To say the least, the 140 Characters Conference was fun. I got to lead the Music panel and I was fortunate enough to convince Ariel Hyatt, Amanda Palmer, and Ted Cohen to join me. I’m so glad Jeff Pulver invited me to moderate this panel, I never thought I’d get all three names at the top of my list to sit at the table. I felt like a little fish in a very big pond, given that they’ve all dealt with major labels and real established acts in the past and I’m still working my ass off just to bring you all some tunes on a monthly basis. Still, I think each of us managed to provide some insight into the real-time web that your average corporate marketing type wouldn’t really have seen.

Honestly, though, what makes social media events like this fun aren’t really the events. It’s the socializing. Getting to talk about indie music promotion with Ariel is always a highlight. Hearing stories of touring with Van Halen and Prince and the like from Ted Cohen never gets old. And Amanda Palmer? Yeah, she’s as groovy as I anticipated. Busiest woman I’ve ever seen, though, she’s literally the CEO of her own company just like me. Her business is significantly larger, though, so I can see why she needs caffeine. What we talked about on stage mirrored what was happening backstage: Talk to people online, Don’t just promote shit, actually converse. If you’re not interacting with your fans as a human being, you’re not interacting with your fans.

And speaking of interacting with your fans, the most unexpected surprise for me was meeting Derrick, one of my VIP’s, for the first time. He’d been a VIP member since day one, but I never thought I’d actually get to meet him. Why? He lives in frickin’ Singapore. Right now he’s in the Boston area, though, and was attending the 140 Characters conference. I don’t think he knew I was going to be there, but I’m damn glad he showed up. I don’t know if many of you know how cool it feels to meet someone who’s a big supporter even though you’ve never seen them and never played a show in their country. It takes a real fan to take part in something like Matthew Ebel dot net without knowing if you’ll ever actually get to SEE the artist you’re supporting, so I considered it a stone-cold honor to bump into Derrick.

The dinner afterwards sealed the day perfectly. NY Times best-selling author Julien Smith sponsored this indie rocker’s meal that night, and man am I grateful. I got to spend the final hours of the day talking with friends like CC Chapman, Chris Penn, Chel Pixie (who organized the dinner), Jeffrey Sass and his aspiring-rock-star son, and more. These kind of people create a notable change in conversation every time I’m around them. I’m usually among folks who create or manage technology- networking, storage, programming, etc. -but the people I ate dinner with are a different kind of cutting edge. They don’t make the tools, they use them in ways nobody else imagines. It’s refreshing to hear from people who are paving new roads using the toys that my other friends are crafting. It’s a hell of a perspective and I’m thankful for the opportunity to see all sides of the picture.

So here’s to the con-goers at 140 Characters. I hope to see you all next year!

The weather is at that point again where we straddle the line between ski season and bike season. Yesterday it was 60° (15c) in my town, easily warm enough to go for a bike ride. Even with all the skiing I’ve done this winter, I never really realized how much I wanted to just get OUT.

We do tend to trap ourselves, don’t we? We build walls of technology so that we can make ingenious little windows like Facebook and Twitter and look out at the world.

Yesterday I was riding through the world at 25-30mph (40-50 kph) on my electric bike, the Myxercycle. It looked a lot bigger than it has for the past 5 months. Here I am, Monday morning, typing into my little window again, but at least now I know the front door leads to a warmer world again. Forget the economy, things are looking brighter simply because I can bike again.

The electric bike has become a regular part of life for me now… but repetitive jolts to the hindquarters don’t have to be.

The Myxercycle was made possible by the folks over at Myxer. Go with it!

If you want to try one of these bike kits, check ‘em out over at electricrider.com

Any time you’re riding a vehicle of any kind, safety should come first. There’s no point to saving the planet if you’re not going to be around to enjoy it.

The Myxercycle was made possible by the folks over at Myxer. Go with it!

If you want to try one of these bike kits, check ‘em out over at electricrider.com

Everywhere I go I get funny looks. People also seem to be interested in the bike, too.

The Myxercycle was made possible by the folks over at Myxer. Go with it!

If you want to try one of these bike kits, check ‘em out over at electricrider.com

So now I have a pile of high-tech parts. How easy will it be to turn a street bicycle into an electric vehicle?

The Myxercycle was made possible by the folks over at Myxer. Go with it!

I mention Sheldon Brown in this video as well. Sheldon is the quintessential bike nerd with all kinds of helpful articles on bike maintenance. If it can be done, he’s got a procedure for you to read through. Believe me, it’s a lot easier than working on your car.

If you want to try one of these bike kits, check ‘em out over at electricrider.com

Of course you can find Matthew Ebel Ringtones over at myxer.com/matthewebel, as well as make your own ringtones. But Myxer has also jumped on board to sponsor a project I call The Myxercycle.

The beginning of this whole experiment starts with the parts. Here’s what it takes to create a gas-free ride. Or, at least, here are all the bits and pieces I’ll need to put together on the island.

The Myxercycle was made possible by the folks over at Myxer. Go with it!

If you want to try one of these bike kits, check ‘em out over at electricrider.com

If you’ve caught some of my previous posts on Environmental Issues, you’re probably aware that I’m keenly interested in protecting the environment. I’m also keenly interested in not being a pain in the ass about it- I’m not going to tell you to move into a house made of cow dung and become a vegan because it’s the only way to live correctly.

I’m a geek, for heron’s sake, I prefer the high-tech methods of saving the world. And I don’t want my house to smell like poo.

So on the less-extreme side of environmentalism, I recently partnered with an awesome company named Myxer to bring you a whole series of videos and posts about some alternative transportation. It’s graceful, it’s technological, and it’s a lot cheaper than a Prius (a hell of a lot cheaper than a Tesla).

Keep your eyes here for more of what I’m calling The Myxercycle. I’ll be posting some videos soon!