<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>Beecoz - Austin, TX 78746</title><link>http://www.beecoz.com/posts/community/TX/Travis/Austin/78746/</link><description>Beecoz-Community Portal</description><language>en-us</language><pubDate>Fri, 09 Jan 2009 10:08:44 EST</pubDate><item><title>Push the rail back on track</title><description><![CDATA[
        A letter I just wrote to the three councilmembers on the CAMPO TWG (I think Mike Martinez is among them, at least):


Councilmembers and Mayor,

After returning from a long vacation, I finally read the report from city staff to the CAMPO TWG about the rail proposal and am alarmed at some apparent backsliding on the issue of reserved guideway, and some indications that previous understanding of how important this would be has diminished. For instance, it now appears that the city will not seek reserved guideway on Congress in addition to the Manor segment.

Comments by city staff in this report make two seemingly contradictory claims:

1. That the downtown \'core\' segment is critical, and must support frequent headways
2. That this same segment will be operating in \'circulator\' mode (as opposed to some \'express\' mode label for the Riverside segment), so reserved guideway is less important because stops will be more frequent.

Allow me to vigorously disagree. Reserved guideway is actually most critical on Congress. If you spend any significant time on buses running through downtown in this corridor (#1 or #5, say), you will see that simple signal pre-emption as proposed would be nearly useless during periods of heavy congestion - holding the light green doesn\'t help you when traffic is backed up from the next 5 intersections ahead. In other words, I would trade reserved guideway on Riverside for Congress in a heartbeat - the signal-holding device would actually do some good on Riverside.

This smacks a bit of the same kind of pennywise/poundfoolish thinking that brought us the impending underwhelming disaster of the Red Line (just because we own this track means we should keep the train running on it the whole way instead of running to where people actually want to go). While I understand the logic behind running in shared space on Manor, the bullet must be bit on Congress if this plan is to succeed (and it is nearly impossible to switch from shared-running to reserved-guideway later on, by the way).

Regards,
Mike Dahmus
mike@dahmus.org


Page 14:


The Urban Rail project is proposed to include both independent rail right-of-way, and mixed flow
operations. Streetcar vehicles would operate in mixed traffic (with automobiles) in areas where it is
essentially serving as a circulator mode (collecting and distributing passengers frequently). In the northern part of the corridors
(University of Texas and Manor Road corridor) there are limited locations where the system could operate
in a dedicated right-of-way (see description of alignment in following section). In the Riverside Corridor,
where street rights-of-way are typically wider, there is generally sufficient room to create a dedicated
right-of-way by widening the overall street to the outside to provide new auto capacity and then converting
inside lanes for transit use. In the central downtown and Capitol Complex, options exist for providing
either a dedicated right-of-way or shared use track way. The preferred method for operation in these two
latter districts requires detailed planning and engineering that will be completed during the early design
phase of the program.


This, folks, is dangerous - it\'s basically hedging previous claims that the service would be mostly reserved guideway, and now, effectively, saying \&quot;well, we\'ll give it a shot\&quot;. And \&quot;circulator mode\&quot; is the most important part of the route. The transit spine, if you will. You don\'t run your transit spine in \&quot;mixed flow\&quot;.

Note that the report later says \&quot;Options are also being examined for providing dedicated running ways for
the rail along Congress Avenue and other Downtown streets.\&quot; (page 45). However, the groundwork is clearly being laid for shared running on Congress, with the nonsense about \&quot;circulator mode\&quot; and other silliness in section 2D-2 (hint: the streetcar needs to be delivering people to work, not worrying about how they get to lunch; and if you give them a shared-lane running streetcar that\'s bogged down on Congress just like the buses are, you\'re not going to get many converts. City staff must have been instructed to come up with some real fancy footwork to explain how \&quot;time-certain\&quot; wasn\'t torpedoed by shared-lane operations here; I can\'t believe they really believe this stuff about how circling for parking at lunch makes shared-lane operations sufficiently time-certain).

Additional support for this position would be really helpful from my readers, assuming you agree.
        
    ]]></description><link>http://mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/archives/000554.html</link><guid>http://mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/archives/000554.html</guid><pubDate>Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:55:16 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Exposure on Colorado St - Friday!</title><description><![CDATA[I have to admit to spending more time than is probably healthy looking at photographs on Flickr over the last year. I started my work life out as a (junior) Photographer on the Gazette newspaper back in my home town in the UK. Photography is a love unrealized for me.
After cruising some of the displays [...]]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/506314459/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/506314459/</guid><pubDate>Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:10:25 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Two quick hits</title><description><![CDATA[
        Still catching up at work, but there\'s two things I didn\'t want to forget to comment on.

First, before leaving for Florida, I went with the boys and my father-in-law to the Palmer center during one of the last evenings of their Xmas shopping event. Luckily, we planned on parking at One Texas Center and walking, because traffic was backed up all the way across the 1st street bridge for the Trail of Lights. Right in the middle of all those cars not moving, what could you see? The shuttlebuses that the city wanted everybody to ride. 

Easy lesson for the day: If you want people to leave their cars in a remote lot and ride shuttlebuses, ensure that the shuttlebuses aren\'t stuck in traffic for an hour with the cars of everybody who didn\'t take your advice. It\'s amazing that in this day and age, people still don\'t get this - somehow we\'re supposed to enjoy being stuck in traffic more because we\'re on a jerky uncomfortable bus instead of in our own vehicle (which, although almost as annoying to be stuck in traffic in, at least allows for more comfort)? There\'s a trivially easy solution which requires only a small amount of political spine: make one lane of Barton Springs for shuttle-buses only. Cost? A few cops who had to be there anyways, and some orange cones. After all, you already closed Barton Springs down by the restaurants anyways, right?

Second item: There is still precisely zero square feet of evident transit-oriented development along Tri-Rail in South Florida (caveat: I only observed between the Fort Lauderdale airport and the Dreher Park Zoo, in West Palm Beach, but that\'s about 50 miles worth). The relevance, for those who may be coming to this late, is that Tri-Rail is almost exactly like what we\'re opening here in March: a commuter rail line which runs infrequently compared to light rail, and requires transfers to shuttle buses on the destination end of essentially all trips to get where you really want to go. Despite more than a decade now of effort to subsidize, encourage, rezone, whatever, there is no, zero, KAPUT TOD on the ground there, and none under construction, and every single prospective project along those lines floated mostly by governmental entities has failed. Every. Single. One.

And here in Austin? The supposed (mislabelled) TOD along Capital Metro\'s line falls exclusively into three categories: Abandoned/on hold (far suburban projects); TOD-as-excuse-for-sorely-needed-upzoning (Crestview Station); and way-too-low-density-to-be-called-TOD (Chestnut, for instance). In the second category, Crestview Station is no more dense (probably less when complete) than the Triangle, so clearly the rail transit available to Crestview has provided precisely zero additional support for density in the project (it could have been just as dense without the rail). 

More later as I slowly get up to speed.
        
    ]]></description><link>http://mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/archives/000553.html</link><guid>http://mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/archives/000553.html</guid><pubDate>Thu, 08 Jan 2009 10:49:53 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>I have returned</title><description><![CDATA[
        from Florida and am swamped - expect no new activity for a while longer. In the meantime, enjoy this picture (which I was afraid my prone-to-exaggeration memory had misrememberated).


        
    ]]></description><link>http://mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/archives/000552.html</link><guid>http://mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/archives/000552.html</guid><pubDate>Wed, 07 Jan 2009 11:57:02 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>The scrap heap of history</title><description><![CDATA[Don't consign your precious souvenirs of Austin to oblivion. Share them with others and keep them safe. The Austin History Center is always seeking documentation of life in this town in order to preserve it for posterity. This is one of the posters that I turned up when I was searching for Steve Jordan and [...]]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/505341899/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/505341899/</guid><pubDate>Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:49:37 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Among the best</title><description><![CDATA[Austin Monthly magazine (December 2008: &amp;#8220;The Cool Issue&amp;#8221;) has included Austin Metblogs among the 112 best Austin Web sites and blogs, touting us for &amp;#8220;local news, opinion and recommendations&amp;#8221; and categorizing content as &amp;#8220;offbeat essays.&amp;#8221; Thank you, Austin Monthly! The magazine's search swept up some sites new to me, ones worth of frequent reference. The [...]]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/505308727/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/505308727/</guid><pubDate>Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:09:46 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Still fearless, and much fatter</title><description><![CDATA[The second edition of The Fearless Critic Austin Restaurant Guide is now on all the best local bookshelves, and no Austin home library should be without it, if only to provide endless material for argument. The original edition has been in constant use, especially when guests are to be entertained.
This compilation of reviews has gone [...]]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/505298000/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/505298000/</guid><pubDate>Wed, 07 Jan 2009 09:54:50 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Inside The Circle - MTV - January 11-15, 2009</title><description><![CDATA[From the Now that is what I call a premiere! department... The documentary, Inside The Circle, with Romeo Navarro and B-Boy City will be premiering on MTV! MTV!Mark your calendars!Sun.  Jan. 11     8:00 AM  Texas time (9 AM PST/EST)         Sun.  Jan. 11     6:00 PM  Texas time (7 PM PST/EST)                          Mon.  Jan. 12     12:00 PM Texas time (1 PM PST/EST)                                 Wed.  Jan. 14     9:00 AM  Texas time (10 AM PST/EST)                                    Thur. Jan. 15     7:00 PM  Texas time (8 PM PST/EST)Musical contributions for the movie include Adrian Quesada (Musical Supervisor), Hydroponic Sound System, DJ Baby G and Bavu Blakes!Ernesto maybe we need to pop some popcorn and throw a party!More info:Capturing the raw power of a grassroots hip-hop movement in the heart of Texas, INSIDE THE CIRCLE tells the story of two strikingly talented b-boys, Josh and Omar, former best friends who become rivals when they join competing dance crews. Immersed in the b-boy culture of defiant creativity, Omar rises to international renown while Josh tangles with the Texas criminal justice system. Both of them struggle to keep dance at the center of their lives, and the ?B-Boy City? competitive events thrown by visionary street dancer Romeo Navarro serve as emotional milestones in their journey to adulthood. Facing off in intense dance battles that mirror the larger events in their lives, Josh and Omar seekredemption, identity and respect ?inside the circle.? As Romeo aptly observes: ?If you can hold yourself down in battle, you can hold yourself down in life.?

      
]]></description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/JfSca7xjkak/inside-circle-mtv-january-11-15-2009.html</link><guid>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/JfSca7xjkak/inside-circle-mtv-january-11-15-2009.html</guid><pubDate>Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:06:43 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>The Best In Texas Freestyle Contest - Club 311 - January 7 &amp; 14, 2008</title><description><![CDATA[From the let\'s get \'09 started department... The Best In Texas Freestyle Contest @ Club 311 on Jan 7th &amp;amp; 14th!More info:Freestyle rap is an improvisational form of rapping, performed with few or no previously composed lyrics, which is said to reflect a direct mapping of the mental state and performing situation of the artist. It is non-scripted, non-rehearsed, uncut, and the rawest form of hip-hop. Artists will often refer to places and objects in their immediate setting. Freestyle rapping forces an individual to think on the spot, describe their surroundings, and, to a certain degree, rap uncensored from what is inside. It is similar in this sense to improvisational music or acting and draws comparisons to improvisational jazz in particular.Freestyles are performed a cappella, over beatboxing and over instrumental versions of recorded hip hop songs. Impromptu, non-narrative raps in this style are often called freestyles even if entirely pre-written and memorized. Note that a degree of improvisation will commonly remain in the latter two cases, since the performer usually must match the syncopation of his or her rhymes to the rhythm provided in real time.[1][2]

