Adam Hamilton

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Read Drew's blog: The Worst Things For Sale.

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Bob the Super Hamste writes "The St. Paul Pioneer press is reporting that Comcast is planning on expanding its network of public WiFi hot spots in the Twin Cities area by using home internet connections and user's WiFi routers. Customers will be upgraded to new wireless routers that will have 2 wireless networks, one for the home users and one for the general public. Subscribers to Comcast's Xfinity service and customers that participate in the public WiFi program will be allowed free access to the public WiFi offered by this service. Non Comcast customers get 2 free sessions a month each lasting 1 hour with additional sessions costing money. The article mentions that a similar service already exists and is provided by the Spain-based company Fon."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

New submitter afarhan writes "India will pull the plug on its 160-year-old telegram service on 14 July, this year. This will probably be the last telegram ever sent in the world. However, telegrams are still relevant in this vast country. More than 500 million people are still without access to a phone or Internet. For these people, telegram still remains the only digital communication available. 'At their peak in 1985, 60 million telegrams were being sent and received a year in India from 45,000 offices. Today, only 75 offices exist, though they are located in each of India's 671 districts through franchises. And an industry that once employed 12,500 people, today has only 998 workers.' In India, telegram is also considered a legal correspondence."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The other day, I was driving up Broadway toward the northern tip of Manhattan when something caught my eye off to one side…

Poking up behind the auto body shops and brick storefronts…

…was that a crumbling stone archway?

Something seemed very out of place about this. I pulled over and looked it up on my phone…

…and learned that this…

…is all that remains of this:

This archway is the last remaining structure from the Seaman-Drake estate, which used to sit atop the Inwood hills over 100 years ago. I noticed several historical pictures of the property in the window of the Inwood Hills Spirit & Wine Room beside the arch. Here’s one of Broadway back in the day…

…and now.

According to this great article from MyInwood.com, the Seaman estate was built by one John Seaman, the wealthy son of Dr. Valentine Seaman, who introduced the small pox vaccine to the United States. In 1851, Seaman purchased 25 acres of land in northern Manhattan and built his estate.

According to this 2001 NY Times article, the house and archway were both built of marble taken from a quarry at the bottom of the hill along Broadway (marble from this same vein was used to construct St. Patrick’s Cathedral).

The estate was later bequeathed to Lawrence Drake, Seaman’s nephew, and managed to survive into the 20th century.

Sadly, in 1912, a number of one-story buildings were constructed around the archway, while the estate itself was sold to developers in 1938.

Since 1960, the southern portion of the arch has been home to Jack Gallo Auto Body…

…and it’s really fascinating to peek in and see one enormous leg jutting through the ceiling, as if it somehow stomped its way into the building:

But for a really neat little secret, head up the drive under the arch…

…and turn through the opening:

Once an enclosed room, the roof over this wing of the arch collapsed decades ago, leaving the structure open to the elements.

Standing inside, it almost feels like a medieval turret covered in lush green ivy.

Even more surreal, the marble walls almost completely drown out the surrounding noise, creating a tranquil retreat from the honking cars and rumbling el trains of northern Manhattan.

In recent years, there’s been talk of incorporating the arch into a restaurant or club, but nothing has materialized.

For a number of really fantastic pictures of the Seaman-Drake estate (not shot through the glass windows of a liquor store!), be sure to check out the article on MyInwood.com.

I think the most interesting bit is the rear window inside the arch. A hundred years ago, the view would have been rolling hills and a palatial estate. Today?

-SCOUT

Though not as mysterious as the long lost Indian Pole, the figure of Diana has been watching the entranceway of the Philadelphia Museum of Art from her perch above the Great Stair Hall for the past eighty years. Harry K tells the story of the statue that got away from New York

Manbat.

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May 21st, 2013: If you want the amazing T-Rex's Summer Vacation design on a tote bag or a hoodie, now is your last chance! TIME IS RUNNING OUT, Y'ALL: One year ago today: well i for one am giving up boo-berry muffins – Ryan

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dinosaur comics returns monday! this weekend i'll be at TEDxUofT talking about TIME TRAVEL, maybe i will see you there? :o
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May 16th, 2013: I saw the new Star Trek movie last night and it has the XCV 300 in it! It's my favourite Enterprise after the Enterprice C. Anyway that's all I wanted to say One year ago today: SECRETS OF THE BANKING PROFESSION – Ryan

 
Who’s ready for another weekend jam-packed with festival fun?

The terrific Trenton Avenue Arts Festival and supercool Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby roll into Fishtown and Kensington this Saturday, May 18, noon to 5 p.m..

Lining the historic cobblestone Trenton Avenue, the arts festival spotlights diverse artist communities in Fishtown and Kensington, and includes more than 200 local artists, crafters and food vendors.

More than 10,000 attendees are expected to join in the fun, with funds raised going towards neighborhood projects and revitalization.

Complementing the arts festival, the playful Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby takes art and design on parade.

Both a design competition and a fantastical pageant of human-powered vehicle floats, the quirky tournament seeks to award the most creative human-powered vehicles, and entertain crowds with hilarious costumes and float themes.

