The SXSW 2009 Interactive Panel Picker closes Friday (8/29) at midnight.

Reuben is putting together a panel discussion - The Inevitable Future of Virtual Worlds, description: Virtual worlds and 3D interfaces are changing the flat web into an expressive experience. Copyrighted material of celebrities and real world talent are shaping the online experience through the distribution of virtual goods and likenesses. Google Lively continues to push the envelope as it introduces 3D socializing to mainstream Internet audiences. This panel will explore how virtual worlds are making the immersive web a reality for Internet consumers.

I proposed two how to demonstrations. Machinima Kung Fu - Sure machinima looks easy - record a game, drop it into iMovie and do some voices - but there’s actually a little more to it than that. This session will cover all the tech of making machinima - from hardware and software to in-game strategies to post production issues.

And Custom Video Players For Your Show - You’ve got a unique video show, why not have a player that matches? This session will take you through detailed examples using two popular Flash video players. We’ll show you how to create custom skins and get them set up on your site.

See you in Austin!

We ARE the fun ship. I mean, all we need is Kathie Lee Gifford (that’s a figurative aspiration).

Lauren, Eliana & Blair

Jeff: always closing…

Blair and Chris celebrating…

Reuben tries unsuccessfully to curb his enthusiasm…

Da Boyz

Maria - the Hollywood angle…

Thanks to Gregory for taking these shots.

I had the pleasure of attending the inaugural Virtual Worlds Conference in NYC back in March - the organizers were well ahead of the curve in recognizing the market need for this kind of show. With the explosive growth in this industry - March really does seem like eons ago - the West Coast follow-up next month is clearly the definitive virtual worlds event for those based in Silicon Valley or Hollywood.

Over 1,000 people are expected, including speakers from Cisco, Disney, Intel, Microsoft, Amazon, Turner, MTV, Dreamworks and IBM. Our own Reuben Steiger, Chris Lassonde and Peter Phillips will also be speaking and we’re busy with preparations.

If you’re a follower of this blog and you’re on the West Coast (or hey, even further afield), we’d love to see you there. There will be close to 15 MoU employees roaming around the conference, so say hi. Registration is still open at http://www.virtualworlds2007.com/index.html.

Back in April I went to London where I spoke at a fascinating conference called Wildfire, put on by Leo Burnett and Contagious Magazine. The program focuses on the emerging disciplines of viral marketing, branded entertainment and networked storytelling. At 1:30 PM Monday morning I leave for Singapore for the Asian counterpart to this event, aptly titled “Engage 2007″. At times like this, I truly question my sanity — wondering why I’m willing to fly 14 hours each way to speak for 40 minutes. The answer, I hope, is that the other speakers will be more interesting than I am.