In the News

Philly's Mario Lanza Institute among thriving shrines for local heroes

The New York Times Thursday, March 28, 2013

The New York Times explores Philadelphia's Mario Lanza Institute, an oft-overlooked Philadelphia-bred singer, and other small shrines to hometown heroes.

Bill Ronayne, president of the Mario Lanza Institute in Philadelphia, summed up the reason for such hometown tributes:

“It may seem odd to some people to have a museum to someone like Lanza, but I think we are obligated to remember those with talent. They may not be Lincoln, but they affected us, so whatever I can do to keep Mario’s memory alive, I am happy to be associated with it.”

Original source: The New York Times

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Philadelphia International Airport lures New York-based travelers

The New York Times Thursday, March 21, 2013

PHL has become an attractive departure point for New Yorkers, drawn by the low prices and the presence of Southwest Airlines.

Airfares have been dropping faster in Philadelphia than in any other big city, fueling a boom in traffic at the congested airport there. Despite its reputation for delays and baggage difficulties, Philadelphia International is now attracting more passengers for domestic flights than any of New York's three major airports - La Guardia, Kennedy International or Newark Liberty International.

Transportation officials say they do not know how many of those travelers are being lured away by lower fares, but they concede that New Yorkers are not immune to what is known in the travel industry as the Southwest effect. When Southwest Airlines, the king of the low-fare carriers, arrives in a new city, it drives down airfares and adds traffic.

Original source: The New York Times
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Time to make another national list for Philadelphia's Federal Donuts

Saveur Thursday, March 21, 2013

These days, if there's a donut list, local favorite Federal Donuts will earn a spot. This Saveur run-down of the country's 50 Best Donuts is no exception.

The donuts at this ambitious newcomer include the Appollonia, served hot and rolled in cocoa and orange blossom powder. The other specialty? Fried chicken.

Original source: Saveur
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Philadelphia Flower Show's attendance continues to soar

Washington Post Thursday, March 14, 2013

The Washington Post's Adrian Higgins visited the Flower Show, PHS's big annual event, and came away impressed. (Check out sister publication Flying Kite's pics from the shindig here.)

Historically, big-city flower shows are like big cities themselves: They either change or decline but cannot stay the same. By all appearances, the Philadelphia show is in the midst of healthy change: Attendance climbed from 235,000 in 2010 to 270,000 last year and is on track to exceed 300,000 this year. The number of competitive entries in a feature called the horticultural court — the horticourt — is about 11,000, and the entrants’ enthusiasm has been rewarded with a new $1 million setting for the competitions that includes a fabric roof and new show benches and display backdrops.

Original source: The Washington Post
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Ardmore alt-craft brewer Tired Hands among most promising in U.S., says Food Republic

Food Republic Thursday, March 07, 2013

Tired Hands Brewing Company, which opened in 2012 in Ardmore, Montgomery County, continues to get attention, this time ranking No. 4 on Food Republic's 10 breweries to look out for in 2012.

It’s already been a big year for Ardmore, PA–based Tired Hands Brewing Company, named one of the top five best new brewers in 2012 by Rate Beer. The limited output makes this a worthy destination for their famed beer dinners, but look no further than their beer for innovative food use. Next on tap: Ancient Knovvledge, an Asian-inspired saison brewed with hemp seeds, nori, black and white sesame seeds, tangerine juice, Schezuan peppercorns and long red hot peppers.

Original source: Food Republic

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Philadelphia and Pittsburgh among top cities for VC in tech startups

Mashable Thursday, February 28, 2013

Philadelphia and Pittsburgh rank ninth and 13th, respectively, in the National Venture Capital Association's list of top cities for venture capital investments in tech startups, reports Mashable.

"Venture capitalists will go to where the entrepreneurs are — and there is a great deal of startup activity outside of Silicon Valley," a NVCA spokesperson told Mashable. "Those regions with thriving VC ecosystems tend to have strong universities where technology is developed and research is completed and commercialized."

Original source: Mashable
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Zagat: Philly Fair Trade top local coffee roaster in Philadelphia

Zagat Thursday, February 28, 2013

Zagat ranks the top 11 local coffee roasters in Philadelphia.

Philly Fair Trade Roasters

Joe Cesa has been small-batch roasting in Philadelphia since before you were even drinking coffee. Ok, that may be an exaggeration, but it was way back in 2002 that he launched fair trade cafe Joe’s Coffee Bar on the corner of 11th and Walnut. A few years ago, he gave up the cafe location and went into roasting full time.

His Feltonville facility produces beans served at over a dozen cafes and restaurants, and are available to purchase in another dozen retail locations, including a prime spot at the Headhouse farmers’ market. Order your own online - you can choose from more than 20 different regions and roasts.

Original source: Zagat

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Small batch bikes: A look at North Philadelphia custom bicycle maker's incredible world

A Continuous Lean Thursday, February 28, 2013

North Philadelphia custom bicycle maker Bilenky Cycles Works is profiled in this video curated by A Continuous Lean.

Interestingly, the past few years have seen a resurgence in companies like Bilenky Cycles Works based on the same type of thinking from consumers: quality. There seems to be a critical mass of a certain type of consumer that is interested in quality and is willing to pay for it. Though, I have to admit, that the recent resurgence of small batch manufacturing has been mostly based on the same few categories of products like bicycles, small leather goods, jeans etc. I’m eager to see manufacturers take a leap and expand the circle to other types of products.

