Is it too soon for another love letter to Austin? I hope not because I swear I could write odes of adoration to this city every single day. Actually, that’s what I do for my day job, but those are more like flirty little notes highlighting cool people and places here. In my travels to collect fodder for my writing, I come across lots of stuff that doesn’t fit into my work blog. Nor does much of this flotsam and jetsam merit full-on commentary elsewhere— rather, it just speaks for itself in happy little bursts. Today I’d like to pay homage to all these little flourishes that help to keep Austin genuinely weird, in defiance of that unwritten rule that says the minute you label something it stops being that thing. (To spell it out, I’m as tired as everyone else of the slogan about keeping it weird, but I’m thrilled that Austin-- despite the pricey lofts, chi-chi boutiques, and influx of Californians-- has remained utterly kooky.) more ›

Every weekday morning we'll be featuring a photo (or two) from our readers. Please feel free to submit your photos (min 600px width) by adding them to the Austinist Flickr Group. more ›

Alejandro Escovedo's new record, Real Animal comes out today. Geeks: the vinyl edition has a cover of the Stooges' "I Got a Right". If you missed him on the Today Show this morning, catch him this weekend at the Keep Austin Weird Fest. more ›

As Austin grows, our unofficial motto should probably be modified from ‘Keep Austin Weird’ to simply, ‘Keep Austin.’ Maybe it's a small defeat. Or maybe it's simply falling back to more secure positions. more ›

First there was Keep Austin Weird, then Keep Austin Wired, Keep Austin Corporate— and, starting tomorrow, Keep Austin Good. The first annual “Don’t Lose a Good Thing, Keep Austin Good” is sponsored by Los Angeles lifestyle magazine GOOD, and described in a press release as “part party, part information exchange,” bringing the spirit of fun and the commitment to Austin’s quality of life together. Vendors and local businesses will hand out information about community... more ›

Kara Grainger got her start as vocalist and lead guitarist of the Sydney blues combo Papa Lips, but has recently branched out into a solo career as a singer-songwriter and slide guitar player. Following impressive showcases at the 2006 and 2007 SXSW conferences, as well as stints opening for guitarist Eric Johnson and renaissance man Russell Crowe, Grainger was asked to perform at ACL in anticipation of her upcoming album Grand And Green River. Kara... more ›

Every fall, Austin looks forward to ACL Fest, and each year, there's always a point where two of your favorite bands are playing on different sides of the park at the exact same time. ACL Band Clash is a weekly series in which Austinist scribes Paige Maguire and Tom Thornton examine the worst ACL scheduling clashes, and try to provide good advice on finding a resolution. Well, good advice might be a stretch, but... more ›

It's the Effing Spamarama Y'all! Tomorrow! SPAMARAMA ® 2007, Austin's annual pandemonious potted pork festival, does its part to “Keep Austin Weird” celebrating its 29th anniversary on April 7! more ›

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In case you haven't had a chance to look at your calendar, January is almost over. Christmas is a distant memory, SXSW is almost upon us, and the year is already in full swing. If you haven't had time to look on your own, let us help by sharing the best of last week's Missed Connections... Pterodactyl Porn - We need it If you have the video of pterodactyl porn, please send it to... more ›

Is it a coincidence that one day after The University of Texas is named #1 Party School In The Nation, the school offers a campaign aimed at tackling drunk and inappropriate fan behavior? more ›

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One Austin area landowner has accidentally helped make NASA's job of estimating the object size in their photographs from space a little easier. One of the major challenges in astronaut photography of Earth is estimating the size of objects because of the lack of suitable targets. Thanks to having created this pattern in a format visible from space, NASA is now able to use this as a fixed length object. more ›

Saturday was the third annual “Keep Austin Weird” 5k run. And we ran that trail to hell. It was our first timed run ever. Well, “run” may be a bit cavalier a word to describe our pace. You see, Austinist decided to get into this “health thing” last year, and we’ve been kicking up dust along Town Lake ever since. In our world, it’s all about the Yin & Yang, the attempt to balance... more ›

The behemoth of nonprofit cultural awareness organizations, Americans for the Arts, takes over Austin this weekend for its annual convention, this year entitled Leading the Charge. And how! This promises to be the largest gathering of city and state arts leaders from all over the country, essentially a who's-who of the established arts community. more ›

Looks like Austin won't be the only place keeping it weird anymore. Red Nova reports that smallish cities all across the country are getting all freaky in order to combat the onslaught of big business. Small business owners afraid of being driven out of town by chains like Walmart and Borders are trying to remind people of the value of their local shops. more ›