In studio: Fulton Street Farmers Market

Joining Catalyst Radio in studio this week is Melissa Harrington, director of the Fulton Street Farmers Market. Music featured this week comes from Balkan Beat Box with the title cut from their new disc, Blue Eyed Black Boy.

MEDIA ANALYSIS

Bits, Scouting Magazine
In celebration of their 100th anniversary, the Boy Scouts have added another merit badge to their sleeve, and this time it's digital. The badge will recognize geocaching, which is basically a high-tech treasure hunt where containers with little surprises are located with the use of a GPS. Scouts work toward the badge by learning how GPS technology works, the geocaching etiquette and precautions, and leaving no trace in search of their high tech treasures.

Wired
The Library of Congress has announced that it will archive all public Twitter messages since the social media service's inception in March 2006. In the meantime, Google has also announced that it will make all Twitter messages searchable through its services. Users will have to enter date parameters and, currently, can only search as far back as February 11, 2010.

The New York Times
A ruling earlier this month asserted that regulators such as the Federal Communications Commission had little backing by current laws on their authority over Web traffic. This decision means Internet service providers such as Comcast and AT&T could charge both users and Web companies more to access or deliver broadband hogging Internet services at the same speed users currently take for granted, like video on the web.

Bits
Often times, when we think 3D and media, we think of films such as Avatar, which need special 3D glasses to enjoy. However, several groups--including ESPN, IBM and Comcast--experimented with bringing it to the Web and television during the Masters golf tournament. Although there are few computers equipped with appropriate software to display 3D, fans who had it could stream 3D video on their computers. Computers that support 3D are typically geared at video gamers, and while that crowd is small, the collaborating groups all stressed the technological importance of bringing 3D to the home.

Wired
Record label CASH Music recently set up its artists with web apps to exchange free music for Twitter messages and Facebook updates from new fans. Twitter is a micro-messaging system that alerts anyone following a Twitter user of their updates. Musicians can require verbatim tweets or for Twitter users to follow the musician's Twitter account in order to access free music. The features gives musicians the ability to widen their fan base.

CALENDAR

The UICA's popular NoshNight series will be presenting Sketch Off, a drawing contest from 7-9:30 p.m. on April 19. Those who want to take part in the contest will have three minutes to draw an image based on a random theme. The crowd will vote who moves onto the next round and winner will receive a copy of Adobe CS5. Admission is $7. There will be food, drinks and music.

Fulton Street Farmers Market is celebrating its first day of the season starting at 8 a.m. on Saturday, May 1. There will be produce, dairy and meat vendors as well as baked goods and art booths.

Planned by 17 local organizations and churches, the goal of Hunger Walk, starting at 8 a..m. on Saturday, May 1, is to raise $160,000 to be distributed for pantry assistance, emergency meals, after-school snacks, assistance to seniors and many other programs. For more information, call Jennifer Gray at 616.643.0117.