      
]]></description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/W4JbGCOQfII/best-in-texas-freestyle-contest-club.html</link><guid>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/W4JbGCOQfII/best-in-texas-freestyle-contest-club.html</guid><pubDate>Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:22:49 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Diary of a BNAT Survivor, Part Two</title><description><![CDATA[
When we last left my BNAT Diary, I had returned to Metropolis with the loud crazy 1980s soundtrack, feeling hungry but not too tired.
12:05 am: For reasons I cannot understand now, I order a steak sandwich. At midnight. I forgot that I\'m not the kind of person who can munch steak sandwiches and fries with impunity in the middle of the night. Fortunately I am the kind of person who keeps antacids in her purse. (Note to Alamo: It would be really super-cool to offer cold cereal and milk after, say, 10 pm.)
12:15 am: Metropolis ends and Harry compares False Evil Maria to Sarah Palin. \&quot;So far this BNAT seems fairly rebellious.\&quot; (This turns out to be a hint.)
read more]]></description><link>http://www.slackerwood.com/cms/node/301</link><guid>http://www.slackerwood.com/cms/node/301</guid><pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2009 11:42:57 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>&quot;Small package to follow&quot;</title><description><![CDATA[That's the IOU in my gift-giving circle, and we all like books. Sometimes we just haven't thought of the proper one to give by the time that the Occasion has rolled around. Today is customer appreciation day at BookPeople, and I concluded all my &amp;#8220;SPTF&amp;#8221; business there. It's 20% off everything except special and Internet [...]]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/500386323/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/500386323/</guid><pubDate>Thu, 01 Jan 2009 14:20:04 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Diary of a Butt-Numb-a-Thon Survivor, Part One</title><description><![CDATA[
Once again, I survived the 24-hour-long movie marathon known as Butt-Numb-a-Thon, earlier this month. I wrote a lovely news-like article about BNAT for The Circuit, Variety\'s film-festival blog. If you want to find out which films were shown, that\'s the place to look. But there are some details that The Circuit readers probably would rather not know, or don\'t care about. 
This year I decided to take notes on BNAT in diary form. Here are the scribbles from my notebook, with some enhancements. I\'m also including photos -- you can\'t take photos at BNAT, so I used photos taken earlier that morning, or used stills from the movies shown. 
11:00 am: Arrive at Alamo on South Lamar. The Alamo folks have set up a registration/pick up/standby area in one of the vacant stores on the other end of the strip mall. I get my badge and giant swag bags, then run back to the car to store everything. Back at the car, I grab a blanket roll and an extra sweater.
read more]]></description><link>http://www.slackerwood.com/cms/node/300</link><guid>http://www.slackerwood.com/cms/node/300</guid><pubDate>Wed, 31 Dec 2008 12:18:17 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Downtown Street Event Closure Taskforce report</title><description><![CDATA[Missed in the run-up to the holidays 2: Thursday 18th December saw the Austin Downtown Street Event Closure Taskforce[1][2] report back to the full City Council.
I had attended the four of the first five or so meetings, including the infamous &amp;#8220;Conely mob&amp;#8221; meeting on August 11th. At that meeting, an innocent request to get a [...]]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/498866125/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/498866125/</guid><pubDate>Tue, 30 Dec 2008 15:03:15 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Top 10 of Austin Hip Hop 2008</title><description><![CDATA[2008 was definitely a great year for the Austin Hip-Hop Scene! We\'ve undoubtedly seen some great things happen this year. And since everyone is creating \&quot;Top 10\&quot; lists, we thought it was only appropriate to create our own. As with any list, we\'ll definitely get some groans and grunts on our selections, feel free to comment. Just remember these words, \&quot;It\'s our list!\&quot; :)Just to give you some idea of how the list was created, we chose based on events that had a large appeal, longevity and/or \&quot;something special\&quot;. The \&quot;something special\&quot; is so that we can do whatever the fuck we want! ;)And so, without further ado...1. Bavu Blakes and Big Don play Austin City Limits FestivalACL Fest this year saw Austin\'s own Bavu Blakes and Big Don grace the stages of one of the biggest music festivals this world knows! Now that\'s some shit!2. Matt Sonzala &amp;amp; SXSWAustin saw the arrival of Matt Sonzala (originally from Houston). Matt is \&quot;The Man\&quot; when it comes to booking Hip Hop acts for SXSW.3. OG Photographer wins Billboard Ultimate Photo ContestAustin based music and entertainment photographer OG won the worldwide Billboard photo contest for their work of David Banner at SXSW \'08.4. Romeo Navarro presents... B-Boy City 15One of the biggest B-Boy competitions in the world, this year we saw Romeo Navarro throw B-Boy City 15. Now that\'s longevity, some people aren\'t even married that long!5. The Gathering with DJ Notion &amp;amp; MusicNMindMusicNMind and DJ Notion have been putting on \&quot;The Gathering\&quot; since \'04! \&quot;The Gathering\&quot; has showcased many local acts every Thursday night.6. Mondays at Nasty\'s with DJ MelDJ Mel and crew have been throwing Monday Hip Hop night at Nasty\'s since I was at UT and that\'s a long time! If you can deal with a Tuesday hangover, you definitely want to catch this Austin staple.7. 08 is So Great By Bavu BlakesBavu Blakes kept us in anticipation each week with his \&quot;08 is So Great\&quot; flows. He definitely proved to us that he is a man of his word and gave us 52 flows!8. The 54 Reality Show By Crew 54Even though Crew 54 herald themselves from Killeen, we\'ll gladly adopt them as Austin\'s own. Every week these cats put out a video-mentary of Hip Hop events around Austin. Austin Hip-Hop Scene was even taped acting a fool in one of the videos!9. Destiny By DesignDestiny By Design is a semester long after school program at Kealing Middle School where local artists mentor students on making music! Now that\'s change you can believe in!10. The 512 with Nick DNick D and crew have been consistently throwing \&quot;The 512\&quot; showcasing many local artists. Hoping them much success in the future!10.1 Beats \'N Treats Music Festival by Open LabsOpen Labs threw the first \&quot;Beats \'N Treats Music Festival\&quot; at the Mohawk giving beat makers a world stage. The event was broadcasted worldwide online via UStream.tv!

      
]]></description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/QVjR1c0ds00/top-10-of-austin-hip-hop-2008.html</link><guid>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/QVjR1c0ds00/top-10-of-austin-hip-hop-2008.html</guid><pubDate>Tue, 30 Dec 2008 09:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Top 10 of Austin Hip Hop 2008</title><description><![CDATA[2008 was definitely a great year for the Austin Hip-Hop Scene! We\'ve undoubtedly seen some great things happen this year. And since everyone is creating \&quot;Top 10\&quot; lists, we thought it was only appropriate to create our own. As with any list, we\'ll definitely get some groans and grunts on our selections, feel free to comment. Just remember these words, \&quot;It\'s our list!\&quot; :)Just to give you some idea of how the list was created, we chose based on events that had a large appeal, longevity and/or \&quot;something special\&quot;. The \&quot;something special\&quot; is so that we can do whatever the fuck we want! ;)And so, without further ado...1. Bavu Blakes and Big Don play Austin City Limits FestivalACL Fest this year saw Austin\'s own Bavu Blakes and Big Don grace the stages of one of the biggest music festivals this world knows! Now that\'s some shit!2. Matt Sonzala &amp;amp; SXSWAustin saw the arrival of Matt Sonzala (originally from Houston). Matt is \&quot;The Man\&quot; when it comes to booking Hip Hop acts for SXSW.3. OG Photographer wins Billboard Ultimate Photo ContestAustin based music and entertainment photographer OG won the worldwide Billboard photo contest for their work of David Banner at SXSW \'08.4. Romeo Navarro presents... B-Boy City 15One of the biggest B-Boy competitions in the world, this year we saw Romeo Navarro throw B-Boy City 15. Now that\'s longevity, some people aren\'t even married that long!5. The Gathering with DJ Notion &amp;amp; MusicNMindMusicNMind and DJ Notion have been putting on \&quot;The Gathering\&quot; since \'04! \&quot;The Gathering\&quot; has showcased many local acts every Thursday night.6. Mondays at Nasty\'s with DJ MelDJ Mel and crew have been throwing Monday Hip Hop night at Nasty\'s since I was at UT and that\'s a long time! If you can deal with a Tuesday hangover, you definitely want to catch this Austin staple.7. 08 is So Great By Bavu BlakesBavu Blakes kept us in anticipation each week with his \&quot;08 is So Great\&quot; flows. He definitely proved to us that he is a man of his word and gave us 52 flows!8. The 54 Reality Show By Crew 54Even though Crew 54 herald themselves from Killeen, we\'ll gladly adopt them as Austin\'s own. Every week these cats put out a video-mentary of Hip Hop events around Austin. Austin Hip-Hop Scene was even taped acting a fool in one of the videos!9. Destiny By DesignDestiny By Design is a semester long after school program at Kealing Middle School where local artists mentor students on making music! Now that\'s change you can believe in!10. The 512 with Nick DNick D and crew have been consistently throwing \&quot;The 512\&quot; showcasing many local artists. Hoping them much success in the future!10.1 Beats \'N Treats Music Festival by Open LabsOpen Labs threw the first \&quot;Beats \'N Treats Music Festival\&quot; at the Mohawk giving beat makers a world stage. The event was broadcasted worldwide online via UStream.tv!]]></description><link>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/top-10-of-austin-hip-hop-2008.html</link><guid>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/top-10-of-austin-hip-hop-2008.html</guid><pubDate>Tue, 30 Dec 2008 09:00:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>No additional coins for the meter in 2009!</title><description><![CDATA[Missed in the run-up to the holidays 1: Austin City Connection RSS feed included an item noting that Austin Energy is able to hold prices for at least the start of 2009. I checked and they increased prices in 2008 just over half-a-cent per kilowatt hour for the energy part of the bill. This was [...]]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/498470364/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/498470364/</guid><pubDate>Tue, 30 Dec 2008 04:20:55 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Resolution clock - see it soon</title><description><![CDATA[(*)
This has got to be seen before it's too late. I ran past on Saturday, and again on Sunday and stopped by this afternoon to take a look. The Resolution Clock is being hand carved, much of it in place on Auditorium Shores as part of the &amp;#8220;A Change in Time&amp;#8221; display. It will be [...]]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/498454425/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/498454425/</guid><pubDate>Tue, 30 Dec 2008 03:58:17 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>New.Years.Eve 2009 - Creekside Lounge - December 31, 2008</title><description><![CDATA[From the Fight Asian glow department... Romeo Navarro Presents. New.Years.Eve 2009 @ Creekside Lounge with DJ Element, Baby G, Orion, Pagame!Dude go spend your New Years with B-Boy City and some dope DJs! Get on the dance floor and shake your tail feather! Like Abraham Lincoln said to his then wife to be, \&quot;I want to dance with you in the worst way!\&quot; My new pickup line!

      
]]></description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/HeN1QGIXnJg/newyearseve-2009-creekside-lounge.html</link><guid>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/HeN1QGIXnJg/newyearseve-2009-creekside-lounge.html</guid><pubDate>Sun, 28 Dec 2008 17:06:54 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>New.Years.Eve 2009 - Creekside Lounge - December 31, 2008</title><description><![CDATA[From the Fight Asian glow department... Romeo Navarro Presents. New.Years.Eve 2009 @ Creekside Lounge with DJ Element, Baby G, Orion, Pagame!Dude go spend your New Years with B-Boy City and some dope DJs! Get on the dance floor and shake your tail feather! Like Abraham Lincoln said to his then wife to be, \&quot;I want to dance with you in the worst way!\&quot; My new pickup line!]]></description><link>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/newyearseve-2009-creekside-lounge.html</link><guid>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/newyearseve-2009-creekside-lounge.html</guid><pubDate>Sun, 28 Dec 2008 16:31:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Azul Tequila festive lunch</title><description><![CDATA[We needed serious sustenance. We'd been on a quest for cracker meal. It's just one of those ingredients that has mysteriously been sold out during the holiday rush, and we eventually did find it at City Market South, just as we found the needed missing ginger-root at FreshPlus. But that's another story.
It's a good thing [...]]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/496531114/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/496531114/</guid><pubDate>Sat, 27 Dec 2008 15:46:42 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Janitzio open today</title><description><![CDATA[Janitzio on East Riverside is filled with the holiday spirit and doing very good business, including takeout. There were two tvs going, both without sound. I was facing Maribel Guardia in an infomercial for Caracol Cream, promising to rejuvenate the complexion. The jukebox was busy all the time at two plays for a dollar. We [...]]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/495106747/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/495106747/</guid><pubDate>Thu, 25 Dec 2008 16:49:12 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>The 512 - Ruta Maya - December 26, 2008</title><description><![CDATA[From the longevity is 2 inches, from the ground! department... Nick D &amp;amp; Jumbo Present.. The 512 Part XVI Still Standing @ Ruta Maya\'s on Friday Dec 26th! Featuring Murda Squad, Rejects, Shadow Shyne, Gamebred, Phraze of Street Chess, Rro-G, Last Hope, Texas Made Diva...I\'m all for longevity it\'s definitely a sign of greatness, not the one hit wonders. As the flyer states, \&quot;Still Standing\&quot;, it\'s been a great year for Nick D and The 512 crew! Props! Looking forward to bigger and better things from you in the \'09!

      
]]></description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/-e0uyx5HDRo/512-ruta-maya-december-26-2008.html</link><guid>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/-e0uyx5HDRo/512-ruta-maya-december-26-2008.html</guid><pubDate>Wed, 24 Dec 2008 16:49:45 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>The 512 - Ruta Maya - December 26, 2008</title><description><![CDATA[From the longevity is 2 inches, from the ground! department... Nick D &amp;amp; Jumbo Present.. The 512 Part XVI Still Standing @ Ruta Maya\'s on Friday Dec 26th! Featuring Murda Squad, Rejects, Shadow Shyne, Gamebred, Phraze of Street Chess, Rro-G, Last Hope, Texas Made Diva...I\'m all for longevity it\'s definitely a sign of greatness, not the one hit wonders. As the flyer states, \&quot;Still Standing\&quot;, it\'s been a great year for Nick D and The 512 crew! Props! Looking forward to bigger and better things from you in the \'09!]]></description><link>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/512-ruta-maya-december-26-2008.html</link><guid>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/512-ruta-maya-december-26-2008.html</guid><pubDate>Wed, 24 Dec 2008 16:49:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>&quot;It wasn?t supposed to be like this.&quot;</title><description><![CDATA[That's a quote from an article that appeared first on line yesterday and now today in the WSJ real-estate section. The hard-copy title is kinder (&amp;#8221;Bigger in Texas? Capital's Real-Estate Glut Counts,&amp;#8221; byline Maura Webber Sadovi) than the one appearing in some searches (&amp;#8221;Austin's Real-Estate Glut&amp;#8221;). The print version has numbers comparing office, retail, and [...]]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/494350762/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/494350762/</guid><pubDate>Wed, 24 Dec 2008 16:34:14 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Gary Clark Jr. &amp; Bavu Blakes - Antone's - December 27, 2008</title><description><![CDATA[From the President Beefcake department... Definitely one of the best last shows to catch in 2008, Gary Clark Jr. &amp;amp; Bavu Blakes and the Extra Plairs @ Antone\'s on Saturday, Dec 27th!Get your tix here!If you haven\'t seen a local Austin Hip Hop act this year, shame on you, you know who you are! Now\'s your chance to repent!-----Well it looks like President Beefcake Obama is in the news again and this time for a whole slew of good things!1. The 6 pack!2. Yes we cannabis!3. The Homosexual Atheist\'s Bible!

