61revised.com

This looks interesting, so I’ll just let this project describe itself.

St. Louis Bloggers Guild

Every week we read over 100 local bloggers and check up on local sites so we can keep up on the down low, and then we share the best posts with a recurring feature we can Links with Your Coffee.  From the very start these coffee links have been part of our civic duty; We consider this an important part of building our community online, and it also helps us cover stories for our audience that is outside the niche of what we like to write about.

But this week we’d like to invite our readers to participate in an experiment, a sort of public beta testing of a feature we’re hoping to add as it’s own page on the new site.  This feature takes some time to put together, so we’ve experimented with auto-blog posting which turned out to be a little robotic of a read.  We also have trouble adding friends of ours to the blogroll, since every time we add another blog it detracts from the attention we think every member of our blogroll deserves; so when Jeff Kopp asked us to add TiRC to the roll, even we thought it was already in the mix. 

We think this might be a good compromise, in which we can use Google Reader to share some of the stories and news we think our readers would want to know about as we read them everyday.  And we can use this as a sort of social bookmarking if anyone wants to suggest a story to share with other readers (if you’re using google reader yourself that is).  With the stories in one frame of the page, we can use the other gutter to display an updated blogroll divided into relevant categories. 

You can think of it sort of as Social Blogrolling, and we’d love to hear your thoughts about using this feature.  We asked Archy about adding this to the new site, and they said it was alright.

With the videos finally uploaded, and FlickR photostreams being populated, the internet can safely chalk up this last week as a success for Diggnation and Highway 61 - and a moral victory for everyone in Saint Louis who survived cabin fever.  Now that last week’s live taping of Diggnation has been released for public consumption, the world will once again rejoice in their ability to pass along valuable links to stories.  To celebrate the victory of hyperlinks we thought we’d pass along a few of our favorite stories from the past week (or so) for a recurring feature we call Links with Your Coffee.

• Only one of our correspondents, Chris Maue (pictured here) to be exact, could make the coffee links this last Saturday at the Social Media Club.  For everyone else who couldn’t make it to their first meeting, Highway 61 reader Todd Jordan has you covered.
• Highway 61 is no longer a lone representational voice in the wilderness for college youth in the St. Louis blogosphere.  52nd City welcomes Rachel Lebo, also from Webster University (breaking both of our monopolies).  Any outstanding conflicts (of which we’re unaware) may be resolved using a WWW logo design contest.
• Students from schools across Saint Louis came out in full force to protest Alberto Gonzales’ lecture at Washington University, which garnered national political headlines last week.  Student Life, the independent paper of Wash U, has the scoop, and Adam has the inside details.  Meanwhile, thousands of disenfranchised students in Texas marched on a county courthouse demanding the right to vote on March 7th.
• The Riverfront Times also wanted to write about Body Worlds artist night.  We all want to be there with them and the rest of the Billiken Club for SXSW.
• The latest news on STL gadfly and urbanist Steve Patterson, better know as the voice behind UrbanReviewSTL.com .  Here’s wishing him a speedy and full recovery.
• In other urban development issues this week, Brick City asks some important questions about land usage and Architectural Ruminations attempts to answer them.
• Marti Frumhoff has left her mark on her neighborhood, and now some residents of Tower Grove South and other well-wishers will mark her passing on their heads.  No, Ash Wednesday is only once during Lent, but you might honor her by wearing a hat instead.
• Highway 61 (Revised) alumni Gabe Bullard left his own mark on this blog.  Now he embarks on a new project - Fake Radio on the Internet.

And so next time you get snowed it, or just landlocked in Saint Louis, you can always warm up over some Links with Your Coffee.

On top of a monstrous list of canceled classes and events this last week, you can add this week’s episode of Diggnation.  The show, which was taped in front of a live audience last Wednesday, had originally been scheduled to be broadcast at 7pm this Friday February 22nd.  But since the ice storm left so many flight grounded, that show has been delayed in its premier.  Instead they’re offering this teaser episode filmed in Lambert Int’l Airport, or what better might be Diggnation STL proper if you prefer.  And for extra credit you can read their own harrowing account of braving the Free-Wi-Fi-less Winters of St. Louis stuck in their weather related lay over.

