This week! Why a huge earthquake didn’t actually cause all that much devastation in Chile. How a not-so-tall building could be the end of a New Orleans neighborhood. And where brands killed Manhattan. Let’s take a look at What’s Ruining Our Cities.
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Redesigning New Orleans for flooding, new buildings in Williamsburg that don’t suck, and a skyscraper in L.A. that will soon be the tallest west of Chicago. Plus: Google’s urban expansion and dying department stores, all in this week’s Urban Reads.
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Hello, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Charleston. We’d like to meet you. After you guys shovel out your unenclosed garages and de ice your homes, please drop us a line so we can see what amazing hardware you’re working on in your cities and, in addition, get featured on our regular hardware TCTV show, Makers. We’ve been running around the East Coast and SF for a while now. It’s time to see what the South is bringing to the hardware table.
You can get in touch with me by emailing john@techcrunch.com with the subject line “SOUTHERN MAKERS.”
Not into hardware or not ready to show off your product? Join us at our Atlanta and New Orleans meetups instead.
In late February, TechCrunch is heading to Atlanta and New Orleans, and we’re looking for a handful of undiscovered startups. If that’s you, and you’re comfortable pitching to 1,000 people and a panel of judges, apply below. If not, you could still apply and we’ll help you along.
General admission tickets are also available for $5 and grant the holder a couple of beers and entrance into what will surely be a fantastic night. Buy them below.
We’re excited to get out of the cold Northeast and visit New Orleans and Atlanta. Two years ago, Matt, Jordan and I hit Atlanta and, with the help of the amazing Dave Moeller of CodeGuard, held our biggest meetup to date at the SweetWater Brewing Company. This time there will be a pitch-off competition, too. Hopefully there will be another gigantic TC Rice Krispies treat.
Participants interested in competing in the pitch-off will have 60 seconds to explain why their startup is awesome. These products must currently be in stealth or private beta.
Office hours are for companies selected for the pitch-off. These 15-minute, one-on-one talks will be held on the day of the event. We’ll hear about your company, give feedback, and talk about the best pitch strategy for the 60-second, rapid-fire competition. Think of us as Adam Levine on The Voice.
We will have 3-5 judges, including TechCrunch writers and local VCs, who will decide on the winners of the Pitch-off. First place will receive a table in Startup Alley at the upcoming TechCrunch Disrupt NY; second place will receive two tickets to TechCrunch Disrupt NY; and third place will receive one ticket to TechCrunch Disrupt NY.
See you there!
For the last four years, the Dredge Research Collaborative has been looking at dredging and erosion control as a form of often unacknowledged landscape architecture. Part of their work is a series of festivals they’re calling DredgeFest that celebrate and examine the role that dredging plays in landscaping. Their next event is in Louisiana. Gizmodo asked them to explain why.
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Occasionally you’ll luck out and climb into a taxi cab with such amenities as free tissues, discarded newspapers, or all the tourist pamphlets you can carry. But if you find yourself in New Orleans, you might end up in one of the 250 vehicles in the Orleans Carriage Cab fleet that now feature soda-dispensing vending machines. More »
Over this past weekend, a vampire was born in New Orleans. No he wasn’t made by somebody biting him on the neck and draining his blood, he was made by a LEGO master builder from about 150,000 LEGO bricks.
This massive 10-foot-tall LEGO Monster Fighters Lord Vampyre rose in front of New Orleans’ iconic Jackson Square in the wee hours of the morning this past Sunday. It was built by LEGO Master builders along with an army of local residents and visitors who helped assemble the giant vampire, as they worked through the night to complete the sculpture.
Here’s a brief time-lapse clip of the build in progress…
In many ways, Google’s Streetview is a document. A snapshot in time. Usually, this amounts to pictures of a sunny clear day in downtown Localsville, but it can also be a reminder of times less bright. Since Hurricane Katrina, the city has been working hard to rebuild neighborhoods and communities, and better prepare itself for the future. Today — via Google’s Lat Lon Blog — Mayor Mitch Landrieu proudly announced that Streetview has been updated to reflect those efforts, and show New Orleans in that familiar, sunny way. Whether it’s Congo Square (“the birthplace of jazz”), the city’s parks, or more recent features and attractions, Landrieu proudly extends an invite to all of us to come take a look, enjoy the virtual tour, and “whet our appetite.” We say put the Gumbo on.
Filed under: Internet
Google Maps updates streetview for New Orleans, reminds us the jazz plays on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 07:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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