Meet my good friend Marisa McClellan. A celebrated blogger (and now a published author!), Marisa runs the wildly popular Food in Jars blog, where she teaches the Internet how to make delicious canned nibbles.

Yesterday Marisa’s book, Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year-Round, hit stores everywhere via Running Press, a lovely publisher here in Philadelphia. The book is fantastic, the photography is beautiful, and you should absolutely pick it up immediately.

Seriously. Do it now. Here’s a link to Amazon. You’re welcome.

In honor of her book release, Marisa’s our Geek of the Week. Enjoy, and make sure you visit her blog at foodinjars.com.

1. What made you decide to launch Food in Jars? Why canning?

I started Food in Jars in early 2009 because my job as the editor of Slashfood (AOL’s now-defunct food blog) was ending and I wanted to stay in the food blogging world. I grew up canning with my mom and have been entirely obsessed with jars for years, so it was something that was always part of my life. At the time, there weren’t really any blogs out there dealing with canning, so I figured it would be a good niche for me. At the time though, I had no idea that canning would effectively become my career.

2. A lot of times when a blog lands a book deal, we see those blogs go quiet, start updating less. You? You don’t stop. How did you find a balance between writing on the blog, pursuing your other writing interests, and working on your cookbook?

To my mind, it was never an option to stop writing the blog while writing my book. One of the reasons that I got the opportunity to write the book was that I had an engaged community of readers. A large part of my value as an author was that audience. I had to continue to feed that relationship and develop that community so that there would be people welcoming the book when it was finally released. So I kept writing.

I will say that the summer of 2010 was really hard, because that’s when I was developing all the recipes for my book and was still working full time. I spent all my free time canning and making sure all the recipes for the book worked, while also continuing to invent stuff for the blog. It wasn’t so much about balance as it was general brute force.

(more…)

Photo by Beau Roulette

Back in high school, a few friends and I painstakingly taught ourselves how to play Pardon Me and Drive on acoustic guitars, in attempts to impress girls. I mean, why else do you pick up an acoustic guitar? Ten years later, and I’m still listening to (and poorly playing) songs by Incubus.

So needless to say, I was pretty thrilled that I had a chance to ask Brandon Boyd, the lead singer of Incubus, a couple of questions. They just toured through the area (some of you might have caught them at Penn’s Landing) and are playing in Camden tonight.

Fun fact, Brandon not only spends a lot of his time writing music, but he also paints and writes books. And as a serious book and publishing geek, I asked him some questions about his literary and artistic pursuits.

So along with your music career, you paint, you’re into photography, you’ve written books… how do you manage to find a way to balance all of your passions?

I like to follow muse wherever she goes! Sometimes she wanders into bookish moods, sometimes into noise and I am compelled to organize notes and words into song, then occasionally she will sing to me from the backside of a camera. I made it sound a lot more esoteric than it actually is; I just really enjoy making things. Pulling thoughts, moods and landscapes out of the ether! There I go, back to the esoteric.

Speaking of those books, what are some of your major literary influences? How have they affected your writing?

A few of my favorites are Henry Miller, Tom Robbins, Robert Anton Wilson, Kurt Vonnegut, and William Burroughs to name just a few. (more…)

Mega-Mad Movie Night returns to the Academy of Natural Sciences at the end of the month, on Thursday, May 31st. This time around, they’ll be showing the Oscar winning cinematic gem, Sharktopus.

On stage for the live commentary are Jason Poole, Paul Callomon, and Mark Sabaj-Perez, the Academy’s shark expert. The event is adults only, and guests can look forward to light snacks, beer, and roaming the museum from 6:30 to 8pm when the movie begins in the theater.

Oh! And this time around, the Academy will be hosting a raffling, dishing out a copy of Sharktopus signed by Roger Corman, a bunch of Sharktopus t-shirts, and an (adorable?) Sharktopus plush.

We’re giving away three pairs of tickets to some lucky readers. Just leave a comment with your dream mashup monsters, and I’ll select three of you at random at the end of next week. You’ll score two tickets and be given the opportunity for the best first date ever.

Sharktopus @ the Academy of Natural Science
Thursday, May 31st, 2012
mbmnsharktopus.eventbrite.com

This Saturday, I’m swinging by ComedySportz Philadelphia to guest judge their geek themed improv show. I did this last year as well, and it was an absolutely blast. You should come!

Here are the details on the show, straight from ComedySportz’ website:

On Saturday, May 19th at 10PM, we are letting our Geek Flag fly with the return of ComedyGeekz! It’s still ComedySportz but fortified with Dilythium-Crystal-powered fun: comic books, LARP, video games, Sonic Screwdrivers, knowing Han shot first — your inner nerd will totally be geeking out!

