This looks to be a fun and busy month for people who love film in our fair city. The Romantic a full length animated feature by Philadelphia filmmaker Michael Heneghan will be shown at The First Glance Film Festival this Friday, October 15th at 8pm at the Franklin Institute.
What makes The Romantic such an interesting film is the film not only was the brain child of Michael Heneghan, but was almost completely animated over the course of 5 years by him as well. The film is a labor of love and definitely a great film in time for Halloween. I was lucky enough to catch a showing of it last year went it had just been finished and I was really blown away by the film. Not only was it beautiful to watch, you could really tell the story was of a single mind which is very rare these days.
The film definitely shows the best case scenario of one person with a vision putting his singular vision on the screen. Part Tim Burton, Part Neon Genesis Evangelion, this film asks a lot of questions about life, love and God and gives you an interesting perspective on all three. Get more info on the film here www.theromanticmovie.com and get more info on the event here firstglancefilms.tix.com.
Simply put: Switch Philly was awesome. As a member of the tech scene here in Philadelphia I’ve had the privilege to mingle with some truly brilliant minds. It’s become almost commonplace for me to get a first hand account of a cutting edge technology’s capabilities from the very person who created it. Those of you who know me may say, “Duh, Parker. You work at Indy Hall!” Touché, my friend. However, I believe Philly proved last Wednesday night that it’s tech scene is no longer in it’s infancy. Is it still growing? Absolutely. Exponentially in fact. But Switch Philly provided a great snapshot of how far we’ve come, as well as some insight into where we’re headed.
Quick. Credits. Switch was put together by Technically Philly and local entrepreneur Jameson Detweiler. Thanks go to them and the generous sponsors listed on the Switch Philly site. The premise of the event was simple. Five different Philly-based companies presented their latest and greatest tech toys for those of us in attendance to get geeked about. Instead of going the soft route and just patting them all on the back, I’ve decided to just rank them by order of awesome-ness. This is just my take. If you disagree, simply watch the video of the presentation and decide for yourself. Now, without further adieu, my list.
5. Zecozi. Equal parts Etsy, social media, and green conscious products, Zecozi is definitely unique. It enables you to see your friends that are shopping, their purchases, what they’re looking at, and even allows you to engage with the seller of the product you’re checking out. It’s pretty slick. That said, I wasn’t super excited about this one because frankly, I don’t like shopping, on or offline. If you do, definitely click through and check out what Zecozi is all about.
4. PackLate. Do you love to travel? Appreciate spontaneity? Then you’ll definitely love PackLate. PackLate makes finding last minute vacation rental sites so easy, it’s actually kinda fun. CEO Steve Barsh walked us through the process of finding a property (all of which are professionally managed) and even showed us how to game the system. The whole premise is that the later you book, the lower the price goes. Who doesn’t like a good tightrope game mechanic that rewards you with savings? Check it out.
3. CommonSpace. You know those times when your friend who works kinda far away wants to meet up for dinner/drinks, and you can’t seem to find a good halfway spot? Problem solved. Local geospatial analysis firm (yeah, I said it) Azavea has created CommonSpace… and it… is… awesome. Quite possibly the sweetest use of Google Maps to date, even if you never use the site (which you will) you should at least go see how it works. It’s super simple and it’s in beta which means they are oh so eager to add the cool feature you think of as you’re playing with it. Go see for yourself.
2. Apostrophe. Building websites is difficult. Adding content is hard. Changing things you’ve made already takes a looooooong time. Well, not anymore. Geoff Dimasi and his team over at P’unk Ave live demoed Apostrophe 1.5, the latest release of their open-sourced Content Management System. In doing so, they taught me that even my Mom, who doesn’t, to date, know what a FILE is, can build a website. Amazing. You have to see for yourself. Do it. Now.
1. Myna. Brought into reality by Dr. Greg Wilder’s Old City based Orpheus Media Research, Myna is truly a triumph of innovation through the meeting of music, technology, and psychological research. You know how you can hear two pieces of music and say, “Hey, those two songs sound alike.” Well, it’s easy for us to do, with our big squishy brains, but reverse engineering the underlying mechanisms at play and teaching a computer to recreate it has been an immensely challenging feat. Apparently it’s not as simple as plugging some USB ears into your laptop and downloading the Human Emotions app. Crazy, cause I was sure that’d work. Greg basically taught robots to listen to music. And he did it right here in Philly. Check it out to learn more.
Earlier this month, I sat down to interview Jesse Eisenberg, an actor on the verge of something great in his acting career with his role in The Social Network, playing the founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg.
Known for his turn as Columbus in Zombieland, landing this part couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. It was great chatting with him about working with the legendary David Fincher, his thoughts after playing one of youngest billionaires ever, and his thoughts on social media.
A note of warning the interview does contain spoilers about the film’s ending.
What was it like portraying Mark Zuckerberg? Did you actually meet prior to taking the role?
