Metaboston

Happy Independence Day!

Big Bugs at Garden in the Woods

David Rogers' Big Bug sculptures return to Garden in the Woods in Framingham from July 12 through October 31.  With familiar insects like bees and ants as well as the less familiar praying mantis and assassin bug it looks like it will be good.  And the sculptures look great.  More images here.

(Image:  2008 New England Wild Flower Society/William Cullina)

Garbage Cans Scarce on the Charles

William O'Neill points out how few garbage cans there are along the Charles:  "[O]nly three receptacles between the Museum of Science and the Mass Ave bridge."  And the garbage that people place into the phantom receptacles as in his picture above.

Historical Cambridge in Second Life

Cambrdge Community Television is sponsoring a project to recreate a part of historical Cambridge in the virtual world Second Life.

"Come to CCTV on Wednesday, July 16 at 6:30 PM to learn how individuals and organizations are using the virtual world Second Life. During the event, we will provide an overview of virtual worlds and present our proposal to create an historical re-creation of a physical location in Cambridge using Second Life in 2008-2009.

And we want you to get involved!

The goal is to present our project - created by Cambridge residents - at the grand re-opening of the New Cambridge Main Library proposed for Fall 2009."

Info:
Date: Wednesday, July 16
Time: 6:30 PM
Location: Cambridge Community Television, 675 Mass Ave. Central Square, Cambridge

Yondernet: Haitian-American Magazine

Yondernet, a new online Haitian-American magazine started by a group of local entrepreneurs will be celebrating its launch this week.

"Yondernet Magazine is a quarterly online publication magazine dedicated to Haitian-American professionals and other minority professionals who have a keen appreciation for their heritage and self. Yondernet Magazine is striving to showcase some of today’s most brilliant Haitian-American and minority professionals and the aspiration, success and concerns of all Haitians living in the United States."

They're looking for content as well:  "Yondernet Magazine is a user generated content magazine. We are looking for contributing writers to submit articles and editorial contents for the following topics: Health, Education, Finance, and Business."  Good idea for an underserved niche.

Pet-Renting to be Banned in Boston?

FlexPetz, a small company that serves as a Zipcar for dogs faces a City Council hearing on July 9th that will determine whether it will be able to expand to Boston from its current operations in New York, Los Angeles and London.

"The company, which counts frequent travelers and busy urbanites among its clientele, maintains a stable of dogs that have been rescued or "rehomed." Clients can check out a dog for a few hours up to a number of days. There are initial fees of about $250 to sign up in addition to a $100 monthly membership fee. It costs about $45 to rent a dog for a day. Members are charged for at least four "doggy days" each month regardless of whether or not they take out a dog. The company will drop off dogs at a customer's home or office and pick them up later for additional fees."

Opponents are disturbed by the stress on the dogs from frequent changes and the objectification of the animals

Graffiti Stenciling Workshop in Davis

Annelies Kamen will be teaching a course on graffiti stenciling at Willoughby and Baltic in Davis Square.

"The immediacy and poignancy of stencil art has made it a prominent tool in DIY political, social and artistic movements. Stencils are a creative and easy way to express opinions, spread messages and expand the boundaries of your artistic language.

This workshop will teach you how to make your own stencil from a found or original image for use on clothing, in fine arts, as wall decoration, or for any purpose you choose. Among the topics covered will be altering images to translate to stencil format, single and multi-layered techniques, large scale and portable stencils, types of paint and stencil frames to use, and how best to use your stencils on different surfaces.

All materials are included in this workshop. Please bring an image or two you would like to use in a digital format (thumbdrive or CD). If you do not provide an image, we will provide one to you for the class. Letter stencils will also be provided if you would like your stencil to have text elements."

Info: 
July 9th 6:30pm - 9:30pm (Reserve by July 7th)

"Price:
Members: $20 plus $15 materials
Non-Members: $40 plus $15 materials
(Sign up for Willoughby and Baltic membership at the same time and save $5!)"

"Jack the Kicker" Strikes in Harvard Square

Man accused of kicking people in Harvard Square.  Just not very nice.

Boston Chefs Crumble in Face of Criticism from Common Man and Woman

Confronted with criticism from nonprofessionals, like the posters on the Boston Chowhound board, Boston chefs are outraged that their customers fail to appreciate that their restaurants are perfect.

"Will Gilson (Garden at the Cellar): That’s the other thing. Chowhound and Citysearch and things ike that make it so hard for you to feel as though you’re in control. For the longest time, it was just the reviewers in the city that were writing those articles. And now anybody can write whatever they want about you and it’s on there."

