Bostonist

Science by the Pint: Google Maps and GPS

Kerry Skemp — 2010-02-09T11:00:00-05:00

Science by the Pint
with Jeff Blossom and Lex Berman
Redline (59 JFK Street, Cambridge - Harvard Square)
Tuesday, February 9
7 pm, free!

Sponsored by Science in the News, a Harvard PhD student organization dedicated to exploring the science behind news reports, Science by the Pint is a new series that aims to promote dialogue on scientific issues between scientists and regular folks. Whether you're persistently skepchickal or only question the occasional odd-seeming science report, Science by the Pint should offer a fun, informal way for you to learn a thing or two about various scientific topics.

Tonight, Science by the Pint puts itself on the map with a geographic theme, asking geographic information systems specialists Jeff Blossom and Lex Berman to explain how they used their geographic expertise to obtain critical data for the Haitian government to help direct action in the recent quake's aftermath. Geographic information doesn't just have large-scale uses, though: it can help us in our daily lives, whether we navigate from place to place using GPS or Google Maps, and more trivial topics may be touched on as well.

Science by the Pint promises to be a thought-provoking tradition. Get in on the ground level with tonight's first incarnation, which comes complete with a drawing for gift certificates and beer, and 5% of Redline proceeds going to Haiti relief.

Photo of the Day, February 8, 2010: Alewife Station

Liv Gold — 2010-02-08T13:00:00-05:00

Image tagged Bostonist by Mike Cialowicz.

We’ve been at this T station a million times, but we never saw it quite like this. Photographer Mike Cialowicz pits the weird, seemingly undulating seating structure against the regulated grid of the brick floor. We like how the once familiar station suddenly seems extraordinary.

Egyptian Lovers Offer Free Lectures Tomorrow at MFA

Rick Sawyer — 2010-02-06T11:25:36-05:00

Those who can't get enough of Egypt, Egypt should make their way to the MFA tomorrow afternoon where two Belgian Egyptologists (is there really any other kind?) will present free lectures on their recent discoveries.

Harco Willems, of Leuven University, will discuss the giant statue of Djetihoptep and the Middle Kingdom's "displays of power and authority." Marleen De Meyer, also from Leuven, will discuss the "excavation of the 4,000-year-old tomb of Henu," which sheds light on funerary beliefs in the Middle Kingdom. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Forays into Middle Kingdom Egypt is a free presentation at the Museum of Fine Arts. Tickets are required and are available at the box office. The lectures take place tomorrow, Sunday February 7, at 2 p.m.

Midway Marathon: Haiti Relief Benefit in JP

Kerry Skemp — 2010-02-06T10:00:00-05:00

Haiti Relief Benefit
Midway Cafe (3496 Washington Street, Jamaica Plain)
Sunday, February 7
Noon to 2 am
$5

Another day, another Haiti benefit. This one, though, is a marathon: fourteen hours of rock at the Midway in JP. If you're not the Super Bowl type, you'll have an entire day of non-football-related entertainment. And even if you are the Super Bowl type, you can have at least six hours of fun before kick off. It's win-win for everyone, except the team that loses the Super Bowl. The non-Colts/Saints lineup is:

Noon - Dr. Bin Laden 2012
1pm - Confidon
2pm - Patrick Yerby
3pm - Seven Shades of Grey
4pm - Cosmic Moxa
5pm - NADZ
6pm - Culprit Policy
7pm - Wicked Hangin’ Chads
8pm - Liquid Confidence
9pm - The Dead Beats
10pm - 2am - DJ Leah

Puccini's La Rondine this weekend in Fort Point

sloan — 2010-02-05T14:00:43-05:00

What draws young people into the opera, leads them to pour their fresh talent into the old wineskins of a foreign art? And why does a monolingual schlub like this Bostonist--whose primary engagement with culture is a daily trip to 7-Eleven--find joy in watching and half-understanding them? And why don't we all live in Fort Point?

None of these questions were answered during the Boston Conservatory Opera Program's presentation of Puccini's La Rondine, which is being held this weekend at Midway Studios in Fort Point due to ongoing renovations at the conservatory's home in the Fenway.

The story, set in this production in the Paris of the late 1940's, is simple enough for non-Italians to follow (though flat screens on either side of the stage also display subtitles): Magda, the mistress of a rich man, gives up the comfort of her position to seek romantic love. Kristen Norwark is wonderfully emotive in the lead role, and her love at first beer chemistry with Ruggero (John William Gomez) feels natural. Highlights also include Matthew Grills, in a great comic role as the poet Prunier, and Jacquelyn Vina, who is a joy to watch in every scene as the maid Lisette.

