Photo via Brave New Worlds

An important side note to begin: For you geeks in town who didn’t make it out to the ZOE STRAUSS: TEN YEARS opening party at PMA two weekends ago, fret not: the exhibition runs through April 22nd. If you’ve driven down 95, Delaware Avenue or 76, you’ve likely seen one of the 54 billboards in the Billboard Project accompanying the exhibition– but did you know there’s also a Foursquare contest? Check in at a billboard before April 2nd and enter for a chance to win the grand prize: a private tour of the retrospective and lunch with Zoe Strauss and the exhibition curator.

February means that folks are finally getting back into the First Friday groove, post-holiday season. Here’s what’s happening:

FIRST FRIDAY IN CENTER CITY

Some great standards are happening on February 3rd in Center City: Starting in Old City around 7pm, note the HAMMY SPARKLE opening at Brave New Worlds. If you’re 21+, feel free to cross Market and head a few blocks south– first to the DRINK PHILLY space for a free gallery showing and live jazz on Chestnut Street (don’t forget to RSVP!); then head farther south around 9pm to see notorious duo Tony Trov and Johnny Zito (of South Fellini)’s opening party for TRAMP STAMP! at Tattooed Mom’s. Tunes and drink specials, included.

OTHER EVENTS

If you’re farther down the Schuylkill, you can pop by Lucky’s Last Chance, a vintage pub on Main Street, as they are hosting a February event for (the new-ish) MANAYUNK FIRST FRIDAY.

Sadly, there were no advance updates on any South Philly Second Saturday happenings on East Passyunk Ave next weekend, but here’s a head’s up on two galleries for this weekend in NoLibs/ Fishtown:

On Friday, PLANAR SPLIT, features ‘sci-fi folk art’, and has a reception with live music from 6-10pm at Part Time Studios on Frankford. On Saturday, February 4th, the Slinguff Gallery in NoLibs has an opening: WELCOME SKATEBOARDS AND JASON VIVONA.

BONUS event on Friday, February 3rd:

He may not be showing art… but if you’re out in the South-Eastern PA ‘burbs this Friday, you’re already more than halfway to a DAN AKYROYD BOTTLE SIGNING for Crystal Head Vodka at Total Wine in Claymont, Delaware… Cross the DE border, high-five Dan the Man for being in some of the best movies of your youth, and let him know the Crystal Head Vodka bottle unintentionally gives you tiny rage stroke flashbacks to the last Indiana Jones movie.

Happy travels!

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A Geek’s Gallery Guide is a new monthly preview for First Friday and Second Saturday artist showings in Philadelphia. Submit tips for upcoming gallery events to geekadelphia@gmail.com.

Glen Abrams, Manager of Policy and Strategic Initiatives at the Philadelphia Water Department, Office of Watersheds during his lecture

You could feel the collective, bundled energy amongst both friends and strangers standing outside of the Temple Performing Arts Center yesterday morning. We were all excitedly sipping our coffee and taking the sights of the morning in, waiting for the doors to open for 2011 TEDxPhilly: The City.

After receiving our badges and event booklets, the growing crowd was still a-twitter. Except, we actually weren’t entirely “a-twitter”: After a cheerful welcome (with lots of applause!), the charismatic host– Chris Bartlett– politely presented the first proposal of the day. It was a respectful and appropriate request: for participants to ‘unplug’. No handheld technology! Also off-limits: live tweeting, mobile devices, recording devices, etc. He encouraged us to enjoy the experience of the event this way, and to meet the other participants sitting around us.

Making quite the splash, Mayor Nutter dropped by– praising TEDxPhilly and this year’s theme. “You are watching the renaissance of a great American city,” he commented, after taking a few minutes to discuss how the local government system is creating opportunities for citizens, elaborate on recent transformations in our own city (including federal-level grant work for clean energy technology, Get Healthy Philly, etc) and discussing the merits of our most basic civic duty: voting.

‘The Fractory’ lounge in the downstairs of the event where attendees could use electronic devices and watch the live stream

In the all-day event, participants were presented with nearly two-dozen TED talks; food for thought as part of an active dialog about the challenges, opportunities, realities and innovations that shape and are shaped by inhabitants of a city.

