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Privileged Information: The Fight for an Open Internet

Bouncer Finds Tasty Drinks Sans Nazis at Social Kitchen

David Bazan Band: Show Preview

The 5 Best Concerts in San Francisco This Week

Dum Dum Girls @ Fox Theater, Thursday, Dec, 6 Kristin "Dee Dee" Gundred's yelping on Grand Ole Party's stomping blues-punk already cemented her as an indie rock lifer (and worthy Beth Ditto successor). But with Dum Dum Girls, Gundred ushered back into the fold girl-group pop that would pave the way ... More >>

One Last Score: Music Center of San Francisco to Close

"Peepers, a canticle": Internet Hoax Was Launched in the Mail

Guerrilla Knitting: Castro Gets Yarn Bombed

Who's to say the Castro isn't colorful enough? It appears the city's most flamboyant neighborhood has become the victim of "yarnbombing," a trend that was popularized in 2005 in, of all places, Houston, Texas. Now that's a state that could arguably use some more color. We thank knitting observer Mat ... More >>

How to Get Through SXSW Without Dying

​Yes, music lovers, it's that time of year once more where we pack our party shoes into our well-worn cases and fly off to Austin, Texas, for the South by Southwest music "conference." (Really, people? Conference? If everyone was being honest, this thing would be called South by So Wasted.) As any ... More >>

R.I.P. Gil Scott-Heron 1949-2011

Adam Turner/WikimediaGil Scott-Heron at SF's Regency Ballroom in 2009​ Poet, author, proto-rapper and political soul/jazz singer-songwriter Gil Scott-Heron died Friday, May 27 at the age of 62. The cause of death has not been confirmed as of press time, but the BBC has reported that he had fal ... More >>

Steve Albini on Mario Batali, Ham, Slider-Lust, Olive Oil, and Why Cooking Isn't At All Like Engineering a Record (Except Maybe It Is)

Cássio Abreu/Wikimedia​Legendary audio engineer (don't call him a producer) and Shellac frontman Steve Albini eschews name brand technology in the studio, despises digital. He's analog; this is common knowledge, championing the visceral over the virtual. As a stalwart traditionalist, he's as ... More >>

Bouncer: Who Cares Whether the Comcast Chats Are Real?

Ever Wonder What a Musical Interpretation of Pi Sounds Like?

Wikipedia/ProlineserverIn anticipation of March 14th, which is international Pi day (or the ides of March, if you're a Shakespeare fiend), one ambitious nerd/musician by the name of Michael John Blake​ decided to transpose the first 32 digits of Pi to the musical scales for notes and chords, ... More >>

The Billboard Social 50 Proves Internet Fame Can Only Get You So Far

Bieber: Fame via YouTube​In early December, Billboard launched a new chart called The Social 50. It factors in all the times an artist is mentioned across various social media outlets and ranks them accordingly. When I heard about this, I was expecting to see a mix of both big name artists and a ... More >>

Six Lucky Foods for the New Year and Where to Find Them

nep/FlickrBlack-eyed peas are said to resemble coins, a symbol of prosperity for the New Year.​Among numerous New Year's traditions (kissing at midnight, binge drinking, swearing at occupied cabs around 4 a.m.) are those of the culinary persuasion. Here are six foods that, if consumed in celeb ... More >>

Pretty Lights Dazzles Raver Kids at the Fox Theater

Christopher VictorioPretty Lights at the Fox Theater last night.​Pretty Lights Wednesday, November 24 @ The Fox Theater Better Than: Your average college campus party. This Thanksgiving, we should all remember to be very thankful for the Internet. The tool that has given us Wikipedia, social n ... More >>

Afternoon Coffee at Ma*Velous

Yes, you sip it like tea.​ I first heard of the idea of a distinction between morning coffee and afternoon coffee a few years ago, when a barista at a Seattle coffee shop was describing the shop's array of beans on offer. The cafe's Central American and Indonesian beans, he told me, were straightf ... More >>

The Story of 'Storify' -- Written on 'Storify'

​Web journalists today operate within a "link economy." As well as doing their own reporting, they're responsible for "curating" information published elsewhere. The goal is to be responsive and collaborative -- to join the conversation around a story -- rather than ignoring what competitors are s ... More >>

'Skyscraperman' Dan Goodwin Arrested After Climbing Millennium Tower

Is that Spider Dan? ​Update, 6:30 p.m.: Police have identified today's Millennium Tower climber as Dan Goodwin. See below for more details. The San Francisco Police Department confirmed that a climber calling himself "Skyscraperman" was arrested at 5:30 after completing an ascent of San Francisco' ... More >>

Ammonium Phosphate, Which Sickened 12 Workers in S.F., Considered 'Non-Toxic'

WikipediaKeep this stuff out of your eyes, folks​This morning, SF Weekly reported on the "white powder" that sickened a dozen workers at the Pier 96 recycling facility and sent one to the hospital. While the term "white powder" evokes the very worst post-9/11 memories, the white powder in question ... More >>

Is Allowing Low-Emissions Vehicles in Carpool Lanes A Good Idea?

Get ready for some company, lads...​If you're on the fence about whether your next car will be gas-guzzling Chevy Tahoe or gas-free Tesla Model S Sedan (only $49,900 -- such a bargain!)  this might help you make a decision.