Chefs aren't in complete "control" unless they aren't asking people to come in to their restaurants and give them money.  The idea that chefs shouldn't look at any of the criticism also seems mistaken.  Unlike baseball players who avoid fans on talk radio but answer to owners and managers, opinions on the internet can be important for chefs to consider because restaurant customers may be expressing real problems and issues and the opinions can affect other customers who can make the decision whether or not to eat there (unlike hiring and firing a pitcher).  Like every other industry, chefs will have to face that the public can now post opinions on the internet and while some criticisms may be overblown or wrong others may well be correct.

The Art of Meat: "Meat After Meat Joy" at Pierre Menard

Pierre Menard Gallery's new exhibit focuses on meat as the subject for artistic inspiration and as an artistic medium:

"Visitors to the gallery can examine a flag made of pure raw meat and meat fat.

The flag’s sculptor, Betty Hirst, also produced an opened book made of frozen raw meat and, possibly disturbing, a baby girl on a pink blanket composed of dried meat." (Image:  21 Chops, David Raymond)

Crank That Stallman Boy!

Richard Stallman and other MIT friends do the Soulja Boy. (via Digg)

Moose vs. Ticks

If summer has you worried about Lyme disease at least you can be happy you're not a moose in New England:

"Winter ticks, as they are known, appear to be more plentiful in the North Woods because of high densities of moose and deer and a general trend toward shorter winters, with last winter being an exception, biologists say.
 

***

The ticks can suck out so much blood that they leave moose anemic and emaciated, unable to survive winter. To get rid of the ticks, infested moose rub on trees and often scrape away their dark winter coats — becoming so-called "ghost moose" in spring."

Gloucester Pregnancy Pact?

Perhaps not!

"Whether there was such a plan in this overwhelmingly white city on Boston's North Shore is in dispute. After Gloucester High School witnessed 17 pregnancies this school year – more than quadruple last year's average of four – the school principal attributed the surge to a "pact" among "seven or eight" girls in a Time magazine article. But at a press conference Monday, school Superintendent Christopher Farmer said there was a "distinct possibility" that the girls simply decided post-pregnancy to "come together for mutual support.'"

Movies to blame.

Frank Kramer on the Sale of Harvard Bookstore

"To our many friends, customers, and supporters, Yes. It's hard for even me to believe, but it's true. Harvard Book Store is for sale.

Now that the news is out in the media, I want to say a few words to you. I know many of you personally and I can honestly say that building our customer relationships has been the best part of running Harvard Book Store.

Two Bits: The People of Free Software

Chris Kelty will discuss his new book Two Bits, an examination of the people and cultures of the free software and free culture, at MIT on June 24.  The book is available as a free download too!

"In "Two Bits", Kelty investigates the history and cultural significance of Free Software, revealing the people and practices that have revolutionized not just the way software is created, but the way knowledge is produced and shared in fields including education, science, film, and music.

"I know of no other book that mixes so beautifully a deep theoretical understanding of social theory with a rich historical and contemporary ethnography of the Free Software and free culture movements. Christopher M. Kelty's book speaks to many audiences; his message should be understood by many more."--Lawrence Lessig, Stanford Law School

Christopher M. Kelty is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Rice University and Visiting Assistant Professor in the History of Science at Harvard University ."

Info:
Tuesday, June 24, 2008, 5:30pm
MIT 32-144, Ray and Maria Stata Center, 32 Vassar Street, Cambridge

Bike Tour of Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, the South End

Young guides will lead an 8-mile bike tour on Sunday June 22 in what could be an interesting perspective on the city.  "MYRIDE, Multicultural Youth Riding in Diverse Environments, is a youth-led bike tour of Boston's South End, Roxbury, and Jamaica Plain neighborhoods, followed by a celebratory barbecue."

You can register online in person from 9:30 am to 10:00 am before the tour starts at 10:00 am
Cost:  $15

Punk Musicians Revitalize Masons

"[A] diverse group of Hub rockers are embracing centuries-old fraternal ideals to become the new face of the Freemasons in Boston.

“It’s not a religion, and it’s definitely not a cult,” said J.R. Roach, drummer for Sam Black Church and bassist for The Men, who also is master of the Masons’ Cambridge Amicable Lodge. “Everything is supposed to be dignified. There’s no hazing. We’re all brothers. It’s a movement for guys trying to find a deeper meaning in their lives.”

