May 2015 Posts

The Dark Web Movie

DeepWeb

This post is from a Texas friend:

Back in 2013 I posted [somewhere else, not on Perfect Duluth Day] about the arrest of my nephew Ross Ulbricht for allegedly running Silk Road. I remember many on this forum [another forum, not PDD] jumped to condemn him and still might hold the same view. FYI: He admitted to creating it as a free-market experiment, but that is all, as he left it to do other things (and I have reason to believe him). The murder-for-hire claim was a story to drive public opinion and he was never charged with it.

Video Archive: Making Beer with Barrett and Paul

Episode 1: Preparation

Ten years ago video blogs, or “vlogs” became the latest Internet trend, boosted by the launching of YouTube. Back then, the founders of Perfect Duluth Day each had their own separate websites where they showcased videos, which they often cross-posted on PDD. The “Making Beer with Barrett and Paul” series, featuring Barrett Chase and Paul Lundgren, is one example of those early, low-fi productions.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press wrote about the subject in a May 16, 2005 article. The excerpt below is the part that relates to Duluth:

The Farsights – “Heaven” (Live at Homegrown)

Duluth band The Farsights perform at Tycoons Alehouse during the 2015 Homegrown Music Festival in this clip from the May 21 episode of WDSE-TV’s The PlayList.

Rhubarbarism

rhubarbarism1

Once upon a time I would not have guessed that I’d ever witness somebody stealing rhubarb, but yeah, that’s what this guy did behind our neighbors’ garage this afternoon.

Selective Focus: Memorial

Brian Barber

Brian Barber, “Cat Portrait”

Some vivid reminders this week that memorials can take many forms- anything from the solemn to the absurd. It’s good to recall our histories, our milestones, and our experiences with due reverence at times, and at others with some humor and an ironic distance.

The Duluth Superior Film Festival needs wheels!

The Duluth Superior Film Festival needs a 12/15/18-passenger vehicle for use during the festival. Every year the fabulous Riki McManus of the Upper Minnesota Film Office takes filmmakers and guests around the area and shows them all the great locations the area has to offer in an effort to get them to come back and shoot their next film here. In the past, we rented the vehicles, or got great help from the Duluth Experience. TDE is booked this year, and some weird liability change has taken all the rentals out of the market. Do you have (I’m looking at you, local bands) or know of anyone who could let us use one of these types of vehicles? We have money! Dates of use would just be a few hours on Friday, June 5 and Saturday, June 6. Please contact richard @ ds-ff.com if you know of anyone who could help. Thank you! Come see some free films!

Spirit Mountain a finalist for $100K in online contest

Bell Helmets Gimmick

Duluth’s Spirit Mountain is one of three locations in the running for the $100,000 prize offered by Bell Helmets to fund a trail-building project. Voting in the nationwide contest is being conducted on bellhelmets.com and will continue through June 4.

Cyclists of Gitchee Gumee Shores is the nonprofit organization leading Duluth’s effort. Spirit Mountain is competing for the 2015 Bell Built grand prize against projects in La Grange, Calif. and Knoxville, Tenn.

Participants needed for Duluth linguistics survey

I’m a linguist at UMD working on a project on Duluth English. I need to find four people from the Lakeside-Lester area to use in the study. I’m looking for participants between the ages of 18-35 who have lived the majority of their lives in the Lakeside-Lester area.

If you have an extra hour and would be willing to make a couple of short audio recordings for me, please give me a shout at:
wnsalmon[at]d[dot]umn[dot]edu.

The recordings will take less than an hour, and I will pay $15 for your time. Thank you!

Google updates satellite view, old things found in Duluth

Jay Cooke

In general I’m not too pleased with the new Google Maps, but the satellite view was very recently updated — with images from possibly just a few weeks ago — which is pleasing because there was no greenery, so you can more easily spot hidden gems that would normally be obscured from view in a more summer-like setting. Here are some of the things I’ve found and rediscovered:

Half an old railroad trestle in Jay Cooke State Park.
Ruins of old homes in Duluth.
An old abandoned road near Arrowhead Road.
A long abandoned logging railroad bed near the Duluth International Airport.

Note: on Internet Explorer, it activated some 3-D feature with the older satellite view and crude 3-D layout, not sure how to turn it off.

As far as having to clear a windshield in May goes, not so bad

Tree Car Mess

Getting to know Adam Swanson

Adam

My quest to network and develop friendships within our local community of artists continues. In advance of Adam Swanson’s upcoming opening reception at the Great Lakes Aquarium later this week, read more about this fascinating local artist here.

This Week: Baseball, bluesmen and more

Untitled design
Here’s a bit of what you’ll find on this week’s PDD Calendar:

Lots of post-Memorial Day activities on tap, including Thunder of Freedom at Teatro Zuccone, Charlie Parr’s album-release show at the Red Herring, the Duluth Huskies’ home opener at the evolving Wade Stadium, Art Night Out 2015 at the Depot and an exploration of the Duluth Children’s Museum for adults.

There’s also the 2015 Berserkon gamestravaganza, the 2015 Arrowhead Arts Awards, the unlocking of a long-locked room at Glensheen Mansion, a fundraising tribute to the life and work of Eric Swanson at Sacred Heart, Bent Paddle’s Festiversary and the Spirit of the Times fundraiser at Zeitgeist Arts.

Feeding LeRoy – “Telluride Song” (Live on The PlayList)

Duluth band Feeding LeRoy performs a song from the Love is a Gamble EP on the May 21 episode of WDSE-TV’s The PlayList.

Happy tick season to all

Ticks are most active from mid-May through mid-July.

  • Walk in the center of trails.
  • Conduct frequent strip searches.
  • Tweeze ’em and torch ’em.

Perfect Duluth Day is now on Instagram

10704071_620211268098043_947566155109307061_nHello! My name is Kahla Statema, and if you can’t pronounce my name, it’s Kayla Stat-uh-mah. I’m the new intern at Perfect Duluth Day and also the face behind the PDD Instagram.

I am a journalism major with a minor in photography at UMD, and what some would call a “fourth-year sophomore.” I’ve always been a writer and used mediums such as poems and short stories to express myself when I was a kid. I enjoy writing stories on just about anything, but my number one dream is to become a freelance travel writer. If you would like to take a look at my personal work, check out my online portfolio.

Follow PDD on Instagram at @perfectduluthday and get ready for a great summer in Duluth!

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