Updates for Map of the Dead are available today, giving you even more of opportunity to slay the living dead. Here are the things we added:

Hotspots – Getting bored of killing zombies in your local coffee shops and bars? Expand your killing zones by entering hotspots. These new locations (train stations, hotels, etc.) are prime real estate for brain eaters. Now you can enter train stations, airports and hotels to test our your new katana and scavenge. In a hotspot you can: Enter the location, kill zombies and come back for more. There's no limit on the amount of times per hour you can enter these new locations.

• View the number of infected flesh eaters before entering the hotspot, allowing you to pick your battles.
• Find rare weapons once clearing out a hotspot completely.
• Claim the hotspot as an outpost after killing off all zombies in that location.

Outposts –These locations are Zombie-free hotspots, which can be used like a second base.  Store your ammo, weapons, and food here in case you can't make it back to base. But if you're away from your outpost for too long, it will become infested with zombies again. In outposts you can:

• Store weapons and supplies
• Share space and items with others in your unit.
• Prevent/slow zombie regeneration by upgrading security to your outpost including: padlock doors, boarded windows, barbed wire, tripwire grenades, the spike trench or shotgun trap. Unit members can even contribute.
• Add all upgrades to keep outposts free of biters

Stats – Map of the Dead champs, it's time to shine. Now Map of the Dead will feature top players of the week and of all-time. So kill, sneak, scavenge and retreat to the top. The best of the brutes will be featured under the following categories:

• Hotspots
• Kills
• Sneaks
• Scavenges
• Retreats

Should have/ could have/ would have
Incorrect: I should of applied for Impact Engine’s next class.
Correct: I should’ve applied for Impact Engine’s next class. 

Intents and purposes
Incorrect: For all intensive purposes, Sally ‘s business philosophy mirrored that of Apple.
Correct: For all intents and purposes, Sally’s business philosophy mirrored that of Apple. 

Who/whom
Incorrect: Whom presented at Technori Pitch last month? The Moxie Award for best beard was presented to who?
Correct: Who presented at Technori Pitch last month? The Moxie Award for best beard was presented to whom?

Nip it in the bud
Incorrect: Jim nipped the software problem in the butt.
Correct: Jim nipped the software problem in the bud.

Me/I
Incorrect: Max and me went to Built in Chicago Launch last month.
Correct: Max and I went to Built in Chicago Launch last month.

Couldn't care less
Incorrect: I could care less about what color the logo is.
Correct: I couldn’t care less about what color the logo is.

Lay/Lie
Incorrect: I’m going to lay down for a nap between meetings.
Correct: I’m going to lie down for a nap between meetings. 

If you’re still not sure why those sentences were incorrect, no need to fear – Mental Floss is here! Whether you can’t remember which weather to use, or when to use whom instead of who, watch this video for a crash course on grammar and spelling. 

Doejo’s very own Tif Harrison will be appearing as Miss I’m Not Gonna Cry in the Neo-Futurists’ critically acclaimed show, The Miss Neo Pageant. 

The show, directed by Stephanie Shaw, was written by Megan Mercier as her response to growing up under the myth of “Grrrl Power.”

The play centers around a beauty pageant and common life competitions and experiences, such as having friends and transitioning out of girlhood or boyhood while living in an environment where girlish or boyish behavior is glorified.

The League of Chicago Theatres describes it as: “One part masquerade, two parts sixth-grade sleepover, and three parts walk-of-shame, four parts late blooming, and five parts trashing a best friend's yard with toilet paper at 2am, this unlikely group of uniquely equipped girl-women must negotiate internal rivalry, perceived expectations and, a need to be loved and supported by their audience.”

The Miss Neo Pageant opens at 7:30 p.m. on Thurs., May 16, and will run through June 22  (Thursdays through Saturdays) at The Neo Futurarium, 5153 N. Ashland Ave.

Tickets are $20, or $15 for students and seniors with an ID. To purchase tickets, call 773-878-4557 or visit neofuturists.org.

