Metaboston

One-Minute Films Revived at AXIOM

 AXIOM Center for New and Experimental Media will be reshowing the 60-second films from the 1 Minute Film Festival on Feb. 19 at 7.30pm.

AXIOM is excited to present an hour's worth of 48 film selections from LUMEN ECLIPSE's 1-Minute Film Festival. The first annual 1-Minute Film Festival exhibited all varieties of 60 second films with the democratic proviso: none shall exceed one minute!

"If big films are the cathedrals of today, we sought artist's take on what a tiny and beautiful shrine might look like."

Originally screened outdoors in Harvard Square in the fall of 2008, this selection has also been included in the traveling motion design event MGfest.

LUMEN ECLIPSE presents contemporary motion art in public spaces. Using outdoor video displays, social venues and the web, Lumen Eclipse initiates dynamic interactions between artists, sites and audiences. We enrich public space and everyday experience with free and innovative motion art.

Location: The ground floor level of the Green Street Subway ("T") station on the Orange line, at the corner of Amory and Green Streets in Jamaica Plain, MA

(Images from a few of the films by AXIOM : [Top] Forestry Masato Hayafune, Air Plugs Elena Wen [Bottom] Dandelions Yves Geleyn, Crossing Times Square Sara Blaylock)

Introduction to New Media Art at AXIOM on Sept. 9

AXIOM Gallery is holding a panel to help introduce people to new media art on Tuesday.

""What Is New Media?"
An open panel discussion constructed with the JP community in mind, featuring local professionals and artists from the field of new media. This talk is intended to help de-mystify the genre by furthering understanding and access.

Panelists include:
George Fifield - Director, Boston Cyberarts
Dana Moser - Director, MassArt SIM Program
Helen Thorington - Founder, Turbulence
Halsey Burgund - New Media Artist

Info:
Location: AXIOM Gallery, 141 Green Street, Jamaica Plain, MA
Time: September 9 at 7:00 P.M.
Cost: Free

Disappearing TV Repair Stores

One of Boston's last TV repair shops is closing, a victim of a throw-away culture and technological acceleration.

"After 40 years at its 68 South St. location, Herb’s TV Service will close its doors forever Aug. 1. The space will be taken over by McCormack & Scanlan Real Estate, which is currently located on Washington Street.

Except for a stint in the armed forces during World War II, “I have worked steady since 1942,” said Herbert Pratt, the repair shop’s proprietor and namesake. Pratt is a JP resident and the owner of the row of storefronts that includes 68 South.

He got his start repairing radios and transitioned to television repair in Roxbury in the late 1940s as that technology took off."

***

”What I will miss is customers running in and leaving smiling, shaking hands all around and saying, ‘Thank you, thank you,’” [Walter, an employee] said."

Their service was very good.  With a declining economy maybe people will be more inclined to repair items like TVs rather than throwing them out.

Why Can't You Swim in Jamaica Pond?

 

Let us count the reasons:

• There are official and perhaps dubious reasons:

"Officials told [one man who asked] that it would be too dangerous and that he could be arrested for trespassing, but, to him, it seemed easy enough to hire lifeguards and allot an area along the beach designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. Officials said it would ruin the serenity of the pond to have children screaming and splashing, even though he thought it could be limited to a few months and be regulated by time and numbers. Officials told him it was a backup for the city's water supply, but the 68-acre, spring-fed pond has not provided water to the city since 1848 and would have to be treated if it were ever reconnected to the system."

• "environmental" reasons:

Gerry Wright, director of the Jamaica Park/Olmsted Park Project, says"allowing swimming to return would threaten the delicate ecology, now in Zen-like balance, along the 1.5-mile trail surrounding the water." 

Maybe but it would be interesting to get some independent confirmation that the "delicate ecology" actually is in "Zen-like" balance.

• official and "environmental" reasons

"[Toni Pollak, commissioner of the Boston Parks and Recreation Department]  "worries that swimmers would endanger local wildlife, such as the snapping turtles, mallard ducks, and double-crested cormorants that frequent the pond. Then there are the potential liability issues." 

Although none of those species seem to be endangered.

•  NIMBYism:

""Can you imagine the deafening din of children from every corner of the city descending on the pond? Yikes!" yelped Patrick Lally.