      
]]></description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/9czGezru-IA/gary-clark-jr-bavu-blakes-antones.html</link><guid>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/9czGezru-IA/gary-clark-jr-bavu-blakes-antones.html</guid><pubDate>Tue, 23 Dec 2008 18:03:52 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Gary Clark Jr. &amp; Bavu Blakes - Antone's - December 27, 2008</title><description><![CDATA[From the President Beefcake department... Definitely one of the best last shows to catch in 2008, Gary Clark Jr. &amp;amp; Bavu Blakes and the Extra Plairs @ Antone\'s on Saturday, Dec 27th!Get your tix here!If you haven\'t seen a local Austin Hip Hop act this year, shame on you, you know who you are! Now\'s your chance to repent!-----Well it looks like President Beefcake Obama is in the news again and this time for a whole slew of good things!1. The 6 pack!2. Yes we cannabis!3. The Homosexual Atheist\'s Bible!]]></description><link>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/gary-clark-jr-bavu-blakes-antones.html</link><guid>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/gary-clark-jr-bavu-blakes-antones.html</guid><pubDate>Tue, 23 Dec 2008 18:03:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Tagged</title><description><![CDATA[
        It\'s the last slow work day before the holiday; I\'m waiting for a build to finish; so I\'m playing along - tagged by Chris at Austin Contrarian. I\'m supposed to list seven facts about myself and tag seven others. Facts cherry-picked to mesh with stuff I\'ve posted here on the crackplog.

1. Despite still being a strong advocate for bicycle transportation, I haven\'t ridden my bike for about 3 years now. I could physically manage a ride, most days, but the consequences of overdoing it are severe - the last time I pushed it too hard, I had to ride a wheelchair in JFK and AUS on the way back from a trip to Manhattan. I\'m saving the feet for some rides with Ethan when he\'s old enough to learn how to ride (any day now) - another flare-up could make it a permanent non-option. The really ironic thing is that my new suburban office is on a perfect bike commute - a route I used to use to get out to Loop 360 for a fun loop on the weekends.

2. I actually have handicapped plates on the older Prius because of that, yet I rarely park in the handicapped space (most days I can walk well enough, and always think people are shooting me the crapeye when they see I\'m not in a wheelchair and not elderly).

3. Despite being a fervent critic of PSU homers and at times Joe Paterno\'s seeming insistence on destroying the program he single-handedly built, you don\'t get any more tried and blue than me - I won a contest as a child for having the most members of my family in the alumni association, and actually have a framed award somewhere for it; some of my aunts babysat for Joe Paterno\'s kids at least a few times; and my grandparents used to go to church with his wife. I was in the Blue Band for four years, and still wear my dorky band jacket (just last night to the wonderful mall up in Cedar OhMyGodWhatTheHellAmIDoingUpHerePark). I think there\'s even a picture at home of me as a baby being held by Paterno at some kind of family day at the stadium in the early 1970s, but my memory may be exaggerating things. Will check in a few days.

4. I have never ridden one of the new (Portland and following) generation of light rail lines - I have driven and walked near a couple of them a few times (San Jose, Phoenix\'s under construction), but never actually had an opportunity to ride, nor have I been able to justify a weekend trip to Dallas or Houston to ride.

5. I work across from Westlake High School. I loathe Westlake and Rollingwood, people who live there, and everything they stand for. It is difficult to contain the revulsion and not speed the hell out of here after every work day, but then I remember that Baba got a ticket for something like 1 mile over the limit here (i.e. \&quot;Driving while Clearly From Austin\&quot;).

6. I constantly get accused of being a developer by the granola mafia, which is funny, because I am a developer. Of software.

7. I hate Wal-Mart. I really really hate Wal-Mart. Which is why the whole Northcross thing was so funny. Well, one of the reasons.

I bet nobody will see this given the break, but I\'ll tag DSK, Gregg, Teresa, Steve, Thomas, Mike (for motivation to increase his blogs/month to greater than 0.1), and Chris.
        
    ]]></description><link>http://mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/archives/000551.html</link><guid>http://mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/archives/000551.html</guid><pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 2008 12:52:33 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Last-minute shopping</title><description><![CDATA[Disliking holiday crowds as I do, plus wanting to shop locally, and with renewed inspiration and spirit, I headed for Northwest Hardware Store (3916 Far West Boulevard, telephone 345-6691). I can't report a lot about what I bought there; that would be divulging the secrets of Santa Claus. I will, however, say that this is [...]]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/491638040/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/491638040/</guid><pubDate>Sun, 21 Dec 2008 16:06:46 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Slackerwood Podcast #6: Happy Birthday, Alamo Ritz</title><description><![CDATA[
In Slackerwood podcast #6, Chris and Jette meet at Alamo Drafthouse at the Ritz with Alamo founder Tim League (pictured above), to commemorate and discuss the one-year anniversary of the Leagues\' newest Alamo location. We discuss some local film news, such as the SXSW opening-night film announcement and the Austin Film Critics Association awards. Tim tells us about changes at Alamo in the past year, plans for the future, and the fate of the fried pork chop plate. We finish off with some info about holiday-related screenings at Alamo and elsewhere, including the totally holiday-unrelated but recommended Let the Right One In.
Listen to podcast #6 now.
]]></description><link>http://www.slackerwood.com/cms/node/303</link><guid>http://www.slackerwood.com/cms/node/303</guid><pubDate>Fri, 19 Dec 2008 20:34:12 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>What?s Wrong With the Scene?! Pt 2 by Bavu Blakes</title><description><![CDATA[Welcome to the second episode of \&quot;What\'s Wrong With the Scene?!\&quot; In our first installment, we introduced you to Every Town, USA. In Every Town, at least 1,000 people aspire to make it big in the hip hop game as rappers, promoters, dj\'s and such. We established that the most important component of a local support base is the casual music fan, who simply comes out and spends money to have a good time around some music ? no more, no less and definitely no deeper. If your product or service connects with these fans, they could support you for the life of your career!    I propose that in Every Town, a casual fan is typically content with enjoying occasional road shows by major touring acts and doesn\'t have much time to take the local scene seriously. So at a big Bun B and David Banner concert, the cat who\'s been hanging on the local scene several days a week asks himself, \&quot;where\'d all these people come from?\&quot; Those thousands of strangers are the casual fans, who may try out their local scene at least once to see if it\'s something he/she can dig on a regular basis. And then what happens?   All Scene, Nothing to See Allow me to cut to the white meat and summarize it for you: the casual fan usually has a terrible time at the local spots. I\'m not saying local fans or promoters ? or anyone in particular ? run the casual fans off. I\'m saying that almost EVERYTHING that happens can ruin the casual music fan\'s experience at the local spot. They\'d probably have more fun at a dance club or regular bar than at a local showcase, concert or event. But why?   First, the performances tend to lack quality. You can\'t even blame that on hip hop, but I\'m saying... If a performing act doesn\'t even consider what a casual fan would want to experience, that act is bound to suck. It\'s customary to include or leave the lead vocals on the backing tracks used for a show CD. Psh. You typically hear acts perform their whole four-minute songs. Boring. And even the big national shows might include way too many local acts who all give you the same low-quality experience. This makes the casual fan think, \&quot;enough of this crap, bring out the professional artist I came to see\&quot;.   Too often I see local rappers who obviously think the most important part of performing is appearance, or swag, or anything but the quality of the musical experience. Let\'s be honest: when people know and/or like your song, you can get away with anything. Unfortunately for independent artists like me, this is usually not the case! So until you have a hit ? and hopefully even after that ? it goes back to quality.  Secondly, there are hardly any casual fans at most local spots. They say a crowd draws a crowd. But two, 20 or even 100 rappers with their friends and lovers is not necessarily a good crowd. They rotate ? 10 or 20 at a time ? to the stage to perform all night, and basically ignore each other\'s sets. Since everyone has an agenda, hardly anyone in the \&quot;crowd\&quot; acts like anything is wrong, or out of the ordinary. This can give a casual fan the impression that the standard is just low in this town, which turns them off ? usually for good.   Third and finally, these local spots tend to be way too masculine. Most women aren\'t fanatical about hip hop; they just want to dance and hang out with their girlfriends. So is your local spot fun, or just a community center vibe? After all, there\'s a reason women don\'t hang out at the local gym or basketball court.    So there you have it, three reasons the casual fan ends up saying, \&quot;Oh well, this city\'s scene sucks.\&quot; They\'ll just go out when they go back to their hometown. Or they\'ll go out to a local event when they visit what they consider to be a better hip-hop city. Usually it\'s a big city like Houston, but they can run into the same problems there, too. Don\'t forget we\'re talking about what\'s wrong in Every Town, USA.   Just to be clear, this is not an indictment against local showcases in general. Where I live, there\'s a regular spot called \&quot;The 512\&quot; which showcases at least half a dozen local acts at each event. Their shows are always packed with people who are getting what they came for. That\'s what really matters. In the words of Matt Sonzala, \&quot;this is IMPORTANT!\&quot;   Meanwhile, most of the time, your local scene has some serious problems. So what situations and scenarios lead to these problems, nearly guaranteeing a low-quality experience in your city?   We\'ll cover that in the next installment of What\'s Wrong With the Scene?!Back to the lab,Mr. Bavu Blakeswww.08isSoGreat.com[Email your comments, questions, feedback, criticism, etc., to Mr.Blakes@gmail.com with \&quot;What\'s Wrong With the Scene?!\&quot; in the subject line.]

      
]]></description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/vVqWYw6-axk/whats-wrong-with-scene-pt-2-by-bavu.html</link><guid>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/vVqWYw6-axk/whats-wrong-with-scene-pt-2-by-bavu.html</guid><pubDate>Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:15:15 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>What?s Wrong With the Scene?! Pt 2 by Bavu Blakes</title><description><![CDATA[Welcome to the second episode of \&quot;What\'s Wrong With the Scene?!\&quot; In our first installment, we introduced you to Every Town, USA. In Every Town, at least 1,000 people aspire to make it big in the hip hop game as rappers, promoters, dj\'s and such. We established that the most important component of a local support base is the casual music fan, who simply comes out and spends money to have a good time around some music ? no more, no less and definitely no deeper. If your product or service connects with these fans, they could support you for the life of your career!    I propose that in Every Town, a casual fan is typically content with enjoying occasional road shows by major touring acts and doesn\'t have much time to take the local scene seriously. So at a big Bun B and David Banner concert, the cat who\'s been hanging on the local scene several days a week asks himself, \&quot;where\'d all these people come from?\&quot; Those thousands of strangers are the casual fans, who may try out their local scene at least once to see if it\'s something he/she can dig on a regular basis. And then what happens?   All Scene, Nothing to See Allow me to cut to the white meat and summarize it for you: the casual fan usually has a terrible time at the local spots. I\'m not saying local fans or promoters ? or anyone in particular ? run the casual fans off. I\'m saying that almost EVERYTHING that happens can ruin the casual music fan\'s experience at the local spot. They\'d probably have more fun at a dance club or regular bar than at a local showcase, concert or event. But why?   First, the performances tend to lack quality. You can\'t even blame that on hip hop, but I\'m saying... If a performing act doesn\'t even consider what a casual fan would want to experience, that act is bound to suck. It\'s customary to include or leave the lead vocals on the backing tracks used for a show CD. Psh. You typically hear acts perform their whole four-minute songs. Boring. And even the big national shows might include way too many local acts who all give you the same low-quality experience. This makes the casual fan think, \&quot;enough of this crap, bring out the professional artist I came to see\&quot;.   Too often I see local rappers who obviously think the most important part of performing is appearance, or swag, or anything but the quality of the musical experience. Let\'s be honest: when people know and/or like your song, you can get away with anything. Unfortunately for independent artists like me, this is usually not the case! So until you have a hit ? and hopefully even after that ? it goes back to quality.  Secondly, there are hardly any casual fans at most local spots. They say a crowd draws a crowd. But two, 20 or even 100 rappers with their friends and lovers is not necessarily a good crowd. They rotate ? 10 or 20 at a time ? to the stage to perform all night, and basically ignore each other\'s sets. Since everyone has an agenda, hardly anyone in the \&quot;crowd\&quot; acts like anything is wrong, or out of the ordinary. This can give a casual fan the impression that the standard is just low in this town, which turns them off ? usually for good.   Third and finally, these local spots tend to be way too masculine. Most women aren\'t fanatical about hip hop; they just want to dance and hang out with their girlfriends. So is your local spot fun, or just a community center vibe? After all, there\'s a reason women don\'t hang out at the local gym or basketball court.    So there you have it, three reasons the casual fan ends up saying, \&quot;Oh well, this city\'s scene sucks.\&quot; They\'ll just go out when they go back to their hometown. Or they\'ll go out to a local event when they visit what they consider to be a better hip-hop city. Usually it\'s a big city like Houston, but they can run into the same problems there, too. Don\'t forget we\'re talking about what\'s wrong in Every Town, USA.   Just to be clear, this is not an indictment against local showcases in general. Where I live, there\'s a regular spot called \&quot;The 512\&quot; which showcases at least half a dozen local acts at each event. Their shows are always packed with people who are getting what they came for. That\'s what really matters. In the words of Matt Sonzala, \&quot;this is IMPORTANT!\&quot;   Meanwhile, most of the time, your local scene has some serious problems. So what situations and scenarios lead to these problems, nearly guaranteeing a low-quality experience in your city?   We\'ll cover that in the next installment of What\'s Wrong With the Scene?!Back to the lab,Mr. Bavu Blakeswww.08isSoGreat.com[Email your comments, questions, feedback, criticism, etc., to Mr.Blakes@gmail.com with \&quot;What\'s Wrong With the Scene?!\&quot; in the subject line.]]]></description><link>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/whats-wrong-with-scene-pt-2-by-bavu.html</link><guid>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/whats-wrong-with-scene-pt-2-by-bavu.html</guid><pubDate>Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:11:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Tonight: Austin Underground Film Fest</title><description><![CDATA[If you\'re looking for something to do tonight that does not involve shopping, elves, eggnog, and that sort of thing, you might want to head over to Salvage Vanguard Theatre for the Austin Underground Film Festival (AUFF). You can get tickets at the door, and the event includes not only live music but about 30 short films from local and international filmmakers, including animator Don Hertzfeldt.
That Austin Girl recently interviewed AUFF founder Andy Gately about the fest and how it\'s changed in its three years. Gately\'s response on why you should go tonight: \&quot;Instead of popcorn we\'ll have falafels. We\'ll also be giving away free bongs, porn, massages, gift certificates, and Live Oak beer. And all of it\'s locally-made. Except the porn.\&quot; Convinced yet?
]]></description><link>http://www.slackerwood.com/cms/node/302</link><guid>http://www.slackerwood.com/cms/node/302</guid><pubDate>Fri, 19 Dec 2008 08:39:48 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Ray Sr. - Flamingo Cantina - December 18, 2008</title><description><![CDATA[From the CD release party department... Ray Sr. @ Flamingo Cantina on Dec 18th with Serafia Kohn, T-Fowler, Kid Heru and MC Fite!