In other winter weather related news:

• Some dead tree publication thinks that bloggers control the weather.  Whilst taking our scoop about a Snow Day sale on Friday.
• Another dead tree publication actually braved the icy roads to cover a DJ competition in a decidedly new media fashion.  And their account of the night’s ongoings makes for a pretty compelling read.
• Off Broadway would like you to know that just because the show was canceled on Thursday doesn’t mean you shouldn’t come out for Friday night’s concert. Or Saturday night’s birthday bash for Ska’s the Limit.
• Writers are wanted for a caption contest, open until Sunday morning.  Get your link lovin’ then.

Calling all Blogerati!  Alert the Internet!  Better yet just tell your friend Tom about the Inaugural gathering of the Social Media Club St. Louis.  With a name like that you would’ve expected to have heard about their meeting, which will take place @ Kaldi’s Coffeehouse in Kirkwood this Saturday February 23rd at 3:30PM, through one of your existing social networks already.

According to the Social Media Club home site, from which this local chapter will be established

Social Media Club is being organized for the purpose of sharing best practices, establishing ethics and standards, and promoting media literacy around the emerging area of Social Media.

So while there we the blogerati will determine tomorrow’s headlines in the New York Times, conspire to overthrow the government, and control the weather so that we might make blog posts about it.  Or we might just trade some links, friend each other on The Circuit, and make a Facebook group for our club’s chapter.  And because unlike our friends at Virtual St. Louis blog many of our readers are still below the age of wisdom (although we probably shouldn’t write about so many drinking events in that case), we’ll be encouraging our fellow media literacy advocates to keep their meetings open to the under 21 crowd while enjoying Links with our Coffee.

• Polaroid Instant Film Killed By The 21st Century
  With all the new media here, it bears mentioning that sometimes older mediums like the Polaroid picture become important because they can embody art form and aesthetic. Too bad you can’t make Polaroid film in a darkroom then…
  (tags: photography polaroid film pictures gizmodo)
• Blues Cancel ‘Tuesdays on Tap’ before it even begins
  The plan, initially proposed in an e-mail that was accidentally sent out to those outside the Blues hockey organization, was to offer unlimited beverages - including beer - during a few upcoming games. We stopped reading when we saw the part about free bee
  (tags: hockey beer marketing blues free stltoday)
• The Walgreen-ing of America
  A unique take on the ubiquitous Walgreens - now on a street corner near you. Frankly we were wondering how the Walgreens got there too.
  (tags: walgreens development stlog rft stl)
• STL bands playing in SXSW
  Annie is keeping a pretty comprehensive list of local bands playing in this year’s South by Southwest (ie SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas. In the continuing interest of keeping things weird, you should plan your trip in accordance with your local hero’s
  (tags: sxsw rft AtoZ TomkoBombCo Ludo GentlemanAuctionHouse)
• A Memory, A Monologue: A Rant and a Prayer, Part 2
  After SLU banned a student production of the Vagina Monologues (read part 1 for that story), this update offers some good news about a relocated and perhaps now even more defiant production of the play by its students
  (tags: rft stlog SLU VaginaMonologues theater student)
• Ecology of Absence: Take a Trip With Cindy Tower
  To the abandoned sites of the Illinois side of the river… for art.
  (tags: ecoabsence video illinois brooklyn art painting)

As part of our New Year’s Resolution, Highway 61 (revised) will try to be clever again.  Until then please enjoy the next best thing: borrowed wit.  Here’s some links to enjoy over a cup of coffee.

