Red Tettemer’s Annie Heckenberger is basically Philadelphia’s Plutarch Heavensbee. If you don’t get the reference, I apologize. If you do, then head to the Marion Anderson Center on April 16th, for the Philadelphia Foursquare Games, a Hunger Games inspired foursquare tournament.

Tributes have been chosen from Indy Hall, Technically Philly, InLiquid, the William Way Community Center, PANMA, P’unk Ave, Social Media Club Philly, and of course, Geekadelphia.

Competitors from each ‘district’ will duel it out on the court in this terrifying game of foursquare. A victor will be crowned, losers will cry, and it will all be livestreamed.

The event is free. The winner will walk home with a trophy and some serious bragging rights. Come hang out. And may the odds fornever be in Technically Philly’s favor.

Philly Foursquare Games
April 16, 2012
phillyfoursquaregames2012.eventbrite.com

Back in March our Jon Santos chatted with the folks at Next Fab about their expansion, NextFab 2, slated to open this Summer at 2025 Washington Avenue. Well, the artists, designers, and engineers at NextFab want you to come hangout with them at the new space, and enjoy a sneak preview of their future home of NextFab 2.

Guests can look forward to food, drinks, music, art, technology, and of course, an awesome first glance at the new space. The NextFab community will have exhibits and demonstrations of works of art and technology from their group, and guests will get to tour the building, meet the founders and staff of NextFab, and a lot more.

For more information, visit NextFab’s official website and check out the Eventbrite for the party. See you there.

NextFab 2
2025 Washington Ave, Philadelphia, PA

NextFab 2 Preview Party
April 19th, 2012, 6pm – 9pm
nextfab2previewparty.eventbrite.com

After nine years of publishing a print magazine, Next American City, a nonprofit media organization based in Philadelphia, is making the shift to create exclusively online content with the launch of Forefront, a weekly subscription based digital publication. The new website and publishing model is set to launch next Monday, April 16th.

Forefront will feature a single, long-form article every week, and will be available to digital subscribers or for individual purchase. You’ll be able to grab this content on all standard e-Readers, including iPads, Kindles, etc. “Through Forefront and americancity.org, Next American City aims to cultivate a national voice for the metropolitan opportunity movement, offering readers a coast-to-coast view of issues facing cities, while also pioneering a financially sustainable nonprofit business model for independent media,” says Diana Lind, executive director and editor in chief of Next American City.

Subscription rates are less than $20 a year ($17.99, or just $1.49 a month), and includes 50 original articles, published weekly. Single issues of Forefront are available for $1.99 an article… so clearly the subscription model is the best option here. Details on the upcoming editions were dished out via press release.

In the first Forefront single, which will be published on Monday, April 16, Los Angeles-based journalist Josh Stephens tells the story of how and why former California Governor Jerry Brown dismantled the nation’s largest urban redevelopment system. Stephens takes a comprehensive look at what the decision means for California’s cities and what other municipalities should take away from the situation. Sponsored by the American Planning Association, the first Forefront single will be available free of charge to all readers.

In the second Forefront feature, journalist Daniel Brook profiles Tony Hsieh, the Zappos.com CEO with plans to move his company’s headquarters to the heart of Las Vegas – and bring density, walkability and neighborhood vibrancy with him. Brook asks whether it is at all viable for a sole wealthy entrepreneur to will a New Urbanist vision into existence. Ben Adler, freelance journalist and contributing writer for The Nation, explores the Obama administration’s success in reforming federal housing, urban development and transportation policies, in the third single.

In addition to this new online publication model, “Next American City will also aggregate stories on urban change from partner media outlets reporting on local issues affecting cities, to create real impact with content and reach national audiences.” This will make them the only national aggregator of local stories about urban affairs. The redesigned version of AmericanCity.org is also set to launch on Monday.

With all the shakeups going on in the Philly media world, it’s nice to see something new surfacing. Looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Over the past few weeks, a number of insightful, hilarious, and occasionally heartwarming videos have been popping up on the new hyperlocal video platform, Philly In Focus. My favorite? This clip about cheesesteaks being created by aliens.

The site has been on our radar for a while, but today Comcast officially announced the launch of the website in public beta at a press conference.

New hyperlocal websites seem to pop up every other day, but this particular site is definitely worth adding to your reader. The website, spearheaded by Comcast’s Project Open Voice, is “a dynamic new platform and OnDemand initiative dedicated to making local videos and other interactive media easier to discover and share.”

Basically, it’ll get locally produced online video onto your television. Awesome.

In a press release from Comcast, Mayor Nutter was quoted as saying that “Philly In Focus is a portal that will centrally showcase Philadelphia’s innovative, real, and engaged residents, businesses, and institutions. This project – undertaken in a broad partnership with Comcast and others – advances the City’s goal of being open, transparent, and communicative with each other and the rest of the region, nation, and world.”

Speaking of the rest of the nation, Philly is one of six cities involved in the initiative, others including Fresno, CA; Houston, TX; Hialeah, FL; Peterborough, NH; and Medford, MA.

So go scope out the site, and maybe submit your own content. There are a surprising amount of quality videos on there. I expect you’ll get lost on there for a while.

Philly In Focus
www.phillyinfocus.com

Our friends over at Urban Playground are bringing Pillow Fight Day back this year, and the battle begins this Saturday. According to Ari at Urban Playground, last year over 150 people came out to wail on one another with pillows. You can scope out a bunch of photos from last year’s event on their official website.

Show up wearing red, blue, green, or yellow so you can be divided up into teams… or, come in costume. And of course, don’t forget your pillow.

The event is free, and a great way to welcome the Spring.

Philadelphia Pillow Fight Day
Saturday, April 7th, 2012, 3PM
www.facebook.com/events/175144349269214

Washington Square Park
6th & Locust, Philadelphia, PA

Who hasn’t dreamed of owning their own robot? I mean really. You know you have.

Well, the arduino (pronounce Arrr dween oh) chip, a popular open-source microcontroller, is the first step in building your mad creation that will one day overthrow humanity… and you can learn all about them on April 15th, at the Hacktory’s Show & Tell.

At the (free!) event, hackers will show off projects they are building, and hopefully, you’ll get inspired to start tinkering yourself.

If you’ve got a project you’d like to showcase at the Hacktory’s event, drop them a line so they can reserve the table space for you. According to a press release from the Hacktory, there will be prizes fro the most impressive (and irreverent!) entries.

For more information, visit the Hacktory’s website. Hack on!

Arudino Show & Tell @ The Hacktory
Saturday, April 14, 1 – 4 pm, Free
www.thehacktory.org/?page_id=9

The Hacktory
1524 Brandywine Street
www.thehacktory.org

So our BFFs over at the Academy of Natural Sciences are busy throwing their yearlong Bicentennial celebration, and in honor of that, they are offering up special behind-the-scenes tours of their collections, which are normally only open to researchers.

From plants collected by Lewis and Clark to fossils excavated for Thomas Jefferson, the Academy has amassed more than 18 million cataloged plants and animals, many of which are the first ever studies. And you’ll get to see ‘em.

These special tours kick off on Sunday, April 15th, and will run through March of 2013. Different collections will be highlighted each month, with mini 20 minute guided tours on Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, all at 11am.

Tickets can only be purchased at the Academy on the day of the tour, and tours are limited to 10 people. So get there early! Tickets are only $5 for Academy members, $7.50 for nonmembers.

Scope out the list of tours below, and visit the Academy’s website for more information.

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

· April – sustainability and the earth, featuring a tour of the Mineral Collection.

· May – female scientists and historic natural history books, featuring a tour of the Academy’s Library and Archives.

· June – birds, featuring a tour of the Ornithology Collection.

· July – mammals, reptiles and amphibians, featuring a tour of the Herpetology or Mammalogy Collections.

· August – insects, featuring a tour of the Entomology Collection.

· September – diatoms (microscopic algae), featuring a tour of the Diatom Herbarium.

· October – seashells, featuring a tour of the Malacology Collection.

· November – living animals, featuring a behind-the-scenes tour of the Live Animal Center.

· December – fish, featuring a tour of the Ichthyology Collection.

· January – plants, featuring a tour of the Botany Collection.

· February – fossils, featuring a tour of the Vertebrate Zoology Collection.

The Corzo Center at the University of the Arts is teaming up with Side Arts to present an interactive workshop for artists that want make their work visible.

