Category Archives: The Terminal

Beer and “The Princess Bride” on one night

Good People pintAs we mentioned earlier today, there are a lot of powerful events going on this evening in Birmingham. Well, we’ve got one going on ourselves – the relaunching of our Terminally Happy Hour series. It comes along with a couple of interesting wrinkles…

This evening we’ll be at Good People Brewing Company beginning at 5:30 p.m. It’s an opportunity to unplug from the digital world while connecting with a pretty cool community (though if you’re choosing to keep up with what’s happening at the Smart Party across town, we’d be willing to look the other way).

This evening will also be an opportunity to purchase pints of a limited edition, cask-conditioned porter the folks at Good People have been kind enough to make for the occasion. You could even be the first step in being one of the first web-based publications in the Southeast with its own beer… We’ll also talk about a survey we’re launching tomorrow morning.

We’re assuming by 7 p.m. folks will either be heading over to Railroad Park for the screening of The Princess Bride as part of its Sunset Cinema series (just in time for its 25th anniversary last month) or trying to figure out where to watch the vice presidential debate. There’s also the screening of Milk by Greater Birmingham Ministries as today’s also National Coming Out Day

See, we told you there were a lot of options.

Thoughts on the future of journalism (& Birmingham)

Issues and Ales participantsJust wanted to take a moment to say thanks to WBHM for including me and The Terminal as part of last night’s Issues and Ales panel on “The Future of Journalism in North Central Alabama.”

It was a chance to catch up with Bob Sims and Kyle Whitmire of The Birmingham News; Vickii Howell of Birmingham View; and the public radio station’s new general manager, Scott Hanley (who served as moderator).

WBHM has used Storify to curate some of the evening’s tweets. They’ve also promised to post the audio file from the event in the near future, something that should help add some context to those who were following along at home online.

It’s interesting to point out some of the underlying issues that came up as a result of the event. One post shared today on al.com by The News‘ new community engagement specialist, Edward Bowser, takes a look at one audience member’s comments suggesting younger residents aren’t as concerned about Birmingham’s civic affairs as our elders. His wife, See Jane Write founder Javacia Harris Bowser, was inspired to write a love letter to journalism based on some of the comments.

I actually shared some of my thoughts about the future of journalism the day before via Dear Birmingham. As to what Ed talked about in his piece, this Sunday’s Dear BHM post is focused whether or not we’re preparing our young professionals to lead.

Photo: From left to right: Scott Hanley, Vickii Howell, André Natta, Kyle Whitmire, Bob Sims. Courtesy of WBHM/90.3 FM.

We’re about to turn 5, so it’s time for more pie!

Terminal bday logoWe don’t often get a chance to let the hub wear its party hat, but we’re turning five on Wednesday!

What do you do to celebrate? You announce the return of #piecampbhm, of course!

We’re happy that the folks at Good People Brewing Company are willing to let us bring our pies into the taproom that evening (plus, starting today it’s staying open until 10 p.m.). The registration form’s up so please let us know if you’re able to come out (so we can be ready).

As we did last year, we’re asking folks that can’t attend (or who don’t want to bake a pie) to make a donation to the Birmingham Education Foundation & to help spread the word.

Time to SeeClickFix Birmingham

SeeClickFix logoA search of the site in recent weeks may have led you to a page labeled SeeClickFix (though there wasn’t anything on it). That changed last night.

That’s when we became the latest site to add a SeeClickFix widget. The service launched in late 2008 and we’ve been talking with them about its potential in Birmingham, AL since early 2010.

Think of it as a digital 311 system. Non-emergencies reported via the widget embedded on our site or via any of the mobile apps available are shared directly with City Hall’s 311 Call Center.

As you can see, folks are already using the service to report issues. The more folks using the service, the more effective it can be. Video and photo submissions are also accepted. Selfishly, it also provides an opportunity for local media outlets to get an idea of what’s going on out there (though nothing really replaces face-to-face – or just getting out there – but it helps).

Hop on over, check it out and spread the word!

Happy International Tee Day!

White Terminal TYes, today’s the first day of summer! It’s also the fourth annual International T-shirt Day, making it appropriate to write about the It’s Nice to Have You in Birmingham t-shirts that we’ve currently got available for sale on the site.

There are several reasons to get the shirt. It’s just a cool-looking t-shirt whether in black or white. It’s a great conversation starter both inside and outside of metro Birmingham.

It’s also a great way to help us raise funds to expand the staff of The Terminal this summer. It’s one of several approaches we’ll be taking in the coming months, including voluntary subscriptions and sponsorships (more info coming soon).

We need to sell at least 250 shirts by this Friday, June 24, for this to work as a first step. The shirts cost $20 ($15 + $5 for shipping via USPS). I’d like to thank those who’ve already purchased t-shirts (18 as of this post). Those of you who used Google Checkout to complete the sale, please be aware that they have not shipped yet; there is a glitch in the system that sends both emails. Those orders that we can fill with existing stock on hand will be sent out no later than Friday evening, June 24. If we are unable to reach the goal and as a result unable to fill your order as of Friday evening, your purchase will be refunded at that time.

We hope you’ll help us spread the word so that we’re able to reach our goal using any and all methods available to you. Thanks in advance for your help and your continued support!

The Terminal T is back

Terminal T shirt frontWhen we launched the site 4½ years ago, one of the things that we did was go about getting a t-shirt printed that summed up the goals and aspirations of the site. We had no idea that the “It’s Nice to Have You in Birmingham” t-shirt would be as popular as it was among our early readers.

We figured it was time to bring the shirt back – partially because of the number of folks asking about it, partially as a way to help spread the word about our video series and partially as a first step in securing additional funds to help expand the site’s offerings.

We’re hoping that at least 250 people will order either a black (or white) Terminal T as a way to show your support for the website in the coming days. The shirts cost $15 each, with an additional $5 being charged for shipping ($20 total). We do not have a physical location for pick-up at this time so we’ll only be delivering via U.S. Mail.

Time for Pi (and celebration)

Pi pieMonday marks four years since this crazy digital outpost launched. It’s also Pi Day (as well as the 124th anniversary for The Birmingham News ). We haven’t held a formal party for the occasion since 2008, so we’re probably overdue.

Enter Birmingham’s first ever pie mixer – #piecampbhm.

Registration opened about 10 minutes ago for Monday’s get together. We’re grateful for Ted’s Restaurant for being willing to open up for us on Monday evening (3.14 – beginning at 6 p.m.) and for the conversation that’s got us doing it.

If you want to know a little more about the method behind the event, there’s a post up over on Dear Birmingham right now.

Photo: Pi Pie. pauladamsmith/Flickr.