What could be a geekier pursuit than crafting words and symbols into highly designed bits of brilliant poetry? Not much because geeks love a good bit of poetry, especially when it involves some Internet speak.

Paul Siegell is a local poet with a penchant for word design. When he isn’t working as a copywriter at The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, he’s hard at work marrying poetry and design into an intoxicating torrent of excited emotion for all of us to enjoy.

His three books, Poemergency Room, jambandbootleg, and wild life rifle fire are some of the most passionate and unique pieces of poetry I’ve ever come across. He’s one of the few people able to distill emotion into the very finest visual representation. Paul Siegell has a minimalist’s love for Helvetica and a musician’s love for sound.

To me, all of Siegell’s work rings true to that of  his jam band punk personality. And although his poems are heavily visual, to get the full effect , you’ll need to see him give a live reading. It’s as electrifying as going to see your favorite band in concert.

I got a chance to chat with Paul about his work, inspiration, and awesome tee shirts. (more…)

Music isn’t only a domain for audiophiles, professors, and rock stars. It can be an area for geeks to explore the aural possibilities of storytelling and adventure.

One local geek named Brad Podray has been releasing some suitably epic music in the form of concept albums and his latest effort, Maximalism, is an unbelievable mixture of high energy rock with a movie soundtrack sensibility.

I had a chance to ask a few questions of this brilliant molder of musical notes to find out how much of an adventure it is pulling sounds out of his imagination and putting them into vibrations.

When did you first develop an interest in making music?

When I was 10 years old, I was fortunate enough to have my folks get me piano lessons. After two years of lessons, my adolescent head was filled with dreams of becoming a professional concert pianist. I had played recitals and won a few talent shows in my hometown of Boynton Beach (I think the greatest prize I won was a free pizza because youth division talent shows never really had giant budgets).

After my parents saw their darling boy become so interested in piano, they sent me off to Interlochen, a summer camp where child prodigies go to have their artistic talents nurtured. In spite of all of the artistic nurturing I received, it did nothing in the face of meeting a horde of kids who were both younger and more talented than I was.

I returned from camp to find out that a change had occurred amongst my friends whilst I was away. We were in the back of somebody’s car when The Smashing Pumpkins’ “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” came on the radio. Everyone knew all the lyrics and sang along savagely, except for me, the kid who’d just spent all summer practicing classical piano pieces. That was how I was introduced to alternative rock music and I loved it. Since I knew I’d never be the best concert pianist in the world, thanks to my harrowing experience at Interlochen, I decided I’d fuel my efforts into a different direction. I changed my focus from practicing songs to composing them. I started a band with my best friend and our sound could be described as “14 and 15 year old kids make music after listening to too much Nine Inch Nails.” (more…)

What do you get when you push the boundaries of the imagination, science, and circus acts? Cirque Du Soleil obviously. Each of their shows is unique, thoughtful, and brilliant. While it may seem that most of their acts are reserved for the huge bespoke arenas of Las Vegas or Disney World, you’ll be happy to know that their newest show is on the road and coming to the Camden Waterfront starting May 30th.

Cirque Du Soleil: Totem is not just a show, but a musing on the evolution of humans. It depicts our humble beginnings from the lowliest amphibians to our highest aspirations of flight. It draws from many of the world’s myths and creation legends. Acrobats, actors, and musicians will treat you to the journey of life that you won’t soon forget. Featuring 52 performers from 17 different countries, the show will treat you to all sorts of amazing feats of agility and strength. From antipodism (foot juggling) to the Russian bars and unicycles, this show has it all.

The whole show will be performed under a spectacular 66 foot high big top tent that takes 8 days to erect. It will not be hard to miss even from the other side of the river. Inside, the astounding stage was built to look like the skeletal shell of a tortoise. It not only functions, like the rest of the sets and costumes, as a visual metaphor for the themes of the show, but as an acrobatic instrument. Projections surrounding the stage serve to set the scene from ancient marshes to the skies above. It is really something to behold.

If you’re looking for a truly magical night out this May, be sure to check out Cirque Du Soleil: Totem. Be sure to grab your tickets before they sell out!

So your wardrobe needs a refresh. Your shirt drawer is looking a bit bare and your collection of tattered concert tee’s aren’t quite cutting it anymore. But you’re a discerning spender and don’t simply want to buy any old tee-shirt. You want to get an awesomely designed shirt while at the same time, giving a couple bucks towards a worthwhile project. You could do this by spending hours combing through Kickstarter until your fingers cramp, or you can let Kickshirts do all the work for you. All you need to do is pick a project so brilliant that it makes you scream “Take my money now!”