Exclusive: DJ Mini-Mix From Bookworms

​Nicholas Dawson has been hard at work for over five years on the musical project Bookworms. In that time, Dawson has churned out a couple of EPs and the full-length LP The Hidden Staircase on Solos Records, in addition to remixing local favorites Mi Ami and Lemonade. His style is hard t ... More >>

The Week in Gay: Why Can't Heterosexuality Be Cured?

They're totally on it...​On Tuesday, CNN presented a segment about an arcane law on California's books that one state legislator would like to have repealed. The law mandates homosexuality be cured. It was added to state law half a century ago. It's bullshit, of course, but I really don't under ... More >>

Over the Weekend: Dan the Automator at Yoshi's

Eric Lawson​Dan the Automator
's "Audio Alchemy"Saturday, March 13, 2010
 Yoshi's
 Better Than: An 8th grade dance. Dan the Automator has a golden hip-hop legacy going back to Kool Keith's Dr. Octagon album. But his latest "Audio Alchemy" effort, showcasing lesser-known artist ... More >>

(Not) Seen in S.F.: Koala Bears

Last time we checked, koala bears were not native to the Haight. (Wikipedia places the animals in coastal regions of eastern and southern Australia, but provided no insight as to the kinds of companions they make.)​ Nonetheless this sign attached to a Haight Street tree proclaimed not only the pre ... More >>

Top 10 Onstage Gaffes of 2009

We'll admit there's more than a little schadenfreude going on in this list of the best onstage gaffes of 2009. But why else would Al Gore have invented YouTube if not to feed our obsessive need to see celebrities get taken down a peg? Here with, our favorite of the year's music-related missteps, cau ... More >>

Chronic City: Pot Dispensaries Appeal Order To Turn Over Client Names

Photo by LiveBloid, Wikimedia CommonsWatching you?​Five medical marijuana dispensaries in Dana Point are appealing an Orange County Superior Court ruling ordering them to turn over records -- including client lists -- to the city as part of an investigation into dispensary operations."I think ever ... More >>

Drink of the Week: Egg Cream from Miller's East Coast Deli

T. Palmer​If like us, you grew up here and are of a certain age, at some point in your life you've probably wondered what the heck an egg cream is . These days, you don't have to go all the way to New York to get a good answer to the question, only as far as Miller's East Coast Deli (1725 Polk at ... More >>

Chronic City: Poll Reveals San Diegans Want To Regulate Marijuana Dispensaries, Not Eliminate Them

Photo: Coaster420, Wikimedia CommonsMedical marijuana: Legal as long as you don't actually buy it anywhere?​It's a classic case of disconnect between public policy and public opinion. As District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis continues with her medical marijuana dispensary crackdown in San Diego, a ... More >>

Chronic City: 77 Percent Of L.A. Residents Favor Dispensaries; Majority of West Coasters Want To Legalize Pot

Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley may have believed he was safely playing to the grandstands when he promised to shut down all of L.A.'s estimated 800 to 1,000 medical marijuana dispensaries, magnanimously declaring that "approximately zero" of the dispensaries were operating legally ... More >>

I Heart Street Art: Transbay Terminal Tag

​The best part of spending last week in Berkeley was the commute. There's this thing called the CalTrans Commuter Bike Shuttle that runs during peak periods between MacArthur BART and the Transbay Terminal. For $1 you can be one of the 14 passengers on a 14-passenger commuter van with a 14-bike bi ... More >>

Third Eye Blind Fans, Foes 'Blind' to Parody Concept

​Just when you think nothing particularly funny happened in the music world, Third Eye Blind comes out with a new record. That's not the punchline--the joke is in Rob Tannenbaum's droll defense of the band, written for New York magazine's Vulture blog.  Sample "praise"? "In hits like 'Never L ... More >>

Snacktion: Trader Joe's Dry-Roasted Sweet Apricot Kernels

Name: Trader Joe's Dry-Roasted Sweet Apricot Kernels  Origin: Turkey Scored at: Trader Joe's, 555 Ninth St. (at Brannan) Cost: $1.99 for 8 ounces  Ingredients: Apricot kernels, sulfur dioxide Calories per serving: Not listed The lowdown: The package calls them "poor man's almond ... More >>

Edgar Allan Poe -- Who Never Visited San Francisco and May Never Even Have Thought of It -- Would be 200 Today

It seems so right. It should have been true. Edgar Allan Poe, his jaw taut and his eyes bloodshot, ought to have been wandering along a foggy San Francisco alley upon a midnight dreary, pondering weak and weary. Alas, 'twas not the case. Poe -- who would have been 200 today (and barely made a fifth ... More >>

Point of (a Great) View

Of Election Nights and Comfort Food

Dead Again

Anti-Drink of the Week: The Negroni

Bleacher Report and other sports blogs fight for respect - and access

The Curious Case of SF Neighborhood Names

iPhone Users Are Obnoxious Know-It-Alls

Lif Off

Which Assholes Are Banning the Net?

Oakland Black Muslim and Chauncey Context : Links

It Doesn't Suck!

Breathe easy, Simpsons fans

Bail reduction hearing postponed for Black Panther offshoot group

The Pentagon's 'Gay Bomb'

Letters to the Editor

Week of 3-21-2007

The View From My Liver

2006 in clubland

Morality plays in an age of Bacchus

Greening the Left

Tycoons will pay to generate leftist ideas in voters' minds, but now they want to see results