Doejo co-founder and CEO Phil Tadros was recently featured on Bytes Over Bagels, a Chicago tech podcast released today.

Tadros talked about Doejo and how he became an entrepreneur. He also shared the key to success in the food and beverage industry, hiring well, and his approach to raising capital.

Whether you're an entrepreneur, investor or supporter of local startups, these events are perfect for networking, learning and exploring Chicago's startup scene:

 1.) Inspire Startups May Showcase
When: Wed., May 15 at 6 p.m.
Where: Inspire Business Center, 1016 W. Jackson Blvd.
Tickets: http://inspirestartups3.eventbrite.com/

Why you should go: Mingle and get a first look at Chicago startups including: Choopia, CurbNinja, Empeopled, Express Pigeon, Galppit, Luncheon, Saavo Digital, Sollywood TV, Spikeball and WindyCitySDR. Also, don't miss feature speaker Marina Dedes of Lightbank.

What's Inspire Startups?
Inspire Startups is a showcase event hosted by the Inspire Business Center.  The business center is a co-working environment that provides businesses the technology and services they need to meet and exceed their expectations.

2.) SEO for Startups: Best Practices
When: Tues., May 21 at 6 p.m.
Where: Chopin Theater, 1543 W. Division St.
Tickets: http://entrepreneursunpluggd.com/event/seo-for-startups-best-practices

Why you should go: Want to gain more Internet traffic on your startup's site? Learn how to make your page SEO optimized with help from Brent Payne (CEO of Loud Interactive), Dan Olson (CEO of UpCity) and Rod Holmes (Partner at Chicago Style SEO).

What's Entrepreneurs Unpluggd?
Entrepreneurs Unpluggd is an event series targeted to create an intimate environment where entrepreneurs can learn from experiences, as well as network with others.

3.) Technori Pitch
When: Tues., May 28 at 6 p.m.
Where: Chase Auditorium, 10 S. Dearborn St.
Tickets: http://may-pitch-eorg.eventbrite.com/

Why you should go: Each month entrepreneurs, developers, designers, tech companies, investors and those enthusiastic about Chicago’s tech scene gather to present and view pitches. Keynote speaker and pitches for this event have not been announced yet, but Technori Pitches always fill up quick!

What's Technori?
Technori is an online hub for the entrepreneur community, providing curated content and monthly events aimed at bringing people together to spark fresh ideas.

 4.) Built in Chicago Launch – May
When: Wed., May 29 at 6 p.m.
Where: Rockit Bar & Grill, 22 W. Hubbard St.
Tickets: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/6391496137

Why you should go: See what recently launched startups are doing. This is also a great chance to network with other entrepreneurs. This month HugBoard, Social Crunch, RocketMiles, BTSocial and For Goods will be presenting.

What's Built in Chicago?
Built in Chicago is an online community for entrepreneurs to make posts, find tips, and lookup Chicago events.

5.) Startup Bootcamp: for the love of the gamification
When: Wed., May 29 at 7 p.m.
Where: Nextdoor, 659 W. Diversey Parkway
RSVP: https://www.nextdoorchi.com/web/guest/nd-classes

Why you should go:  This session, hosted by Leroy Pinto and the SU Bootcamp Team, will focus on the push and pull conversations between you and the customer. The session is aimed to teach the concept of flow and gamification in order to connect startups with their clients.

What's Next Door Chicago?
Next Door Chicago is a community café created by State Farm. It was created with the idea of becoming a hangout spot where people can come for free finance and insurance advice. This colorful space also provides free classes.

(Top photo via conferences.io)

Industrious, our forthcoming co-working space in River North, is a cross between a private office and a community coffee shop. It's peaceful privacy meets stimulating productivity—a "hive office." Slated to open this summer, the 17,000-square-foot urban loft space has been receiving a lot of attention from the startup community and local press.