Kickshirts, a weekend hack by P’unk Avenue, aggregates all of the Kickstarter projects offering tee-shirts onto one easy-on-the-eyes page. Every short-sleeved sartorial delight is available for your leisurely perusal with a scroll wheel. You can even sort the results based off on pricing, so you don’t have to break the bank when funding your wardrobe additions. The best part about this whole project is the discovery factor. Even if you’re only looking for some unique shirts to compliment your collection, you may find yourself backing incredible projects you may never have found before. Who knows, in addition to a shirt, you might end up with a new Lovecraftian comic book or an EP from an up-and-coming jug band.

If you’re in the market for some new tee’s and want to help support artists, writers, and budding entrepreneurs, you have to check out Kickshirts. Your closet, wallet, and complete strangers will thank you.

Lansie Sylvia has been a geek about town for some time now. She’s always hard at work making some good in this world. Her newest effort is Philly Give and Get.

Basically, if you have an itching desire to learn something, you can head to National Mechanics on April 25th to bid on one of the many experts to be auctioned off for a professional date to somewhere spectacular. What makes the event even better is that all the proceeds go to The Philadelphia Center for Arts and Technology.

I got a chance to chat with Lansie about this awesome event, so I’ll let her fill you in on the details. (more…)

The fourth dimension has been breached. Time has converged at a single point on Broad Street. Concentrated in the Kimmel Center Plaza, time has gone all wibbly wobbly and you an pretend to be The Doctor.

For the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts, the Kimmel Center is featuring an installation of timeless proportions. A team of artists have installed an exhibition utilizing light, sound, video, and interactivity. Upon entering the Kimmel Center Plaza, you’re greeted by a huge cylindrical spiral of cascading lights and shapes. The kaleidoscope of color rips you right from reality and into the spirit of time travel. Each art of the spiral explores a different section of humanity and time.

Once you make it to the end of the time tunnel, you’re left at collection of touchscreen kiosks programmed with slick software from the web development firm NewQuest. There, you put in a bit of personal information, and the computer pulls bits of information on great discoveries and events that have happened in your lifetime. It is really fun to explore and see what happened during your lifetime laid out in an easy to read timeline.

Also, Every Tuesday to Sunday night from now until April 27th, an amazing free show entitled Flash of Time will delight your ears and eyes. Twice a night, 7pm and 10:30pm, 16 actors will dance through the past, present and future. The brilliant show utilizes fantastic music, puppetry, and special effects.

If you’re looking to wander about in the endless flow of time, you’d do well to check out the Kimmel Center Time Machine from now until April 27th. If you really want to get into the spirit of time travel, you could show up wearing a bow tie and fez.

8 Static is back again to ransack your aural nodes and reset your pre-frontal cortex with a rocking assortment of beeps and boops that will make even the most veteran scene goer squeal with joy. This is sure to be out of this world with a lineup that you will not want to miss. So you’ll want to make your way over to PhilaMOCA on April 13th for a concert that will make even the Daleks do a two step. (more…)

Photo by Beth Gwinn

Geeks love sci-fi and fantasy novels. Spaceships and sorcery? What’s not to love?! You get to explore the outer reaches of the imagination from a comfortable seat in your living room and all without a degree in particle physics or aptitude for the arcane. One such purveyor of the of the fantastic has settled right here in Philadelphia, and he is truly a legend of imaginative fiction.

Michael Swanwick has been dazzling readers with with his unique imagination for decades. His stories have won him an unprecedented amount of awards and fans. Best known for his novels The Iron Dragon’s Daughter and Stations of the Tide, Swanwick is also a prolific writer of short fiction. You can find them collected into volumes or occasionally appearing on Tor.com.

When he isn’t contemplating nanotechnology, the existence of time, sealing stories into bottles, writing on leaves, or diligently working on his newest novel, he can be found updating his blog with all sorts of things from cat pictures to how to win a Hugo award and the truth about science fiction fans.

He was kind enough to spare some time for another budding writer and share with us some secrets from the mind of one of science fiction’s most beloved authors.

(more…)

Geek entrepreneurs better gather up their PowerPoints, prototypes, and nervous perspiration because ABC’s hit show “Shark Tank” is hosting nationwide open casting calls. The bad news: there will be only one casting call in the Northeast. The good news: It is at NextFab Studios right here in Philly!

Shark Tank is a reality TV show where budding entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to a panel of self-made multi-millionaires (The Sharks) in the hopes to get some seed funding to make their dream product a reality. The Sharks, as they are called, are:

• Mark Cuban (chairman of AXS TV),
• Barbara Corcoran (Real Estate Mogul),
• “Queen of QVC” Lori Greiner,
• Robert Herjavec (Tech Innovator),
• Daymond John (Fashion and Brand Expert)
• Kevin O’Leary (Venture Capitalist).

These tough as nails judges will be judging a select few worthy of an investment from their own personal pockets. But, they’re looking for a return on their investment and you want to keep your investors happy.

The official casting call will take place at NextFab Studio on Saturday, May 11th at 9:00 a.m. The first 500 people to arrive will be guaranteed an interview, so you might want to be a bit early. We know that Philly has some of the most vibrant and ingenious innovators in the nation, so this is your chance to show the country what the geek community of Philadelphia are really capable of!

