This video explores the Squirrel Brand Community Garden of Area 4, Cambridge, as it begins to bloom on a dreamy day in April.

ZIPDOCS: Fresh Pond, A reservation of many uses for many people is a short documentary on the history and current importance of this Cambridge landmark. Produced by members of the Cambridge Community Television ZIPDOCS class: Mark Jaquith, Doug Pouliot, Steve Schnapp and John Roberts.

ZIPDOCS: Cambridge Cohousing 02140 is a short video on Cambridge CoHousing, a community designed and developed housing project in Cambridge, MA. Produced by members of the ZIPDOCS class at CCTV: Lauren McFalls, Melissa Tomey, Brian Axelrod and Surafeal Wolday.

Odd Fellows Hall and Dance Complex: a video on the history and use of a historic old building in Central Square, Cambridge. A production by members of the ZIPDOCS class at CCTV: Inéz Eizmendi, Liza Zvereva, Irina Danilova and Laureano Batista. Music by Brazilian Touch.

17 more Mac and PC computers were distributed today at the end of another successful week of training sessions at CCTV!

There is one more week of computer training for our digital divide project, an effort with the City of Cambridge, Cambridge Housing Authority, Tutoring Plus and other local organizations.

Students from the High School were also on hand today to shoot video footage for a short documentary they are producing about the project for Cambridge Educational Access.

Participants pictured above learned about their PC computers in CCTV's television studio. Training Coordinator, Matt Landry led the session with Selma Nane providing support. read more...

By Karen Klinger

Porter Square residents are wondering what will happen now at the site of the Japanese-Korean Kaya restaurant after the Cambridge Board of Zoning Appeal turned down the owner's bid to tear down the eatery and put up a 50-room hotel.

Despite a show of support for the project by a number of neighbors, the board voted 4-to-1 at a lengthy February 28 hearing to reject owner Meehn Su Gim's request for a variance to build a five-story hotel and attached 210-seat restaurant on the property at 1924 Massachusetts Ave.

Board member Gus Alexander reflected the majority opinion, saying "It's too much of a building for this site," adding, "You're asking us to rezone the property, and that's not our jurisdiction."

"You get an 'A' for effort," board member Edward Wayland told
Gim and his architect, Michael McKee, noting that they had met repeatedly with abutters and other neighbors over the course of a year and had modified the project to meet their concerns. But he said Gim was attempting to deviate too far from zoning regulations by proposing to build a structure with more than twice the allowable square footage for a commercial building on the site. read more...

By Karen Klinger

NeighborMedia is launching a new feature we're calling "Eyesores" in which we intend to shine a spotlight on buildings and other structures in Cambridge in various states of disrepair, abandonment, dilapidation and decomposition. We also want to highlight construction that could kindly be called architectural mistakes, or not so kindly, just plain ugly. While it might seem Cambridge has no shortage of any of these, we can't be everywhere, so we need help. Send us your comments with suggestions and nominees for inclusion in our "Eyesores" series. We may even give out prizes for "Top Eyesore" or "Eyesore of the Month." Bottles of eye drops, perhaps. read more...

No this guy carrying the television set down the stairs of the Stratton Center at MIT is not a thief or a moving man; he is participating in MIT's first FreeMeet. It's like a flea market, but it's free.

"And can you keep an eye out for a microwave?" he asks Kathreen Thome and Eva Cheung, the two students taking check-ins. "And if you see one, can you just sort of hold onto it for me? I'll be back..."

Free TV? Free Microwave? Wait a sec...!

This morning I braved the snow and checked out the FreeMeet at MIT. Although it was still early and people were still bringing in their “stuff”, already clothing, kids’ toys, electronic, books, and kitchen items were accumulating on tables around the edge of LaSala Room on the second floor. read more...

Freecycling

No, it’s not vandalism…that spray paint at the intersection of Griswold Street and Sunset Road was initially intended to mark new curb extensions to improve this dangerous intersection in the Cambridge Highlands neighborhood.

“It’s a huge intersection -- a complete free-for-all,” says Eric Welin of the Cambridge Highlands Neighborhood Association. “There are no stop signs, and the sidewalks in that area are a complete mess.”

Extending curbs is part of Cambridge’s Traffic Calming Program, which has both supporters and detractors. The goal of these traffic calming projects is to improve pedestrian safety and allow cars to coexist peacefully with other modes of transportation.”

Traffic calming involves the creation of physical and visual cues, such as speed tables, sidewalk neck downs, and roadway markings which slow the speed of traffic and increase safety. Probably the two most common elements of traffic calming projects in Cambridge are raised crosswalks and curb extensions. Not everyone is happy about these “improvements.” read more...

The Zip Docs class produced this documentary about the tenants at 55 Magazine St. who have been left in limbo by the new owners of their apartment building. The Zip Docs crew for this production were: Jessica Durrum, Jeffry Pike, Roz Springer, Margot Welch & Amanda Witbeck. Instructors: Matt Landry & Ethan Goldhammer.