Let's be clear — Friday was certainly no slouch of a day for news. Between a seismically shocking earthquake of unfathomable magnitude in Japan to terrifying threats of tsunamic stirrings in California, the information cup overfloweth with coverage of events of actual significance.

But on Friday, in a influential town in central Texas, a little geek gathering was just beginning to take shape. You may know it as South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive (while, understandably, some Austin residents may dub it When Driving Downtown Becomes a Pain in My Ass Week).

The thousands of geeks worldwide that migrate south to our state's capital every March simply call it a "geek spring break."

And try as the masses of mega nerds might to maintain their footing on the firm ground of reality, the microcosm sucks them in, geek by unsuspecting geek.

Before they know it, their badge lanyards are wrought with cheap metal pins from startups no one ever knew existed, "session" (attending or avoiding) is the word of the day and the biggest dilemma they now face is how long the inevitable wait will be outside the ungodly crowded Mashable/Frog Design/Diggnation cattle parties.

So then you'll see why the biggest order of business for the day on the 500 block of E. Cesar Chavez St. was ....? None other than the sale of the iPad 2 on Friday afternoon, but of course.

When Apple releases a new product into the wild, technological lust manifests itself in that sleek design, those creamy matte finishes and the guarantee that being the first to own it is the closest thing to godliness in the nerdoverse.

Past frenzies and acquisitions hold absolutely zero sway when the latest Apple toy emerges. The slate of techie clout is wiped like a hard drive, and those that missed the last go 'round have a chance at digital redemption.

There was only one glaring problem with the iPad 2's coming out date — it was to occur on the first official day of SXSW Interactive.

Panic set in. Was Apple alienating its most zealous fans? Would the highest order of technophiles, confined to the shackles of pedestrianism while at SXSW, be relegated to owning Apple's new baby — gasp! — after the plebeians?

Of course not.

They don't call it the "Genius Bar" for nothing, folks. Like a mirage, the rumored Apple pop-up store appeared ready for disbursement of the goods at the corner of Congress and W. 6th Street. — cleverly within scrambling distance of the headquarters of the sucker-pocketed eager geekers at SXSW.

And boy, did they come a-flockin'. At around 4:30 p.m., you could've confused the queue outside the makeshift store with the SXSW badge registration line. It slithered down Congress before abruptly turning on W. 5th Street, stretching for blocks and blocks toward the horizon.

We know what you're thinking. Didn't these people pay to attend a conference? Indeed, young Padawan, but there's one thing you probably don't know about SXSW — it's not the panels or sessions that make the event. It's the unscripted part that really rocks your motherboard.

Which is what, we'd imagine, the quartet of South African men that headed up the line were thinking (right behind "Sweet John," the very first to own an iPad 2 at SXSW, that is). They arrived in Austin only Friday morning — and went promptly to the pop-up Apple shop to stake their claim on the new loot.

"We jumped off the plane and came straight here," one of the men said. And waited nine hours in line. For the love of Apple.

Geekery that knows no bounds? You'll see it everywhere this weekend in Austin. Welcome to SXSW Interactive 2011.