You’re probably familiar with bus wrappings, those advertisements printed on plastic then seemingly shrink-wrapped to the exterior of SEPTA buses. With the same materials and techniques — but with a totally different aim — neighborhood beautification, not advertising — the UArts Brown Box project has shrink-wrapped 30+ utility boxes in the Washington Square West neighborhood in a project that is three-years old and has been heartily embraced by the Neighborhood Association and the neighbors, some of whom have even contributed to the cost of the project.

We’re Number 38!!! For what it’s worth, Artblog made it into the top 50 on this list of art blogs. We’re in good company, even though it’s unclear why we are 38th (and not in the top 10, say). I’m sure there’s an algorithm.

I was talking with Gee Wesley (podcast coming up soon) and he mentioned that his new experimental bookstore project Ulises is doing a pop up at Reading Terminal this Friday! Catch them on the 1100 block of Filbert St. between 10AM – 5PM.

Carla Hayden, who has led the Baltimore library system since 1993, will be the first woman and the first African American to lead the Library of Congress since its establishment in 1800. The Library serves as the de facto national library of the United States and is open to anyone over the age of 16 who obtains a reader card.

Do you love the Toynbee Tile Mystery like I do? I saw new tiles placed on South Broad St. (at Sansom and Walnut, East side crosswalks) that are so new they’re still mostly covered with the tar coating on top. Here’s a story in Philly Voice. And more about this from our movie review of Resurrect Dead (2011), the great movie by Jon Foy, starring Justin Duerr, which is available on Netflix.