In The News

75 feet high and rising: Drexel's amazing living plant wall

Earth Techling Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Earth Techling takes a closer look at Drexel University's vertical wall of living plants inside the new Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building, the largest such wall in North America.

Scientists and students at the university are currently studying the biowall and the plant and microbe communities responsible for its air filtration properties to get a better understanding of how the whole thing works. Dr. Michael Waring, an assistant professor in the university’s College of Engineering who specializes in indoor environmental engineering, will focus on the chemical and physical aspects of the living wall, while two biology faculty members from the College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Jacob Russell and Dr. Shivanthi Anandan, will focus on the wall’s biological functions.

Original source: Earth Techling
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Stink bug management among two local specialty crop research projects funded by USDA

American Agriculturist Tuesday, October 25, 2011

A Wyndmoor-based project raked in more than $5.7 million from the USDA to research stink bug management, reports American Agriculturist.

Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia, Pa., $322,202: Improve long-term viability of the fresh U.S.-grown mushroom industry by marketing mushrooms as an excellent source of Vitamin D.

USDA Agricultural Research Service, Wyndmoor, Pa., $5,739,966: Develop economically and environmentally sustainable pest management practices for the brown marmorated stink bug.

In making the announcement, USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan said "Specialty crops producers in the United States – as with all of American agriculture – are seeing sales surge both domestically and abroad as consumers search for high quality, 'Grown in America' fruits, vegetables and tree nuts."

Original source: American Agriculturist
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How to build a modular synth with Philly's RJD2

Wired Tuesday, October 25, 2011

DJ/hip-hop producer/solo artist RJD2 is now building modular synthesizers for his new duo and lays it out for the folks at Wired.

He had to do a lot of building and experimenting for Icebird, the group he formed with singer-songwriter Aaron Livingston (above left, with RJD2). For the duo's new album, The Abandoned Lullaby, out Tuesday, the musical modder estimates 90 percent of the sounds come from either vintage synthesizers he restored or instruments played through modular synth gadgets he built from DIY kits.

It wasn't an easy process. Once RJD2 was done building his synth, he spent hours playing different instruments through the system and recording the sounds in Pro Tools. It's a constant trial-and-error process; RJD2 estimates he only ends up using 10 to 20 percent of what he records.

Original source: Wired
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DesignPhiladelphia's Gray Area explores different views on modern preservation

HiddenCity Philadelphia Tuesday, October 25, 2011

HiddenCity Philadelphia takes a look at DesignPhiladelphia's Gray Area symposium, led by Flying Kite contributor Elise Vider and intended to explode the conversation around historic preservation in the 21st century in Greater Philadelphia and beyond.

True to the event’s goals, the panel discussion itself resulted in a thoroughly open conversation where differences of opinion were aired in a productive fashion. Moderated by Mark Alan Hughes, a distinguished senior fellow at Penn’s School of Design and founding director of Philadelphia’s Greenworks, the panel consisted of Lloyd Alter, the Toronto-based editor of Architecture and Design for TREEHUGGER.COM; Randall Mason, chair of the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation at the Penn School of Design; Susan Szenasy, editor-in-chief of New York-based Metropolis magazine; and Tod Williams of Billie Tsien Architects in New York, designers of the Barnes Foundation.

A proposal for the Free Library on Ben Franklin Parkway was a favorite amongst panelists. Of the three categories that organize the catalogue -- shells, platforms, and voids -- the library proposal is considered a "platform" because it proffers "less polite" interventions into the extant structure. This proposal is one of the more provocative of the provocations, testing the flexibility of the gray area by radically juxtaposing the future with the past.

Original source: HiddenCity Philadelphia
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No culture shock: Philadelphia ranks No. 1 in U.S. for culture, says Travel & Leisure

Travel & Leisure Tuesday, October 25, 2011

When it comes to performing and visual arts, museums, historical sites and all the things that unite us, Philadelphia is the best our nation has to offer, says Travel & Leisure in its America's Favorite Cities survey. Click through for more detailed rankings.