Featuring a distinguished panel of Celebri-geek Judges: Eric Smith Editor of Geekadelphia, Joel Rickenbach from the You’ve Got Geek on You podcast and Tara Bennett, Pop Culture expert and co-author of The Lost Encyclopedia.

Oh man, we are totally stoked! Get out of your parents basement and see this show!

We’re psyched too, ComedySportz! See you there!

ComedyGeekz @ ComedySportz Philly
Saturday, May 19th @ 10PM only

The Playground
2030 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA
$17/$14 (students w/ ID)

This Friday, the Please Touch Museum is throwing an epic celebration of all-that-is Star Wars. After all, it is May 4th.

The museum is encouraging families to swing by the museum dresses as their favorite Star Wars characters, and enjoy tons of Star Wars themed activities through out the day. This includes:

•  “Padawan Academy” themed story times with favorite Star Wars heroes
•  A Far Far Out Dance Party in Hamilton Hall
•  Star Wars characters from Pennsylvania’s 501st Garrison Carida, as well as the Mav oya’la Clan of the Mandalorian Mercs Costuming Clubs will be making appearances for photos
•  Special End of the Day Imperial March lead by Star Wars villains

For more details on the special Star Wars day and for information on the museum, visit their official website. May the 4th be with you!

Please Touch Museum
4231 Avenue of the Republic (19131)
www.pleasetouchmuseum.org

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol hit Blu-ray and DVD last week, and our pals over at Redbox were kind enough to hook us up with a copy to giveaway here on the blog. Thanks guys!

Unfamiliar with the film? Shame on you. Here’s the summary.

No plan. No backup. No choice. Agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his elite team (Jeremy Renner, The Avengers and Simon Pegg, Star Trek) go underground after a bombing of the Kremlin implicates the IMF as international terrorists. While trying to clear the agency’s name, the team uncovers a plot to start a nuclear war. Now, to save the world, they must use every high-tech trick in the book. The mission has never been more real, more dangerous, or more impossible.

Get it? More impossible?

MI: Ghost Protocol was easily the best action flick I saw last year, and I was fortunate enough to catch it at the Franklin Institute. If you haven’t seen it, now’s your chance.

To enter, just leave a comment about your favorite moment in the Mission Impossible film series. I’ll choose a random one of you at the end of next week, and you’ll score a copy of the DVD, as well as a poster from Redbox.

Curious about where you can score rentals via Redbox? You can search for a Philadelphia location near you right on their website.

Carving up a turkey

This week’s Geek of the Week is a man of varied interests, my pal Brian Lim.

Philadelphia foodies might know Brian from his food blog Bridges Burgers Beer, where he rambles about local nibbles, or from his work with Foodspotting as a Philly Foodspotting ambassador. Those driving in and out of thte city… well, you probably don’t know him, but he’s the gentleman who helps engineer those bridges your car zips over.

Bridges. Burgers. Blogs. Brian does a lot. Read on to learn about this geeky gentleman.

So when you aren’t busy at your day job, you run a food blog. Tell us a bit about it.

I started my blog, Bridges, Burgers & Beer in October of 2009. It was sorta created out of boredom. I like to eat, drink, and cook. I’m also somewhat of a bridge geek. I hoped to combine my passions for all those things in my blog.

You party down with the Philly Foodspotting community quite a bit. Tell us about that group.

I got hooked on Foodspotting a few years ago when my friend/fellow blogger, Amy Cao, started to work with them. Because I take photos of my food normally and it was a fun, neat way to find food, I figured why not contribute to Foodspotting.

Since then, a Philly Foodspotting community developed and I became one of the two Philly Foodspotting ambassadors. We hold a food eatup or crawl every month, open to everyone. (more…)

Last week we teamed up with the Philadelphia Science Festival to dish out an all access pass to see every film during the week long celebration of science.

Today, we’ve got something just as awesome. A pair of tickets to All About Ales, an awesome beer event at the Yards Brewing Company on Friday, April 27th. Here’s some details regarding the event from the Science Festival’s website:

Why did Ben Franklin brew with spruce trees? What makes a porter a porter? And why do oysters taste so good with stout? Discover the answer to these questions during a night of sensory experiences at Yards Brewing Company.

Interact with the Yards brewers as they explain the science of the brewing process and the chemistry behind some of their favorite brews — what happens to make an IPA different from a saison? In the tasting room, explore some great beer and food pairings and find out from taste experts the chemistry that makes them go together.

Other collaborators include Percy Street BBQ and Betty’s Speakeasy & Fudge, so you know this is going to be a fantastic evening of tasty brews and delicious nibbles. Please note, you have to be 21+ to attend.