      
]]></description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/meweAQX6p9Y/ray-sr-flamingo-cantina-december-18.html</link><guid>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/meweAQX6p9Y/ray-sr-flamingo-cantina-december-18.html</guid><pubDate>Thu, 18 Dec 2008 19:21:36 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Ray Sr. - Flamingo Cantina - December 18, 2008</title><description><![CDATA[From the CD release party department... Ray Sr. @ Flamingo Cantina on Dec 18th with Serafia Kohn, T-Fowler, Kid Heru and MC Fite!]]></description><link>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/ray-sr-flamingo-cantina-december-18.html</link><guid>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/ray-sr-flamingo-cantina-december-18.html</guid><pubDate>Thu, 18 Dec 2008 19:07:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Destiny By Design 2008</title><description><![CDATA[Destiny By Design 2008Here\'s the Destiny by Design song written, produced, and performed by Kealing Middle Schoolers over the course of the Fall semester. The semester-end stage performance went down at the Mexican American Cultural Center. Artists that contributed include AC, Gerald G, OG, Rapid Ric, Tee Double, Staci Russell, and Ms. Rock the Mic! Congratulations Kealing Middle Schoolers!

      
]]></description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/SNQuxn2JRiQ/destiny-by-design-2008.html</link><guid>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/SNQuxn2JRiQ/destiny-by-design-2008.html</guid><pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:25:37 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Destiny By Design 2008</title><description><![CDATA[Destiny By Design 2008Here\'s the Destiny by Design song written, produced, and performed by Kealing Middle Schoolers over the course of the Fall semester. The semester-end stage performance went down at the Mexican American Cultural Center. Artists that contributed include AC, Gerald G, OG, Rapid Ric, Tee Double, Staci Russell, and Ms. Rock the Mic! Congratulations Kealing Middle Schoolers!]]></description><link>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/destiny-by-design-2008.html</link><guid>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/destiny-by-design-2008.html</guid><pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:06:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>India Kitchen quick-lunch</title><description><![CDATA[I don't like to be involuntarily subjected to the same recorded music over and over again, and at this time of year the repetition can be difficult to avoid. At India Kitchen sometimes the background is classical music from the Subcontinent; today it sounded like instrumental music from the movies. 
The food was perfect for [...]]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/487977599/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/487977599/</guid><pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:48:52 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Long Overdue Trip to Aster?s Ethiopian</title><description><![CDATA[Reading the reviews on Yelp, it's pretty clear that there's no middle ground on Ethiopian food. It seems you either like it or you don't, especially injera bread, the spongy, slightly sour bread you use if you don't want to use your hands to eat. I thought some of the reviews there were pretty ignorant [...]]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/487967177/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/487967177/</guid><pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:39:06 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Santa Speedo 2008 - Hot to trot</title><description><![CDATA[
The 2nd Austin Santa Speedo to raise awareness for Austin based outyouth.org appears to have a blast, there were more than double last years runners. It's understandable that people are a little self conciousness but you really are invisible in a crowd of some 4,500 odd.
Ed(Head Santa) and I(CEO, Chief Elf Officer) hope to get [...]]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/487535649/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/487535649/</guid><pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2008 06:38:45 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Austin Film Critics Awards, from 'The Dark Knight' to 'Crawford'</title><description><![CDATA[The Austin Film Critics Association announced their 2008 awards today. The Dark Knight cleaned up with five awards, including Best Picture. Check out a list of all the awards after the jump.
The last award on the list is most relevant to this site: Best Austin Film went to David Modigliani\'s documentary Crawford, about the Texas town where President George W. Bush bought a ranch. Crawford premiered here in Austin this year at SXSW, and I interviewed Modigliani beforehand. I also reviewed the film for Cinematical. It\'s currently available  to watch for free on Hulu, and also is on Netflix Watch Instantly. 
Speaking of Austin and film festivals, I would venture to guess that if it weren\'t for Fantastic Fest, a lot of us might not have been exposed to films such as Timecrimes (winner of Best First Film) and Let the Right One In (winner of Best Foreign Language Film).
This is my first year as a member of Austin Film Critics Association, and the process was very exciting. I\'m pleased that we picked such an interesting variety of movies, filmmakers and actors.
read more]]></description><link>http://www.slackerwood.com/cms/node/299</link><guid>http://www.slackerwood.com/cms/node/299</guid><pubDate>Tue, 16 Dec 2008 22:35:55 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Superstar Tuesdays - The Tap Room - December 16, 2008</title><description><![CDATA[From the \&quot;Who throws a shoe?!?\&quot; department... Superstar Tuesdays @ The Tap Room with Richard Henry and Crop Diggie!-----Taking the line from Austin Powers, \&quot;Who throws a shoe?!?\&quot; Bush brushes his shoulder off after an Iraqi throws 2 shoes at him. I might not think much Bush but I\'ll give props to his quick reflexes. That was PIMP!

      
]]></description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/IMiD7aAnu-w/superstar-tuesdays-tap-room-december-16.html</link><guid>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/IMiD7aAnu-w/superstar-tuesdays-tap-room-december-16.html</guid><pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2008 22:18:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Superstar Tuesdays - The Tap Room - December 16, 2008</title><description><![CDATA[From the \&quot;Who throws a shoe?!?\&quot; department... Superstar Tuesdays @ The Tap Room with Richard Henry and Crop Diggie!-----Taking the line from Austin Powers, \&quot;Who throws a shoe?!?\&quot; Bush brushes his shoulder off after an Iraqi throws 2 shoes at him. I might not think much Bush but I\'ll give props to his quick reflexes. That was PIMP!]]></description><link>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/superstar-tuesdays-tap-room-december-16.html</link><guid>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/superstar-tuesdays-tap-room-december-16.html</guid><pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2008 22:04:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Shuggies out in the cold</title><description><![CDATA[As competition and the weather heats up, Shuggies at the South Austin Trailer park has closed down for the winter. Duh?
Whats become a popular Sunday evening for me is to jump on my cruiser bike and head down to the trailer park on S 1st st. Free wireless, choice of eateries, or so I thought. [...]]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/485087981/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/485087981/</guid><pubDate>Sun, 14 Dec 2008 21:18:13 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>DJ Baby G - Plush - December 13, 2008</title><description><![CDATA[From the giving the bird department... DJ Baby G @ Plush on Dec 13th with Table Manners Crew!-----My manager gave me the bird shaped icing from the baby shower cake yesterday, so I in turn really gave her the bird! I think she got offended! ;)

      
]]></description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/Wl5Uo2kgvno/dj-baby-g-plush-december-13-2008.html</link><guid>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/Wl5Uo2kgvno/dj-baby-g-plush-december-13-2008.html</guid><pubDate>Sat, 13 Dec 2008 14:09:47 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>DJ Baby G - Plush - December 13, 2008</title><description><![CDATA[From the giving the bird department... DJ Baby G @ Plush on Dec 13th with Table Manners Crew!-----My manager gave me the bird shaped icing from the baby shower cake yesterday, so I in turn really gave her the bird! I think she got offended! ;)]]></description><link>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/dj-baby-g-plush-december-13-2008.html</link><guid>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/dj-baby-g-plush-december-13-2008.html</guid><pubDate>Sat, 13 Dec 2008 13:44:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Maudie?s quick-lunch</title><description><![CDATA[That's Maudie's Too, on South Lamar. If you're facing in the right direction, you may enjoy one of the great unheralded views of the Austin downtown skyline, changing from day to day. Maudie's stays busy, and for good reasons. People at the table ordered their never-changing favorites. The red salsa that came with the chips [...]]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/483104867/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/483104867/</guid><pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:44:21 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Video: Gerald G - How I Was Raised</title><description><![CDATA[Woowee, check out Gerald G\'s new music video, \&quot;How I Was Raised\&quot;! The video was produced and edited by Luxury Mindz! Gerald G, aka Mr. 512, really tears it up on this one and Luxury Mindz keeps coming up with quality work! Props!

      
]]></description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/DEb5xCwkFfg/video-gerald-g-how-i-was-raised.html</link><guid>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/DEb5xCwkFfg/video-gerald-g-how-i-was-raised.html</guid><pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2008 21:39:48 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Video: Gerald G - How I Was Raised</title><description><![CDATA[Woowee, check out Gerald G\'s new music video, \&quot;How I Was Raised\&quot;! The video was produced and edited by Luxury Mindz! Gerald G, aka Mr. 512, really tears it up on this one and Luxury Mindz keeps coming up with quality work! Props!]]></description><link>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/video-gerald-g-how-i-was-raised.html</link><guid>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/video-gerald-g-how-i-was-raised.html</guid><pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2008 21:22:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Zeale - Karma Lounge - December 11, 2008</title><description><![CDATA[From the feed my fetus department... Check out this week\'s Gathering with Zeale, J The Man and McPullish @ Karma Lounge on Dec 11th!-----So I got tasked to throw a baby shower for our dear coworker who\'s about to pop any second now. She has this great line she says every day during lunch time, \&quot;I need to feed my fetus!\&quot; So for a baby shower game I thought I\'d put baby food into diapers and have her choose the correct baby food in the diaper. Hopefully she\'ll eat out the diapers!

      
]]></description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/f3QAKddAIDE/zeale-karma-lounge-december-11-2008.html</link><guid>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/f3QAKddAIDE/zeale-karma-lounge-december-11-2008.html</guid><pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:11:21 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Zeale - Karma Lounge - December 11, 2008</title><description><![CDATA[From the feed my fetus department... Check out this week\'s Gathering with Zeale, J The Man and McPullish @ Karma Lounge on Dec 11th!-----So I got tasked to throw a baby shower for our dear coworker who\'s about to pop any second now. She has this great line she says every day during lunch time, \&quot;I need to feed my fetus!\&quot; So for a baby shower game I thought I\'d put baby food into diapers and have her choose the correct baby food in the diaper. Hopefully she\'ll eat out the diapers!]]></description><link>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/zeale-karma-lounge-december-11-2008.html</link><guid>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/zeale-karma-lounge-december-11-2008.html</guid><pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:11:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Kool-Aid Overload</title><description><![CDATA[
        Dear Kool-Aid drinkers: I, and others you still tolerate, told you that it was pretty obvious they had picked Clark very early in the preseason and never intended to give Devlin serious snaps. This makes you guys, what, 0-245 by now? And what\'s the downside, anyways?

Here it is. And the \&quot;I told you so\&quot; part: You can\'t expect a top quarterback to stay for another year riding the bench where he wasn\'t given a serious chance to compete for the starting job last time, and got only ludicrously tiny amounts of mop-up duty. And, what\'s more important, you can\'t trust a coaching staff with a 100% solid record of always picking the upperclassman(*) to actually make it a fair competition no matter what they claim they did or are going to do.

Now we get to play next year with no real backup and no real starter on the horizon. Good job, guys.



(* - yeah, they\'ll make a senior the backup if he\'s a walk-on or a recruit who would never have started even in the lower conferences. Otherwise, no - the record is incredibly clear).
        
    ]]></description><link>http://mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/archives/000550.html</link><guid>http://mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/archives/000550.html</guid><pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:16:08 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Labor cost isn't the Big 3's problem</title><description><![CDATA[
        Backing up a point I\'ve made many times at my favorite car blog, we now have a link from Marginal Revolution to a Times story which says:


[H]ere?s a little experiment. Imagine that a Congressional bailout effectively pays for $10 an hour of the retiree benefits... the U.A.W. agrees to reduce pay and benefits for current workers to $45 an hour ? the same as at Honda and Toyota. Do you know how much that would reduce the cost of producing a Big Three vehicle? Only about $800.... An extra $800 per vehicle would certainly help Detroit, but the Big Three already often sell their cars for about $2,500 less than equivalent cars from Japanese companies....