Original source: A Continuous Lean

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Philadelphia-area entrpreneur on Shark Tank again to promote company

News @Northeastern Tuesday, February 19, 2013

A Philadelphia-area resident and 2002 graduate of Northeastern University has parlayed an appearance on the ABC reality TV show Shark Tank into a thriving entrepreneurial adventure, reports News @Northeastern.

Rescate’s entrepreneurial journey has taken many twists and turns. Newly married and fed up with her cat’s litter box stinking up her tiny Manhattan apartment, she developed a training kit that helps felines gradually transition to using the toilet. She launched CitiKitty in 2005 with $20,000 in wedding gift money and personal savings; it has since reaped more than $4 million in sales.

Rescate pitched CitiKitty on Shark Tank in 2011 and secured a partnership with shark Kevin Harrington, founder of TVGoods, Inc. and chairman of As Seen On TV, Inc. That success led her to meet Chris Hindley, the founder of HoodiePillow—a pillow with a stitched-??in hoodie and easily accessible spaces for a smartphone and a pair of headphones. Recognizing the product’s mass market potential, Rescate partnered with Hindley—a decision that led her to dub herself “a mini-shark”—and recently returned to Shark Tank to showcase the company. (The episode was filmed in September, aired last Friday, and can be viewed at ABC?.com.)

Original source: News @Northeastern

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New ways of visualizing crime in Philadelphia

The Atlantic Cities Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Several area developers have repackaged a major municipal dataset published by the City of Philadelphia in December, providing new and interesting ways to visualize city crimes, reports The Atlantic Cities.

But the really impressive applications are coming from outside of City Hall. This is the PHL Crime Mapper, created by software developer David Walk. His tool enables users to draw a polygon around any area in the city. PHL Crime Mapper then maps crimes within that territory during a given time span (and spits out some relevant statistics):

Original source: The Atlantic Cities

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Philadelphia's Locally.FM launches with app to connect merchants' events with customers in real-time

Betakit Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Philadelphia-based Locally.FM challenges location-based apps like foursquare, Yelp and Now with its app that connects merchants' events and activities with customers, reports Betakit.

Any consumer can use the browser-based mobile and web app app for free, but for merchants and vendors it is in closed beta, with plans to launch publicly in two weeks. CEO and co-founder Steve Palmer explained that the idea for the app came from the frustration of trying to find local events and things to do last-minute, and from getting to know winery owners through wine blogging, and realizing they wanted to use apps to attract people to their events. “It’s hard to find actual things that are happening. It’s pretty easy to find where a restaurant, park or museum is, you’re just not always able to find what’s going on at these particular venues,” he said.

Original source: Betakit

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Philly's CHOP and Pittsburgh's CHOP at UPMC rank first and, sixth, respectively, among nation's chil

Parents Thursday, February 07, 2013

Parents magazine ranks Children's Hospital of Philadelphia first and Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC sixth in its list of the 10 Best Children's Hospitals in the U.S.

1. The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

It's the leader in kids' cancer research. Besides using a successful treatment for the sickest leukemia patients that was developed by oncologist Stephan Grupp's, M.D., Ph.D., it has masterminded a way to wipe out certain types of neuroblastoma and lymphoma with a single pill. Researchers found that some kids have a genetic snafu in the expression of a protein that's linked to the diseases, and they worked with a drug company to develop medicine that inhibited the protein. Seven of eight kids studied with lymphoma, and one of two with neuroblastoma, are in remission. "Targeted therapies for children with cancer are a hot area of research," says John Maris M.D., director of the hospital's Center for Childhood Cancer Research. "Chemotherapy kills off healthy cells too, while our new treatments zero in on just the bad ones."

Original source: Parents Magazine

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Free Library of Philadelphia's pop-up Pride & Prejudice part of worldwide celebration

The New York Times Thursday, January 31, 2013

The Free Library of Philadelphia was among those across the globe that celebrated the 200th anniversary of the publication of Jane Austen's classic Pride & Prejudice, reports The New York Times.

The Free Library of Philadelphia is hosting an all-day celebration including lectures, film screenings and “pop-up” theatrical performances of scenes from the novel. Goucher College in Baltimore, home to what it calls the largest Austen collection in North America, will open “Pride and Prejudice: A 200 Year Affair,” an exhibition of rare editions and other items documenting the novel’s reception over the past two centuries.

Original source: The New York Times

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UPenn-developed software, Swarthmore study tackle smartphone security

Fast Company Thursday, January 31, 2013

A Swarthmore College study and software developed by a team from the University of Pennsylvania are on the forefront of smartphone security developments, reports Fast Company.

Research into smartphone security has revealed that your phone's sensors could help criminals unlock your stolen gadget. And, given that these elements all come as standard on most smartphone models, and are not subject to the same controls as other phone functions, they are a bigger security risk. The study was carried out by a visiting professor at Swarthmore College, who analyzed data captured from a smartphone's accelerometer--that's the gadget that analyzes the direction your phone is tilting or moving and turns the screen accordingly, and used for games like Doodle Jump--and found it could be used to work out where someone tapped the screen.

Original source: Fast Company

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Lehigh students crash PennApps 2013 hackathon, create SparkTab

TechCrunch Thursday, January 24, 2013

A team of Lehigh University students created SparkTab, a versatile browser add-on, at the PennApps 2013 hackathon last weekend, reports TechCrunch.

SparkTab is kind of like QuickSilver for your browser. Instead of setting your new tab page to, say, Google, you would add SparkTab. From the text entry bar, you can perform searches, send texts, and even post to Facebook and Twitter. Think of it as a quicker way to do lots of stuff online without having to enter a URL or click on search results.

Original source: TechCrunch

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