If you're feeling like a sub-par geek because you haven't been invited to speak at TEDx this year (Feb. 11 at Austin Music Hall), fear not. Stacy Weitzner and her team have devised a simple way you can weasel your way in. Simply take the theme of this year's event to heart: "Beyond Measure." According to TEDx, the theme is meant to help us consider “the implications of an ever-accelerating pace of innovation in technology, information and the way we live our lives.” What does this mean to you? Find a creative way to share it in an 18-second video, and your efforts could be rewarded at the event. Watch the video below for more information, and don't skip this part: “Think about what BEYOND MEASURE means to you, and then use your phone, camera or web-cam to record an 18-second TED talk and post your video to youtube. VERY IMPORTANT: make sure to tag or title your video with the keyword tedxaustin18, and we’ll make sure to feature it either on our website or at our live event!” Follow the jump to watch the video. more ›

Rachelle Grimmer was desperate after being rejected for food stamps. more ›

The project Echocentrics is, as far as we know, the latest band created by Adrian Quesada, a man who also keeps very busy with Ocote Soul Sounds (recent and successful Kickstarter-ers), Grupo Fantasma, and many more. more ›

The Statesman is reporting that Maria Martinez (33, Austin) has been charged with cruelty to animals after throwing her boyfriend's Shih Tzu into a dumpster. Apparently, Martinez's boyfriend, Michael Jackson, loves his 12 year-old dog a little too much for her liking, as she claims she tortured him out of jealousy. According to the arrest affidavit, Martinez tossed the pup into a dumpster and then "slammed the animal onto the concrete." All this after also attempting to poison the dog (his name is Chase) by pouring bleach into his food bowl. No word on what exactly this woman's problem is with Chase, but we're glad to know that the owner is pressing charges. Congratulations, Maria Martinez, you're one of the most terrible people around. How could you be mad at a Shih Tzu? more ›

Austin has hosted dubstep-friendly traveling events like the HARD Tour, and places like Barcelona and even Ruta Maya have all experienced homegrown dubstep nights. But this is the first we've seen or heard about dubstep fusing with the sounds of the marimba. Marimba-step, anyone? more ›

Guerilla Suit has put together a great video encapsulation of what FFFest was all about a few weeks ago, set to performer Neon Indian's "Polish Girl." You may see yourself, or some approximation thereof.

Fun Fun Fun Fest 2011 from Guerilla Suit on Vimeo.

At last night's Republican debate, our governor attempted to tell the world something big about his philosophy, something so critical to his economic policy, he had distilled it down to three points. These three points, he seemed eager to share, were pieces of the U.S. government that would be eliminated when he took office. "I will tell you: It's three agencies of government, when I get there, that are gone: Commerce, Education and the -- what's the third one there? Let's see. ... OK. So Commerce, Education and the -- ... The third agency of government I would -- I would do away with the Education, the ... Commerce and -- let's see -- I can't. The third one, I can't. Sorry. Oops." more ›

By now you've seen clips from Governor Perry's 25 minute talk with New Hampshire residents over the weekend, and this mashup features the most entertaining 8 minutes of that afternoon. Sure, he looks a little googly-eyed at times, but isn't this more fun than stuttering robot Rick we've gotten to know in the debates? As John Stewart said on the Daily Show last night, he's either hammered here, or every other time we've seen him he's been hammered, and this is Rick Perry sober as the day he was born. But hey, no sexual harassment so far, right? Right! more ›

An East Texas high school student was charged with having two parts in his hair, so school authorities covered up the extra lines with black Sharpie pens. Mom, not surprisingly, didn't approve. Read more. more ›

Since Tim Pawlenty is now out of the race, Rick Perry snatched up his ad wizard Lucas Baiano. Baiano appears to favor Michael Bay-esque sequences. Surprisingly, there's no image of the Capitol Records building toppled by an earthquake or the White House being taken out by a ginormous wave in this new Perry ad. Instead, the ad shows spaces void of people to represent the lack of job growth (we think that's what it symbolizes) and then a whole heck of a lot of quick edits spin to Perry and how "it's time to get America workin' again." And when we say quick, we mean quick -- towards the end, the video throws up random images so quickly it's like a strobe light trying to send subliminal messages. What do you think? Does this make you want to buy what Perry's selling? (Remember, he won't be bought for $5,000.) more ›

Update your iPod so your next Cowboys tailgate party has the appropriate music associated with it. Please be sure your team is fully prepared: no shirt, ponytail and chest pounding. This is the crucial 'Rule of 3's' that can not be avoided.