The problem isn\'t the $800. The problem is the $2500 (and I think that number is a bit low, actually). If GM was building Cobalts that were as good as Civics, they\'d have a small case for some help - but they aren\'t; not even close; not even in the same ballpark.
        
    ]]></description><link>http://mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/archives/000549.html</link><guid>http://mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/archives/000549.html</guid><pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:05:02 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Interview: Da Bosnian</title><description><![CDATA[AHHS recently got a chance to sit down with Da Bosnian during his busy schedule! Thanks for taking the time! Read on to find out how Da Bosnian goes pimpin\' on his tricycle!AHHS: Can you give your fans a quick bio of yourself?Da Bosnian: I was born in Bosnia and lived in Germany for 6 years after the war started in Bosnia. We moved to the U.S. Feb. 1999 straight to South Austin.AHHS: How did you get started in music production?Da Bosnian: I just liked to listen to music.  Everything from Wu-Tang to Michael Jackson.  When I got my 1st computer I ran across a few programs that interested me and I experimented with different things from there...few years later I showed my music to DJ Grip who gave me my 1st mixtape appearance.AHHS: What is distinctive about the work that you do and set you apart from other producers?Da Bosnian: I\'m not a musician and can\'t play any instrument.  I don\'t take any of my music to serious or technical when I make it..soo shit I don\'t know but not everyone likes my shit.AHHS: Which artists inspire you the most? and why?Da Bosnian: I like every producer that did some playa shit!  Organized Noize, Hypnotize Mindz, and Beats by the Pound are the main ones...its just the shit I love to jam to.AHHS: Do you have a favorite project that you\'ve worked on?Da Bosnian: I\'m excited about Rynos 2nd album due early 2009 and also the Southbound album.AHHS: Are there any artists that you would like to work with that you haven\'t had the chance?Da Bosnian: Everyone that is down to make songs because they feel it and not cause they need it for the club to hit a quick lick.AHHS: How do you see the scene locally? and where do you see it going?Da Bosnian: I see a lot of people being way to comfortable in the position that they are in already. Some of my favorite writers come from Austin and I think that a few chosen ones will shine for the talent and not for wanting to capitalize on a gimmick.AHHS: What is the best piece of advice that someone in the industry has given you?Da Bosnian: Bavu Blakes told me he and I jam and advised me to stay with it...I think that\'s the only advice I will take.AHHS: And a more light-hearted question: Have you seen a correlation between your level of success and quality of hoes?Da Bosnian: DaBosnian could catch bad hoes if he was riding on a tricycle pimpin\'!AHHS: Do you have any parting words to our readers?Da Bosnian: Check out some music @ www.myspace.com/purplebass512You can also check out my 1st release titled \'Crawl Before You Walk\' 22 Original Instrumentals and songs by Magno, Chalie Boy, Bavu Blakes and more all production done by myself.  And SUPPORT talent.  Skip the bullshit.  Thanks.

      
]]></description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/hQ9-nrz5S54/interview-da-bosnian.html</link><guid>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/hQ9-nrz5S54/interview-da-bosnian.html</guid><pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2008 20:36:32 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Interview: Da Bosnian</title><description><![CDATA[AHHS recently got a chance to sit down with Da Bosnian during his busy schedule! Thanks for taking the time! Read on to find out how Da Bosnian goes pimpin\' on his tricycle!AHHS: Can you give your fans a quick bio of yourself?Da Bosnian: I was born in Bosnia and lived in Germany for 6 years after the war started in Bosnia. We moved to the U.S. Feb. 1999 straight to South Austin.AHHS: How did you get started in music production?Da Bosnian: I just liked to listen to music.  Everything from Wu-Tang to Michael Jackson.  When I got my 1st computer I ran across a few programs that interested me and I experimented with different things from there...few years later I showed my music to DJ Grip who gave me my 1st mixtape appearance.AHHS: What is distinctive about the work that you do and set you apart from other producers?Da Bosnian: I\'m not a musician and can\'t play any instrument.  I don\'t take any of my music to serious or technical when I make it..soo shit I don\'t know but not everyone likes my shit.AHHS: Which artists inspire you the most? and why?Da Bosnian: I like every producer that did some playa shit!  Organized Noize, Hypnotize Mindz, and Beats by the Pound are the main ones...its just the shit I love to jam to.AHHS: Do you have a favorite project that you\'ve worked on?Da Bosnian: I\'m excited about Rynos 2nd album due early 2009 and also the Southbound album.AHHS: Are there any artists that you would like to work with that you haven\'t had the chance?Da Bosnian: Everyone that is down to make songs because they feel it and not cause they need it for the club to hit a quick lick.AHHS: How do you see the scene locally? and where do you see it going?Da Bosnian: I see a lot of people being way to comfortable in the position that they are in already. Some of my favorite writers come from Austin and I think that a few chosen ones will shine for the talent and not for wanting to capitalize on a gimmick.AHHS: What is the best piece of advice that someone in the industry has given you?Da Bosnian: Bavu Blakes told me he and I jam and advised me to stay with it...I think that\'s the only advice I will take.AHHS: And a more light-hearted question: Have you seen a correlation between your level of success and quality of hoes?Da Bosnian: DaBosnian could catch bad hoes if he was riding on a tricycle pimpin\'!AHHS: Do you have any parting words to our readers?Da Bosnian: Check out some music @ www.myspace.com/purplebass512You can also check out my 1st release titled \'Crawl Before You Walk\' 22 Original Instrumentals and songs by Magno, Chalie Boy, Bavu Blakes and more all production done by myself.  And SUPPORT talent.  Skip the bullshit.  Thanks.]]></description><link>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/interview-da-bosnian.html</link><guid>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/interview-da-bosnian.html</guid><pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2008 20:36:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>2046 words about the commuter rail station downtown</title><description><![CDATA[
        The first of a series of images I created on the plane to JFK on Sunday night:



Red dots are 10-story buildings, obtained from skyscraperpage. Click for larger image.
        And a nice image from DSK showing the true 1/4 mile walk. Click for larger image.


    ]]></description><link>http://mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/archives/000548.html</link><guid>http://mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/archives/000548.html</guid><pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2008 14:17:50 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>(ab)Using the blue giant</title><description><![CDATA[Prompted by fellow Austin Metblogger odoublegood tweeting about neighbours who'd put out their new giant(90-gallon) blue single stream recycling bin, as normal, instead of the new bi-weekly cycle. I checked down my street and sure enough, probably about a 1/5 of Residents had done the same, but our week was last week, and will be [...]]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/479792242/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/479792242/</guid><pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:51:32 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>OG Photographer wins 2008 Billboard/PDN Ultimate Photo Contest</title><description><![CDATA[AUSTIN, TX - December 8, 2008 - Austin based music and entertainment photographer OG has been named one of the winners of the 2008 Billboard and PDN magazine Ultimate Photo Contest. OG\'s photograph of David Banner, taken at the Austin Music Hall during SXSW 08, was one of the winning photographs selected out of over 2,000 submitted images.The contest, put together by Billboard and PDN (Photo District News), represents a collaborative effort by both the music and photography industries most elite publications. Professional judges for the contest included Tamara Coniff - Group Editorial Director of Billboard, Julie Greenwald - President of Atlantic Records, Josh Klenert - Creative Director for Billboard, and James Reyman of Reyman Studios. OG\'s photograph of David Banner will be featured in the december issue of PDN magazine as well as on their online site, PDNonline.com, later this month.OG states...\&quot;Being named as one of the Billboard and PDN photo contest winners is a blessing. My team and I work very hard for all of the content we produce, so having our work showcased and recognized is something I am grateful for.\&quot;\&quot;David Banner is one of hip-hops elite and an artist whose passion is always on display, especially during his performances. He is typically on the actual stage about twenty-five percent of the time and in the crowd with his fans the other seventy-five percent. That\'s how much his supporters mean to him and how much he puts into his craft.\&quot;\&quot;I\'m looking forward to collaborating with even more of the creative and passionate artists out there. I attend many types of shows and the caliber of talent I come across is mind-blowing.\&quot;\&quot;The goal when working with an artist is to play a role in their visual development. Whether it be for album artwork or promotional material, I always strive to produce strong vision based imagery that accurately represents their music.\&quot;Born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, OG is an Austin based photographer specializing in creative collaborations with talent from the music and entertainment worlds. OG has collaborated with major artists such as Chamillionaire, Scarface, Killer Mike as well as a number of the rising talent in the independent and underground music scene. He works through his Luxury Mindz creative company and is an active member of the ASMP (American Society of Media Photographers).OG\'s photo work can be seen online here: http://www.OGPhotographer.com

      
]]></description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/I2XqY1RBZ_o/og-photographer-wins-2008-billboardpdn.html</link><guid>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/I2XqY1RBZ_o/og-photographer-wins-2008-billboardpdn.html</guid><pubDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2008 19:59:34 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>OG Photographer wins 2008 Billboard/PDN Ultimate Photo Contest</title><description><![CDATA[AUSTIN, TX - December 8, 2008 - Austin based music and entertainment photographer OG has been named one of the winners of the 2008 Billboard and PDN magazine Ultimate Photo Contest. OG\'s photograph of David Banner, taken at the Austin Music Hall during SXSW 08, was one of the winning photographs selected out of over 2,000 submitted images.The contest, put together by Billboard and PDN (Photo District News), represents a collaborative effort by both the music and photography industries most elite publications. Professional judges for the contest included Tamara Coniff - Group Editorial Director of Billboard, Julie Greenwald - President of Atlantic Records, Josh Klenert - Creative Director for Billboard, and James Reyman of Reyman Studios. OG\'s photograph of David Banner will be featured in the december issue of PDN magazine as well as on their online site, PDNonline.com, later this month.OG states...\&quot;Being named as one of the Billboard and PDN photo contest winners is a blessing. My team and I work very hard for all of the content we produce, so having our work showcased and recognized is something I am grateful for.\&quot;\&quot;David Banner is one of hip-hops elite and an artist whose passion is always on display, especially during his performances. He is typically on the actual stage about twenty-five percent of the time and in the crowd with his fans the other seventy-five percent. That\'s how much his supporters mean to him and how much he puts into his craft.\&quot;\&quot;I\'m looking forward to collaborating with even more of the creative and passionate artists out there. I attend many types of shows and the caliber of talent I come across is mind-blowing.\&quot;\&quot;The goal when working with an artist is to play a role in their visual development. Whether it be for album artwork or promotional material, I always strive to produce strong vision based imagery that accurately represents their music.\&quot;Born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, OG is an Austin based photographer specializing in creative collaborations with talent from the music and entertainment worlds. OG has collaborated with major artists such as Chamillionaire, Scarface, Killer Mike as well as a number of the rising talent in the independent and underground music scene. He works through his Luxury Mindz creative company and is an active member of the ASMP (American Society of Media Photographers).OG\'s photo work can be seen online here: http://www.OGPhotographer.com]]></description><link>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/og-photographer-wins-2008-billboardpdn.html</link><guid>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/og-photographer-wins-2008-billboardpdn.html</guid><pubDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2008 19:55:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Destiny By Design - Mexican American Cultural Center - December 9, 2008</title><description><![CDATA[From the rockin\' wedding speeches department... Destiny By Design @ Mexican American Cultural Center on December 9th!More info:Who we are: Founded by Robert Gabriel and Jules Narcisse in 2006, the Narcisse-Banks Community Resource Center is a 501(c) non-profit foundation that serves the greater Austin, Texas area. Working closely with like-minded organizations including Guerilla Productions, Kinetic Global, River City Youth Foundation, and B-Boy City, Narcisse-Banks is a growing collective of hip-hop philanthropists.What we do: The Narcisse-Banks Community Resource Center aims to provide young adults with the tools to satisfy their educational and career interests in hip-hop culture.What we are doing now: The Narcisse-Banks Library offers a wide assortment of books and records to young adults and artists eager to explore the music, the history, and the career opportunities that correspond with the continued evolution of the hip-hop artform. To arrange to check out materials from the Narcisse-Banks Library, please send a message of interest through myspace.What we plan to do in the near future: Beyond hosting neighborhood book and record fairs, the Narcisse-Banks Community Resource Center plans to develop after-school programs for teens that will serve as instructional clinics on deejaying, hip-hop dance, spoken word, film-making, music journalism, etc.What we plan to do after that: Once the Narcisse-Banks Community Resource Center gains the footing to secure its own public space, the Narcisse-Banks Library will be augmented with a professional-grade production studio that will be made available to young adults motivated to learn how to record their music by way of a multi-track mixing board.What do we mean by hip-hop culture: From the blues and jazz to soul, funk, rock, Latin, reggae, and electronica, the Narcisse-Banks music-related curriculum attempts to encompass the full expanse of contemporary influence.What can you do to help: If you have any spare books and/or records that you think would make a relevant addition to the Narcisse-Banks Library, please arrange to make a donation by sending a message through myspace.Who we?d like to thank for their most generous contributions: DJ Baby G, Ruben Cantu, On the Line Records, Lady Legacy, Friends of Sound, DJ Avatar, Sween, and DJ Enki.Artists who have utilized our resources: Salih Williams, DJ Baby G, Tee Double, Public Offenders, 2-3 Mic Breakaz, Pilarsito, Lady Legacy, Global, Da Bosnian, and Black Mike.