• and some reasons that don't come across well:

""It would become brackish and dirty with children and adults using it as their bathtub," said Emily Tisei Moscol, 28, of Dedham. "Not allowing swimming is one way of actually preserving the pond.""

Because dirty people want to use it to bathe.

(Image:  Wikipedia)

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

Boston Neighbors Network: Reducing Crime with Social Networking in Jamaica Plain

Local activists and the Boston Police Department are using the Ning social network tool to build a crime and safety social network for Jamaica Plain residents and in the future for all of Boston.

"The brainchild of JP resident Joseph Porcelli, the project director at the NCWU, the site was designed to be “easy to navigate,” he said in a recent interview.

A map of the E-13 area of Jamaica Plain (Forest Hills and Woodbourne are in E-18.) divided into subneighborhoods appears on the first page. Clicking on the subneighborhood reveals green houses with flags showing which streets already have groups. Clicking on a house allows communication to begin.

Of about 100 crime watch groups in JP, 60 are on the site so far, Porcelli said. Each subneighborhood has a “network advocate” who helps with the area."

Bouncement 3: 3 DJs, Street Bass: April 11

Bouncement 3 brings together DJ C and DJ Ripley with Jamaica Plain-based DJ Flack a Mass College of Art instructor to slice through "genres of street bass: jungle, dancehall, breakcore, dubstep, baltimore breaks, hiphop, d'n'b, gliitched-out breaks, and dub."

Info:
The Milky Way Lounge & Lanes
403-405 Centre St.
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
April 11, 9:00pm
Cost: $5 before 11:00, $7 after

DJ Ripley will also be at the Boston 826 benefit on April 12

North American Symposium on Sasquatch Research: April 12

For $20 you can benefit children's writing center 826 Boston and get in touch with the cutting edge of Bigfoot research:

"The Greater Boston Bigfoot Institute (GBBRI) celebrates its grand opening on April 12th , 2008 by hosting the North American Symposium on Sasquatch Research. Co-sponsors of the event are 826 Boston and GOOD.

Experience the terror of an alpine storm in... the Simulactron! Discover a multimedia compendium at the GBBRI Call Center! Outfit yourself with the Institute's Own Jungle Hygiene Kit, Disaster Pod, Monocular, and more! Purchase astonishing wonders like Chupacabra Claws, Baby Giant Centipedes, and Piasa Bird Talons!

Advance registration  is recommended.

Here is the schedule for the evening of April 12th:

• 6:00 – 7:00: Symposium Check-in & Cocktails
• 7:00 – 7:15: Mammalologist Eugene Mirman
• 7:15 – 7:45: “Does Sasquatch Exist?” Panel featuring Cryptozoologist Loren Coleman
• 7:45 – 7:50: Giant Crab Wrestling
• 7:45 – 8:00: Yeti Researcher Author Josh Bearman
• 8:00 – 8:05:: Leech Ballet
• 8:05 – 8:25: Author Jim Shepard
• 8:30 – 9:00: Product Demonstrations & Bigfoot Films
• 9:00 – 10:00: DJ Ripley & Dancing

NASSR Event Speakers:

Eugene Mirman is a Brooklyn-based comedian who regularly tours with his multimedia stand up routines. He is a regular on HBO's Flight of the Conchords, as well as Late Night With Conan O'Brien and Comedy Central's Premium Blend. His first comedy CD/DVD was voted a Best Album by both Time Out NYC and The Onion, and his latest recording was released by Sub Pop Records.

Jim Shepard is the author of six novels, including most recently Project X, and three story collections, including most recently Like You'd Understand, Anyway, which was nominated for the National Book Award and won The Story Prize.

Loren Coleman is the world's leading cryptozoologists and author of over 2000 articles and over 30 books on cryptids and new animals, including Cryptozoology A to Z, The Field Guide to Bigfoot, and Mysterious America. He has been engaged in cryptozoology since March of 1960.

Josh Bearman has contributed to McSweeney's, the Believer, Wired, GQ, Harper's, and This American Life -- all of which is of course overshadowed by his tenure as Editor in Chief of Yeti Researcher.

DJ Ripley spins breakcore, booty bass, dancehall, drumnbass, jungle, ragga, rocksteady, dubstep, baltimore club music, boston bounce, and more. Ripley plays Thursdays in Berkeley, CA at the Guerilla Cafe and is a resident DJ at Suryadub at Club Six. She'll get all the Sasquatches shaking on April 12 after a show Friday night, April 11, at the Milky Way. "

Axiom Gallery Exhibit: Art and Math

Axiom Gallery's new exhibit Art and Math opened recently and runs through April 27th.