The mix of punk and freemasonry seems unusual but with the masons in decline the group may have more of an ironic and DIY feel than in its heyday as the meeting place of the local establishment.  (via Boing Boing)

Gloucester Pregnancy Pact

Weird, with 17 pregnancies so far:

"School officials started looking into the matter as early as October after an unusual number of girls began filing into the school clinic to find out if they were pregnant. By May, several students had returned multiple times to get pregnancy tests, and on hearing the results, "some girls seemed more upset when they weren't pregnant than when they were," Sullivan says. All it took was a few simple questions before nearly half the expecting students, none older than 16, confessed to making a pact to get pregnant and raise their babies together."

Urban Garden Tour in Somerville

Over 40 Somerville gardens will be open to the public on Saturday June 21.

"More than 40 private and public settings featuring fruit trees, fountains, sculpture, stone walls, moss, terraces, arbors, mosaics, murals, ponds or planters, will be on display. Some incorporate found objects and art; others are designed for children and are family friendly spaces. At one you will find a little-known certified Natural Wildlife Habitat. The garden club's own sites at the Powderhouse Rotary, the Main and West Libraries, are also marked on the map. The combined talents of master gardeners and the cultural influences of the diverse communities of Somerville create a unique event. Rain or shine, it promises to be a wonderful afternoon. "

Cost:  $12

Tickets:

"Advance ticket sales: June 1-June 20:  Program booklet [$12.00 admission], containing a map and individual garden descriptions, will be available June 1: Pemberton Garden Center, 2225 Mass Avenue, Cambridge, Sherman Café, 257 Washington St., Union Square, Somerville

Event Day Locations and Ticket Sales: Saturday, June 21st 11:30AM - 4:00PM:  Davis Square, opposite T entrances, intersection of Elm and Holland Streets, VNA Assisted Living Community, 259 Lowell St. The VNA also has a 1/4 acre wildlife habitat that is part of the tour."

Odd image of philosopher, pioneering psychologist and theorist of religion and prolific writer William James from the Wall St. Journal:

'William . . . appears as the original dilly-dallying graduate student, hanging around Harvard Square to teach, marrying at 36 and not publishing his breakthrough work, "The Fundamentals of Psychology," until age 48."

It seems hard to argue with his approach considering what he accomplished.

Jellyfish in Boston Harbor

Cool image of a jellyfish-saturated Boston Harbor by LauraLiz

Oil Slick on the Charles

The source of an oil slick on the Charles near Longfellow Bridge is currently unknown.  Bad timing after Sunday's Charles River Swim to call attention to the river cleanup.

Interactive Data Sculpture from MIT

The Cloud provides information to viewers when they touch the sculpture.

"The Cloud, an interactive sculpture, is being unveiled this week at a fashion industry trade show in Florence, Italy. Developed by a team from the MIT Mobile Experience Lab, the Cloud expresses context awareness using hundreds of sensors and 15,000 individually addressable optical fibers. Constructed of carbon glass, rising more than four meters high and containing more than 65 kilometers of fiber optics, the Cloud has hundreds of sensors. When visitors touch it, they see images and text relating to the event to add to their experience, including information and ideas for buyers."

More Multiples in Mass.

Moms in Massachusetts are more likely to have more than one baby:

"Women who give birth in Massachusetts are more likely to be older -- and more likely to have multiple births -- and to be using techniques to assist conception which also increases multiples." (Image:  Dionne quintuplets).

Own a Maine Lobster Trap

If you're not thinking of economizing this summer and you can't get enough lobster you can "buy" a Maine lobster trap for the season and feast on all the lobster the trap catches.

"For USD 2,995, consumers can own a Maine lobster trap and all the lobsters it catches for an entire year through the Premium Trap program from Catch a Piece of Maine. As "partners," as the company calls them, customers of the program are assigned a dedicated lobsterman who will fish their trap throughout the 32-week season. Everything he catches is tracked with a colour-coded band placed on the lobsters' claws, and all data is recorded online so that the partner can view their trap's activity, manage their catch and schedule shipments from anywhere. As lobsters are caught by the trap, the partner's account grows; as lobsters are requested for shipment, it decreases again. Lobsters can be shipped in batches of four as soon as they are caught, or they can be saved for later (in which case the company will substitute one just caught for the original); either way, details are included on when, where and by whom they were obtained. Catch a Piece of Maine guarantees at least 48 1.5 lb lobsters for each partner—totalling over 70bs.—and also 12 lbs. steamer clams, 12 lbs. mussels, and 48 servings of Maine-made desserts over the course of the year."

