South by Southwest is in full effect, and there's no shortage of NFT talk.

Cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are buzzy, and if you're anywhere near downtown this week, you've probably stumbled across a poster, popped into a brand activation on tokens or overheard a festival-goer chatting about them.

Catch up quick: NFTs are unique digital assets — often works of art, game characters and other creative products — recorded on a blockchain, or persistent digital ledger.

• Think of them as digital collectibles.

State of play: We counted more than two dozen NFT events on the SXSW schedule, including meetups, workshops, panels, galleries and more.

Perhaps one of the most popular installations was from the company Doodles, which offered a colorful exhibit on the corner of East Cesar Chavez and Trinity Street, drawing a line that stretched around the building for much of the weekend.

What they're saying: Evan Keast, co-founder of Doodles, said recent headlines on NFTs tend to be distracting and focus on the mining and selling of the digital asset.

• "[The headlines are] not really about the underlying technology, the community and what they mean for the future of tech," Keast told Axios on Monday.

Roughly 2,400 people passed through the Doodles installation Sunday, and since it opened Friday, Keast estimated that about 500 are owners of a Doodles NFT.

• "Doodle holders" swipe their phone around the room, making their own virtual NFT appear in real life — on a rocket ship, a flower or a coffee cup.

Asher chatted with a man queuing outside Doodles.

• "How long have you been in line?"
• "About 10 minutes," the man replied.
• "And what is this?" Asher asked.
• "I have no idea," he said.

More on NFTs at SXSW

In the latest ripple effect of the pandemic, Barton Springs Pool will be closed indefinitely for most of Mondays and Wednesdays.

Driving the news: The city doesn't have enough certified open-water lifeguards to operate the pool.

Why it matters: Who among us has not cooled off at the storied pool as temps rise to scorching levels?

Between the lines: In response to the pandemic, the city's aquatic division ceased training lifeguards during spring break of 2020.

• Currently, Austin has 23 certified open-water guards on staff — and requires as many as 75 during the summer.

What they're saying: "The pandemic definitely changed the game," aquatics division manager Jodi Jay told Axios.

Flashback: Austin has about 100 lifeguards on staff — but needs around 650 to open summer pools for the 2022 swim season, which starts June 3.

Of note: The Monday and Wednesday closures, which start next week, will not affect the 5am-8am swim times, which will remain on "swim at your own risk" status.

• The pool will also be closed during the regular Thursday cleaning from 8am-7pm.

What's next: The city is hosting lifeguard hiring fairs Wednesday and Friday afternoons this week.

• Pay starts at $15 per hour, and lifeguards must be at least 15 years old.

Dive deeper

We recently asked for your lifeguarding memories — the quintessential teenage summer job:

• "Many years past, at sixteen, I was a lifeguard at a city pool," writes reader Michael B. "I recall one phrase I used over and over. 'No running, no running.'"
• Catie H. wrote us to say lifeguarding imparted "how to manage in a crisis situation."

"I was a summer camp counselor and a member of the lifeguard team. We had to get specially certified to guard lakes, as there are some specific skills and processes for water that aren't clear. But it was worth all the extra training to surprise my cabin with a special morning swim where they could watch the sunrise from our camp's swimming lake. Great memories!"

Texas ranks 42nd among states in terms of its per capita funding to agencies supporting visual artists, dance troupes and small theaters, per data from National Assembly of State Arts Agencies.

Of note: The mission of the grant-making Texas Commission on the Arts is to "advance our state economically and culturally by investing in a creative Texas."

See how Austin's arts funding compares

🤖 The Center for Autonomous Robotics, a new spot for startups to develop drones and autonomous vehicles, has opened just southwest of the Pennybacker Bridge. (Austin Inno)

🔨 The owner of a Hyde Park building formerly occupied by a post office aims to transform it into a restaurant and shops. (Austin Towers)

🚔 A suspect was taken into custody Monday for shooting a Bastrop County Sheriff's Office deputy three times. The office said the suspect had previously been arrested by the agency 25 times. (KVUE)

🧹 Companies are sweeping the nation on our Local Job Board.

1. Technical Program Manager at Digital Turbine.
2. Content Strategist at One Affiniti.
3. Senior DevOps Engineer at Sail Point.

Want more opportunities? Check out our sponsored Job Board.

Hiring? Post a job.

Ground has broken on a 58-story tower set to rise by the corner of West Sixth and Guadalupe streets.

• That's right across the street from the old U.S. post office.

The big picture: The 561,000-square-foot tower, known as 321 West, will feature:

• Ground floor shopping, as well as 440 parking spots between floors two and 11.
• 40,000 square feet of office space.
• 369 apartments.
• A 55th floor "sky lounge" and terrace — to gaze down at tiny Austinites, moving as if in toy cars, far below.

What's on floors 56 through 58

Cheetos immersed SXSW attendees in a hands-free experience on East Sixth Street, which will be open through Tuesday.

• The joke being: Everything from self-driving cars to robot vacuum cleaners were designed so that we can get our fingers sticky with orange Cheetos dust.
• On the menu: A margarita with a Flamin' Hot Cheetos rim.