      
]]></description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/23fm9zEPx1I/destiny-by-design-mexican-american.html</link><guid>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/23fm9zEPx1I/destiny-by-design-mexican-american.html</guid><pubDate>Sun, 07 Dec 2008 18:20:16 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Destiny By Design - Mexican American Cultural Center - December 9, 2008</title><description><![CDATA[From the rockin\' wedding speeches department... Destiny By Design @ Mexican American Cultural Center on December 9th!More info:Who we are: Founded by Robert Gabriel and Jules Narcisse in 2006, the Narcisse-Banks Community Resource Center is a 501(c) non-profit foundation that serves the greater Austin, Texas area. Working closely with like-minded organizations including Guerilla Productions, Kinetic Global, River City Youth Foundation, and B-Boy City, Narcisse-Banks is a growing collective of hip-hop philanthropists.What we do: The Narcisse-Banks Community Resource Center aims to provide young adults with the tools to satisfy their educational and career interests in hip-hop culture.What we are doing now: The Narcisse-Banks Library offers a wide assortment of books and records to young adults and artists eager to explore the music, the history, and the career opportunities that correspond with the continued evolution of the hip-hop artform. To arrange to check out materials from the Narcisse-Banks Library, please send a message of interest through myspace.What we plan to do in the near future: Beyond hosting neighborhood book and record fairs, the Narcisse-Banks Community Resource Center plans to develop after-school programs for teens that will serve as instructional clinics on deejaying, hip-hop dance, spoken word, film-making, music journalism, etc.What we plan to do after that: Once the Narcisse-Banks Community Resource Center gains the footing to secure its own public space, the Narcisse-Banks Library will be augmented with a professional-grade production studio that will be made available to young adults motivated to learn how to record their music by way of a multi-track mixing board.What do we mean by hip-hop culture: From the blues and jazz to soul, funk, rock, Latin, reggae, and electronica, the Narcisse-Banks music-related curriculum attempts to encompass the full expanse of contemporary influence.What can you do to help: If you have any spare books and/or records that you think would make a relevant addition to the Narcisse-Banks Library, please arrange to make a donation by sending a message through myspace.Who we?d like to thank for their most generous contributions: DJ Baby G, Ruben Cantu, On the Line Records, Lady Legacy, Friends of Sound, DJ Avatar, Sween, and DJ Enki.Artists who have utilized our resources: Salih Williams, DJ Baby G, Tee Double, Public Offenders, 2-3 Mic Breakaz, Pilarsito, Lady Legacy, Global, Da Bosnian, and Black Mike.]]></description><link>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/destiny-by-design-mexican-american.html</link><guid>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/destiny-by-design-mexican-american.html</guid><pubDate>Sun, 07 Dec 2008 18:20:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Boulevard of broken dreams</title><description><![CDATA[Or maybe this entry should go into the Humpty-Dumpty Department. Having created great upheavals and disruptions and caused Tesoros, Las Manitas, and Escuelita del Alma to uproot themselves, greatly to the detriment of the quality of life downtown, the Marriott Hotel people, it's reported, have put their project on hold (byline Shonda Novak, The Real [...]]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/476050706/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/476050706/</guid><pubDate>Fri, 05 Dec 2008 16:09:14 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Slackerwood Podcast #5: Short and Sweet</title><description><![CDATA[In Slackerwood podcast #4, Jette and Chris catch up with current and upcoming Austin film events and screenings -- including some holiday movies -- and also reveal where they\'ve been for the past month. 
Listen to podcast #5 now.
]]></description><link>http://www.slackerwood.com/cms/node/298</link><guid>http://www.slackerwood.com/cms/node/298</guid><pubDate>Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:20:41 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Free Tix: David Banner - Austin Music Hall - December 9, 2008</title><description><![CDATA[From the If I were a department... We\'ve got a pair of free tickets to giveaway to David Banner, Bun B, Z-Ro @ Austin Music Hall! Also performing, C.O.D, Brooks City, Mash Ent, 2 Gunz Up, DJ Knowledge and DJ Hella Yella!For the free tix, email me the funniest line finishing this parody of Beyonce\'s song, \&quot;If I were a GIRL...\&quot; emptyonline @ gmail.comAlso, get your tix here!More info:Levell Crump is an American rapper, occasional actor, record producer, record label executive, and philanthropist. He is better known by his stage name David Banner and takes this name from the lead character of the 1970s and 1980s CBS television series The Incredible Hulk.[2][3]Banner was born in Jackson, Mississippi. He went to Northwest Jackson Middle School. He graduated from Provine High School in Jackson, MS and is a graduate of Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. While there, he served as president of the Student Government Association.[4]

      
]]></description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/6SupT0QBF5Q/free-tix-david-banner-austin-music-hall.html</link><guid>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/6SupT0QBF5Q/free-tix-david-banner-austin-music-hall.html</guid><pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:29:49 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Free Tix: David Banner - Austin Music Hall - December 9, 2008</title><description><![CDATA[From the If I were a department... We\'ve got a pair of free tickets to giveaway to David Banner, Bun B, Z-Ro @ Austin Music Hall! Also performing, C.O.D, Brooks City, Mash Ent, 2 Gunz Up, DJ Knowledge and DJ Hella Yella!For the free tix, email me the funniest line finishing this parody of Beyonce\'s song, \&quot;If I were a GIRL...\&quot; emptyonline @ gmail.comAlso, get your tix here!More info:Levell Crump is an American rapper, occasional actor, record producer, record label executive, and philanthropist. He is better known by his stage name David Banner and takes this name from the lead character of the 1970s and 1980s CBS television series The Incredible Hulk.[2][3]Banner was born in Jackson, Mississippi. He went to Northwest Jackson Middle School. He graduated from Provine High School in Jackson, MS and is a graduate of Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. While there, he served as president of the Student Government Association.[4]]]></description><link>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/free-tix-david-banner-austin-music-hall.html</link><guid>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/free-tix-david-banner-austin-music-hall.html</guid><pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:18:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Bouldin Creek Studio Tour</title><description><![CDATA[It's not EAST and it's not as spread out or as big, but this weekend see's the 3rd Annual Bouldin Creek Studio Tour, where just some of the artists from Bouldin Creek and the surrounding area open their doors once again. The featured artists include:

Stella Alesi and Brian Alesi - Alesi Art
Stephanie Lindsey - Baby [...]]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/474333045/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/474333045/</guid><pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:12:16 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Schedules, calendars and Austin gifts</title><description><![CDATA[One of the best things I bought when I moved to Austin a couple of years ago was the Austin Fun Stuff Events calendar. It got me to out to some great events, had space to write my own stuff in, and at the end of the year, with some careful trimming, provided 12-great full [...]]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/474201124/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/474201124/</guid><pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:08:19 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>The downtown station, drawn optimistically</title><description><![CDATA[
        Erica from Capital Metro, in comments to this post, brings up the fact that the third image (originally from the city\'s old OnTrack newsletter, updated with green and yellow dots by yours truly), had an error in how the circles were drawn around prospective rail stations on the extension to Seaholm many people unsuccessfully lobbied for in 2004. The point of this image was to show the locations of the office buildings -- not the circles (although that is not inherently obvious if the image is viewed in isolation), and the error wasn\'t mine (somebody at the city drew a 1/4 mile diameter rather than radius) - but I\'ve known about it for quite some time; using the image just to show the office locations since I have not yet created a new map with a better representation of offices. Typically when I discuss this issue on other forums, I prefer to use a google maps link like this one which shows a walk of 0.4 miles to 6th and Congress.

However, some folks at CM just produced the image below, which is about the best light you can put this \'downtown\' station in, and which I will post even though it has its own problem: an attempt to fudge the issue by presenting both the legitimate 1/4 mile circle and a far less legitimate 1/2 mile catchment zone. Another discrepancy between the maps, not anybody\'s fault, is that in 2004, the station location was projected a half block or so farther east.

Please see comments after the image.



Important things to note here:



Most major office buildings are outside the 1/4 mile zone. Most are also inside the 1/2 mile range. However, using the same principle as above, note that, for instance, the second-newest big office building downtown is more than a half-mile from the train station. Essentially all major office buildings downtown, including this one, would have been within 1/4 mile of the 2000 light rail route, whether on Congress or Colorado or even Guadalupe/Lavaca.

The 1/2 mile radius is used as a fallback \'rule\' to declare that you can attract a few more choice commuters to excellent high-frequency rail service than the 1/4 mile rule would suggest. The problem here, of course, is that the service we are providing is neither high-quality (doesn\'t go to UT or the Capitol or anywhere else worth going if your origin is \'downtown\') nor high-frequency (runs only every 30 minutes and only during rush hours). In addition, the expanded catchment area is most suited to the residential end of the trip - i.e. you might walk farther from your home to pick up the train if it\'s really good - but surely not to take the train if the walk FROM the train station TO your office was extra-long - this is borne out by New York\'s transit agency\'s project to spend billions to bring the LIRR a bit closer to employment centers (see also: non-trivial unwillingness of choice commuters to tolerate transfers even from \'good rail\' to \'good rail\', even in Manhattan).

We don\'t have a large population of people who would be willing to walk 1/2 mile to work from the train station (and risk mistiming a 1/2 mile walk back to the train station in the afternoon only to maybe miss the once-every-half-hour train) who, and this is critically important here: aren\'t already riding the bus. The same people who would give the train such an incredible time investment are already going to be riding the buses from all over the city that head straight to their offices downtown. I speak from experience here: a long walk to pick up transit from the office isn\'t sustainable in the long-run even for transit-positive people like me. If I had to pay $10/day to park, I might think differently, but then I\'d already be taking the bus, wouldn\'t I?

And, most importantly, if Capital Metro really believed that the average choice commuter would consider this train station to be within a quick, comfortable, walk of their office, they wouldn\'t be providing these three downtown shuttles, one of which runs right up Congress Avenue.




        
    ]]></description><link>http://mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/archives/000547.html</link><guid>http://mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/archives/000547.html</guid><pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:33:29 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>The Gathering - Karma Lounge - December 4, 2008</title><description><![CDATA[From the sell without selling department... The Gathering @ Karma Lounge on Dec 4th with Nook and Blacklisted Individuals!-----Went to this seminar today featuring Zig Ziglar, Colin Powell, Suze Orman, Rudy Guilani and others... my favorite speaker was probably Rick Belluzzo... I\'m in tech so maybe I\'m biased... anyways I didn\'t learn much, but what I did learn was that these people need to learn how to sell without selling.

      
]]></description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/vAkB07O21q8/gathering-karma-lounge-december-4-2008.html</link><guid>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/vAkB07O21q8/gathering-karma-lounge-december-4-2008.html</guid><pubDate>Tue, 02 Dec 2008 19:15:02 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>The Gathering - Karma Lounge - December 4, 2008</title><description><![CDATA[From the sell without selling department... The Gathering @ Karma Lounge on Dec 4th with Nook and Blacklisted Individuals!-----Went to this seminar today featuring Zig Ziglar, Colin Powell, Suze Orman, Rudy Guilani and others... my favorite speaker was probably Rick Belluzzo... I\'m in tech so maybe I\'m biased... anyways I didn\'t learn much, but what I did learn was that these people need to learn how to sell without selling.]]></description><link>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/gathering-karma-lounge-december-4-2008.html</link><guid>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/gathering-karma-lounge-december-4-2008.html</guid><pubDate>Tue, 02 Dec 2008 19:13:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Hop on the Shuttle</title><description><![CDATA[
        I\'m probably much more amused by myself than warranted. Judge for yourself:


Been itching to climb aboard a Capital Metro train? Understandable, given that we?ve been talking about light rail/commuter rail around Austin since the mid-1980s.

Well, that first chance will come next week when Capital Metro and the Downtown Austin Alliance host a ?hop ?n shop? at Brush Square. Up to now Capital Metro has allowed only the media and few selected others to take an up-close gander at the red-and-silver-and white train cars.

[...]


and my response:


There should really be a requirement that people spend 15 minutes sitting on board a stationary shuttle bus before disembarking and boarding the stationary train, shouldn?t there?