Summer Resort Exhibit

The Boston Athenaeum has an exhibit has an exhibit celebrating the attractions of northern New England in the summer from the days before air conditioning.

“Always Delightfully Cool” examines the history of leisure travel and tourism in nineteenth-century New England through advertising prints, photographs, maps, sheet music covers, and large-scale chromolithographs. Northern New England, with its varied landscape of beaches, mountains, and lakes, boasted many of the nation’s most popular vacation sites, including Maine’s Moosehead Lake and Mount Desert Island, the seaside resorts of the North and South Shores of Massachusetts, New Hampshire’s White Mountains and Lake Winnipesaukee, and the northern Vermont towns of Burlington and Stowe."

Protesting Protesting in Harvard Square

Any regular visitor to Harvard Square might actually sincerely appreciate this April Fool's event by the Boston Society for Spontaneity:  a protest against protests.

Suggestion for next event:  protesting soliciting or soliciting against soliciting.

Harvard's Psychedelic Flashback

Decades after Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert and the controversial Harvard Psylocybin Project, researchers at Harvard and elsewhere are trying to do serious research with psychedelics.

"[Creator of LSD Albert] Hofmann, who died this past April at the age of 102, watched it all play out, horrified by the behavior of both drug users and opponents. He winced as the hippies took LSD with wild abandon, and wrung his hands as the government, here and abroad, criminalized LSD and other psychedelic compounds. But Hofmann also lived long enough to see it all come full circle. By the time he died, legitimate above-ground psychedelic research was alive and well at places like Johns Hopkins and, even more telling, at Harvard University, the latter under the guidance of Dr. John Halpern. Sitting a little to the left and outside of Halpern is Rick Doblin, founder of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), a nonprofit research group that, through the support of members and donors, helps fund scientists to do bona fide work with psychedelics in the hopes of legitimizing their therapeutic use. Together, the two men form a kind of psychedelic odd couple: Halpern is young but traditional and cautious, a scientist first and foremost. Doblin is a veteran in this world, a little rougher around the edges, and speaks openly about his own psychedelic adventures and his vision for less drug prohibition.

Fishers: Aggressive Weasel Species in the Suburbs

Once hunted for their fur, fishers were re-introduced to northern New England to help control porcupines.  Since their reintroduction they've been spreading out as far as Rhode Island, Connecticut and suburban Boston.

"Sinewy, with bushy tails and beady eyes, fishers weigh 5 to 15 pounds and live on land and in trees. They are mainly carnivorous, typically eating squirrels, mice, voles and other small animals, as well as nuts and seeds. Fishers are also one of the porcupine’s few enemies, killing it by attacking its snout and flipping it on its back.

“Fishers are pretty vicious,” said Michelle Johnson, the animal control officer in West Greenwich.

The fisher belongs to the mustelid family, which includes weasels, otters and wolverines. It has the aggressive, carnivorous temperament of a wolverine and can climb trees like a marten. Like weasels, a fisher will kill multiple animals at a time in a confined space. Fishers are nocturnal and not easily spotted."

Although fishers can be dangerous to small pets and livestock they aren't a threat to humans.

"In suburban Lexington, Mass., officials hung fliers in the common area of a condominium complex urging residents to keep cats and small dogs indoors because a fisher was spotted in nearby woods. In Northborough, Mass., officials put a warning in the newspaper asking that residents seal all garbage cans and refrain from putting out food for animals." (Image:  Fisher by John James Audubon)

Charles River on Radio Boston

In more river news Radio Boston will be checking in on the new and improved Charles this weekend and you can participate by posting and geotagging your photos of the river in the Charles River Flickr pool

Charles River Swim

It's too late to jump in the water for Sunday's 1-mile Harvard Bridge - Longfellow Bridge loop but if you're afraid to put your toe into the Charles you can go and watch the racers show that the water is pretty clean.  Head over at 8 am to the River Dock (near Arthur Fiedler head statue by the Hatch Shell on Esplanade).  Don't be too late though.  They're hoping to be done in about 40 minutes.

Gatehouse's Wicked Local to Add Social Network

Considering recent questions about Gatehouse's viability, is the social network capability from TownConnect too little too late or just the right thing to build an online community?

"Through the co-branded Wicked Local People sites, residents of the 159 eastern Massachusetts communities served by GateHouse newspapers can participate in a free, secure, private network and easily organize online communities of friends, neighbors and extended families; coordinate schedules; share photos and files; and connect families, friends, and neighbors."