Plus, be sure to stop by the Visit Philly booth, located on Trenton Avenue between Berges and Norris streets, and take a seat in an artful photo booth. Folks will be able to share creations with friends on Facebook and Twitter right from the tent and get a free print to take home.

And if you’re taking your own photos on Instagram, be sure to use the #Fishtown hashtag!

Read on for our complete guide to the day’s funky festivities. See you there!

The Layout

 
The Festival spans approximately six total blocks, four along Trenton Avenue — between Norris Street and Frankford Avenue — and another two along Susquehanna, crisscrossing Trenton — from Martha Street to Frankford Avenue. See map below.

The Food

 
Come hungry to taste-test a veritable smorgasbord of fare from 17 local food trucks and vendors.

The lineup of trucks to be onsite includes The Cheesesteak Guy, The Dapper Dog, Farm Truck Philly, Innovative Catering, KAMI, Little Baby’s Ice Cream, Made In the Shade LeMoNaDe, Mucho Bueno, Old City Coffee, Primo Pizza, Surf and Turf Truck, Taco Mondo, Vernalicious, Vittles, Whipped Bake Shop and Yumtown USA.

All of the eats will be conveniently grouped together on Trenton Avenue, surrounding picnic tables near the intersection of Dauphin and Blair streets. (See full food vendor map below.)

The Artisans

 
The Fishtown and East Kensington neighborhoods contain an incredible mix of local artists. Don’t miss the handmade goods and wares on view and for sale during the festival, nor the tunes by DJ Snakpak (Holly Sue Allen), who will be there spinning vinyl.

Among the more than 200 vendors, look for ceramic and stone mosaic tiles by Laura Lyn Stern; vintage ceramic china, stained glass jewelry and embellished children’s clothing by As The Crow Flies; organic bath, body and home goods by Earthwise Naturals; custom metal furniture and jewelry by Lightfest Design and Build; custom jewelry by Emily Chelsea Jewelry; ceramics by Beidler Pottery; custom photography by Saint in the City and so much more!

The Kinetic Sculpture Derby

 
Kicking off the whole shebang at noon on Trenton Avenue and Norris Street, a fantastical design competition and derby of human-powered floats moves along Frankford Avenue and Girard Avenue until 4 p.m.

The Kinetic Sculpture Derby parades mobile sculptures along a three-mile urban obstacle course through the Kensington and Fishtown neighborhoods (see the complete route map below), finishing with a chance for both judges and the public to vote on their favorite floats.

The juried derby has seven awards: the Uwishunu.com Judge’s Choice Award, The Momentum Mag Best Engineering Award, The Philadelphia Brewing Co. Best Art Award, The Kathryn Doherty-Chapman (our founder) Best Costume Award, The Philly in Focus People’s Choice Award, The Bob Phillips Best 1 or 2 Person Entry and The Philadelphia Sculpture Gym Best Breakdown Award.

Prizes are announced and awarded to each winner — after they cross the mud pit finish line, naturally — at an awards ceremony slated for 3:30 p.m.

The Post-Festival TAAFterdark

 
The derby and festival may conclude at 5 p.m., but stick around for the official afterparty of the Trenton Avenue Arts Festival, TAAFterdark.

To celebrate its grand opening, new neighborhood record store RecordLady will serve as the jumping off point for a TAAFterdark art crawl. Stop at RecordLady for live music by Upholstery and Evan Cory Levine & Friends and free beer from Philadelphia Brewing Company from 6 to 9 p.m.

Then, head out to explore the rest of the district and events at Walking Fish Theatre, Atlantis, Kung Fu Necktie, The Barbary and other neighborhood spots.

Getting There

 
Arriving at the festival is a cinch via public transportation. The festival is just five blocks from the Berks stop on the Market Frankford Line. Also, there is plenty of street parking in the area — look to Trenton Avenue North of Frankford and York Street.

Want to keep exploring the neighborhood? Check out Visit Philly’s Philadelphia Neighborhoods guide for even more on Fishtown.

For the complete Sculpture Derby route map, see below.

Kensington Kinetic Sculpture Derby
When: Saturday, May 18, noon
Where: Trenton Avenue and Norris Street
Cost: Free
More info: www.kinetickensington.org

Trenton Avenue Arts Festival
When: Saturday, May 18, noon-5 p.m.
Where: Trenton and E. Susquehanna avenues
Cost: Pay as you go
More info: www.trentonaveartsfest.org

The Food – Here’s a look at where to find the delicious food vendors at Saturday’s festival:

 

Kinetic Sculpture Derby Route Map:

Eighty years ago, Leopold Stokowski and pioneering sound engineers turned the Academy of Music into a multi-media hub for broadcast music. Jack McCarthy has the story of Bell Labs, Disney, and the first stereo broadcast performances

In an old horse stable in Kensington, beer brewing history is about to come full circle. Brad Maule talks with Tim Patton from Saint Benjamin Brewing Company about his plans for the site that once belonged to Theo Finkenauer's brewery

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