1. Philadelphia 4.62
2. New York City 4.61
3. Washington, D.C. 4.51
4. Boston 4.49
5. Chicago 4.47

Original source: Travel & Leisure
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CloudMine's open beta launch well-received

TechCrunch Tuesday, October 18, 2011

TechCrunch writes about Philadelphia-based and DreamIt Ventures-funded CloudMine's open beta launch last week and the startup's ability to cut the time it takes for developers to create backend solutions in half.

I like that the PaaS service is offering a "B2D" (business-to-developer) solution that enables developers to move their focus away from infrastructure to product testing and iterating. It’s also pretty cool that developers can sign up for free and immediately get an API key for their first app -- and quickly generating keys for other apps with one click once they’re ready to do so.

As to who is behind the startup: CloudMine was co-founded by Ilya Braude (formerly of Eastern Research acquired by Sycamore Networks and Drakontas), Marc Weil (who has previously worked at Apple and Oracle), and Brendan McCorkle (also the co-founder of Textaurant.)

Original source: TechCrunch
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Philly lawyer among those quitting jobs to chart their own course

BBC Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Ryan Wertman, a Philadelphia lawyer who started his own practice that serves small businesses, is among those profiled by BBC in its look at Americans who leave good jobs to do their own thing.

Unwilling to put their careers in the hands of others, some Americans are quitting good jobs to start their own businesses - despite the high unemployment rate. In the first in a new series about creating jobs, the spotlight is on this surprising trend.

Ryan Wertman was one of the lucky ones.

A 2007 law school graduate, he had landed a job with a corporate firm in Philadelphia. At a time when unemployment numbers remained high, he was making good money, earning solid benefits, and on track for a partner position.

Then the economy crashed, and everything changed.

He wasn't fired, or downsized, or otherwise forced to start his own shop. Instead, disillusioned with corporate culture, he left his cushy job to start out on his own practice - a one-man firm offering legal services to other small businesses.

Original source: Ryan Wertman
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Sales, offerings up for West Chester electric bicycle retailer

Daily Local Tuesday, October 18, 2011

The owner of Hybrid Cycles on East Gay St., West Chester, has added another line of electric bicycles and reports that sales are up 80 percent, reports the Daily Local.

At Hybrid Cycles, President Gary DiVincenzo said sales of electric bikes -- he sells four lines altogether -- are up 80 percent so far this year. Even so, electric bikes are in their infancy in the U.S. compared to the rest of the world, and the East Coast is about two years behind the trend compared to the West Coast, DiVincenzo said.

"There were 20 million (electric bikes) sold in China last year, 1 million in Europe and 125,000 in the U.S.," said DiVincenzo, a former pharmaceutical industry worker who spent 10 years doing custom woodworking before starting Hybrid Cycles.

Original source: Daily Local
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Why Restaurant Weeks are good for restaurants, cities

Forbes Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Center City Philadelphia's Restaurant Week is among those examined as successful models in this Forbes blog entry that measures their impact.

Lee Maen, a partner at LA’s Innovative Dining Group, concurs. "We see a lot of new faces and hear from them that they’ve been meaning to come in for a long time, and Restaurant Week gives them a great excuse to venture out of their normal restaurant routine."

Cities love it too. Kristen Linker of the Center City District in downtown Philadelphia says "Since its inception in 2003, Center City District Restaurant Week has generated over $23.9 million in additional revenues for the restaurants and pumped over $90.7 million into Center City Philadelphia’s economy."

Original source: Forbes
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Franklin Institute's largest gift, $10M, pulls it within striking distance of expansion goal

Philanthropy Today Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The Franklin Institute has received the largest gift in its 187 year history, according to Philanthropy Today.

Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute has received the largest pledge in its history, $10-million from the businessman Nicholas Karabots, The Philadelphia Inquirer writes.

The donation puts the science center within $6-million of its $64.7-million campaign goal to fund an addition and other upgrades.

The new wing will be named for Mr. Karabots and his wife, Athena, and house exhibits on the brain and neuroscience as well as conference and classroom facilities.

