Richard Florida (rise of the creative class) writes about a study to identify the “Brainiest” metros. St. Louis county makes it into the upper tier. Way to go! Now why are we still saying “The Martin Road?” It’s just Martin Road!

I’ve sat back and let the rental density issues take their Darwinian course and here’s what you get. Ever since the 300′ rule was allowed to lapse, we’ve had five homes in two blocks flip. Here’s a particularly wonderful example of a classic old Duluth bungalow. It’s 100 year old front yard facing Woodland Avenue will be no match for the Kamatsu at the hands of a boarding house proprietor. He’ll be able to park six vehicles here.

Contact the city council, individually, by email and let them know that they should support reasoned developments to house renter’s near UMD and that they should oppose efforts to nullify regulations which help guide and motivate intentional development. I am not anti-student! I am anti-profit above community.

With Trampled by Turtles and Two Many Banjos, I thought we could tap into the deep history of local banjoery. A clue, this is outdoors.

After sitting around a fire in the dark with my band mates last night instead of running through our Homegrown set because we needed to flail, celebrate, berate, challenge and lock arms, I got to thinking about bands as vehicles for journeys. How communal music can be. With Homegrown coming on quickly, it’s an opportune moment to reflect on the power of collective music making, in a band and a “scene.” How it can weave together lives and a community.

So, seeing the Wind Map led me to many eyes and the work of these two inspiring technologists of the people.

I thought I’d share.

 

Attention fellow mad scientists! After years of searching and countless minutes making phone calls we have finally made contact. The secretive and mighty Ronin Motorcycle Collective has obtained rights to lease the most excellent and prime secret laboratory location in Duluth. Oddly totally hidden and yet right in front of everyone’s nose at the same time we are ready to assemble an initial team of elite and dedicated moto-enthusiasts, crazy ass artists, techno-hackers and general all around collaborative individuals willing to commit and create the Zenith city’s first Co-operative and collaborative moto/hacker/art/wtf space.
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Also to listen to the effects, check out the software defined radio from Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The low and middle bands show the activity.

Looks like we’ll have an “earth directed” coronal mass ejection this weekend. I guess there goes what’s left of our ice candles from Christmas.

 

Before Call of Duty and Elder Scrolls, there were these quirky little things called Text Based Adventures. Primitive on the graphic front (with NO graphics in them), these were the first dungeon crawlers and computer based rpgs like Minnesota’s own Oregon Trail. In 1982, this was super addictive stuff. Well, as I’m an active user of Goolge Docs, I came to realize that it might be possible to use their forms and spreadsheets to “crowd source” the content for a text based “pub crawler” or some text based questing game based in the PDD ethos.

Sorry, this is where my mind goes when I’m feeling ill and home alone from work for the day. So I started a test survey. It’s not perfect or definitive and really just a test so I can have a bit of crowd sourced data to try and put together in game form.  Once there’s a few entries, I’ll make a game out of it. I hope to refine the survey to better automate the process. So, take a few minutes and unleash your inner geek. BTW, This is NOT an official PDD sponsored thing and no folk bands will be hurt in the programming of this game.

Here’s your chance to let our man in New Hampshire … er, I mean Washington know what we really think. Take the quick survey. I chose the “Tax Increases” option.  I was lucky enough to get this because I’ve sent him email before. I thought many of you might not have known that he’s soliciting opinions, so here you go.

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Top Secret America Government Work Locations

Notice the red dot on the zenith city. I go to a’thinkin .. hmmmm … what!? who? Jeno? Loll? Storm Analysis Consultants? Hmmm…

On the DNT story! This is for you …

Sighted, two ore boats performing a mating ritual

…how we got here.

The Tea Party and Republican foot draggers are hypocrites!

I know this is a hot button, and the title alludes to an expletive, but please, please can any of the libertarian-minded PDD readers explain what is the moral objection to taxation? It seems to me that an intelligent and regulated tax system is a sign of an evolved society that wants to achieve some communal objectives, like good schools and investing in leading-edge technology in our infrastructure. 

Yes, humans are imperfect … there will always be people who take advantage and are greedy/dishonest.  But why the “Hell No!”? Do you have substance to back up the intransigence? “No taxation without representation!” could also be viewed as “No representation without taxation!”

Let’s keep the flame to the troll zone, I’m truly interested in intelligent, reasoned and goodhearted debate on this.

Local space-lounge band Tangier 57 is playing on The Playlist this Thursday night. We’d like to recreate the melbatoasty goodness that is/was the Lawrence Welk Show. Bubble machine, glaring colors, haute smarm and all. One of the key elements of any LW show was cutaways to the audience polkaing, shadishing, waltzing and possibly even target=”blank”>”frugging”. You know what I’m talking about … there’s your grandma and grandpa, much younger but still super dorky, looking insanely proud in technicolor. Her in her horn rims and beaufant and seafoam sleeveless and him in his buddy holly glasses and cufflinks.

So, here’s where you come in … We’re asking for anyone with a 50′s 60′s vintage clothes fetish to come up to Channel 8 and be the studio dancers for the audience cutaways. We can’t promise anything other than fun, our undying appreciation and admiration and that all your friends will be at home laughing their arses off at you … don’t worry,  it’s painless and fun after you get used to it like we have. So target=”_blank”>dare to be target=”_blank”> square 8:15pm This Thursday night a Channel 8 studios. It’s up around behind UMD just off Junction Ave.

8:15pm, Thursday 06/23

WDSE • WRPT
632 Niagara Court
Duluth, MN 5581

P.S. The first  3 couples to show up get a copy of our new CD, “It is People!” Currently being poured through Eric Swanson’s butter boxes at Sacred Heart. It’s imminent release will change the Northland’s musical landscape forever.