"Art and       Math explores the artists use of mathematical concepts in sculpture,       photography, and new media. The show will also examine how, through the       use of mathematical thought artist can make the journey from awe to beauty       to humor."

One of the exhibiting artists Keith Peters discusses the opening which was attended by well-known programmer Stephen Wolfram and posts a video of the scene at the opening (above).

The piece he exhibited is related to his game Gravity Pods that you can try here.

The image above is by another of the exhibit artists Nathan Selikoff

This work by Kevin Van Aelst uses egg yolk to represent a Cantor set.

Jamaica Plain Holiday Light House for Sale

You can buy the house that illuminates Jamaica Plain with 500,000 lights each holiday season for $2.2 million.

Profile of the interesting local history site Remember Jamaica Plain?

A nice article on one of our favorite local sites Remember Jamaica Plain? run by Mark Bulger which is full of fascinating details from Jamaica Plain's past.

"Bulger culls articles, maps and other information from BPL Globe archives, among other sources, then posts his discoveries under his blog handle, “Not Whitey Bulger.”

His posts combine a good nose for news with often-insightful comments and local flavor—what the site calls “a special interest in everyday life.”

It’s hard not to get drawn into an entry that he introduces with: “In July 1904, the boys of Jamaica Plain saw fit to hang the Boston police commissioner in effigy—twice.”

**

“The historical society has the big names already,” Bulger said. “They’ve done exactly what they should do: fill in the biggest things first. While I have the energy and incentive, I’m filling around the edges.”

Death of a Boston bluesman: Weepin' Willie Robinson

Death of a Boston bluesman:  William Lorenzo "Weepin' Willie" Robinson. Weepin' Willie died in a nursing home fire after a long performing career in Boston clubs.  After a variety of jobs including having been a "sharecropper, a soldier, a boxer and, according to his friend, WMFO-FM blues DJ Jim Carty, a grifter and street hustler. A steady position as an emcee/comedian at a Trenton, N.J., nightclub led to his singing career."  He didn't record a CD until he was 73 and still was to become homeless at 78 until assistance brought him off the streets.

Authentic Italian expresso from a Jamaica Plains importer

Authentic Italian expresso is arriving in Boston from a Jamaica Plains importer who was driven to develop a distribution company Tutto Buono to bring the real taste of Al Moretto espresso to New England.

1908 Gun Battle in Jamaica Plain

A 1908 gun battle in Jamaica Plain is revived in this interesting collection of contemporary newspaper accounts including the description of a "dramatic shootout at bucolic Forest Hills Cemetery."

Celebrate: Doyle's Cafe's 125th Anniversary

“All the Irish who landed in Jamaica Plain were told to go to Doyle’s to find out about employment and find a place to stay,” says the owner and you celebrate the anniversary at the atmospheric and historic pub (photo JP Historical Society).

Sam Adams' Brewmaster

A profile of Wayland resident and Boston Beer Company brewmaster Grant Wood.  What does a brewmaster do?  Wood "oversees the production at several facilities, including Rochester, N.Y., Latrobe, Pa., and in North Carolina" and is "also part of the recipe development team in Boston, where most of the beer is developed, if not brewed, for sale."  Wood also enjoys home brewing beer.

Most Dangerous T Stops

The Boston Herald put together a list of the most crime-ridden T stops based on incident statistics.  The Herald uses a fancy interactive map with the dangerous stations pulsing away requiring you to look at each one (and perhaps improve page counts).  The full list:

1. Forest Hills
2. Ruggles
3. Dudley Bus Station
4. Ashmont
5. Back Bay
6. Downtown Crossing
7. Park Street
8. Fields Corner
9. North Station
10. JFK/UMass

826 Boston

826 Boston, a new branch of the writing centers for under-18s like 826 Valencia founded by What is the What author Dave Eggers, will open in Jamaica Plain in the fall of 2007.  In addition to their worthy mission it will be fun to see what unlikely name their Boston station will take.  Other 826 centers are located in attention-grabbing storefronts claiming to be the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co. or Monsters Union Local 826.