Today begins Piryxtopia! 5 days of Politics, Technology and Pop Culture Goodness. For those of you without a SXSWi badge, we offer a great opportunity to catch the first panel of the season.

Today at 4:30 pm CT, RealPolitix.com presents the Government 2.0 Panel — Technology for Tomorrow. This panel is an opportunity for State Legislators, staff and the general public to learn how State and local governments can use technology to better serve and communicate with their constituencies. Hear from government, business and technology leaders as they discuss advances in technology, the challenges governments face in adopting new technology, and how technology can positively impact the government’s ability to serve the public today and in the future.

Featuring Panelists: Gregg Burt (President and CEO, Hart InterCivic) Brewster McCracken (Austin Mayor Pro Tem), Tom Serres (CEO, Piryx), Rep. Mark Strama (Chair, Technology, Economic Development & Workforce), Rep. Tan Parker (Vice Chair, Technology, Economic Development & Workforce), Michael Quinn Sullivan (CEO, Empower Texans), and moderated by Elise Hu (Political Reporter, KVUE Austin)

Details: March 12, 2009 4:30pm – 5:30pm @ Texas Capitol Extension. More information is available at http://www.piryx.com/piryxtopia/

For those unable to make it downtown this afternoon, Live Streaming is available through UStream.TV. Tune in at 4:30 CT this afternoon for the feed right here: