Hey geeks! You like Philadelphia, right? Sure you do. And beer? Yeah, thought so. How about cupcakes? Uh huh. Well have I got a deal for you. Take a look…

Beer Cakes is the result of a girl who loves cake, loves beer, and loves going to breweries with her Dad…  After a couple fresh pints and some good pub food, I always wanted something sweet and was disappointed at the lack of dessert on the menu.  So I began to develop some recipes.  What I came up with was a way to make cake that tastes like beer!

Using the amazing craft brews that Philadelphia has to offer, I put beer in both my cake and my buttercream.  What makes every craft beer unique is the flavors and spices that are used to brew them.  I play with those same ingredients in my recipes to bring out the beer’s flavor. The result is an amazing dessert that has savory and sweet notes that will tickle your taste buds.

While you can check my website (www.beercakesphilly.com) to see a list of the flavors that I’ve created so far, there are so many more awesome Philly beers that are just waiting for me.

Right now Beer Cakes Philly is only a wholesale or special order business, and though it’s going very well, I want to bring my cakes to the masses. I want everyone in Philly to have the chance to stop in for a beer cake!

My bakery won’t look at all the way you would expect a bakery to look.  You will most likely walk in and think you’ve entered a dive bar.  My cakes are about the beer, and the shop should be too.

I see local art on the wall, eclectic decorations, wooden tables that you can carve your name into, old tin signs, white christmas lights… can you picture it?

I imagine my Beer Cakes Philly storefront everyday, and with your help I’ll be able to wake up every morning and actually live the dream.

We’ve all had sweets made with beer before, but made to actually taste like the beer itself (and its special ingredients)? That’s new. And she’ll be open late, so when you’re leaving the next Geekadelphia / Tatooed Mom’s Halloween Extravaganza, you’ll have somewhere to go! Pony up.

The Project: Beer Cakes Philly

Creator: Lexi Malmros

The Sweet Spot: A measly $25 gets you six pack of cupcakes from the shop. Way better than any actual sixer you could pick up for that price. Know a real hophead? Drop $100 and you can get a novelty cake or two dozen of the little guys.

Funding Deadline: June 16th, 2012

More Info: Learn more on the Kickstarter page, on the Beer Cakes Philly website, or over on twitter.

Every Monday Geekadelphia features a Kickstarter created by locals. Check ‘em out and support our local geek scene. If you have a project that you’d like featured on site, contact geekadelphia@gmail.com

What if you could use science to make sure that your significant other is the one? That is the premise behind the romantic comedy Losing Control, a film by native Philadelphian Valerie Weiss.

The story of the movie follows a young scientific protegee who is trying to get results from her long term experiments as well as her long term boyfriend by using the scientific method. The cast includes Miranda Kent and Reid Scott and the film is written and directed by Weiss.

She explains that the genesis of the film came to her while in school.

“While I was in grad school I wondered what would happen if a woman in her 20’s could understand science and use it to her advantage in gaining control of her love life,” Weiss explains. “It made me wonder what if you could use your brain to make sure you have an everlasting romance.”

Losing Control is playing at the Landmark Ritz at the Bourse starting through May 24th and Weiss will be holding a Q&A session after the 7:30PM shows through Wednesday.

So head out to the Ritz at the Bourse, support a Philly native and learn all about better love through science.

Losing Control @ the Bourse
Now through May 24th, 2012
400 Ranstead Street Philadelphia, PA 19106
www.losingcontrolmovie.com

Inside the Wagner

We all use electricity every day for almost everything we do (just try to charge your precious cell phone without it) but we almost never think about where it comes from. Luckily, there are people a hell of a lot smarter than us who do know and are willing to share.

On Wednesday, May 23rd at 5:30 PM, the Wagner Free Institute of Science will present their last Weeknights at the Wagner lecture, “Electrifying Philadelphia: Pageantry, Progress, and Power in the City Beautiful.” Dr. Aaron Wunsch, a lecturer in Penn’s Graduate Program in Historic Preservation, will talk about how Philadelphia first began using electricity, its advertising and how it spread to other parts of the area.

