Now: May 2009

May

sat, may 02
Bet
THE 135TH KENTUCKY DERBY, PRESENTED BY YUM BRANDS
Louisville, Kentucky

Ever sweat through your straw boater wondering why a fast-food firm with $11 billion in sales sponsors the fastest two minutes in sports? "To attract more investors," says Jonathan Blum, a spokesman for Yum, whose brands include Pizza Hut and KFC. Has it worked? Well, the percentage of individuals own-ing Yum is "slightly higher" than when the sponsorship started in 2006, Blum reports. There's no way to credit that rise to the derby, of course. But the deal costs Yum about $1 million a year -- less than half the price of a 30-second Super Bowl ad -- and Eric Wright of con-sultants Joyce Julius & Associates estimates that Yum ran away with $7.3 million in media exposure during the 2008 telecast. Now that's a good investment. -- DAVID LIDSKY

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mon, may 04
Peck
INTERNATIONAL RESPECT FOR CHICKENS DAY

Today, the chicken and the egg both come first: The pro-vegan activist group United Poultry Concerns wants us to pause to "celebrate chickens around the world." Last year, Americans ate more than 9 billion chickens, an average of 90 pounds per person. This year, Karen Davis, UPC president and author of the book Prisoned Chickens, Poisoned Eggs, hopes you'll "do an action that shows that chickens matter." Besides eating them. Some ideas: video presentations, library displays, letters to the editor. If nothing else, she suggests in all seriousness that you "stick up for chickens by calling in to talk-radio shows." Cluck cluck. -- ABHA BHATTARAI

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tue, may 05
Invent
200TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST U.S. PATENT AWARDED TO A WOMAN

Let's tip our hats to Mary Dixon Kies. The milliner's new way of weaving straw with silk (U.S. Patent No. X1041) earned her plaudits from Dolley Madison for boosting New England's flailing hat industry. Unfortunately, that prosperity never materialized in her pocket. Two centuries later, most inventors face similar challenges: With 495,095 patent applications filed and 182,556 granted last year, the vast majority are like Kies's method, the thumb-wrestling ring (Patent No. 4998724), or the bird-trap cat feeder (Patent No. 4150505) -- not lucrative enough to fill a piggy bank (Patent No. D458727). -- ANNE C. LEE

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thu, may 07
Create
OFFF 2009
Lisbon, Portugal

The Online Flash Film Festival has evolved over the past eight years from a tiny gathering into a 4,000-attendee multimedia art event with speakers including such graphic-design luminaries as Paula Scher, Neville Brody, and Stefan Sagmeister. Admission has stayed low -- 75 euros ($95) for a three-day pass -- but the geek factor has not, thanks to an all-new Nerdferences (that's "nerd" + "conferences") Panel. Expect talk of circuit bending, open software, and hacks. For those who find these terms off-putting, this could be a haven to work out your bigotry in a safe setting: Organizers pledge to "help us get our nerdism out." -- ACL

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fri, may 08
Log On
SLANGUAGES 2009
EduNation Islands

Kick your feet in the fine sand. Dance under the palm trees with friends. Attend seminars in a gorgeous glass pyramid. If you want, you can even do it all naked. This language conference takes place on the EduNation Islands ... in Second Life. The 24-hour virtual conference, now in its third year, explores possibilities for teaching language in a 3-D online world. It's free to attend and everything you would expect from conferences in real life occurs: Workshops, panel discussions, intense networking, and spells of boredom are all key components. Is this the future of conferencing? We're not sure, but at least no one will know if you fall asleep during the PowerPoint. -- ZACHARY WILSON

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fri, may 08
Beam Me Up
STAR TREK
Directed by J.J. Abrams

In Hollywood, reinvention is all the rage. Look at the success of the reimagined James Bond and Oscar-winning Batman franchises. These films have sought to take the characters deeper. Such is the mission of screen wizard J.J. Abrams as he revives Star Trek. More than 40 years after the premiere of the original series, this prequel finally explains how James Tiberius became Captain Kirk, how Dr. McCoy became "Bones," and how they got the enormous Enterprise into space in the first place. Hard-core Trekkies will surely find something to complain about, but for most of us, the new Star Trek could boldly go ... well, you know the rest. -- ZW

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fri, may 08
Celebrate
OPENING OF THE TINTIN FESTIVAL
Brussels, Belgium

This just in: Tintin, the foppish Belgian reporter and star of a comic-book series that has sold more than 230 million copies since 1929, is turning 80. His birthday present: a brand new museum paying tribute -- excuse me, homage -- to his creator, Hergé (née Georges Rémi). The Belgian artist, who died in 1983, penned The Adventures of Tintin for 54 years, and he'll undoubtedly be a hot topic at this year's Tintin Fes-tival, a celebration for Tintophiles of all ages. We'd be there, except we already bought tickets to Star Trek.
-- DAN MACSAI