Chef King Phojanakong, the wizard behind the Filipino tapas joint Kuma Inn in the Lower Eastside, has recently opened a new Pan Asian restaurant in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. Christened "Umi Nom" (Filipino for "to drink"), the new spot is at the corner of Classon and DeKalb Avenues, just a stones throw from Pratt University (Google…
Lindy hop in the news in Iceland (video)
Here's a news story on Iceland television about the Arctic Lindy Exchange, a week-long dance event in Reykjavik which just finished. I love the extended dance footage, but I wonder why it goes on for so long? Anyone who speaks Icelandic want to translate for me?
America’s Best Dance Crew Season 4 kicks off! (video)
America's Best Dance Crew (Season 4) – MTV Shows Now that season 5 of "So You Think You Can Dance" has finished (congrats, Jeannine!), it's time to move on to my favorite dance show on TV "America's Best Dance Crew." Season 4 kicked off last night on MTV, and the first full episode is already…
“Second Skin” documentary explores the highs and lows of gamer culture
My friend Josephine and I just saw a screening of the new MMORPG gamer documentary "Second Skin." For people who want to understand better the remarkable growth of online games over the past five years, what makes them so compelling, and how they effect the lives of their most avid fanatics, "Second Skin" is a…
Quaker Service erupts into dance party! (video)
Here's a really cute music video that has been flying around the Quaker online community, directed by Ben Schiller featuring Quaker musician Jon Watts. Who says Quakers don't dance? I want to go to THAT Meeting for Worship. That said, I wish the content were a bit more accessible to non-Quakers. Rapping about our internal…
Baby Soda Jazz Band in Washington Square Park today (video)
I played hookie from work for an hour to catch the Baby Soda Jazz Band playing in Washington Square Park today. Baby Soda is always a joy to see and almost impossible not to dance to, particularly when they are joined by the inimitable Meschiya Lake of New Orleans on vocals like they were today. …
Korean tacos from Seoul Shack on Saint Marks Place – brilliant!
After hearing my friend Amira wax poetic about the Korean tacos from Seoul Station on Saint Marks Place, I finally got a chance to check them out today for lunch. They had two varieties today: bulgogi and spicy pork. I got both, since they are just $2.50 each. (And unlike the Los Angeles version, I…
Games in Education Conference: Warcraft in the Classroom, Hungarian Revolution and Elmo!
Thanks so much to the organizers of the Games in Education Conference for inviting me to their symposium this week. It was a really fun and thought-provoking experience for me. My presentation on Global Kids' Playing 4 Keeps program went quite well, I think, with many educators at the conference complimenting me and asking for…
Becoming More Human through Robots: Youth programs and robotics
This morning I attended a cool session at the Games in Education Conference on "ROBOTS: They're Not Just for Taking over the World, but for Education, too!" put on by Nick Webb, Senior Scientist at the Institute for Informatics, Logic and Security Studies at the University at Albany and Ilene Frank, of the Schenectady Museum…
Learning with the Lich King: Using World of Warcraft for Education!
Learning Lich King View more presentations from Lucas Gillispie. The first day of the Games in Education was really sweet. One of the coolest sessions was called "Learning with the Lich King: Using World of Warcraft in School" by Lucas Gillispie, an instructional tech coordinator in North Carolina. I love the idea of finding an…