        
    ]]></description><link>http://mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/archives/000546.html</link><guid>http://mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/archives/000546.html</guid><pubDate>Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:13:38 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Interview: Born Soul</title><description><![CDATA[AHHS recently got a chance to sit down with Born Soul, who\'s come from an 80\'s back-up dancer to MC. Read on to find out how he\'s lookin\' to set trends and make Austin hot.AHHS: Can you give your fans a quick bio of yourself?Born Soul: I started out in the game as a back-up dancer for a few local groups back in the late 80?s. I bought my first beat machine in college and began making beat for cats at school. I made my first record when I graduated.  It was called ?Guiding Light.? While playing my demo at work for a co-worker, Harold ?NASA? Green (now one of my business partners) heard it also and offered to finance my first project. From that day forward, we have been rolling.AHHS: Which is your latest CD? and how do you think it differs from your previous works?Born Soul: My latest CD is called ?Relax the Mind and the P Comes Free? which was release in December of 2007.A First, it took me 2 years to record this album. I spent a year just observing, listening and asking questions (mainly ladies). I wanted to take sometime and find out what the listeners actually wanted to hear.This Relax your mind project differed from my previous projects because I actually had a plot. Unlike the other albums I made this one with different scenarios that women and men could relate to. From all the feedback I am getting, kids love it as well.AHHS: What gives you inspiration and how does that transpire into your music?Born Soul: The earlier artist like A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Gang Star, Ed OG and the Bulldogs, The Dogg Pound, and Outkast all have inspired me in different ways. These groups inspire me mainly because all of they brought different styles and flavor to the table and they kept in hip-hop and no gimmicks. This is what I do; I bring something different to the table, NO GIMMICKS.When making my music, I incorporate all these different styles (the groups above) into one. When I get up out of bed at 3:45am to notepad a beat or lyrics so to speak, it always excites me to hear what the end results are going to be and to see the looks on my partners faces when they hears what I created.AHHS: Which artists inspire you the most? and why?Born Soul: A Tribe Called Quest and OutKast inspire me the most.I?m inspired by Tribe because of their creativity and the way the forced people to expand their minds and enjoy good music.Outkast inspires me because they keep it funky and creative. They also create life music which is what I do. From what I am told from various listeners, fans, and critics, my vocal sound is a lot like my mainly man Andre 3000. When I first heard of this I panicked because I didn?t want people to think I was biting his style. I even tried to change my vocal sound, THAT DIDN?T WORK. I just take that HUGE compliment and run with it.AHHS: What has kept you from moving to cities with larger markets? especially since it\'s only been recently that Houston has blown up.To keep it funky with you, I haven?t moved because first, it is too big of a risk to jump and move. Also, I felt this would be a great challenge for me to put Austin on the map as far as hip-hop is concerned. It has not been easy and we are still struggling but we are making some noise and people have heard of Born Soul so that good. I think the only major hip-hop artist that has come out of Austin is ?Poppa Chuck? back in the early 90?s.AHHS: How do you see the scene locally? and where do you see it going?Born Soul: In my opinion, there is no scene here locally. The reason there is no scene is because the artist that are trying to do something are just copying or piggy backing what is already hot. To have a scene you have to set trends. When you set trends, that?s when your area or city becomes hot. There are no trend setters here locally, only followers.Until someone, like me, breaks through on a national level, the scene will remain the same here locally, DEAD.AHHS: What is your favorite venue to perform at? and why?Born Soul: I loved performing at Club Parish. The audience really was into the music. A few people even knew my lyrics. I really haven?t performed at a lot of venues because it is so hard to get on the bill, even as an opening act. I am currently trying to change that by making sure my music quality speaks for itself along with the other administrative stuff that goes with it.AHHS: Can you give us 3 of your most favorite local artists?Born Soul: Well, Houston and Dallas are as local as I can get. Scarface, Slim Thug, Mike Jones is ok. Dallas has a few artists that are pretty good but I can?t think of their names. I haven?t heard anything worth wild coming out of Austin.AHHS: What is the best piece of advice that someone in the industry has given you?Born Soul: Keep doing what you are doing musically. The key is breaking through the scene locally. Don?t give up, stay persistent.AHHS: And a more light-hearted question: Have you seen a correlation between your level of success and quality of hoes?Born Soul: No, not yet??.I can still walk through the mall with no problem. When they start closing down stores for me then I can answer this question a little better.AHHS: Any parting words?Born Soul: Enjoy my earlier projects and my latest album ?Relax the Mind and the P Comes Free.? I just want to be heard. Look out for my new album in the spring of 2009. I can?t stop and won?t stop.

      
]]></description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/t2G1ClFNvG4/interview-born-soul.html</link><guid>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/t2G1ClFNvG4/interview-born-soul.html</guid><pubDate>Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:36:38 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Interview: Born Soul</title><description><![CDATA[AHHS recently got a chance to sit down with Born Soul, who\'s come from an 80\'s back-up dancer to MC. Read on to find out how he\'s lookin\' to set trends and make Austin hot.AHHS: Can you give your fans a quick bio of yourself?Born Soul: I started out in the game as a back-up dancer for a few local groups back in the late 80?s. I bought my first beat machine in college and began making beat for cats at school. I made my first record when I graduated.  It was called ?Guiding Light.? While playing my demo at work for a co-worker, Harold ?NASA? Green (now one of my business partners) heard it also and offered to finance my first project. From that day forward, we have been rolling.AHHS: Which is your latest CD? and how do you think it differs from your previous works?Born Soul: My latest CD is called ?Relax the Mind and the P Comes Free? which was release in December of 2007.A First, it took me 2 years to record this album. I spent a year just observing, listening and asking questions (mainly ladies). I wanted to take sometime and find out what the listeners actually wanted to hear.This Relax your mind project differed from my previous projects because I actually had a plot. Unlike the other albums I made this one with different scenarios that women and men could relate to. From all the feedback I am getting, kids love it as well.AHHS: What gives you inspiration and how does that transpire into your music?Born Soul: The earlier artist like A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Gang Star, Ed OG and the Bulldogs, The Dogg Pound, and Outkast all have inspired me in different ways. These groups inspire me mainly because all of they brought different styles and flavor to the table and they kept in hip-hop and no gimmicks. This is what I do; I bring something different to the table, NO GIMMICKS.When making my music, I incorporate all these different styles (the groups above) into one. When I get up out of bed at 3:45am to notepad a beat or lyrics so to speak, it always excites me to hear what the end results are going to be and to see the looks on my partners faces when they hears what I created.AHHS: Which artists inspire you the most? and why?Born Soul: A Tribe Called Quest and OutKast inspire me the most.I?m inspired by Tribe because of their creativity and the way the forced people to expand their minds and enjoy good music.Outkast inspires me because they keep it funky and creative. They also create life music which is what I do. From what I am told from various listeners, fans, and critics, my vocal sound is a lot like my mainly man Andre 3000. When I first heard of this I panicked because I didn?t want people to think I was biting his style. I even tried to change my vocal sound, THAT DIDN?T WORK. I just take that HUGE compliment and run with it.AHHS: What has kept you from moving to cities with larger markets? especially since it\'s only been recently that Houston has blown up.To keep it funky with you, I haven?t moved because first, it is too big of a risk to jump and move. Also, I felt this would be a great challenge for me to put Austin on the map as far as hip-hop is concerned. It has not been easy and we are still struggling but we are making some noise and people have heard of Born Soul so that good. I think the only major hip-hop artist that has come out of Austin is ?Poppa Chuck? back in the early 90?s.AHHS: How do you see the scene locally? and where do you see it going?Born Soul: In my opinion, there is no scene here locally. The reason there is no scene is because the artist that are trying to do something are just copying or piggy backing what is already hot. To have a scene you have to set trends. When you set trends, that?s when your area or city becomes hot. There are no trend setters here locally, only followers.Until someone, like me, breaks through on a national level, the scene will remain the same here locally, DEAD.AHHS: What is your favorite venue to perform at? and why?Born Soul: I loved performing at Club Parish. The audience really was into the music. A few people even knew my lyrics. I really haven?t performed at a lot of venues because it is so hard to get on the bill, even as an opening act. I am currently trying to change that by making sure my music quality speaks for itself along with the other administrative stuff that goes with it.AHHS: Can you give us 3 of your most favorite local artists?Born Soul: Well, Houston and Dallas are as local as I can get. Scarface, Slim Thug, Mike Jones is ok. Dallas has a few artists that are pretty good but I can?t think of their names. I haven?t heard anything worth wild coming out of Austin.AHHS: What is the best piece of advice that someone in the industry has given you?Born Soul: Keep doing what you are doing musically. The key is breaking through the scene locally. Don?t give up, stay persistent.AHHS: And a more light-hearted question: Have you seen a correlation between your level of success and quality of hoes?Born Soul: No, not yet??.I can still walk through the mall with no problem. When they start closing down stores for me then I can answer this question a little better.AHHS: Any parting words?Born Soul: Enjoy my earlier projects and my latest album ?Relax the Mind and the P Comes Free.? I just want to be heard. Look out for my new album in the spring of 2009. I can?t stop and won?t stop.]]></description><link>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/interview-born-soul.html</link><guid>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/12/interview-born-soul.html</guid><pubDate>Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:30:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Bike lanes versus wide curb lanes</title><description><![CDATA[
        Recent blogroll addition the Austin Bike Blog points us to a study on cyclist behavior in bike lanes and wide curb lanes. Years ago, pre-blog and pre-cycling-killing-arthritis, I wrote the following on passing behavior in both facilities which still has some relevance today. Dragging this into the blog so it can be archived and whatnot; original is here. Done with HTML tables, the way God intended! Unfortunately, that doesn\'t translate so well inside the blog. Any HTML/Movable Type geniuses want to suggest a formatting fix for me here?

One of the most common arguments in bicycle transportation circles stems from the disagreement over whether bike lanes or wide outside lanes provide &amp;quot;better passing distance&amp;quot;. Foresterites claim that wide outside lanes are better for a variety of reasons; bike lane advocates come back with the &amp;quot;dedicated space&amp;quot; argument; which Foresterites then attempt to rebut by saying passing distance is &amp;quot;better&amp;quot; in wide curb lanes.

I have direct experience in this matter: my commutes to work generally take me along Shoal Creek Boulevard in north central Austin; which had fairly wide (6\'?) bike lanes for several years; and then very wide (19\') curb lanes for several more years. I found that a typical 10-pass scenario would go something like the table below. The &amp;quot;distance&amp;quot; given is from car\'s mirror to where I was riding in approximate center of bike lane.


   
    Passing distance on Shoal Creek Boulevard with Bike Lane
    Passing distance on Shoal Creek Boulevard with Wide Outside 
      Lane
  
   
    

         
          1
          3.5 ft
          With minor fluctuation, the typical pass 
            with the bike lane consisted of the driver giving about half a foot 
            of distance between their right mirror and the bike lane stripe; thus 
            providing approximately the same passing space every time. Why does 
            this happen? Motorists are conditioned in other traffic interactions 
            to respect lane stripes.
        
         
          2
          3.5 ft

        
         
          3
          3.5 ft
        
         
          4
          3.5 ft

        
         
          5
          3.5 ft
        
         
          6
          3.5 ft

        
         
          7
          3.5 ft
        
         
          8
          3.5 ft

        
         
          9
          3.5 ft
        
         
          10
          3.5 ft

        
      
    
         
          1
          5 ft
          Some motorists (perhaps even a majority) 
            provide better passing distance in the wide outside lane scenario 
            because they are thinking about how much space to give, rather than 
            letting the lane stripe decide for them.
        

         
          2
          5 ft
        
         
          3
          5 ft
        

         
          4
          5 ft
        
         
          5
          5 ft
        

         
          6
          5 ft
        
         
          7
          4 ft
          &amp;nbsp;

        
         
          8
          3 ft
          &amp;nbsp;
        
         
          9

          2 ft
          On the other hand, some other motorists provide considerably 
            less passing space without the lane stripe to guide them (some from 
            ignorance; others from antipathy towards cyclists riding in &amp;quot;their 
            lane&amp;quot;). 
        
         
          10
          1 ft

        
      
  
   
    Average passing distance from centerline of my bike: 3.5 ft
    Average passing distance from centerline of my bike: 4.0 ft
  
  

    10th percentile passing distance: 3.5 ft
    10th percentile passing distance: 1 ft
  


In this dataset, the 30th percentile passing distance for wide outside lanes was worse than for bike lanes; meaning that 3 out of 10 times, the passing distance could be expected to be less for wide outside lanes than it was for bike lanes. (Or, to turn it around, 7 out of 10 times, the passing distance in wide outside lanes would be better than in bike lanes).

Despite the fact that this dataset shows a superior passing distance in 7 out of 10 cases for wide outside lanes, I would choose the bike lane over the wide outside lane in this scenario. I submit that the deciding factor for cyclists, if they are thinking rationally, should not be the average passing distance; since most motorists, whatever the facility, do a fairly good job of providing adequate passing distance. The deciding factor should be the likelihood that motorists who, because they either don\'t know or don\'t care, don\'t provide adequate passing distance. Clearly, in my experience, although average passing distance can be higher in a wide outside lane scenario, the minimum passing distance can at the same time be a lot lower. In this dataset, for instance, I\'d argue that the 2 ft and 1 ft passes were close enough to be dangerous (given my width).

        
    ]]></description><link>http://mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/archives/000545.html</link><guid>http://mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/archives/000545.html</guid><pubDate>Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:14:50 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>blogroll updates</title><description><![CDATA[
        Finally got around to these, mostly today:

Urbanist sites (Austin):

Downtown Austin


Bike sites (Austin):


Austin Bike Blog by Marcus Sanford
Bicycle austin blog - defunct for a while, now getting some action from the LOBV folks
Fellow award-winners at ATXBS.com


Occasional commenter: Snowed In
        
    ]]></description><link>http://mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/archives/000544.html</link><guid>http://mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/archives/000544.html</guid><pubDate>Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:04:41 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>You forgot the air quotes</title><description><![CDATA[
        Some folks are getting excited about the \&quot;downtown\&quot; station being nearly complete on our asstastic commuter rail line. Maybe the pictures below will be of some help. Click on the pictures for explanations.

1. \&quot;Why is that bus labelled \&quot;DOWNTOWN\&quot; if this is the \&quot;downtown\&quot; station?


2. \&quot;What is that yellow line and why is it so far from all the big buildings?\&quot;


3. \&quot;Well, are there any office buildings within a short walk of the \'downtown\' station\&quot;?


On my next business trip, probably next week, I\'ll try to take some time to get a better image of dots overlaid on a better map for \&quot;major downtown office buildings\&quot; built from actual data rather than from my own recollection. Expect it to look even less promising than that last image from 2004, though.