The lecture is free and open to the public with a Members Reception following afterwards. And just think; the next time the power goes out, you’ll be able to regale everyone with stories of how electricity first came to Philly to keep people entertained. Win/win.

Electrifying Philadelphia
May 23rd, 2011, 5:30pm

Wagner Free Institute of Science
1700 West Montgomery Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19121
(215) 763-6529
www.wagnerfreeinstitute.org

Because someday… this could be you.

All your life you have dreamed of working in advertising. So you went to school, got your degree, graduated and now have a kick-ass portfolio you are just dying to show off and can’t wait to get your career as a creative professional off the ground. Or maybe you worked in advertising, but with the economy the way it is, got laid off or downsized and are looking for an opportunity to start over and get the creative juices flowing again.

Now, for the tenth time, Portfolio Night will descend on Philadelphia and give aspiring copywriters, art directors and designers the chance to network and show off their portfolios to creative directors from some of the city’s top agencies. Done in a “speed dating” format, you will be able to have your portfolio looked at and reviewed by directors from the city’s top design firms, make connections and get valuable feedback.

So put the finishing touches of your portfolio and be at Lincoln Financial Field (West Club Level) on May 23rd at 5:00 PM. The cost if $30, but experiences like this are really invaluable. And who knows, you may walk away with that creative job you have always dreamed about.

Portfolio Night 10
www.portfolionight.com/10

Selecting the best mobile internet provider has become a tricky business, as there are so many operators offering a myriad of deals for you to wrap your head round. Contract lengths are getting longer and longer, with providers wanting to lock you into a contract for as long as 2 years. Finding the right deal has therefore become quite a complicated task.

Here are some tips for fining the best mobile internet deals. Continue Reading…

On this month’s episode of the Geekadelphia Podcast Jo and Dan sit down with Melissa from Operation Nice to explore her pursuit for niceness everywhere. We also talk about some up coming events in Philadelphia, and how we’re excited for this year’s Geek Awards.

You can also right click and save as the file, here. Listen to it on the go, while you’re jogging, whatever. Enjoy!

Operation Nice
www.operationnice.com

Follow Jo Pincushion @JoPincushion
Follow Dan Tabor @danthefan

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. Continue Reading…

If you spent any time watching the WWE or ECW for the past 20 years, you know the name Mick Foley. Or, you know him better as Cactus Jack, Dude Love, or, most likely, Mankind. Foley proudly wears the title as the Hardcore Legend, the man who made chairshots, exploding tables, and thumbtacks fashionable, and one of the most beloved character in the history of professional wrestling. The Mickster has entered the second (or maybe third, as he is a New York Times bestselling author) phase of his career: stand up comedy. The scary part? He’s good.

Geekadelphia caught up with Foley— who is on tour with comedians Louis “Twitchels” Centanni and The Reverend Bob Levy— and chatted about redneck typecasting, being the Justin Timberlake of Comedy, and a Santa Claus obsession.

Was doing comedy a dream for you?

It wasn’t always a dream. I always enjoyed comedy. The dream was wrestling. Half of the performance of wrestling was to make people laugh for me. I couldn’t continue doing that, so I looked for a medium where I could have as much mic time as I wanted. And, comedy is something you can think of while driving, and then work on and use later.

Did someone approach you about doing stand up?

I did a lot of speaking at universities and colleges, so I had the experience of talking in front of a crowd for longer periods of time. Back in 2009, someone did approach me about doing a show at the Improv in Hollywood. So, I put together a blend of wrestling stories and life stories, and did a 25-minute set. I enjoyed it. Continue Reading…

If you have ever starred blankly at your Kindle because it wouldn’t work right or tried to figure out how to set up a TypePad blog and went to the bookstore to get some help, then you probably know the name Scott McNulty. The author of several books about everything from Google + to WordPress, Scott has been helping people get in touch with their technology for years.

Scott was nice enough to answer a few questions about writing, being a foodie and giving writing advice to your wife.

So tell the Geekadelphia readers about yourself. Have you always been a tech guy?

I’ve always been a geek, even in the Dark ages when that wasn’t cool, but I haven’t always been a tech guy. I spent most of my childhood/teen years reading about elves and spaceships, but I wasn’t really interested in technology. In fact, I didn’t even own a computer of my own until a year after I graduated from college in 1999.

