Love being out and about in the thriving Twin Cities arts community? Can't get enough of what's new in local theater? Need to find out how long an art exhibit will be open? We've got a shiny, new app just for you.

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Yancey Strickler

Nowadays, you don't necessarily need an investment banker to get a major venture off the ground. Since 2009, Kickstarter has helped budding businesses, projects, and creative endeavors happen through "social funding." The website, which Time named one of the "Best Websites of 2011," has gone on to raise approximately $400 million towards movie projects, band tours, food trucks, iPod products, restaurants, and more.

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Jose Antonio Penas, Science Photo Library

Birds, bees, T-Rexes.

Dinosaur sex is going viral. Last week, online newspaper the Huffington Post and London's Daily Mail both ran articles on dino mating, complete with headline puns ("The joy of T-Rex") and illustrated slideshows so detailed that the HuffPo asked, "dinosaur science--or dinosaur porn?"

Along with the drawings was a quote from paleontologist and Macalester professor Kristi Curry Rogers, on how the specifics of the act played out.

"The most likely position to have intercourse is for the male behind the female, and on top of her, and from behind," she said. "Any other position is unfathomable."

The line is from the Discovery Channel's 2008 video, "Tyrannosaurus Sex," for which Rogers was an on-camera expert. But turns out, even scientific shows leave a lot of context on the cutting room floor. We called up Rogers and talked about the drawings in those slideshows, whether dinosaur sex is really a paleo specialty, and boycotting the Discovery Channel video.

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Image courtesy Comedy Suitcase

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Diablo Cody's fun webisode series, Red Band Trailer, has recently uploaded a new video. In it, Cody chats with The Office star John Krasinski. The event was celebrated with a carafe of jelly beans, and Krasinski shares some unusual tidbits, including how he has played paddle ball in Venice with Joey from New Kids on the Block, how he adapted a book by David Foster Wallace, his interest in the history of Chateau Marmont, and how his The Office casting session was basically a roomful of Jims.

 

Watch the video after the jump. 

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Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin are a duo of banshee zombies.

​A new computer game offers Michele Bachmann-haters an interesting way to vent their political frustrations: shooting a banshee-zombie version of the Republican presidential candidate with a shotgun.

Or perhaps you prefer to get a little dirtier and use the crowbar?

Created by New York-based Starving Eyes Advergaming, Tea Party Zombies Must Die is (unsurprisingly) rattling conservatives across the country.

A first-person shooter, the player roams around dark, Romero-esk landscapes -- decorated with Confederate flags, Swastikas, and pictures of Obama in Joker makeup -- brutally slaughtering Bachmann, Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, and other Tea Party members.

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Courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society

Stone Arch Bridge, c. 1900

​The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) recently launched a new encyclopedia about Minnesota history. Called MNopedia, the website went live on August 15, and offers an interactive source of information for teachers, scholars, students, journalists, and Minnesota history buffs alike. 
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​Looking for an internet time-waster this that will leave you warm and fuzzy inside? Although the name is a play off of Chatroulette, an internet video chat service that pairs people for random (and presumably, porny) interactions, there's no NSFW factor here. Nor is there much interaction; rather than conversing with dolphins, purring kitties, or hyperactive hoards of puppies, visitors to the site are invited to take in random videos of adorableness. Not into carrot-eating porcupines or dancing parakeets (what is wrong with you)? Simply click "next" for more cuteness. You can check the site out here.

​File this one under people who have too much time on their hands, but do entertaining things as a result. Jeff Wysaki, author of a blog titled Pleated Jeans, has created a mall directory for Springfield Mall from The Simpsons.

Taking a quick perusal of stores works as an extended in-joke, but also as an archival romp through the never ending series. Stores include Ned Flanders's Leftorium, Lardand Donuts, Dingo Junction, and Kentucky Fried Panda (plus eight Starbucks, of course).

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​Ever wanted to walk the Guthrie's Endless Bridge and take in its lovely river view during off hours? Want to check out your seat and its approximate line of sight before buying tickets? Are you really curious about the lobby's marble floors or the artwork on the ceiling? The Guthrie's new virtual tour invites visitors to explore many of its nooks and crannies in clear, glorious 360 degrees.
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