prepare food and allows us to make new discoveries. Dawn Perry, Senior Food Editor for Bon Appetit, will be on hand to help us explore this concept in the context of design, implications for the mass market and professionals, and how it impacts how we prepare food in our homes.

These are just a few of the great sessions going on at SXSW, so I encourage you to check out the schedule and find the topics that excite you. Also, make sure you don’t miss IBM’s full day of sessions at the Radisson on Monday, March 16. There’s a new way to work and it’s made with IBM—join us to learn more!

 

 

 

 


Geek Girls are Chic! Selected by SXSW for a Session in 2015!

We are doing a session at SXSW -- YEA! http://ht.ly/BvqyI ) entitled "Geek Girls are Chic - 5 Career Hacks!".

So excited to share a sneak peek and we hope you join us at Southby!!!!

[youtube=http://youtu.be/6f5dMnvjMnw]


Geek Girls are Chic! 5 Career Hacks

Video overview
http://youtu.be/cPi0gGDkFNI
Presentation overview
http://www.slideshare.net/SandyCarter/geek-girls-are-chic-5-career
Vote here:
http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/31283

SXSW2015girls_blog_fullimage2


Digital relationships: make them personal to drive conversions says Patrick Salyer, Gigya!

With over 2bn people with a social account, partnering with social networks can help you understand a lot about your customers says Patrick Salyer, CEO, Gigya. His solution interacts with platforms like Facebook Connect to tell you who your customers are, what they like, their behaviors.

For instance, joint IBM/Gigya customer 24 Hour Fitness uses Gigya to understand more about the interests of their customer base and know who is most influential!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cQo0CxGecE]

Learn more about building digital relationships with Gigya


InXero: helping micro-businesses engage customers through social and mobile!

I am in Poughkeepsie today chatting with clients and our great IBMers here!  The big focus of course is on CAMS -- Cloud, Analytics, Mobile and Social!

This example highlights the value of CAMS!

75% of world trade happens through resellers says Anand Raj, CEO, InXero. Many of these are small businesses who are not necessarily good marketers. InXero gives them the tools they need to get the right content and meet the customer where they are! For instance, developing a showcase for businesses on LinkedIn can be much more impactful than the printed brochures of old.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVvawL5PLn4]

See the InXero platform in action!


Alan Godfrey, Bazaarvoice: making the social firehose useful!

As Alan Godfrey, North American Retail, Bazaarvoice points out, digital engagement with the consumer is everything, whether it be via social, mobile or other channels.

Bazaarvoice, a word-of-mouth content company, helps brands understand who is buying what and why. Their ratings and reviews platform helps retailers in many ways, including the placement of products in stores!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLmt5Tiuf10]

Learn more about building customer engagement with Bazaarvoice!


Michael Sherman from UT Austin: people underestimate the power of Watson!

Michael Sherman is a student at the McCombs School of Business, UT Austin and winner of the recent Watson case competition on campus. He suggested a solution for Watson, the cognitive computer, that can navigate the vast amounts of accounting regulation: more than any human can process!

Learn more about Watson from our IBM SVP Mike Rhodin at TieCon this Friday in Santa Clara.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6d_NBA1nD8U]


Adena DeMonte, Badgeville on gamification and the psychology of motivation!

As Adena DeMonte, Director, Corporate Marketing, Badgeville, points out in this conversation gamification really can be applied across the enterprise in order to motivate certain behaviors. This involves psychology in the planning of motivation techniques for different roles, and analytics to measure the behavioral outcomes.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Slm1S3eOntE?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

Learn more about Badgeville gamification solutions


How do you build strong, simple security leveraging your smartphone? Lance Kelly from Toopher explains!

Security is top-of-mind for many of us, yet we acknowledge that heavy security can represent a huge amount of user frustration (how many times have you been locked out of that service you love?)

Lance Kelly, VP Business Development and Partnerships, Toopher, explains how their solution leverages your mobile phone to provide an extra level of security using your normal username/password combination!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzgaWfzxjnM]

Learn more about Toopher’s security solutions