Here's what they're saying so far:

Random Olio

Modern design + hive office

"If co-working and executive office suites do not solve what you need, then maybe try a “hive” office. A key component to a “hive” environment is a balance between privacy and community. Whether you are in the start-up mode, trying to raise money, or a budding company that thrives on the inspiration that a community of entrepreneurs brings, then a hive environment might be just the thing. You might think, why not just rent or lease a typical office? You could, but many times those can be expensive, with long lease terms, and often without the community aspect available to you. Who knows? In a hive environment, that lawyer you need might be your neighbor down the hall. You might collaborate with a web designer and find that you can help each other out."

Chicago Real Estate Daily 

Investors to open 'hive' offices in River North

"The layout will be a hybrid of Luxembourg-based Regus PLC, which provides short-term space in more traditional office buildings, and Chicago startup hub 1871, which uses a wide-open loft setting in the Merchandise Mart. 

"Industrious will cater to companies seeking a bustling, creative work environment as well as privacy when needed… River North has become a destination for young technology firms, anchored by the Merchandise Mart, which houses 1871 and soon will be home to Mountain View, Calif.-based Google Inc.'s Motorola Mobility unit, which plans to move there this year."

Chicago Tribune

Seeking industrious companies

"Some small but growing companies might feel like Goldilocks when looking for a home: Typical co-working spaces don't offer enough privacy, but traditional offices are too isolating, expensive or inflexible in their lease terms.

For those companies, Industrious wants to be just right." 

Tech Cocktail

Industrious, New Office & Coworking Space In Chicago, Puts Design First

"Glass walls give you that fortress, without the dark and confining feel of drywall, says Darah. It’s somewhere between corporate offices like Regus and coworking spaces like 1871. 

"A big chunk of Industrious residents will be startups, as well as law firms, investors, and designers. There will also be classes and events in the space.

"Right now, Industrious is a blank canvas, but construction in the next few months will change that. Darah tell us to picture hardwood floors, black-and-white decor with pops of color, hanging lightbulbs for an “industrial feel,” and art by local artists."

Built in Chicago

Industrious to open July 2013 in River North as next stage shared office space

"Industrious is in one of River North’s most beautiful loft spaces, with high ceilings and exposed brick walls. Composed of brightly lit, glass-walled private offices and productive conference rooms and common areas, Industrious will offer members all the comforts of a modern office in an engaging, energizing community atmosphere. The space will cater to small businesses and firms of all types, and will offer a next step office solution for startups and companies exiting early stage incubator hubs and accelerators like 1871, Catapult Chicago, TechStars Chicago, Impact Engine and the like."

The best way to keep a project at Doejo moving along is to establish the client’s needs and provide reasoning behind every step of our process. During Doejo’s new workshop series, our dev team provided these tips for a smooth development:

First Steps

• Plan – Spend time planning internally to make later steps with clients faster. This could save hours of pain in the future and make later steps more efficient and fun.
• Show your work – Keep the client involved by showing your progress along the way, from logo ideation to design comps.
• Consult developers – Even though they may come down the pipeline, keep the development team in the loop with the product or site's plan, whether it's technical or dealing with functionality.

Information Architecture (IA) and User Experience (UX)

• User stories – Generate user stories/ scenarios of what a person may visit the site for. These can be taken from the kickoff meeting.
• User personas – Create user personas based off of your target customer (these are not always necessary, but help give an idea of who the site is being created for).

Build a Skeletal Frame

• Information flows – Use wire frames to show how one might navigate the site or product.
• Form flows/ sitemap outline – Start with simple, bulleted lists. You can also include user stories. Make sure to consult with a developer for functionality.
• Decide to use a flow or sitemap (for a linear, simple or a brochure site) – For a complex app with many paths, a user flow diagram is best. You can even overlay user personas on the sitemap to show where they go.
• Review sitemap/ flow with developer – Use wireframes and keep them lo-fi, simple and fast. Make sure to cover everything from your sitemap.
• Show interactions – Show what happens when a user clicks on something. And, of course, review wireframe interactions with the developer.
• Info extras – Have a conversation with the client and find out how they describe their brand, as well as what image they want their brand to have. Even ask the client what customers have said about them.

