The South By Southwest interactive conference is about technology, what's next, and big ideas. Each year is more jam-packed and overwhelming than the next. This year we took a contrarian approach to the conference for our team on the ground: Rather than tweet and blog the stuffing out of it in real time, we asked them to stay in the moment and pay attention.

I woke up this morning thinking about basic needs at the conference and how several brands are fulfilling them. AT&T and others are providing convenient ways to charge your cell phone in the endless search for a power outlet. Walk ten feet and someone with a logo will feed you breakfast tacos or give you something caffeinated to drink. And if you wish you had better notes, Ogilvy Notes has solved that problem beautifully.

I wonder if anyone has solved the basic need for peace and quiet down in Austin.

The back channel is full of people who are stimulated to the point of feeling overwhelmed. They are reminding each other to pace themselves as they navigate a sea of multi-tasking digital humanity.

Until I get there next year with my quiet room … or Quiet Room, the gamification of nothing, a hipster start-up ... science suggests folks should go outside and look at the sky with phones OFF for 15 minutes of nothing while sniffing lavender. Then run off to your next session.