In the weeks leading up to the event, NextFab will also be hosting two events to help you hone your pitching skills to a fine edge and blow The Sharks out of the water. “Test Your Elevator Pitch: Try out your spiel and pick brains with celebrity experts” will be on Tuesday, April 30th from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday, May 4th from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. You’ll be able to get some real practice with some of Philly’s brightest entrepreneurial minds like:

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When artists aren’t starving themselves, they like to help out others. Our friends over at Locust Moon Comics are hosting an event from Independent Artists for Charity to help benefit the Philadelphia chapter of Jumpstart.

Independent Artists for Charity is a new organization aimed at helping independent artists get their name out and about town while at the same time providing some much needed donations to a variety of local charities. They do this by hosting events to auction off donated pieces of artwork. Their inaugural event at Locust Moon is sure to kick off a series of successful charity auctions around the city.

Jumpstart is a nationwide organization that trains college students to help teach younger children the basics of reading, writing, and many other life skills. Since 1993, Jumpstart has trained over 28,000 college students to help out the young ones in their communities and help them get a head start on being successful little geeks. The Philadelphia chapter of Jumpstart is located up at Temple University in case you want to donate some time or money to a worthwhile organization.

Independent Artists for Charity’s inaugural event will be hosted at Locust Moon Comics from 7pm-11pm on April 4th. While there, you’ll be able to enjoy some refreshing artwork that you can take home with you. It is a win/win, you take home a bit of brilliant artwork while at the same time donating to a charity that could help bring in a whole new generation of comic book readers and creators.

Artists, if you’re interested in donating some of your artwork to this worthwhile cause, then check out the submissions page. Submissions are only accepted until one week before the event so you don’t have much time left!

Do it for the kids. Do it for the artists. Do it for reading!

8 Static is pulling out all the stops this month. This March lineup is sure to be sweet music to your aural sensors. Featuring some heavy chiptune hitters and a experienced experimentalists, 8 Static this Saturday March 9th, is going to be one  hell of a show. Here’s the lineup  for this weekend show over at PhilaMOCA.

Nullsleep is a legend of the chiptune community. From his appearances in Reformat the Planet and Blip Festival to his countrywide tours, this guy is one of the biggest names in the making-music-with-repurposed-electronics scene. Using some hacked up Nintendo hardware  he’s able to create a dizzying array of ear pleasing tunes.

Doomcloud will be there to showcase his unique brand of dark and arpeggiated house music. After being snowed out of the last show, he’ll be back with a vengeance.

Noisewaves is an interesting addition to the lineup. This duo featuring drums, guitar with some heavy reverb, and a Nintendo are sure to be a change of pace from the heavier dance music. Their songs range from the hypnotically ethereal to pumping remixes of modern punk music. They’ll be a welcome addition to Saturday’s set.

Mechlo‘s low-fi songs will sure to be a hit if you’ve got the ears for some mechanical sounding magnificence. Bombastic songs like “rawrgasm” and “squee’s toy” will be sure to get your feet moving. He’s also one of the lovely people involved with Microplalooza. You should check it out!

As is always, there’ll be a visual master to compliment all the audio input. This month is the brilliantly named Batsly Adams who will be searing your eyes with awesome. Sadly though there won’t be a workshop this month because of all the aforementioned awesomeness.

If you miss this show in March, you’ll be the laughing stock of all the 8 bit monsters so be sure to RSVP here. Also, be sure not to miss the Institute Bar after party! 8 Static patrons get 10% off their tab and Ratlib will be rocking your ears into the next morning.

For more information, visit PhilaMOCA’s website.

(UPDATE: Sadly, Carrie Fisher had to cancel due to illness. But you can still get your Star Wars fix with Peter Mayhew, the one and only Chewbacca. Other stars have been in and out so be sure to check here for the current guest list.)

You love monsters don’t you? They’re so cute when they’re chasing you through the dark woods threatening to dismember you. What does your body need with a head anyway? Brush off your halloween costumes guys and gals because Monster-Mania Con  is coming to town to celebrate of all things ghoulish, gross, and geeky.

Running from March 8 – 11, Monster-Mania Con at the Cherry Hill, NJ Crowne Plaza will feature a staggering array of monster-list celebrities. Tons of stars from AMC’s the Walking Dead will be there and will be very much alive to sign autographs and greet fans of the show. Jim Parrack and Janina Gavankar from True Blood will be there.

Due to insane demand, you’ll want to make sure to grab your tickets for a photo op with these stars of the little and big screens.

Of course, there will be dozens of vendors showing off their one of a kind merchandise and there are bound to be a lot people in costume roaming around, lurking in the shadows, waiting to scare you.

You can grab your tickets here. They range from the $20 Sunday Pass to the $400 whole shebang boomstick VIP edition that will get you in to meet the biggest stars before anyone else.