Along with the incredible professionalism of the TEDxPhilly staff and the beautiful venue, it seemed that all of the speakers were well-equipped in their own way to discuss perspectives of many different issues throughout the day– making the event, in entirety, quite lovely to experience.

The talks were separated into different theme tenets: Engage, Transform, Converge and Reveal. (more…)

TEDxPhilly takes on the many different meanings of this year’s theme: The City. Speakers and participants are coming prepared to share ideas and explore the “greatest challenges, innovations, concepts and realities that shape and are shaped by the city and its inhabitants.”

When given the opportunity to preview one of TEDxPhilly’s speakers for the coming event, I found myself cherry picking from an incredible list of local innovators in Philadelphia. The result? A lovely chat with Yael Lehmann, the Executive Director of an organization that has spent two decades developing into an omnipresent resource and connector throughout Philadelphia: The Food Trust .

Philadelphia has been recently recognized for being one of the most progressive ‘food cities’ in America… and for once it has absolutely nothing to do with the cheesesteak. We’re being spotlighted for our city’s changing relationship with urban fresh food access. [The term 'food access' refers to the availability of fresh produce. That term may not phase many Geekadelphia readers as a daily notion past "Where should we lunch today?" but, unfortunately, is a more broad, serious issue across America referring to certain communities having limited access to grocery stores for socioeconomic and geographical reasons.]

All of The Food Trust’s their initiatives stem from a tenet to make affordable, healthy food available to everyone, and they achieve this by connecting and collaborating with communities, schools, grocers, farmers and policymakers.

Can you describe The Food Trust and your position?

Yael: Sure. I’m the Executive Director of The Food Trust, and we strive to make healthy food available to everyone. We see that in a number of different ways: we run farmer’s markets through out the city, we teach kids how to eat healthy in schools, we also work to improve the food choices at corner stores and to bring supermarkets and other healthy food retail into neighborhoods. (more…)

WARNING: Awesome new exhibit includes futuristic greenhouse, experimental music, an original French farce about botany, gastronomic podcasts and GPS treasure hunt.

If First Friday hasn’t been fulfilling your geeky horticultural needs as of the late, hold out an extra week. The American Philosophical Society Museum is going green(house) by presenting a series of five inter-related public programs called “The Greenhouse Projects,” beginning on Friday, September 9, 2011.

Inspired by a current exhibition, the centerpiece is a sustainable greenhouse, designed by award-winning architect Jenny Sabin, that will be installed in American Philosophical Society’s Jefferson Garden (on 5th St between Chestnut and Walnut Streets). The greenhouses are entirely designed/ fabricated using new technologies and recycled materials, funded by a grant from the Heritage Philadelphia Program.

On opening night, volunteers will explain how this ancient way of controlling climate and growing vegetables and flowers out of season can be done, in even the tiniest Philadelphia garden.

Other projects include a sound installation in the greenhouse by composer Kyle Bartlett, a comedy that somehow mixes botany and utopian dreams (presented as part of the Philly Fringe), podcasts on the history of French gastronomy (remember, cooking is a science) and a GPS-guided expedition through the gardens and landmarks of Philadelphia 200 years ago.

Awesome exhibition shall be awesome.

The Greenhouse Projects @ American Philosophical Society Museum
Friday, September 9th
www.apsmuseum.org/greenhouse-projects

The Broet Laureate Brian McGackin

“I’m such an ass/ I must admit/ I’d completely forgotten it/ Convenience stores don’t sell booze here/ Now how the hell will we get lit?”

Broetry promised to take me through the adventures of “Broet Laureate” Brian McGackin, from his high school graduation to his quarter-life crisis. And, dude– he went all the way, man. As a 20-something who is the same age as Brian, it was an enlightening and hilarious first-person peep hole look into the lives of my male friends and former flames over the past decade. And according to this collection, they are all quite the broets.

If you want to know what men think about in their 20s, I can summarize it up in, arguably, three words: “processed food” and “sex”– in no particular order. To bros and broettes alike, Broetry eloquently sheds light on those levels (and often hilarious, obvious lack of) and how they serve as the foundations of his experiences.