The winner will score two tickets (worth $30 a piece) to the event. To enter, just leave a comment about your favorite local beer. I’ll select one of you at random this Friday. Easy as that.

Good luck!

All About Ales @ the Philadelphia Science Festival
Friday, April 27th, 2012
http://ph.ly/_b1x_

How… how did this happen?

In a moment that can only be expressed by a Darth Vader-esque noooooooooooooo, Technically Philly won last night’s Philadelphia Foursquare Games. We fought (and trolled) bravely through the evening, but in the end we were defeated.

A lot of other fantastic organizations and blogs came out to play, including SMC Philly, PANMA, Indy Hall, InLiquid, P’unk Ave (who wore awesome team shirts), the William Way Center, Drink Philly, and the Independence Visitor Center with PCVB.

I took a bunch of pictures on my iPhone as I sat at the sidelines, vanquished. You can browse through them on Flickr, or check ‘em out in the slideshow below. Thanks for a fantastic evening, everyone.

And Technically Philly… we’ll get you next time.

wholesale beads | university essays prompts very cheap

I don’t even know what half of these are

In an era where politicians can announce their run for office on Facebook, Twitter, and make nationwide headlines for joining Pinterest and Spotify, the social media savvy voter has to ask… will candidates who don’t show up on the digital playing field be left behind?

Well, this Thursday, April 19th, you can have those questions answered for you at the National Constitution Center.

A number of political strategists and social media folks are coming to the NCC to chat about the role of social media and its impact on the 2012 presidential campaign, with Jonathan Capehart of the Washington Post moderating.

Speakers include Maria Cardona, the Emmy-nominated Daniel Sieberg (Google Politics & Elections), Andrew Rasiej (co-founder of TechPresident), Todd Van Etten (Managing Director of Crowdverg), and more. For a full list of speakers and their backgrounds, visit the NCC’s official website.

The panel is free and open to the public. Come learn something.

Social Media: The New Political Battleground
Thursday, April 19th, 2012
constitutioncenter.org/calendar/social-media-the-new-political-battleground

National Constitution Center
525 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 409-6895
www.constitutioncenter.org

Emilio Garcia, the famed designer and illustrator celebrated for his quirky jumping brain toys, is visiting Drexel University for a four-day workshop and residency. As a designer, Garcia has worked with companies like Hitachi, Diesel, Inditex, Metro, Vans and The North Face.

He’s coming all the way from Barcelona, Spain for the workshop, and he’s giving a special public lecture that anyone can attend. The talk is free and open to the public, and will take place in the Stein Auditorium on Monday, April 16th.

The lecture will “focus on the world of collectable toy making, a growing sub-culture taking hold in many of world’s urban centers.” For more information, visit Drexel’s website.

Emilio Garcia, Public Lecture
Monday, April 16, 2012
Free and Open to the Public

Stein Auditorium
111 Nesbitt Hall (3215 Market St)

I am not proud of this Photoshop

Update: Contest over! Thanks for playing! The Philadelphia Science Festival is quickly approaching, and we sure are psyched here at Geekadelphia. With institutions all over the city celebrating in their own way, there are a TON of events to check out.

But there are only twelve movies.

Listen Geeks, I know you. So we’ve teamed up with the folks at the Science Festival to run this awesome contest. We’re giving away a special film package to a lucky reader.

You’ll score two passes to see ALL THE FILMS during the festival, and each pass is worth nearly $100 ($96.50). One of the films is free with admission to the Franklin Institute, so as a bonus, you’ll get free admission to the museum for the day. Movies screening at the Science Festival include:

• 4/21: Man on a Mission *
• 4/22: Eco Pirate: The Story of Paul Watson *
• 4/22: Wiebo’s War *
• 4/23: Chasing Ice
• 4/23: Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure
• 4/24: The Chocolate Farmer *
• 4/24: The Corridor
• 4/24: Apartment 143
• 4/27: The City Dark
• 4/28: Flatline
• 4/28: Pink Ribbons, Inc *
• 4/29: A Fierce Green Fire *

* Indicates a Philadelphia and/or East Coast premiere.

Yes, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure is seriously playing during the Philadelphia Science Festival. Do not question this. DO NOT.

So in the tradition of this being a festival about science, leave a comment about your favorite science fiction flick for a chance to win. I’ll select one of you at random on Monday, and winners will have their tickets mailed to them directly from the festival. Please note, a lot of these films overlap, so you’ll have to choose your movies wisely.

Make sure you visit the Philadelphia Science Festival’s website for more information on the awesome celebration of SCIENCE.

Philadelphia Science Festival 2012
April 20th – 29th, 2012
www.philasciencefestival.org