Bonus Update in case it\'s lost: a comment I just made in response to the typical CM talking point (in comments to their own article about the \'downtown\' station) that this is just a \'start\' for a multi-modal transportation system that will make choice commuters somehow enjoy changing vehicles three times on the way to work:


Unfortunately, that\'s a load of nonsense, Misty; there is no way this line can possibly serve as a first step anywhere worth going, because the vehicles (and technology) you chose is incompatible with truly urban rail - can\'t navigate corners sharply enough to ever go anywhere closer to where the actual commuting demand is.

To the readers, the best hope for urban rail in Texas is to get the CAMPO TWG plan passed before people realize how awful this commuter rail start is, because while it connects to commuter rail and has a suboptimal route itself, it at least serves a few good sources and destinations directly without requiring transfers.

It\'ll be decades, if ever, before we reach traffic levels which actually make transit trips with transfers anything but a poison pill for choice commuters. Any plan, like this commuter rail debacle, which relies on transfers for most of its ridership is thus doomed to failure.

        
    ]]></description><link>http://mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/archives/000543.html</link><guid>http://mdahmus.monkeysystems.com/blog/archives/000543.html</guid><pubDate>Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:25:09 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>AHHS Google Toolbar Button</title><description><![CDATA[We\'ve just created an Austin Hip-Hop Scene Google Toolbar Button for those of you who love their AHHS and their Google Toolbar. The AHHS Button allows you to view the latest posts and search AHHS, all a button away!Installation Instructions:1. First install Google Toolbar2. Click the following link: Add AHHS Google Toolbar Button3. When prompted, Click \&quot;Add\&quot;4. That\'s it!Tell us know what you think!

      
]]></description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/ffWfIub51VU/ahhs-google-toolbar-button.html</link><guid>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/ffWfIub51VU/ahhs-google-toolbar-button.html</guid><pubDate>Sat, 29 Nov 2008 21:18:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>AHHS Google Toolbar Button</title><description><![CDATA[We\'ve just created an Austin Hip-Hop Scene Google Toolbar Button for those of you who love their AHHS and their Google Toolbar. The AHHS Button allows you to view the latest posts and search AHHS, all a button away!Installation Instructions:1. First install Google Toolbar2. Click the following link: Add AHHS Google Toolbar Button3. When prompted, Click \&quot;Add\&quot;4. That\'s it!Tell us know what you think!]]></description><link>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/11/ahhs-google-toolbar-button.html</link><guid>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/11/ahhs-google-toolbar-button.html</guid><pubDate>Sat, 29 Nov 2008 21:18:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>It didn?t rain on the parade</title><description><![CDATA[But it came close. This is one of the two balloons we saw; Hello Kitty led off the parade and this was the other. Music was light this year. Los Texas Wranglers played nonstop. The Anderson High band was in full winter uniform. The Studebakers and the Biscuit Brothers sang. And there was a karaoke [...]]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/469725770/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/469725770/</guid><pubDate>Sat, 29 Nov 2008 18:01:41 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>2nd Austin Santa Speedo run</title><description><![CDATA[Well things are getting going for this years Santa Speedo run. I met with Head Santa Ed last week for lunch to plan out the 2nd Annual Austin Santa Speedo run. As Head Elf I should have written this post days ago. Between Ed and I we've created evites, Facebook events and more. While I [...]]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/468966227/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/468966227/</guid><pubDate>Fri, 28 Nov 2008 22:41:41 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Maria Maria leisure lunch</title><description><![CDATA[It could have been a quick-lunch, but we lingered and enjoyed the wonderful food without haste. Service was impeccable. It will be difficult to decide next time whether to go around again with today's delights or to venture ordering some of the many other temptations that the menu describes.
We had forgotten that the day after [...]]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/468838865/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/468838865/</guid><pubDate>Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:11:25 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Get Motivated, Get Fit</title><description><![CDATA[If you are exhausted after trailing around the shops today, or feeling a little round after eating too much yesterday, two events to get you back off the couch and active again. Just as the doldrums about the economy kick back in, these are two events to either make you think again or give you [...]]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/468613639/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/468613639/</guid><pubDate>Fri, 28 Nov 2008 14:08:57 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Focus on fashion</title><description><![CDATA[Austin's own By George is studied in an article of many column inches in today's NYT as an example of how an independent fashion retailer copes in today's economy. There are several photographs, and two competitors at The Domain come in for a mention. This is don't miss reading: &amp;#8220;Retail Rx for a Hip Mom [...]]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/467857389/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/467857389/</guid><pubDate>Thu, 27 Nov 2008 19:54:23 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>A mile of marching</title><description><![CDATA[It's really more than a mile. The A&amp;#38;M marching band formed up across the river and stepped out lively at 1 pm, headed across the bridge and up toward the Capitol. And when the parade disbanded, most of the marchers headed back across the river. Only the mounted contingent headed southward in the street, accompanied [...]]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/467757674/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/467757674/</guid><pubDate>Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:16:58 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Farm to Market Grocery and Texas French Bread open today</title><description><![CDATA[Farm to Market Grocery is open until 3 pm today. So far as I could tell, snacks, beer, eggs, and souvenirs were the big sellers while we were there. 
We noticed that lime-squeezers and also lemon-squeezers are in stock right now. This is the time of year when it can be tough to find them. [...]]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/467546224/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/467546224/</guid><pubDate>Thu, 27 Nov 2008 13:02:08 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>MC Frontalot - Alamo Drafthouse Downtown - November 28, 2008</title><description><![CDATA[From the Turkey Terrorist department... NERDCORE RISING with MC Frontalot @ Alamo Drafthouse Downtown on Nov 28th! I wish I could be there, I could take my laptop and get my programming on! To all the nerds, geeks and freaks out there going to this, I\'m jealous!Get your tix here for $10!-----To all those pal\'ing around with Sarah Palin and her Turkey Terrorist Group, Happy Thanksgiving!More info:Damian Hess (born December 3, 1973), known by stage name MC Frontalot, is a San Francisco hip hop musician and self-proclaimed \&quot;world\'s 579th greatest rapper.\&quot; He is best known in nerdcore hip hop and video game culture, for naming the nerdcore subgenre, and performing at Penny Arcade\'s annual Penny Arcade Expo.Hess began releasing music as MC Frontalot in 1999. His first successes came through Song Fight!, an online songwriting and recording competition, where he became known for consistently beating opponents. Throughout his history at Song Fight!, he has never lost a competition as MC Frontalot, although he has entered only seven entries in that name.[1] In one such song fight, entitled \&quot;Romantic Cheapskate\&quot;, he likens Song Fight! to a neglected lover who favours him regardless of how he treats her.[2] Indicative of his success, the song went on to garner a total of 614 votes, while the next closest song ended the round with 28.[3]

      
]]></description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/-fYvzEWyakQ/mc-frontalot-alamo-drafthouse-downtown.html</link><guid>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/-fYvzEWyakQ/mc-frontalot-alamo-drafthouse-downtown.html</guid><pubDate>Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:34:01 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>MC Frontalot - Alamo Drafthouse Downtown - November 28, 2008</title><description><![CDATA[From the Turkey Terrorist department... NERDCORE RISING with MC Frontalot @ Alamo Drafthouse Downtown on Nov 28th! I wish I could be there, I could take my laptop and get my programming on! To all the nerds, geeks and freaks out there going to this, I\'m jealous!Get your tix here for $10!-----To all those pal\'ing around with Sarah Palin and her Turkey Terrorist Group, Happy Thanksgiving!More info:Damian Hess (born December 3, 1973), known by stage name MC Frontalot, is a San Francisco hip hop musician and self-proclaimed \&quot;world\'s 579th greatest rapper.\&quot; He is best known in nerdcore hip hop and video game culture, for naming the nerdcore subgenre, and performing at Penny Arcade\'s annual Penny Arcade Expo.Hess began releasing music as MC Frontalot in 1999. His first successes came through Song Fight!, an online songwriting and recording competition, where he became known for consistently beating opponents. Throughout his history at Song Fight!, he has never lost a competition as MC Frontalot, although he has entered only seven entries in that name.[1] In one such song fight, entitled \&quot;Romantic Cheapskate\&quot;, he likens Song Fight! to a neglected lover who favours him regardless of how he treats her.[2] Indicative of his success, the song went on to garner a total of 614 votes, while the next closest song ended the round with 28.[3]]]></description><link>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/11/mc-frontalot-alamo-drafthouse-downtown.html</link><guid>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/11/mc-frontalot-alamo-drafthouse-downtown.html</guid><pubDate>Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:12:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Free Tix: Ice Cube - The Mohawk - December 14, 2008</title><description><![CDATA[From the it was a good day department... We\'ve got a pair of free tickets to giveaway to Ice Cube @ The Mohawk!For the free tix, email me about your worst Thanksgiving experience to emptyonline @ gmail.comAlso, get your tix here for $25!More info:O\'Shea Jackson (born June 15, 1969), better known by his stage name Ice Cube is an actor, screenwriter, producer, and rapper. Regarded as one of the greatest hip hop artists of all time, he began his career as a founding member of the rap group N.W.A, and later launched a successful solo career in music and cinema. In 1992, he married Kimberly Woodruff, with whom he has four children. From the mid-1990s onwards, Cube focused on acting, and his musical output has slowed down considerably. He remains one of the most visible West Coast rappers, having helped originate gangsta rap. He is particularly well-known for his incendiary raps on political topics, social relations and ethnic discrimination, particularly the mistreatment of African Americans.Ice Cube was born O\'Shea Jackson in South Central, California, where he was raised, the son of Doris (n&eacute;e Benjamin), a hospital clerk and custodian, and Andrew Jackson, who worked as a groundskeeper at California State University.[1] His cousin is Teren Delvon Jones, also known as Del tha Funkee Homosapien, of Deltron 3030, Gorillaz and Hieroglyphics.[2] At age sixteen, Ice Cube developed an interest in hip hop music, and began writing raps in Taft High School\'s keyboarding class.[2] He attended the Phoenix Institute of Technology in the fall of 1987, and studied Architectural Drafting.[3] With friend Sir Jinx, Cube formed the C.I.A., and they performed at parties hosted by Dr. Dre. In an interview with well known British broadsheet newspaper, The Guardian, Ice Cube professed he is still a Muslim, having converted sometime in the 1990s.[4]

      
]]></description><link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/m26baAe46qc/free-tix-ice-cube-mohawk-december-14.html</link><guid>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/austinhiphopscene/~3/m26baAe46qc/free-tix-ice-cube-mohawk-december-14.html</guid><pubDate>Tue, 25 Nov 2008 18:40:40 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Free Tix: Ice Cube - The Mohawk - December 14, 2008</title><description><![CDATA[From the it was a good day department... We\'ve got a pair of free tickets to giveaway to Ice Cube @ The Mohawk!For the free tix, email me about your worst Thanksgiving experience to emptyonline @ gmail.comAlso, get your tix here for $25!More info:O\'Shea Jackson (born June 15, 1969), better known by his stage name Ice Cube is an actor, screenwriter, producer, and rapper. Regarded as one of the greatest hip hop artists of all time, he began his career as a founding member of the rap group N.W.A, and later launched a successful solo career in music and cinema. In 1992, he married Kimberly Woodruff, with whom he has four children. From the mid-1990s onwards, Cube focused on acting, and his musical output has slowed down considerably. He remains one of the most visible West Coast rappers, having helped originate gangsta rap. He is particularly well-known for his incendiary raps on political topics, social relations and ethnic discrimination, particularly the mistreatment of African Americans.Ice Cube was born O\'Shea Jackson in South Central, California, where he was raised, the son of Doris (n&eacute;e Benjamin), a hospital clerk and custodian, and Andrew Jackson, who worked as a groundskeeper at California State University.[1] His cousin is Teren Delvon Jones, also known as Del tha Funkee Homosapien, of Deltron 3030, Gorillaz and Hieroglyphics.[2] At age sixteen, Ice Cube developed an interest in hip hop music, and began writing raps in Taft High School\'s keyboarding class.[2] He attended the Phoenix Institute of Technology in the fall of 1987, and studied Architectural Drafting.[3] With friend Sir Jinx, Cube formed the C.I.A., and they performed at parties hosted by Dr. Dre. In an interview with well known British broadsheet newspaper, The Guardian, Ice Cube professed he is still a Muslim, having converted sometime in the 1990s.[4]]]></description><link>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/11/free-tix-ice-cube-mohawk-december-14.html</link><guid>http://www.austinhiphopscene.com/2008/11/free-tix-ice-cube-mohawk-december-14.html</guid><pubDate>Tue, 25 Nov 2008 18:27:00 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Tracking down the turkey</title><description><![CDATA[In this household convention doesn't always hold sway: some years it's turkey before the day, or turkey after it, or turkey before and after, and sometimes even turkey on Thanksgiving Day. 
At Wheatsville Co-op, there've been years when we lucked into a last-minute bird ordered by someone else but not picked up. We found a [...]]]></description><link>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/465482462/</link><guid>http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MetrobloggingAustin/~3/465482462/</guid><pubDate>Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:37:57 EST</pubDate></item><item><title>Music: DJ Protege - Remix Vol. 1</title><description><![CDATA[DJ Protege of Blue Room Music Group treats us to a Thanksgiving special with Remix Vol. 1.Soul High: Method Man &amp;amp; Redman / Souls of MischiefPut it on the L: Big L / Tribe Called QuestNaughty Body: Mad Skills / Naughty By NatureLights &amp;amp; Love: Common / LL Cool JAxle?s ATLine: OutKast / Axle FDownload the complete Remix 