The session will, according to the Corzo Center, “will introduce visual and craft artists to Side Arts, an interactive platform where users promote, connect, and sell. The demo will cover the basics of how to use the service.”

Basically, they’re going to help you build your online presence. Which, let’s face it, is pretty damn important.

Make sure you show up ready to work. Bring your laptop or mobile device, and don’t forget business cards so you can network. Registration is required, so visit the Corzo Center’s Ticketleap page.

Side Arts Demo and Interactive Workshop
Saturday, March 24th, 1:00 – 3:00 PM
corzocenter.ticketleap.com

Corzo Center at the University of the Arts
Room 1107, Terra Hall
211 S Broad St, Philadelphia, PA

Phorum, a new technology conference for business and IT executives, launches next Wednesday, March 28th. The goal of this new conference, according to the Phorum website, is “to explore emerging technologies as they transition to mainstream adoption and to educate executives on the practical application of these technologies in business.”

The one-day conference will discuss Cloud technology, and how it can transform the way companies “do business, go to market, and compete.”

For a new conference, the speakers are pretty impressive. The keynote will be delivered by Nick Carr, Pulitzer prize finalist and author of The Big Switch and The Shallows. You can scope out the full list of speakers and panelists on Phorum’s official website.

However, for a new conference, the ticket prices are pretty up there ($350 for full-conference ticket). If you’re part of the Philadelphia Startup Leaders though, you can score tickets for a sweet $100.

You can learn more about the conference on their official website.

Philly Tech Week is a month away. People are busy planning lectures, happy hours, showcases… you name it. And right now, Andrew Cameron Zahn is getting his design and art show together, and needs your help.

HACK: A Technology-Based Design and Art Exhibition, is “an open call for technology-based projects, inviting participation from designers and artists working for/ with hacker spaces / maker spaces.” Andrew and his team are seeking “a range of works: From 2D to 3D works, applications, wearables, installation, objects, and performances. Works from groups or individuals not associated with hacker / maker spaces will be considered for submission as well.”

For those of you artsy types interesting in sending something in, Andrew is seeking submissions now through April 6th. For more information on how to submit, visit HACK’s official website.

However, to make all of this even happen, Andrew needs your help. He has a Kickstarter up, with a modest goal of only $500. We’ve already donated, and so should you!

Good luck Andrew! For more details regarding HACK, check out the website.

HACK
April 27 – 28th, 2012, 5-8 pm
www.hackphilly.com / http://kck.st/yEGT3l

Here’s the thing, Internet. I get sent a lot of swag. And the Geekadelphia crew, we can’t review everything. So, I’m going to start giving it away on here. Because I’d rather give it back to you guys, then hock it on Amazon or at CeX on South Street.

Today’s item? Crush3D for the Nintendo 3DS.

Crush3D hit Gamestops nationwide last week on March 9th. Note that I said Gamestops and not stores. Crush3D is a Gamestop exclusive, so you’ll only be able to pick up this Sega title there. Here’s the description of the PSP port, straight from Sega.

In Crush3D, players take on the role of Danny as they navigate across the surreal platforms of his mind by ‘crushing’ their way from a 2-dimensional to a 3-dimensional world and back again whenever they need to. Discover how ‘crushing’ takes you to impossible heights, over insurmountable obstacles, and even disposes of dangerous enemies.

So. Want this game? Just leave a comment about your favorite puzzle game after the jump. I’ll select one of you at random at the end of the week. Note, this contest is only open to folks in the US and Canada. Good luck!

Have you been watching your friends tweet updates from SXSW and found yourself a little sad you couldn’t go? Well, come join us, Technically Philly, Indy Hall, and Young Involved Philadelphia for a special #whyilovephilly party at Barcade tomorrow night.

Come celebrate with your favorite groups of people who are in the SXSW target demographic but love Philly a little too much to leave. The Barcade folks are going to extend their Happy Hour deals just for us, with $1 off draft beer until 9pm.

For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page. See you there.

#notatSXSW Celebration @ Barcade
Tuesday, March 13th, 2012
www.facebook.com/events/324335397613350

Barcade Philadelphia
1114 Frankford Ave (19125)
(215) 634-4400
www.barcadephiladelphia.com