The whole night was alive with youthful energy, from the crowded room to the visible orchestra. It's fitting that the conservatory found a temporary residence in Fort Point: nowhere else does Boston feel so big and urban and artistic. It's like Kendall Square for people who fell asleep in physics.

Remaining shows this weekend: February 5th and 6th at 8 pm, February 7th at 2 pm (a different cast will perform Friday and Sunday.) Midway Studios, 15 Channel Center St. $22 general admission, $12 seniors, $7 for all students with valid ID. Box Office: 617-912-9222 or click here to buy online. Cast photo by Michael Fein.

Photo of the Day, February 5, 2010: Clear Skies

Liv Gold — 2010-02-05T13:00:00-05:00

Image tagged Bostonist by material guy.

Happy Friday from all of us at Bostonist. We chose this photo by material guy because we like the crisp colors and wide open sky. It’s supposed to snow almost two feet in parts of the mid-Atlantic this weekend, but we in Boston don’t have to worry. Thirty-five-degree high, live it up!

The Blanks from 'Scrubs' Will Be Here in A Week!

Thomas Attila Lewis — 2010-02-05T10:39:52-05:00

Sam Lloyd from "Scrubs" talks about his band: The Blanks from Thomas Attila Lewis on Vimeo.

We met Sam Lloyd at Griffith Park in Los Angeles to take a ride on the same train line that Steve Martin drives in "The Jerk". Sam explained that his band, The Blanks, are going to be performing in Boston on February 12, at the Wilbur Theatre. The Blanks are the a capella band that appears in the TV series "Scrubs" on NBC and ABC (and now in syndication on Comedy Central) and are associated with Sam's character, Ted the Lawyer.

The Blanks show features many of the songs that they sang in "Scrubs" as well as plenty of live comedy performance. You can see a clips compilation of some of their songs in the below YouTube video and learn more about the band at their website as well as in this article on our sister site LAist. Three of the four Blanks are locals and this is planned to be quite the homecoming.

Who: The Blanks
Where: The Wilbur Theatre
When: Friday, February 12th at 10pm

Sam Lloyd from The Blanks at Griffith Park in Los Angeles

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Boston Sci-Fi Film Fest Starts Today

Rick Sawyer — 2010-02-05T10:30:03-05:00

Fans of independent science fiction movies will have full schedules over the next two weekends as the 35th annual Boston Sci-Fi Film Festival unreels at the Somerville Theatre. The festival starts tonight with the recent Mexican dystopic feature Sleep Dealer, which screens at 7 p.m. Past festivals have consisted only of the 24-hour science fiction film marathon, and this year marks the first time the festival has taken place over the course of a week.

In addition to a slate of features (Mutant Swingers From Mars stands out), the festival also includes three separate programs of indie shorts—often the best part of any film festival—and the capstone 24-hour sci-fi marathon. This year's "'Thon" features Kelli Maroney vehicle Night of the Comet (1984) and David Cronenberg's creepy zombie film Rabid (1977), featuring a foaming-at-the-mouth Marilyn Chambers.

The Boston Sci-Fi Film Fest begins today at the Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville. The full schedule is available here.

Photo of the Day, February 4, 2010: Run Down High-Rise

Liv Gold — 2010-02-04T13:00:00-05:00

Image tagged Bostonist by Future Impaired.

Earlier this winter, Aperture magazine ran a story about urban archaeology with photographs and commentary by Andrew Moore. The images of decay and neglect were arresting—juxtaposing an incredible level of rich detail with a feeling of surreal emptiness. This well-lit, nicely exposed image by Future Impaired struck us similarly and reminded us of the spread.

Photo of the Day, February 3, 2010: Geometric Ice

Liv Gold — 2010-02-03T13:00:00-05:00

Image tagged Bostonist by jeff tamagini.

We’re on a roll with the wintery ice shots this week. Photographer jeff tamagini shot this one and did a great job accentuating their geometric quality. We like how the tapering ice flow and bright reflected sunlight attracts our eyes to the back of the frame and guides them out of the picture.

