5 Signs Everything dot.com is dot.com again (in Austin) and 5 Reasons It's Not Quite There

1. CA tech companies are trying to lure away Austin developers - I've heard a lot about this lately. "Like dude, I see you loving on our geeks." But alas, we know about your evil income tax.
2. Everyone who wants one has a job.
3. There are brand new shiny startups - but this time they come with (gasp) revenue models. Ok not all of them.
4. Everyone's talking about online community (but now we call it Web 2.0).
5. All the good sushi places are PACKED.

What I Miss From dot.com Days

1. Charging my clients $150/hour.
2. Being in my 20s.
3. Ignorance of the term and implications of "budget."
4. The sock puppet.
5. The parties. Can anyone say "LAUNCH PARTY!!!" Sure, there are still parties around events, but excess is tempered with drink tickets and hangovers.

In short, I'm glad the economy is back, I'm glad that some of the stock that I own is actually publicly traded, and I'm glad that my favorite sushi restaurant is doing so well.

But I miss being naive and thinking the money would go on forever. Dot.com 2.0 is really burdened by this whole reality thing.