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Like any good geek, I enjoy thoughtful things. As both a lady and art school grad, this obviously includes the most interesting of interesting art and jewelery. And I like an artist that allows me to find a sweet pendant ring and then get my man a matching set of Superman cufflinks. So, naturally, you can understand why I have a crush on Etsy’s Comic Salvage.

Oh, and double props to the artist for being from my hometown zip code. We’ve both probably spent more of our time and money than necessary at Jester’s Playhouse.

Be sure to send Sue of Comic Salvage some love on her Etsy homepage and browse about!

Comic Salvage
www.etsy.com/shop/comicsalvage

As a native of Atlantic County and a 7 year Philadelphia transplant, I am beyond pleased to learn that the local Philly startup, DrinkPhilly is covering their bases for weekend vacationers with the launch of DrinkJerseyShore.com.

After turning 21 in Philadelphia, the nation’s beer capital and living next to The Foodery, I lamented my first trip back toward the beach that summer, upon discovering the average swig in my hometown was Corona. Many bars supplied a laundry list of crappy domestic light beers — all significantly overpriced. This left me appalled… since when does being on the beach have to equate with terrible taste?

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If I could, I’d hop in a time machine and hire Ray Troll to draw me a text book about paleontology in 1994  so that my middle school science classes could have truly been–ahem– rockin’.

As the author of She Blinded Me With Science here on Geek, the Academy of Natural Sciences knows all about my ever-lasting love affair with the systematic study of the structure/behavior of the physical and natural world. You probably just call it science. I recently took a stroll through a sweet exhibit that any Ammonite or quirky illustration enthusiast can enjoy: I went Cruisin’ the Fossil Freeway with Artist Ray Troll and Paleontologist Kirk Johnson.

In what sounds like a challenge that the Amazing Race writers only wish they dreamed up, two friends –one an artist, the other a paleontologist– took a series of road trips through out the American west and documented their findings in beautiful, intricate maps and  illustrations.

[ Click Here for the Full Size Image, Makes a Great Desktop Wallpaper ]

That’s right, boys and girls– this exhibit is not the stuff you pretended to memorize in 7th grade natural science. Along with being factual, it’s fun and imaginative… and there’s a painting called Saber-toothed Everything that not only includes a saber-toothed salmon (real, but extinct) drawn in, but somehow has a cheeseburger in it. AND WHO DOESN’T LOVE CHEESEBURGERS?

As the Academy puts it, “A new exhibit… combines art with science to explore evolution, extinction and the treasure trove of fossil finds in the American West. Rarely seen specimens from the museum’s vast fossil collection enhance the discovery experience. The exhibit, on view through Jan. 2, 2011, combines art with science to take visitors on a 5,000- mile adventure into the world of fossils. ”

Action-packed illustrations bursting with color recount what Ray Troll calls “the ultimate paleo road trip” that he and Kirk Johnson navigated through the expansive western states a few years ago. The exhibit features full-color prints, large-scale murals, and an entertaining video in which Troll and Kirk describe the collaborative process. Another video takes visitors on the road with acclaimed Academy paleontologist Dr. Ted Daeschler as he hunts for ancient life in rock formations in north-central Pennsylvania where he has made numerous important fossil discoveries along roadsides.”

And it was absolutely awesome. Cruisin’ the Fossil Freeway is free with museum admission and open until January 2nd, 2011.

Academy of Natural Sciences
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 299-1009
www.ansp.org

Methink’st thou art a general offense and every man should beat thee. –All’s Well That Ends Well

I love me a good Shakespearean insult. And nothing drops a creep at a bar like that line, ladies. Trust me, I know. I can really wear a sweater.

Has an overwhelming desire to recite a soliloquy ever washed over you? Have your friends repeatedly told you to sit down, and that’s not cool to do in a movie theater/Wawa/taxicab, anyway? Thanks to the excellent imagination and talent of Philly based visual artist Michael Rogalski, a solution is possibly at your finger tips.