• Please welcome Highway 61’s newest contributor: Chris Maue.  Of course I’ll let him introduce himself, but even before we hear from him, perhaps you’d be interested in joining our blog as well.  According to this job listing I wrote on The Circuit, free beer is involved for frequent contributors.  That must have been an editorial oversight.
• Although another closure has been and will be on everyone else’s mind, Thomas Crone hasn’t taken his eye off the ball since Tucker was closed downtown.  Further yet, he decision to photo document this unique subterranean Hooverville is available for public consumption.  It may break your heart, which you can eat out online, but unless you’re planning a trip yourself, it’s probably as close as you’re going to get.
• It’s only been four years since the entire area anticipated some sort of tourism deluge from the bi-centennial of those two illustrious explorers of the Louisiana Territory that every student in the state of Missouri is required to learn about.  That being said, who knew Illinois shared a similar enthusiasm, or at least monumental rivalry (pun intended).  B.E.L.T has the details on a modernist landmark called the Lewis and Clark Memorial Tower somewhere on the east side.
• Steve Patterson must have read our minds about the iconography of the Mall Santa this past week, as he found a unique holiday post.  For some reason I’m pretty sure this television series was better based in Saint Louis than Chicago.  See for yourself.
• The trouble with making new year’s predictions is well documented.  That being said let’s give this week a little perspective with St. Louis’ soon to be most popular blog over the next few weeks, Highway 40 insight, who are predicting it’s going to be alright.  In the meantime have a laugh at your own expense as our friends with that blog flex their geek cred this year.

• The Star Clipper Blog: Readers Poll! VOTE on Dan’s FACE!
  Voting may have already closed, but this hot topic on Star Clipper’s blog probably warrants your input as well. To Beard or Not to Beard, that is the question
  (tags: StarClipper polls beard)

• St. Louis Proposes Law Against “Cyber-Harassment”
  Ah the internet, that affably enforcable part of our free speech rights. Who knew St. Louis held jurisduction? We honestly have no idea how this would be enforced, but suspect that charges may be tantamount to harassment of its own in the wrong hands.
  (tags: STLog RFT law enforcement freedom)

• Subterranean Books » A World Without Us
  Not just a reccomendation, but Subbooks adds some input about a book you just can’t pick up. And not beacuse it’s in paperback. This is a real bloggity blog post for them.
  (tags: subbooks environment energy books DailyShow)

• Holiday MP3 Post #1: Home is Where the Heart Is
  Since we’ve been in the Mixmas mood lately, we thought to pass along AtoZ’s latest MP3 Enhanced post. They promise to share more holiday tunes, which pretty well makes up for our reluctance to make another holiday mixtape.
  (tags: AtoZ Mixmas Mp3 christmas holiday)

• TiRC - WE MUST BE MAD!!
  Not sure how we missed this one, but Trouble in River City is offering their own payment-optional album download a la Radiohead w/o the hype. Thusly deserving our fanfare is the work of our local musicians, reduced to merely passing around the digital collection plate.
  (tags: TiRC Mp3 download free rockNroll garage)

• BBtv: Gabe and Max answer Bing Boing readers.
  Boing Boing has some advice for those of you who are trying to become internet experts like them. See for yourself.
  (tags: internet video BoingBoing)

• STL Rising: SW City Pizza Vacuum Filled
  We fully expect Steve Patterson to comment ont he construction of a new Pizza Parlor at the infamous former site of Famous Barr. And we can’t wait to read it. But mostly, beer and pizza have us excited.
  (tags: pizza southcity parlor food stlrising)
• Phone Books Heading Right for Recycling/Landfill? (UPDATED)
  Seriously, do you still have a landline? And if so, I know you aren’t using it for internet tomfollery. And thusly, we havea thing called search engines. Talk about a waste of resources for advertising dollars.
  (tags: urbanreview phone books at&t)
• Eleven Most Endangered Places, 2007
  Landmarks Association of St. Louis created this year’s list for us urban explorers out there. Photo documentarians too. The list has lots of references to online efforts to save these historic landmarks before this city loses even more of the urban char
  (tags: lists landmarks historic stlouis)

• Tuesday Is National Dice Day

  Our Multi-Sided Friends will be happy to celebrate the ancient gameplay of dice today, or just to introduce your n00b friend to the wonders of the 20-sided dice. We’re surprised the DnD meetup isn’t taking place today (http://dnd.meetup.com/864/), but take comfort in your pwnage and remember that you might be dundgeon master next.  Why not give it a roll today?

  (tags: nerdcore dice gaming holiday DnD MeetUp)

• Another Public Radio Raid on St. Louis
  And here we thought we were alone;  accoriding to our friends at 52nd city, Gabe won’t be alone in his ventures outside St. Louis; Tom Weber of KWMU will also be moving to another city divided by a river.  You could call it a “Twin” loss, except I think Louisville doesn’t have a baseball team or river :P.  Sorry Gabe.
  (tags: KWMU 52nd GabeBullard)