Breadboard’s Art in the Air opens second season

If you’ve always wanted to have your art displayed in front of, literally, everyone in the city, here’s your second chance.

Arts technology epicentre Breadboard has announced that its Art in the Air program, which allows artists to compete to have their digital works displayed on the LED display atop the PECO building in downtown Philadelphia, has opened for the 2011 season.

We covered the program last summer.

The program’s upcoming deadlines for submissions are as follows:

• For September display: Aug 23th
• For October display: Sept 27th
• For November display: Oct 25th
• For December display: Nov 22nd

More information at Breadboard’s site.

Links: Pittsburgh seeks middle tech, 8bit sequencing magic on video and more

DEFINITE READS

• The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports on that city vying for ‘middle-market’ technology firms, while some chase investment on the west coast and others fail. H/T Philly Tech News
• The Inquirer reports on the oenophile vending machine movement, in which wine kiosks are making their way from Harrisburg to Philadelphia. Philly Tech News reports that Oracle has given the Pennsylvania Liquor Control board a retail excellence award.
• The University City Review reports that the first 55,000 energy efficient LED traffic light bulbs are being installed as part of a $14.1 million stimulus grant. H/T Plan Philly

Below, finding a kidney on Facebook, Curt Schilling will take his video games and move to Rhode Island and more.

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City launches Web site to track stimulus spending

The City of Philadelphia has launched a Web site dedicated to keeping track of Philly’s stake in the federal economic stimulus package, according to an update posted to the city’s Twitter account.

Much like the state’s stimulus accountability Web site announced in March, the city will identify projects and initiatives that it is potentially eligible for, keep citizens informed with news and publicly post how money is being spent.

“We are committed to making all recovery information available on this Web site so that you can follow exactly how we are using every dollar of this unprecedented investment,” Mayor Michael Nutter said in an embedded YouTube video.

Watch Mayor Nutter’s announcement and learn about some of the 29 federal funding opportunities being planned by the city – including CIO Allan Frank’s $100 million Digital Philadelphia broadband initiative after the jump.

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Stimulus: $20b for U.S. health IT; $101m for PA energy, $25m for PA school tech

Last Sunday we outlined Philadelphia’s “shovel-ready” tech proposals that could potentially be funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and although it is still unclear what funds Philly will receive, we’re beginning to have a better picture since President Obama signed the bill.

Last week, The Morning Call reported that $101 million will be afforded to alternative energy investments through the state’s energy program. Some of that could go toward Philly’s proposals of installing 3,000 LED lamps in signalized intersections that could save the city $1 million per year in energy costs. It could also be funneled into plans for a Residential Solar Energy loan fund.

There’s good news for Health Camp Philadelphia, who followed up on our proposal post with hopes that electronic medical records could become a reality for medical institutions throughout the city. According to Modern Healthcare, $19.2 billion has been earmarked in the bill for health information technology. Gov. Ed Rendell spoke at the National Governors Association’s annual winter meeting on Saturday, and expressed support for long-term datelined provisions, such as the switch to electronic records. Some health care systems, like Albert Einstein in Philadelphia, have made in-roads on their own for an electronic switch, as we reported.

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