Art Direction

• Brand attributes- Narrow the description down to three words that describe the company. The design will be centered on these words, so choose them carefully.
• Visual attributes – Discuss what visual attributes the client wants in order to help them visualize the look you are going for.
• Logo concepts – Draw from brand and visual attributes to create logo concepts. Make sure not to show too many or too few ideations (3-6). To add variety, show two of your favorites and two of you least favorites. Make sure the client is focusing on the logo concept and nothing else; use black and white images so as not to distract from the core design.
• Colors – Look back at your brand and visual attributes to make color choices. Don’t show too many options. Allow for changes during the art direction stage, but don’t lock yourself into a color that may not work.
• Inspiration sites – Highlight specific portions of other sites and explain why they work. But also explain how it can work for the client's needs.
• Art direction – Create a guide that represents the style based on brand and visual attributes for consistency going forward.
• Hi-fi mocks – Use layer compositions and keep your PSD's and/or vectors organized. Don’t forget to review with the developer. 

If you're a so-called Millennial like me, you know it's an eye roll-worthy cop-out to reference our generation as lazy or entitled. Many 20-somethings have the same motivational drive and entrepreneurial spirit as any generation, just with added agility of being resourceful with, and earlier adopters of technology. So seeking agile solutions to the once-taxing intricacies of the world comes naturally.

This year, Crain's Chicago Business honors these Millennial wonders with its inaugural Crain's 20 in Their 20s recognition. Some generation-defining Chicago locals featured are developer-to-company matchmaker, Matchist co-founder Stella Fayman; Rookie Magazine Editor-in-chief and tween media darling Tavi Gevinson (who's only 17 by the way); and global grassroots health instigator, GlobeMed executive director Maya Cohen, to name a few.

These are the future leaders of Chicago to follow, making their mark on a ever-growing global marketplace. And we salute them.

In order to cultivate art appreciation in our fair city, the folks behind Chicago the Beautiful have placed free art walls in local cafes, galleries and public spaces—Including Bow Truss River North at 406 N. Wells.

Visitors are free to take these limited edition handmade works of art and place a donation in the accompanying box. The 3.5" x 3.5" resin-coated photos, taken around the city, are set on .75" ready-to-hang wooden blocks. These stunning, glossy snapshots are perfect to hang anywhere from the home to the office and could be images of CTA lines, graffiti, random people on the street, architectural details and more. And since donations are used to pay for new art to refill the walls of this unique public art experiment, there are always new pieces rotating in. 

The once widely successful Kickstarter, Chicago the Beautiful is looking for more artists to feature for its project and does custom resin-coated or dry-mounted photos in its Humboldt Park studio. The studio is also looking for volunteers if you want to join 'em!

Follow them on Facebook for more updates.

It's a brilliant business model for specialty coffee enthusiasts looking to discover new micro-roasters from Portland to Miami. And a great surprise every month delivered right to your door!

Tonight at 8 pm on ABC's entrepreneurial pitch show, Shark Tank, MistoBox will make a case for its online subscription service of artisan coffees—including Bow Truss in its roster. A panel of five "shark" investors, including Dallas Mavericks and HDNet owner Mark Cuban, will hear MistoBox's product idea and possibly invest in its expansion.

What started out as a successful Kickstarter campaign has brought more than 24 small coffee roasters to coffee lovers across the country. They ship out four handpicked samples of coffees with information on the roasters for as low as $15 a month. And if you find your new favorite company and coffee, you can purchase full bags online. 

Check 'em out!

Fluid interactive color scheme exploring.  http://color.hailpixel.com/

Rafael Silveira is a fine artist with a strong background in the graphic arts. The majority of his works consist (of) oil and acrilic paintings that mixes a classical atmosphera with contemporary techniques and subjects.

Get Spacey :  http://www.rafaelsilveira.com/art.html

Andrew R. Wright, the local illustrator that did Bow Truss' "Bring Bow Truss Home" mural has a new project in collaboration with Good Beer Hunting. The beer enthusiast blog features Wright's "Hunter Gatherer No. 10" limited edition screen print while sharing his process and inspiration. We're huge fans to say the least!

