CURATOR: A geek reminds Philly to be nice

A local gal starts a blog about being nice, there may be a new music venue coming to Fishtown and local comics offend some by taking on the Philly accent.

0 comments

CURATOR: A geek reminds Philly to be nice

POSTED: Tuesday, April 26, 2011, 11:00 AM

Every week, Critical Mass pokes around the blog world so you don’t have to.

➤ Over at Geekadelphia, they’ve started a new segment on their blog called “Geek of the Week,” where they highlight they’re favorite local nerd. This time around they interviewed someone who got picked on, well, just because they're nice. Literally. Here’s the story: Melissa Morris was working as a graphic designer near Love Park and was met daily with a frustrating, “expletive-filled” commute down I-95. One day, while walking into work after the Philly traffic put her in a sour mood, a man held the elevator for her. They chatted along the way about the weather and by the time she got to her floor, Mellissa was feeling a lot better. She thought that people should do nice things for each other more often, so she started a blog devoted to reminding folks to be nicer. There are stories of local do-gooders, links to products that encourage niceness, and other little tips to breaking the perpetual grump cycle that sometimes takes over Philadelphia. It may come off as a little corny, but it seems like a pretty good idea to me. Nice people rule, anyway.

➤ We’ve got a lot of venues around these parts but, in my opinion, another one couldn't hurt. Phrequency has a little write-up about plans for a new, 3,000-person music venue in Fishtown. With a capacity that size, it would make it roughly the same size as the Electric Factory and twice the size of the TLA. While the folks over at Phrequency are pretty psyched about it, apparently some of the residents in the surrounding area are a little wary of the new addition to the neighborhood. Their fear is that patrons will walk out of the venue with plenty of rock 'n' roll in their hearts and booze in their bellies and turn the surrounding area into an embarrassing ruckus of vomit and air guitar. People are also concerned with the venue creating a parking disaster — the venue will only provide 650 paid parking spots. If it’s anything like the Electric Factory, you’ll also have those dudes yelling for people to park in their sketchy lot for $10 as well, which won’t help the disturbance factor.

➤ Philebrity begrudgingly posted this video made by the guys at BirdText.com, a group of Philly-based comedians. While Philebrity acknowledges it’s good for a few laughs, they let their anxieties known about the portrayal of the thick Philly accents. The comments below it are varied, with some showing disgust for Philly’s colloquialisms and others expressing a sense of pride for the accent. One reader writes, “I don’t want to sound like a generic/neutral Connecticut news anchor.” Well said, sir. It’s important to laugh at yourself, Philladelphians. Arguably, the “coal cracker” accent 100 miles north on PA-476 is even worse than yours.

Posted by Sean Kearney @ 11:00 AM Permalink | Post a comment

0 comments

Comments (0)

PHILLY LOVE NOTES: An ode to Spruce Street
Q&A with SHARI SOLANIS: "The goal isn't pornography"
ICE CUBE: In Memoriam: Joe Tartaglia
CONCERT REVIEW & PHOTOS: James Blake @ TLA 5/11
SEXY TIME Q&A: I've never had an orgasm during sex with a man — and I'm 30!
Coming soon to Philly: Two cockamamie movie promotion schemes
What we're trying to do this weekend
Q&A with Tony Goldwyn: "Life is gray, and relationships are, too"
CONCERT REVIEW: Primus (3D & quadraphonic sound) @ The Tower 10/17
ICEPACK ILLUSTRATED: The Archbishop meets the Geator, the Mayor goes suit shopping, Le Bec Fin fin.

About this blog

Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

Follow Critical Mass editors Patrick Rapa and Emily Guendelsberger on Twitter:

@mission2denmark | @emilygee

Search this blog:

Topics:

Blog archives:

May
April
March

February
January

Past Archives: