61revised.com

Recently a friend turned me onto a great design and interactive media blog known as abduzeedo. After perusing about the blog for a few days I’ve found it to be a great resource for anyone in the interactive media field. The blog was created and developed by Fabio Sasso, a Brazilian designer from Brazil. He and several other designers and photographers write about all things media related, from photography, design, and animation. The blog is a great source for tutorials that show you how to create interesting and innovative designs, but the blog provides other resources as well. Need to know where to find great CG textures? Want to know how to create the iphone interface? How about watching a game of human tetris? It’s all on abduzeedo.

Right now abduzeedo is running a contest where two people will be selected to win a copy of flashloaded.com’s newest product called 3D wall. 3D wall is a program that lets you create a three dimensional digital portfolio in Adobe Flash. Follow this link and comment in the post by May 1st and you may walk off with a fancy new piece of software. Or at least check out the site if you want to see the greatest font ever.
(PS, the image at the beginning of this post is one of the great designs I learned how to create by visiting abuzeedo.com)

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

St. Louis Bloggers Guild

Only one week ago MidwestBlogs.com and STLProBloggers.com were active in organizing bloggers and their efforts to promote and control their intellectual property.  But in an e-mail sent out last evening, it turns out their own organization is about to become a relic of Saint Louis’ social blogging network and lose their own intellectual property.  According to Liz -

Goodbye so soon? Yep. Unfortunately Midwest Blogs and STLProBloggers.com
will be going dark within 24 hours of this email. The personal commitment
required to maintain and further the goal of the site proved to be just
too much for us to really do it justice at this time. So we have decided
to end this venture and thank you for all of your support in this
short-lived project. Your membership and contributions were greatly
appreciated.

A blogger meetup is still scheduled for Sat., April 19 at Atomic Cowboy.

Farewell old/new friends. We hardly knew ye…

It was only a matter of time, and we all knew it.  Not only did the Associated Press run an article about the man who is argueably St. Louis’ most famous concert-goer, but we learned today that Beatle Bob is also being featured in the latest issue of Blender magazine.  Although we cannot seem to find a link to the article in question, our 5 minutes of research (ie Google) confirm that Beatle Bob is indeed profiled - with pictures!

It’s not as if it were difficult to photograph the man in action; just show up to the best concert in town on any given night.  But Beatle Bob is notoriously camera-shy, and in my experience even pointing a camera phone in his direction can elicit a Matrix-like dodge of the projectile lens from this off-beat dancing machine.  Apparently this photographic rule need not apply if you’re a contributor to a national music magazine.  Perhaps it’s all a ruse meant to draw our attention to the next show he’s hosting at the Lucas School House this upcoming March 20th?

The editorial staff of Highway 61 (revised) would like to congratulate Beatle Bob on finally getting his 15 minutes of fame.

Yeah boy! Chuck D is coming to Webster University this Monday February 25th, not just to Bring the Noise but also to Bring his Insight; you might want to bring your notebook to jot down a few notes.  Besides his illustrious music career as a founding member of Public Enemy, Chuck D leads the hip-hop generation into politics and on the airwaves with his nationally syndicated radio talk show On The Real. 

This lecture, which is free to the general public on a first come first serve seating basis, is surely going “to make everybody see in order to fight the powers that be“. So how can Webster be sure that it’s institutional walls won’t be shaken to the ground? According to this press release from Webster University:

Chuck D is known for delivering powerful messages about race, rage, reality and inequality. He has continued to push the envelope and deliver his messages through his best-selling autobiography, “Fight The Power.”…Through his lectures, Chuck D moves beyond rap music and discusses topics as diverse as politics, Internet file sharing and the state of hip-hop culture.

You might have already heard about the event, which will take place in the Loretto Hilton Center next Monday starting at 7pm (with doors opening at 6:15pm, giving you plently of time to bum rush the show). We just thought we’d remind you so that you can ”kick the bass for them brothers, And let them know, What goes on.“  So yes, you can believe the hype.

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.

We’re not sure how this slipped under our radar, but if you’re a member of Digg you’ve probably already given the proverbial thumbs up to the upcoming Diggnation taping in Saint Louis this week.  This live taping of the Revision3 show, which will take place this Wednesday February 20th at Moulin (in Lafayette Square), has stirred up controversy among those youngsters under 21 years who will cannot attend the venue.  Although that shouldn’t be much of a surprise considering the last episode of Diggnation was recorded amidst an Edward 40 Hands session, it seems drinks will be provided for those able to attend this local tapping of the nationally podcast/broadcast/interwebnetz phenomenom.

And while I must admit my personal ignorance to the Digg world, I couldn’t be more excited for this show, which has achieved success from some of TechTV’s finest alumni.  For those who weren’t there when Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht graced our broadcast televisions (or for those who rather wouldn’t be a TWIT), these savers of the computer screen have come to save the attention deficit of a town riddled by the internet!  It’s difficult to describe their site, which caters to the internet generation with original broadcast-quality shows with shows that cater to culture available only over the internet, only to say that they’ll be bringing their culture to our own bastion of eccentricity we call St. Louis.  Here’s hoping we’ll see you there.

Keep up to date with events around Saint Louis as they are updated by subscribing to the Highway 61 (revised) calendar.  It will e-mail you a daily agenda of the latest events, including those we nearly didn’t have time to write about (like this one).

In spite of his return to work and the end of the writers strike, Daily Show correspondent and comedian John Oliver is coming to perform his act at Webster University this coming Monday, February 18th 2008.  The event, which will take place at 7pm in the Loretto-Hilton Center on Webster University’s home campus, is free for Webster students but will cost $10 for the general public.  

Both students and curious Daily Show fans must pick up their tickets from the University using straight cash (homies).  More information on this event is available from Webster’s Campus Activities  who are hosting the event (or on Facebook) .

With apologies to Antonio French*: 

Super Tuesday- Barack Obama and John McCain win Missouri and Illinois primaries.  Wayne Root wins Missouri Libertarain primary, and Cynthia McKinney wins Illinois Green Party primary.

Fat Tuesday- Mardi Gras parade canceled due to inclement weather.  Ash Wednesday imminent.

Watch Party- Missouri, Webster Groves, and The Royale featured on NPR’s All Things Considered.  George W Bush still President.

Keep down with politics (or at least parties) on Highway 61 (Revised)*