Mr. Karabots, a South Bronx native who made a fortune in printing supplies and property development, said he was inspired to make the gift when he visited the institute "and saw what they were doing with all these kids. I went up to the observatory and there were four inner-city kids who were spending a year learning astronomy. I was impressed."

Source: Philanthropy Today
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Judge upholds Barnes move to Philadelphia

The Associated Press Tuesday, October 11, 2011

As construction on the Parkway wraps up, The Barnes Foundation has been given the judiciary green light to leave Lower Merion, according to the Associated Press.

Montgomery County Orphans Court Judge Stanley Ott ruled Thursday that there is no new evidence to consider.
Petitioners had asked Ott to re-examine his 2004 decision allowing the Barnes to leave its suburban home.

They contend the 2009 documentary "The Art of the Steal" includes new evidence that he didn't have when he originally ruled. But Ott disagrees.

Source: The Associated Press
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'Simple' app takes top prize at SEPTA hackathon

Technically Philly Tuesday, October 11, 2011

An application called "Simple SEPTA" was the top prize winner among a dozen projects at the SEPTA Hackathon, reports Technically Philly.

All told, more than 30 participants took place on at least eight teams, though other side projects and deviations were shared as is often the case. At least six officials from the SEPTA emerging technologies team were on hand throughout the two-day event. In addition to a half dozen small projects to make SEPTA more rider friendly, the transit agency announced it had opened up a dozen new data sources, as documented on a SEPTA URL including the word ‘hackathon,’ an innovation itself.

“I have never seen a city agency be this supportive and this present at a hackathon,” said Mark Headd, the Voxeo Labs developer who organized the event with web development firm Jarvus, which operates Devnuts and Technically Philly recently profiled.

Original source: Technically Philly
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An interview with Germantown native Rel Dowdell, writer/director of 'Changing the Game'

The Hollywood Official Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The Hollywood Official sits down at Sabrina's Cafe with Germantown native Rel Dowdell, a writer/director whose latest film "Changing the Game" looks at a young man emerging from 1980s North Philly and will premiere at the Hollywood Black Film Festival on Oct. 29.

DOWDELL: 'Changing the Game’' is a film about a young man who came out of Philadelphia in the 80's. The worst part of the 80's. 8th & Butler in North Philadelphia was one of the most notorious streets in the United States at the time. All types of heinous activity was going on there. It was an area where you never heard about anyone getting out and doing well in their life. I wanted to make a film about a young man in that tumultuous environment who saw all the demons around him and somehow managed to get out. He was a genius and intelligent enough to make himself successful on Wall Street. He was also guided by his grandmother. It was the spiritual aspect of his life that helped him to somehow avoid the pitfalls and other things that would've been his demise.

Original source: The Hollywood Official
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BioTube: Nonprofit Energy Cooperative's video contest encourages bioheat use

Biodiesel Magazine Tuesday, October 04, 2011

The Energy Cooperative wants to increase awareness of bioheat through a video contest, according to Biodiesel Magazine.

The Energy Cooperative, a Philadelphia-based member-owned nonprofit, has launched an initiative to encourage the use of Bioheat. To kick off the Clean Heat initiative, The Energy Co-op is holding a Clean Heat video contest. Members of the group submitted videos of their experiences using Bioheat. The Energy Co-op will use these videos as a way to promote the use of the biodiesel-blended heating oil, as well as create more awareness of the renewable heating fuel. The contest is scheduled to conclude on Oct. 20.

Source: Biodiesel Magazine
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Mural Arts Month, of course, means rooftop dancing

Los Angeles Times Tuesday, October 04, 2011

October is Mural Arts Month, with 31 days of art activities and celebrations, as told by the Los Angeles Times.

Art is in the air in October as Philadelphia celebrates many of its more than 3,500 murals during Mural Arts Month.

What began in 1984 as part of the Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network has blossomed into the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program. Muralist and founder Jane Golden redirected the energy and creativity of graffiti artists from marring neighborhood walls into murals, and the program now gives birth to about 150 murals a year.

Highlights of "31 Days, 31 Ways: Art Ignites Change" include mural dedications, outdoor celebrations and free tours.

Source: Los Angeles Times
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