As a matter of fact, how about this? Do your best version of this new Dallas Cowboys theme song in the style of your favorite Fun Fun Fun Fest band, and if we like your version the best, we'll give you and a friend a three day pass to the festival in November. We'll also share your video here on the site. Just send a YouTube link to paige@austinist.com. Bonus points for covers in the style of Hum, Slayer, Mates of State, Odd Future. Spread the word. more ›

- A brush fire started this afternoon near Mopac and Duval Road in the Riata area. It is currently close to the Angus Valley subdivision, near the 12000 block of Mustang Chase and the 12000 block of Dorsett Road. AFD is calling this one a Multiple Wildland Urban Alarm, as the spot fires could soon threaten nearby structures. Austin Energy has turned off the circuit to the neighborhood, so 1,800 are without power. more ›

You might remember Austinite Joseph Nicolosi's work from earlier this year, when his Mario Brothers feature film bumper was shown during SXSW. We instantly fell in love with his videos, and we're happy to report that he's recently completed a new one called "Kittywood Studios: Cat Videos Incorporated." The premise is that there is just one super-huge company responsible for every single cat video on the web. We're pretty sure we had this idea one night hanging out with some Sociology majors behind Spiderhouse, but we're glad someone made it a reality. Enjoy, and follow Joe on Twitter @tehpwnshop. more ›

Can you decode nautical flags? Do you recognize the music in the background of this video? If so, you've got all the tools you need to decipher Fun Fun Fun Fest's first lineup leak of 2011. There are five reveals within this video, and the water theme is a hat tip to the festival's new location this year at Auditorium Shores. See if you can decode the video (a quick Google search should prove helpful) and share the answers in our comments section. The first two readers who post the right list and Tweet this post (@austinist) will get a pair of tickets to the festival. more ›

This is somehow their very first video? Seriously? You might have guessed, but the video is over eight minutes and is a space odyssey journey type-thing. Seriously though, it's really well-done. Enjoy! more ›

YouTube user Backdraft06 says, "We haven't had rain here in Texas in months ... It is so hot & so dry down here that this baby armadillo bravely came straight over to us for a drink of water out of the hose!!" Cute, but seriously, armadillos are terrifying. more ›

Wiretree - The Shore from Eric Power on Vimeo.

Gorgeous animation by Eric Power to support Wiretree's catchy tune, "The Shore." more ›

We just noticed this new White Denim video over on Pitchfork and wanted to share. The band is currently touring in support of their latest, D, and they return to Austin in July. No local tour dates on the books that we can see, but we'll keep you posted. more ›

Buy Callahan's new record, Apocalypse, from Drag City. more ›

Last Saturday, Merri Gale was brutally attacked outside Liberty bar on E. 6th St. The assailant came from behind and punched her in the face, knocking her out, and proceeded to grab her purse and flee. Investigator are baffled as to why such force was needed to snatch a purse. Gale is not in great shape - according to KVUE, her upper lip is held together with stitches, she's black and blue, and she's got a handful of loose teeth. Thank goodness Liberty recently installed security cameras. Update: The images we obtained from KVUE are tiny, but we're now able to share the actual security video - take a look and see if you recognize the man. Warning, it's actual footage of the assault. Follow the jump to watch. more ›

White Denim's new album D comes out on May 24th. Until then, check out the new video for "Drug" and head over to Soundcloud to check out some more samples. more ›

Shoot Good Media has started rolling out their video series which features local music producers, and the debut video follows Good Danny's Danny Reich. Reich shares insights from the studio, explains how he first fell in love with his job, and gives us a glimpse into his methods in the studio. Next up in the series is Erik Wofford from Cacophony, and later on we'll share clips from Jim Eno's studio, Frenchie Smith, and more. more ›

Cathedral from Melissa Moralez on Vimeo.

The Texas Tribune reports that the "pork chopper" bill has been approved in a preliminary vote 137-9. The bill aims to give relief to the $400 million in damage Texas sustains annually thanks to wild, roaming feral hogs. Rep. Sid Miller, R-Stephenville, is behind HB 716, which will try to control between 1.9 million and 3.4 million hogs with both recreational (!) and trained shooters who spot the creatures from helicopters. Aspiring Sarah Palins line up: looks like we'll all soon be able to shoot stuff from the sky. more ›