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Cincinnati’s Krohn Conservatory goes digital

Visitors to Cincinnati’s famous Krohn Conservatory can now enjoy an even more interactive and engaging visit by utilizing the new technology available that includes podcasts, videos, self-guided tours, and a virtual tour.

A new partnership between the Cincinnati Parks, the Primax Group, Cincinnati Public Schools’ Zoo Academy, Sound Images, and Apple has led to the implementation of the new technology that can be used to enhance your experience to Krohn. “Our design partners have put together a phenomenal combination of information, photos and audio files to be used as pre-visit preparation or self guided touring,” according to officials at Krohn Conservatory.

One of the new features is the availability of MPEG-4 audio and video tours that can be downloaded to your mobile device. If you aren’t privileged enough to carry your own mobile device like that, then you can try to borrow one of the few that Krohn has to lend out. With the audio and video tours guests can learn at their own pace about the botanical collections at the Palm House, Tropical Fern House, and the Desert House. There is also a special piece on the history of Krohn Conservatory. A new virtual tour of Krohn that highlights the best of the botanical collections at Krohn including the conservatory’s history.

The current Fall Floral Show, Backyard Birds and Wildlife, is the first show running with the new self-guided iPod tours, and is the first show since the Krohn Conservatory completed its major renovations earlier this year.

Krohn Conservatory (map) is open daily from 10am to 5pm. Free parking is available in nearby Eden Park surface lots. Metro’s #1 bus route also serves the facility (plan your trip now), and nearby bicycle parking is also available.

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Important videos to watch about Cincinnati’s Issue 9

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Randy Simes on 55KRC’s City Talk Radio tonight

I will be on 55KRC’s weekly talk radio show called City Talk Radio tonight from 7pm to 8pm discussing historic preservation in Cincinnati. The focus will primarily be on Over-the-Rhine and the ongoing changes happening there.

You can of course tune in on your radios to 550AM, stream the show live on your computer, or if you’re busy, download the show’s podcast. Listeners can call or email their comments to the show while we’re broadcasting live by calling (513) 749-5500 or emailing talk@citytalk550.com.

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Skywalkers III

The Great American Tower at Queen City Square continues to rise. The tower will eventually become Cincinnati’s tallest skyscraper and be the new headquarters for Great American Insurance and the Frost Brown Todd law group. The tower is currently about 25 stories up from the ground and will continue to rise over the coming months.

Photos courtesy of Casey P. Coston
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boom! a Hit at the Know Theater

The Know Theater this weekend will feature an intense, futuristic comedy called ‘boom!’ From the theater’s website, ‘boom!’ is “a funny, slightly warped and ultimately hopeful look at the apocalypse that follows a young marine biologist as he prepares for the imminent end of the world.”

I saw the play this past weekend, and was thrilled with it. The entire production included just three spectacular actors, whose interplay harmonizes to create a humorous look at the tensions between hope and fatalism. Maybe I read too much into it, but I thought the play also included an undertone of the tension between intelligent design and evolution, and even spoke to the tension that couples living together experience.

Though the play engaged me on this level, it’s also fascinatingly entertaining, and manages to exist as passive entertainment at the same time. The Know Theater’s intimate setting allows a spectator just relax and enjoy the show. But the opposite is also true. Because of the theater’s intimate feeling, the audience has the ability to fully engage the actors by being so complete taken in with the production on the stage. It’s all up to the spectator.

boom! features phenomenal acting and an incredibly high production value. The show will run 4 times per weekend through November 7, but many of the shows are already sold out. Tickets are just $12, providing an affordable outing. After the show, the bar at the theater opens and the actors come to mingle with anybody interested in talking with them.

The Know is easily served by numerous bus lines. Go to the METRO trip planner, enter your address in the first box and enter the Know’s address, 1120 Jackson Street, in the second box. Couldn’t be easier. If you insist on driving, there is plenty of safe, off-street parking in the Gateway Quarter Garage, accessible from 12th Street. Click here for directions.