Daredevils @ World Championship
The Duluth East Daredevils are at the FIRST World Championship in St. Louis, and are ranked 5th going into the second day of qualification matches. Robots!
The Duluth East Daredevils are at the FIRST World Championship in St. Louis, and are ranked 5th going into the second day of qualification matches. Robots!
If you hang out on PDD or Facebook or the corner of Lake Avenue and Superior Street long enough, you’ll hear a Duluth musician complain about how many banjos there are in the local music scene. Personally, I’ve heard Duluth referred to as “the banjo capital of the world,” and I’ve heard people say — not even jokingly — that it’s almost impossible to spend a night in the local music venues without hearing a banjo. On one hand, I understand what they are saying, but on the other hand, it seems like tremendous hyperbole.
The purpose of this post is to try and figure out, as accurately as possible, the percentage of bands playing Homegrown that feature a banjo, and to discuss whether or not that percentage is an excessive amount of banjos.
For shipping nerds.
[Some images in the slideshow are by Shannon Kinley; others were gathered from Geek Prom’s Facebook group page.]
This past Saturday, April 6, adults were given the chance to blast into their pasts and attend prom. This was no regular prom though. Instead of people being dressed up in expensive gowns and tuxes they got to wear costumes such as Han Solo, Princess Leia or Dr. Zoidberg.
Google Fiber – Duluth, it looks like your next best bet will be Austin, TX. You should consider moving there. I’ll help you pack.
Via Ars Technica.
At Nerd Nite the hosts showed the Geek Prom poster on the PowerPoint screen and asked the crowd what was being parodied. For a group that doesn’t miss a reference very often, the audience was actually stumped for a few seconds and I swear I heard a few crickets before someone finally muttered “Talk dirty to me?”
Perhaps the creative arrow missed the target market on this one. Maybe the prom committee will stick to Star Wars references from now on and leave Poison out of it.
Finally. Clear skies after sunset allowing my first, eagerly anticipated view of Comet PANSTARRS over Duluth. Sigh. Unfortunately, PANSTARRS isn’t really delivering the goods. I took these pictures Saturday night about 45 minutes after sunset, looking due west over the UMD campus, and trust me, even though the comet was visible to the naked eye, the photos are better than what I could see, even with binoculars. Still, if you get a chance (and the weather Gods permit) I recommend checking this underachieving celestial visitor out.
I’m participating in the Reddit coffee and tea exchange. I’m planning on sending some info about the greater Duluth area and it would be nice if I had a sticker or two to throw in there.
From Ars Technica:
Jammie Thomas-Rasset has been fighting a recording industry lawsuit accusing her of sharing music using the now-defunct peer-to-peer network Kazaa for the better part of a decade. In 2007, a jury found Thomas-Rasset liable to the tune of $222,000 for sharing 24 songs. She appealed the verdict, resulting in two more trials that each produced even larger jury awards. These higher figures were thrown out by the courts, but last year, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the $222,000 award.
I saw a commercial being made for the upcoming Smelt Festival while walking in Canal Park today. The sea creature character was booming out a pretty funny pronouncement from the Smelt Queen promising puppetry, puppet making and smelt-y fun in exchange for funding.
It’s stuff like this that makes me love this town.
Berserkon failed to make it’s initial Kickstarter goal of $42K, but it gained a lot of attention, a major grant from Visit Duluth, and learned a thing or two about what people are looking for from a major gaming convention. It’s back with a much more manageable $9,950 basic goal and stretch goals that will add to the fun.
If you pledged the first time, that’s erased. To support this project, roll again!
Luke Moravec takes a look at the history of the Hanna Barbera gang of sleuths. Recorded at Nerd Nite 19 on Oct. 30, 2012, at Teatro Zuccone in Duluth.
From the Math is Hard Network:
The Math Is Hard Network of podcasts and blogs is proud to announce the release of our second podcast property, Nerd Nite MN.
Nerd Nite is a national organization with local chapters, and this podcast features live recordings from the Duluth, MN chapter. Similar to Give and Take and Ignite presentations, Nerd Nite features smart, funny presenters speaking about nerdy topics that they are totally into, and can’t wait to share about. Topics can range from Japanese toilet technology to the collapse of the modern banking system, and everywhere in between.
Our first episode provides a detailed look at the past, present, and future of Scooby Doo. Presenter Luke M. is hugely passionate and informed about the topic, and it shows. You’ll laugh and learn at an equal clip.
There is a Kickstarter project running right now to fund “an entirely epic gaming convention taking place in the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center over Memorial Day weekend.” Board games, RPGs, wargames, TCGs, LAN gaming, celebrity guests and contests. Project closes December 22.
I’m looking for a person knowledgeable in the fine arts of soldering and/or electronics to either commission, or better yet, apprentice under. Teach a man to fish, y’know?
I am an artist and ummm … musician new to the area looking to expand my arsenal and meet up and work with like-minded folks. I have a few specific projects in mind but lack the cognitive capacity for such wonderful crap. Basic synth kits. Circuit modification and highly liquid midi kits are on my mind … Google em.
Prefer to trade work, food, art or any other supplies before cash. I can also do cash.
