SxSW Wow!!!

A New Look

You may notice that there are a few things different around here! I am approaching the three year anniversary of The Code Cave and have decided to spice things up a bit. The site is now sporting a new theme on a new web host, its own VSP. And I’ve got a number of posts lined up to be published. The first of which is this one. My entry into the Blog World and New Media Expo Free Ticket to South By South West Interactive contest.

Sham WOW!

Now, I have to admit I was inspired by an infomercial that you simply can’t get around seeing these days. It’s Vince Offer‘s Sham Wow product:

Now if you haven’t seen that, surely you’ve seen the “Slappin your troubles away” Slap Chop. The excitment Vince shows for his favorite past time, of selling products everyone could use, is infectious.

I’m not the first to be inspired by his exuberance. Rhett and Link have given the commercial their full treatment and created this video:

And now… SxSW WOW!

My reaction ( major hat tip to http://twitter.com/markjaquith ) to Blog World and New Media Expo giving away a free ticket to SxSWi was simply WOW! and stare at the screen for screen for a while waiting for my brain to turn back on and finish processing every thing it had been ignoring from my eyes for the last 5 minutes. SxSW wow! And that was it! the vision was born within minutes of reading the article.

I shot some even fancier footage from my motorcycle showing the excitement of the 20 hour drive down to Texas, if that’s how I went (And yes, I would live stream the whole way). And had some other ideas to include, but the priorities fell to 1. Get the site transferred to the new host. 2. Make the site pretty enough to host the video 3. Get the blasted thing DONE!

So without any more ado, whatever that is, I present you with “SxSW WOW!” (uploaded at March 01, 2009, 10:43 PM PST):

I do need to thank my loving wife Denise Layman (aka Sorka) of knitting fame at KnitChat.com for all of her help filming with MS Movie Maker tips as I’d never used it before. Thanks Love!

Download hi res 600mb

Mentioned in the Video

Tim Bourquin founder of New Media Expo – who seems like a really nice guy And as far as I know he’s never consumed 20 times his weight in ANY type of liquid
Rick Calvert – Co-Founder of Blog World Expo who I know is a really nice guy
Jim Turner – aka Genuine, who is an excellent write of no little fame. I noticed that he happened to be the author of the contest post! And as far as twitter is concerned, yes, I’m pretty sure he is following me!

Sham WOW! Script

Since I had this file on my desktop I figured I’d share my script with you. Here are the original and new lines I used from the commercial:
O: Hi It’s vince with Sham Wow!
N: Hi it’s Brian and I’ve got a SxSW Wow! from Blog World Expo!

O: I’ll be saying wow, everytime I use this ticket.
N: You’ll be saying wow, every time you use this towel.

O: It’s like a shammy it’s like a towel it’s like a sponge.
N: It’s like a party, It’s like a confererence, I’ll be like a sponge, YAY ME!

O: Sham wow holds 20 times its weight in liquid.
N: SxSW attendees absorb 20 times their weight in liquid! Just ask Tim Bourquin

O: Look at this it just does the work
Why do you want to work twice as hard
N: Look at this, I’m doing work!
Why would I want to be working at home?

O: Made in germany. You know the germans always make good stuff
NOT USED: This is a gift from blog world expo, you know Calvert always makes good stuff…
REPLACED: Every SxSW Wow! comes pre-Rick rolled by (Rick) Calvert himselfs

O: Here’s some cola, wine coffee cola pet stains
Not only is your damage on top but
There’s your mildew. that is gonna smell you see that?
N: Here… here is my anxiety of how to get to SxSW. My sweat, my tears, my embarrassing stains,
Not only is it on top
But it’s down deep man

O: Were gonna do this in real time
Put it on the spill, turn it over
without even putting any pressure 50% of the cola right here. Following me camera guy
The other 50% the color starts ta come up.
N: I’m gonna stream this live
I put my SxSW Wow! on top and roll it
No Pressure man, No pressure and suddenly 50% of my worries are gone!
All that remains is the fun of getting there. You followin me (Jim) Turner, you followin me?

O: No other towel is gonna do that
It works like a vacuum.
N: And look at that
It works like a Valium.
No other ticket is gonna do that!
SxSW Wow!

O: See what I’m telling you.
Sham wow – you’ll be saying wow every time
N: See what I’m telling you.
SxSW Wow! – I’ll be saying Wow! all the time!

THANKS BLOG WORLD EXPO!