I was unable to meet him unfortunately, when I auditioned for the film I had only Sorkin’s great script to use as a resource. I didn’t know anything about Zuckerberg and hadn’t seen any tape, pictures or audio of him. So when I auditioned for the film I felt I had enough just based on the wonderful script.
During the rehearsal process for the film, which was pretty lengthy, I got every audio clip, picture and video I could find and it helped me in the preparation process.
But the script was so wonderful, the characterization by Aaron was so wonderful that there was enough to use.
How was listening to the audio of Zuckerberg?
It was good, it was very helpful. I put his tracks on my iPod, that I made from the video that I put through Garageband to get the audio then I made an MP3, and put it on my iPod; so I could listen to it everyday on set between takes it need be.
It was helpful not because I was trying to mimic the voice, but it really got me into the spirit of Zuckerberg. Somebody who has created something so successful at such a young age and has to do these interviews, which is where most of the audio came from and is a bit disengaged personally. On one hand he is doing the interviews and has to be personable on the other hand you get the feeling he doesn’t want to be there.
Quirk Books, the company that brought you classics such as Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, has just recently published Night of the Living Trekkies. The book became available on September 7, but if you haven’t picked up a copy yet, you can enter for a chance to win one here on Geekadelphia!
Here’s a quick breakdown the the book, as described by the publisher:
Jim Pike was the world’s biggest Star Trek fan – until two tours of duty in Afghanistan destroyed his faith in the human race. Now he sleepwalks through life as the assistant manager of a small hotel in downtown Houston.
But when hundreds of Trekkies arrive in his lobby for a science-fiction convention, Jim finds himself surrounded by costumed Klingons, Vulcans, and Ferengi – plus a strange virus that transforms its carriers into savage, flesh-eating zombies!
As bloody corpses stumble to life and the planet teeters on the brink of total apocalypse, Jim must deliver a ragtag crew of fanboys and fangirls to safety. Dressed in homemade uniforms and armed with prop phasers, their prime directive is to survive. But how long can they last in the ultimate no-win scenario?
To enter to win a copy of the book (along with a poster of the book’s cover), leave a comment about your favorite Star Trek character… and why you’d like to see them as a zombie. Contest entries will be accepted until the end of next week. The winner will be selected at random by Geekadelphia staff. Good luck!
As Halloween briskly approaches, my various social networks have been lit up with one question… when is the annual Indy Hall and Geekadelphia Halloween bash? Where will it be? What can I dress up as? Will Alex Hillman have a kissing booth? Are the rumors of a Technically Philly dunk tank true?
So let me take a moment to clear some things up for you.
You’ve got a little over two weeks to prepare, Geeks, so get those costumes ready. Friday, October 29th, marks the 4th annual Indy Hall and Geekadelphia Halloween Celebration… or simply Indyhalloween 4.0. Since the blog’s inception in 2006, we’ve thrown down with our favorite coworkers every Halloween, and this one is no different.
The party begins upstairs at Tattooed Mom at 8pm and goes on until question marks. That’s how you know it’s a party. You can look forward to the usual business. Drink specials, cheap eats, and of course, giveaways galore from local sponsors. As always, there will be a costume contest, and we will judge you harshly before dishing out sweet prizes and swag.
So there it is. Bookmark it. Add it to your calendar. Whatever you have to do. Be there.
Indyhalloween 4.0 @ Tattooed Mom
October 29th, 2010, 8pm
530 South St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
(215) 238-9880
You can check out a lot of the art from the show at the Autumn Society’s official website, here. As always, the Autumn Society crew have tagged all their images / works on the blog. Look through them!
How can you win? Just leave a comment with what night you’d be able to attend, and I’ll select several of you at random at the end of the day.
I should also note that my pal, Doogie Horner, will be hosting Thune’s shows. You might recognize him from his stint on America’s Got Talent. Make sure you show up on time. Dude is hilarious.
I also have unconfirmed reports that he killed the bear in that picture… with his beard.
Remember. Leave a comment with what evening you can attend. You’ll be notified tonight.
Ah, The Academy of Natural Sciences. A mecca for Geeks of-all-ages. Dinosaurs, animal exhibits, fancy scientific art… it’s hard not to love this often understated Philadelphia museum, that often gets lost in the shadow of the Franklin Institute.
In a press release emailed out from the museum, they’ve dished out the details for the remainder of the Fall and their plans leading up to the Spring of 201l, offering up a wealth of new events and two shiny new main exhibits.
As for the Academy’s new exhibits, visitors can look forward to Cruisin’ The Fossil Freeway, a fossil / art exhibit that explores fossils finds from the American West. It’ll run from October 23rd through January 2nd, 2011. The other new main exhibit coming immediately after, running from January 29th to April 24th, 2011, is Bizarre Beasts Past & Present. Scope out fossils and wacky extinct creatures from the past. To learn more about the upcoming main exhibits, visit the Academy’s official website.
Other upcoming smaller exhibits include Ned Smith’s Pennsylvania (Nov 6th – Jan 9th) which explores PA’s natural landscape and a new Art of Science gallery called Flora Fantastic: The Whimsical Botanical Art of MF Caradome (Jan 15th – April 17th, 2011), which shows off the Philadelphian’s beautiful mixed media natural works.