Here's an excerpt from GoodBeerHunting.com:

He was originally featured on Good Beer Hunting as "Hunter Gatherer No. 10" — Since then, he's become a great friend and collaborator, helping conceive the first in a series of seasonal Good Beer Hunting screenprinted posters.

In Andrew's honor, we called this first run of posters "Hunter Gatherer."​

Andrew created four separate color linocuts and hand pulled the original prints to capture the unmistakable texture and nuance of the process. From there, we worked with Delicious Design League in Chicago to create the screens and perfect the colors for the poster run. It's printed on French 100lb Kraft paper at 18"x24" with a stunning color and texture. Each print is signed and numbered by Andrew, and embossed with the "GBH & Co." representing a great collaboration sketched out over many great beers. 

They even did a Q&A with photos on their blog.

Chicago lifestyle magazine, Michigan Avenue showcased the city's bustling startup entrepreneurial scene this week paying Doejo a visit. Doejo is cited as a leader in grand ideas and stimulating the tech ecosystem. Here's an excerpt.

Fostering grand ideas is the ethos upon which 33-year-old Philip Tadros has built his career. A serial entrepreneur, Tadros purchased his first business, Don’s Coffee Club, when he was just 19. Over the next decade, his multiple coffee ventures became neighborhood joints that attracted like-minded creatives who, true to the conventional image, used the shops as mobile offices. Tadros decided to combine their powers and formed Doejo. The “full-service digital agency” takes on clients of all sizes (from venerable institutions like the Chicago Yacht Club to in-house projects like its new zombie-killing smartphone app, Map of the Dead) and guides them through the creative process—from designing a slick website to developing an overarching philosophy and company story. Doejo even applied its own process to itself to create Bow Truss, an artisanal coffee roasting company that seamlessly weaves technology into its business (think iPads instead of cash registers). When asked if he’s more of a coffee guy or a Doejo guy, Tadros picks the latter without hesitation. “Coffee for me has always been about the people and the environment,” Tadros says. “We do coffee well. But what stimulates me the most is meeting new people and going over ideas. It’s the culture.”

Slate Collection from BBG

Designed by Alex Sheyn from Bright Bright Great, here in Chicago, the Slate Collection holds a stylized scalable PSD mockups of Apple's retina products. A great collection for any designer and all you have to do is either tweet or share it on facebook for a FREE download. 

 --- What's Included ---

Download with a Tweet

Adrenalin Games 2013 from SilaSveta on Vimeo.

Art director: Alex Mamontov

Illustration: FourPlus

Animation: Alex Mamontov, Kostya Shun

Stage director: Alexander Us

Technical team: Dmitry Napolnov, Oleg Efimov

SilaSveta Studio

Sometimes college or grad school just isn't for everyone, especially creatives who already think outside the preverbal classroom box.

What if you could, instead, combine a series of apprenticeships and experiences, learning from established companies, agencies and industry tastemakers out in the field—would you take that leap?

Founded by our friend Victor Saad, author of The Leap Year Project, Experience Institute (Ei) includes top companies, organizations and celebrated individuals like advertising guru Alex Bogusky in Boulder; award-winning digital agency Fifty & Fifity in San Diego; leading architecture firm NBBJ in Seattle; Chicago’s own thriving art and apparel community, Threadless; and Doejo of course!

Ei is looking to connect 10 students in its inaugural year in four main industries: Design, Business Development, Technology, and Social Innovation. So, think careers in graphic design, advertising, market research, non-profit management, product development, brand strategy/think tanks, computer programming and more. Beginning this fall, students of Ei will attend a series of 4-12 week paid apprenticeships, conferences, and workshops, all within a single year.

This first class is geared towards students seeking a college gap year, post-grad studies or individuals seeking a career shift. So long as you've shown initiative to start and create change.

“Our aim is to re-instill imagination into our education system and reshape how we think about learning.  I wanted to create a credible space for others to learn through hands on experience.” – Victor Saad at TEDxWindyCity

Ei is currently taking applications for its founding class. Applications are due mid-summer, with the first class launching in September. To submit an application or simply learn more about the program, visit expinstitute.com.