Another Haiti Benefit, This Time with Unicorns: Kem Pa Sote at the Middle East

Kerry Skemp — 2010-02-03T11:00:00-05:00

Kem Pa Sote: A Party To Benefit The Future of Haiti
Pretty & Nice, You Can Be A Wesley, The Lights Out, Aloud
DJ’s Michael V (The Pill), Damien Paul (So Dope), Repeat Offenders (FTW)
Middle East Downstairs (480 Mass Ave, Cambridge)
Prize raffles
Photos by Gillian Bowling
Podcast by The Empire
Wednesday, February 3
7:30 pm, 18+, $10

It's another Haiti benefit. It's a good cause. It's good music. There will be photos, prizes, and apparently a podcast (21st-century technology!). And You Can Be A Wesley member Nick Curran even promised "the first known live engineered unicorn," so we're especially looking forward to this one. Rock for a cause, y'all.

Howl at the New Moon: Session with New Moon's Visual Effects Supervisors

Kerry Skemp — 2010-02-03T09:00:00-05:00

Conjuring New Moon
with Matt Jacobs and Eric Pascarelli
Visual Effects for New Moon
Museum of Science, Cahners Theater
Wednesday, February 3
7:00 pm, free!
[Info]

We already interviewed Kellan Lutz, an eerily good-looking star of Twilight: New Moon, part of that Twilight saga seemingly based on an odd Mormon Jesus-vampire fetish (The Oatmeal explains). Now, we bring you news that visual effects crew members from New Moon will be at the Museum of Science tonight to explain how they created fictional creatures for the film!

Werewolves and vampires are easy in book form: just describe 'em and leave the realization up to your reader's imagination! But in a movie, there's a somewhat pressing need to show more. Matt Jacobs and Eric Pascarelli worked on the visual effects for New Moon and can explain "the snarl of a werewolf" or "the sparkling skin of a vampire"—if not the continuing appeal of Kristen Stewart, whose acting consists mostly of looking frail/fretful and tossing her hair as far as we can tell. Cheer up, Kristen!

Matt Jacobs of Tippett Studio made the wolves of New Moon. We don't want to give away whole process, but let's just say that it was necessary to get up close and personal with some real wolves. Eric Pascarelli's Prime Focus VFX used marble as the inspiration for the shimmering skin of New Moon's fantasy vampires; love it or hate it, the sparklevamps have caused quite a sensation, and may continue to inspire shiny mythical creatures for years to come.

We may not be dedicated Twilight fans, but we're willing to bet that the visual effects may be one of the more interesting parts of the movie. Head on over to the Museum of Science this evening to learn how it's done. Afterward, you can fraternize with fellow Team Edwards or Team Jacobs or whichever team you're on, if you're into that.

Photo of the Day, February 2, 2010: Blue Ice

Liv Gold — 2010-02-02T13:00:00-05:00

Image tagged Bostonist by MeredithBaker.

We love the pearly opalescence of this ice shot by MeredithBaker. The soft greens and blues look great against the desaturated wooden dock.

Get Lost at Our House: Lost Season Premiere Viewing Party Boston

Kerry Skemp — 2010-02-02T01:00:00-05:00

Lost Season Premiere Party
Our House East (52 Gainsborough Street)
Our House West (1277 Commonwealth Ave.)
Tuesday, February 2
8 pm onward
Free, with food provided!
21+

If you like that "Lost" TV show all the kids are watching, chances are you'll want to watch Tuesday night: it's the premiere episode of the show's sixth and (supposedly) final season. Our House is Your House this evening, at both locations: Our House East and Our House West are hosting viewing parties for the popular show.

These aren't just any viewing parties: they feature free entry, free food (free breakfast until 11pm out West), and of course fellow Lost fanatics. We're partial to the foosball setup at West, so we might head there in our jammies (there will be breakfast, so it's legit). There will also be Lost-themed raffles at both locations, so you can go home a winner, even if you're enough of a loser to celebrate a television show this much (we kid, we kid). But seriously, this event is hosted by the kids who host Throwed!, some kind of dance party we're not cool enough to have ever attended, so you know it's going to be completely epic.

RSVP to the Facebook event page, if you feel like it. But really, who's gonna keep you out of "your" House?

Photo of the Day, February 1, 2010: Open Kitchen

Liv Gold — 2010-02-01T13:00:00-05:00

Image tagged Bostonist by bluelliot.

We saw this photo by bluelliot sometime last week, and it has stayed in our heads ever since. The framing and lighting are stunning, and we like the contrast between the chefs’ white jackets and the dark, steely background. Great, natural moment, well shot.