Masterpuppet Theatre! It’s every bit as awesome as it sounds, and I was fortunate enough to chat with Michael about how he put good ol’ Billy and the Globe Theater in a box set.

Check out the interview after the jump! Want to win a copy of Masterpuppet Theatre for yourself? Leave a comment about your favorite Shakespearean play. I’ll pick one of you at random at the end of the week, and send you a copy. Enjoy!

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“Since its founding, Philadelphia has been at the center of science and technology innovation,” said Mayor Michael Nutter.

It’s true–Philly really does have a reputation of geeking out from the start. Ben Franklin, our favorite spectacle wearing homeboy, was shaking things up in the 18th century, long before a city-state of 19th century museums popped up in Fairmont and a second Indy Hall hit the scene in Old City.

“In an effort to raise awareness and engage its citizens in the science that makes this city great, Philadelphia’s museums, cultural institutions, universities, and corporations are joining forces to launch the Philadelphia Science Festival.”

The folks over at The Franklin Institute are spearheading this exciting, ambitious 2-week initiative to showcase the region’s strengths in science and technology. The city-wide event includes ‘an extensive line-up of programs and exhibitions with a single goal– to make science programming exciting AND accessible.’

And how! Among others, local favorites like the The Academy of Natural Sciences, The Mütter Museum, The Please Touch Museum, The Free Library and Philadelphia Zoo are participating. Hundreds of events will take place in Philadelphia,the bulk of which are free and open to the public, including:

-A kick-off science carnival on The Parkway, open to the public
-Neighborhood Science outreach programs will take place across the city
-School-wide science experiments for kids
-A series of “Science Conversations” featuring lecture events, panel discussions, etc.
-Phillies “Day of Science”
-And the slightly uncomfortable promise of ‘award-winning scientists in unexpected places’

For more updates, stay tuned on Twitter, Facebook, and of course, Geekadelphia. Mark your calendars and get your goggles out– I will be seeing you all in April!

Beep blip boop! All aboard the chiptune express.

I remember the very first 8static so many moons ago, when it was just a handful of geeks blasting blips through two amps, projecting neon flashes onto a sheet in Liberty Lands park. The neighbors called the cops, unsure of what was happening. How far it has come!

As we all know, 8static has migrated to West Philly and has had quite a successful run. City geeks are thrilled to welcome chiptune legend Neil Voss to deliver new,  hard-hitting Game Boy tunes. If you aren’t familiar– Neil produced, composed, and engineered the whole soundtrack for Tetrisphere.

Other performances will be by Void Vision, Peter Swimm and Da Pantz with visuals by 8static regular, VBLANK.

GOOD MORNING, GEEKADELPHIANS! How I’ve missed you, and I’m sure you’ve missed your science updates. Since we’re all fond of a good experiment around here, let’s try Geek Weekly on a Monday and see if anything explodes!

• Interesting read from New Scientist: Once upon a time, asteroids caused Antarctica to freeze.

• What the what?! I came across a scientific abstract discussing how cows are … magnetic?

• A personal favorite, and I swear it’s not because the seal is adorable: Sea animals sweep for mines when robots go rogue.

• How awesome is this? “Modeled after the U.S. Department of Energy sponsored Solar Decathlon, the European Solar Decathlon is a competition for seventeen teams from different academic institutions to create the most efficient, sustainable, and environmentally friendly solar-powered house.”

• Dun, dun, dun: 6th great extinction announced.

• Italian scientists possibly being charged with manslaughter for not predicting earthquake? Exsqueeze me? Baking Powder?

• A little depressing, but sure– why not! Relationship failure algorithms. Not to Liz Lemon on your Monday, but somewhere along the line I’ve developed my own set of variables, and I’m certain these folks meant ‘he takes me for granted’ instead of  ‘sentimental equilibrium’…

• Concept car that acts like a plant. Why haven’t we thought if this sooner?

• My bets are still on Titan, but apparently not all water has life.

• Cool read on ”DNA being the backbone for new logic motherboards” (Thanks to reader @flyingjaco for the tip!)

She Blinded Me With Science is a weekly column for Geekadelphia.com, brought to you by The Letter B. To submit a science tip, email bianca@geekadelphia.com