One off events? You bet. Overnights galore and Paleopalooza, a weekend long festival in February that celebrates… well, dinosaurs. For details on those events, again, head to the Academy’s website.
And while I’m here preaching the awesomeness that is the Academy of Natural Sciences, why not sign up for a membership? The $70 yearly family membership gives you and another adult (as well as two kids under 18) access to the museum whenever you want, admittance to the Butterflies! exhibit, and invitations to special events. Check it out.
Academy of Natural Sciences
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 299-1009 www.ansp.org
You sometimes find the weirdest stuff when taking truck stops breaks for a quick snack on long trips, and my recent trip to Gettysburg for Horrorfind was no exception. It was a weird sort of gas station / Subway combo and after getting my sub, something at the counter caught my eye… it was two of my favoriteStreet Fighter characters Ryu and Chun-Li totally engaged in non-Capcom approved behavior.
The first thing I noticed was the bold English letters on the box “Stree Overlord” and that was the only text I could read on the packaging. Upon asking the gentleman who owned the establishment what they were, he embarrassingly admitted that it was a box of “sexual enhancers and penis enlargers”.
I honestly couldn’t stop laughing and bought a package to add to my oddities of the road collection. More pics are after the jump. Please note, these are NSFW.
In anticipation of the opening of The Social Network it was truly a pleasure to interview one of the most talented writers in Hollywood… Aaron Sorkin. Sorkin not only wrote The Social Network but executive produced the film as well.
To say the man is a legend would be a grim understatement on my part, a man with such films as A Few Good Men and the television series The West Wingto his credit. I learned quite a bit about the film that I didn’t know from Sorkin and I hope you do too.
Please note, the interview does contain spoilers about the film’s ending.
At what point did David Fincher become involved with your script for The Social Network?
I delivered the script to Sony on a Thursday, there was only one director they wanted to take it to and they green lit it right away, and it was David. It was given to him on Friday morning the next day and Friday afternoon I got an email from him saying, “Hey Aaron, it’s David I am directing The Social Network can I come over?”
Some would say you took quite a few liberties with the original subject matter, the book The Accidental Billionaires. While remaining true to the story you told an even more compelling narrative. What was your inspiration behind some of your stylistic choices while adapting the book and changing the story structure?
Let me be clear, when I began writing this film there was no book. Ben and I both wrote these at the same time, what I got was a 14-page book proposal. Ben’s publisher was shopping it around for a film sale and that is how it ended up in my hands. I was on page three of the book proposal when I called and said I want to do this, it was the fastest I ever said yes to anything.
I just assumed Sony would want me to wait a year or so, so there was a book to adapt but they didn’t, they wanted me to start right away. So Ben and I were working at the same time and we would speak or meet every four or five months and share some information, but I knew we were going to be attacking the story from two different angles.
Dorian’s Parlor is a monthly Steampunk event held at The Doubletree Hotel in Downtown Philadelphia. It’s not just a bunch of people dressed up in brass and leather either. There is music, food, fashion, vendors, and more.
For the October event, which is being held on the 16th, the performers include The Absinthe Drinkers, The Gypsy Nomads, Sidetracked’s Fire and Brimstone, and Little Miss Rollerhoops! Vendors include Mayfaire Moon Corsets, Culture Asylum Magazine, Freya’s Fire Jewelry, KVO Designs, The Vintage Shaving Shoppe, Spikes and Rings, and Dragonweave Jewelry.
Entry is $20, and it includes admission, drink ticket, and Hors D’oeuvres. However, you can WIN a pair of tickets to the October event, thanks to Dorian’s Parlor sponsor Circuit Six!
How you ask? Just post a comment below! We have two pairs to give away. We’ll choose two winners at random by October 12th 2010. Winners will be notified by e-mail. Good luck!
Dorian’s Parlor @ The Doubletree Hotel 237 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA
Saturday, October 16th, 8 p.m. – 1 a.m.
Tickets: $20 (includes admission, drink ticket, and Hors D’oeuvres) www.doriansparlor.com
Next Thursday, on October 14th, Dr. John Tresch of the University of Pennsylvania will present an illustrated lecture entitled The Experiments of Edgar Allan Poe, combining both science and literature into an epic evening of… science and literature.
That’s right, Poe was into science. According to the Wagner, Poe’s “best-selling work before his death wasn’t the Tell-Tale Heart… it was a manual for amateur seashell collectors, appropriately titled, The Conchologists First Book. He also worked as an early science journalist, reporting and evaluating new discoveries and inventions to readers curious about the world, and enthusiastic about Natural History and the classification of species.”
This talk is part of the Wagner’s evening lecture series. Hang around afterwards for a Q&A following the talk. For more info, visit the Wagner’s official website.
The Experiments of Edgar Allan Poe
Thursday, October 14th, 5:30pm
Wagner Free Institute of Science
1700 West Montgomery Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19121
(215) 763-6529 www.wagnerfreeinstitute.org
