{contest} have you got a book in you?

Blurb and other sponsors are offering a $25,000 first prize for your photo book. There are three categories -- Fine Art, Editorial and Commercial, and the deadline for submission is July 16. The $35 entry fee allows you to submit multiple entries.

I've used Blurb and been really happy with the results. And their page templates are far superior to LuLu's.

Here's how to enter.

{local} round up the usual suspects

San Francisco authorities say they are "seriously considering" cracking down on "flash mob" activities, according to a breathless SFGate story today. "Seriously considering." Those are words that editors put on stories to try to give them a news peg. Except in this case, it's not really a lead. It's just a lame excuse for catching up a week, a month, a year after the fact. Oh, and by the way, it gives you a cover to run photos you wouldn't run in the paper, because what happened wasn't really news. Oh, except 3,000 people showed up for the Valentine's Day pillow fight, and we didn't have a word on it, so we better do something. Sheesh. I love the Chronicle more than most people. (Maybe even more than Delfin Vigil.) But this is so lame. You want to be relevant to your readership? Normally cretinous radio shouter Jim Rome has a motto that applies here: "Have a take, and do not suck."

playing with you

Kutiman's mashup of music feeds from a big batch of amateur You Tube videos is simply amazing. He's created seven entirely new pieces with plenty of funk and soul by splicing together bits and pieces of YouTube uploads.

Kutiman's videos made a splash a few days ago, and for awhile his servers couldn't handle the load. But things are up and running again, and if you haven't heard them yet, give a listen. It's the ultimate populist mashup jam band.

I love that he credits each and every one of the 22 people he sampled, and he's made it very easy to visit the sources. "I had a great time working with you," Kutiman says.

{tips} 70 stunning shots in 2 days

For months and months, people have been clamoring to find out how L.A.-based sports shooter Dustin Snipes managed to produce 70 stunning portraits of basketball players in an insanely short amount of time. He had given the lighting details earlier, but now he has lifted the veil on his simple but powerful post-processing technique.

"I always planned on sharing it with everyone but just haven’t had time to put anything together until now. Recently, I was asked to do a guest post for Scott’s blog and thought, “What better way to share this Photoshop tip with everyone than on Mr. Photoshop himself’s blog, Scott Kelby?” I was pretty giddy, to say the least.

We're the ones who are giddy. It's all here. Thanks, Dustin.

Via DIYPhotography.Net

{local} Here's pie in your eye

What makes hundreds of people gather at one of the best-known intersections in San Francisco (the Powell Street cable car turnaround near Union Square) and throw pies at one another? We don't know. But we support it. There are worse ways to busy up a Thursday evening. The pie fight comes fresh on the heels of the Valentine's Day pillow fight at the Ferry Building and the grilled cheese competition in Dolores Park, and a couple of days before this year's urban Iditarod and Brides of March festivities.

The starting point for tomorrow's Iditarod (03/07) is supposed to be secret to keep the crowds down, so don't tell anyone that you can find out all about it over here.

And you can find out everything you need to know about next Saturday's Brides of March over here.

Yes, San Francisco is different. It always has been. (Photos below have links to more):