What’s the hardest part of taking something like, say, the Kindle Fire, and making it easy for anyone to use?

Probably getting people to realize that tech books offer up useful information that you won’t find in the manual. Technology companies spend a lot of money trying to convince people that their products are “intuitive” and “easy to use.” In some cases this is true, but I find that lots of people still turn to the geeks in their lives to answer a variety of questions.

When I write I try to image myself in that role of tech confidante, answering the questions people have but might be hesitant to ask because the gadget they’re using is supposed to be so simple to use.

Other than that it is all about judging how much your reader knows vs. what they don’t. Will they know what “tapping” and “swiping” on a screen means? Surely they’ve heard of apps, but do they really know what apps are?

You are also something of a foodie. Are there any similarities between writing about food and tech?

I don’t do a heck of a lot of food writing, but I can tell you that people really into food, just like those really into tech, have strong opinions and aren’t afraid to share them.

Your wife Marisa McClellan just published the Food in Jars cookbook. As someone who has written a whole bunch of tech how-to books, did you have any advice for her?

All writers have a natural enemy: the deadline. My biggest piece of advice for Marisa, which she ignored, was: start writing as much as you can now even though your deadline is months and months away. When I wrote my first book I had something like 7 months to write it, so I spent the first month thinking about how cool it was I was writing a book.

I spent the second month thinking maybe I should start. The third month was devoted to really getting that outline fleshed out while the fourth month was all about organizing my desk (I can’t write this all these distractions!). Then I freaked out because I only had a few weeks to turn in the first half of the book, so I spent as many of my waking hours as possible feverishly writing.

I hoped to spare Marisa this experience, but you really have to live through it to understand.

So what’s next for you in terms of writing?

I’m sure I’ll write another tech book or two that no one in my family will read.

If you had a choice, get your hands on the next-gen iPad a month before everyone else or dinner at a brand new high end restaurant so you could write a review, which would you choose?

Assuming the dinner was free, I’d go with the restaurant. It would be neat to play with a next-gen iPad, but you have to return those review units so I’d end up buying one for myself. However, I don’t think the restaurant would want me to return my meal.

Scott’s Website
www.blankbaby.com

Fork You
www.forkyou.tv

UK SEO company great offers.

YOU’RE TEARING ME APART, LISA!

If you’re a fan of bad cinema like me, you have probably heard of the insanity that is Tommy Wiseau’s The Room. The film is the story of a happy-go-lucky banker (Wiseau) that sees his world fall apart when his friends begin to betray him one-by-one. It’s one of those films that is simply so bad it’s good, that you have got to see for yourself to understand why.

It’s no surprise that the film by one of the most eccentric writer/director/actors around has turned into a midnight movie cult phenomenon. Folks show up in costume to not only interact with the film, but recreate their favorite scenes as the film plays as well. You can read more about that here.

I bring this all up because the film will be screening at the Colonial Theater on Friday, May 18^th at 9:45pm, sponsored by the folks at the You’ve Got Geek On You podcast.

I have 10 passes to give away to the screening courtesy of You’ve Got Geek. Want to win one? Just leave a comment with your favorite line from The Room with YOUR FULL NAME and 10 folks will be picked at random this Thursday night to be put on the guest list for a free ticket!

Have you ever watched a parade and then had a burning desire to build a float of your own and take it for a spin? Or watch as floats go by you in person? If you said no, then, well, go to the next post and have a nice day.

However, if you said a resounding yes, then get your tools out and get to building. As part of the Trenton Avenue Arts Festival, they will be holding the 6^th annual Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby on May 19^th at Trenton Ave. and Norris St. in Philadelphia.

Last year over 120 people participated in the Derby, which features human powered floats parading down Trenton Avenue, all heading for the infamous mud pit and the judge’s panel. But that’s not all! You will also be able to check out the wares of over 150 art vendors and more food choices than you could possibly imagine.

The activities begin at 12:00 and go until 6, so you will have plenty of time to watch the Derby and do some shopping as well. It all goes toward the revitalization of the neighborhood and is a great way to spend a Saturday in the city.

Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby
www.kinetickensington.org

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