You've been waiting long enough! Here are Map of the Dead's new features and upgrades – and what to expect in the next version below!

New features:

• Improved scanner range control

All previous users get the full $3 value scanner upgrade for free, increasing your scavenging range. New users can purchase 3 scanner upgrades from $.99 to $2.99

• Unit activity feed, see what others are doing, post messages

Now you can finally keep tabs on your unit and post messages – or warnings

• Search friends from your address book, invite Facebook friends

Connecting with friends and inviting them to play has never been easier

• New upgrades

Reset Timers: Don't want to wait to fight and scavenge again, or retrieve your lost backpack - for $.99 you don't have to.

Repair Kit: Take out the crack in the screen and eliminate the screen static

Backpack: Need more room? Add 10, 20 or 30 more slots to your bag - from $.99 to $2.99.

Fixes and improvements: 

• Ability to sell all items instantly in requisitions

• Equipped items no longer take up backpack slots

• Hide equipped items on the sell screen in requisitions

• Stability improvements and other bugfixes

Local reggae frontrunner Ted Sirotas is organizing a new musical project in collaboration with "dubstep chemist," Hopeton Brown (AKA The Scientist). Using Kickstarter, they hope to create the next modern classic record, "Live Dub Reggae: Ted Sirota's Heavyweight Dub."

In the tradition of great Jamaican studio bands spanning the past, the two are bringing together some great Chicago area talent. Check it out! They've got some great rewards lined up.

From their Kickstarter page:

Over the years I have grown more and more enamored with the great studio and backing bands of the 1960's-1980's in Jamaica - The Soul Vendors, The Revolutionaries, The Upsetters, The Aggrovators, Roots Radics etc. The same goes for the great Dub producers and engineers - King Tubby, Scientist, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Coxsone Dodd etc. There was a level of artistry and musicianship in Reggae music during this time that was at least on par with Motown, Stax, Atlantic, Blue Note, and the other great American studios/labels. But in my opinion, the creativity and urgency of the Jamaican music of this period was unsurpassed on a worldwide scale. Unfortunately, that level of creativity has greatly diminished over the years (in my opinion), as samples, drum machines, lack of musicianship, and Scientist's departure from Jamaica has lead to a dearth of "disposable" music. 
 

Along with the great musicians joining me in this project, I want to help bring back a taste of that era when highly skilled and soulful musicians used their talents together to create a sound and a groove that could make the whole world want to get up and dance.
 

Who are the great musicians in this  band you ask?

Matthew Lux - bass (Iron & Wine, Isotope 217, Rob Mazurek)
Dan Bitney - percussion (Tortoise)
Tom Vaitsas - keyboards, melodicaCameron Pfiffner - saxophone, flute (Sabertooth)
Adam Thornburg - trombone (Chicago Samba)
Yanira Marin - vocals
K-rAd- sound & dub mixing

The folks at local agency Rule29 have made turning your digital Instagrams into hangable works of art, simply, with InstaThis. InstaThis is described as a "new streamlined service that connects directly to your Instagram photos and creates stunning prints on wood or acrylic." We loved the prints they sent us of our coffee roaster, Bow Truss so much, we ordered more as gifts to our investors. What a great way to spruce up any home or office!

From Rule29:

Who is behind it? We are! (in part) InstaThis is a joint venture between Rule29 and Birddog, Inc – both who are committed to exploring creative solutions and opportunities for emerging technologies.

How does it work? Using a unique mix of web-to-print technology and handmade craftsmanship, InstaThis creates one-of-a-kind wall art in a variety of sizes at a reasonable cost with significant discounts for ordering multiple prints (up to 40%). If you choose wood, the natural wood grains come through the image and the colors pop off the birch. Choose acrylic, and the vibrancy of the colors combine with the polished finish to create a truly stunning piece.

Do I have to use Instagram to order a print? As of this past week, no! We’ve added a “upload-your-own” feature enabling any user to upload the photo of your choosing.