Hello, NXT readers. Justin is relaxing on a private island without Internet access (at least that's what he told me), so I'll be your host today. My name is Mary Phillips-Sandy. I recently returned to Portland after a few years in New York City; these days I live, write and drink too much coffee in the East End. I'm also the proprietor of a website called Ruined Music.

Luke Livingstone is a busy man thanks to his circle of blogs including Blog About Beer, which you can guess the focus, and Real World Really, a place for common sense advice for new college grads. But today he's got beer on the mind...again.

Sure Coors Light and P.B.R. cost 50 cents a can, and as a college student those prices couldn't be beat. But now that you're a little older, your palate is a little more mature, right?…right? Well, what better way to satisfy your new-found thirst for life's finer-things, your need for a new hobby -- you can only beat Guitar Hero so many times... -- and your ever-tightening budget than learning to brew your own beer!

Rob Landry asks why you wouldn't want to start up a web business here in Portland?

To begin a story about Web design in Portland, Maine, I'll start in the Atlanta airport.

That was where, while I was waiting to board the connecting flight that was to take me to the 2007 SXSW Interactive conference, that I found myself standing next to Andy Clarke. He isn't exactly a household name, but in the world of Web, Clarke - an expert on CSS and a member of the Web Standards Project - is a rock star (he even actually looks like a rock star, a cross between someone from the British Invasion and Austin Powers. You have to admit - he's got style).

Peter Eiermann and Sally Struever from Port City Studios get things started off this week by looking at how young business owners can retake Portland.

The next generation of small businesses can be found in some of the City's smallest storefronts. Take a walk around Portland, keep your eyes peeled, and you might stumble on a few of Portland's youngest and most creative entrepreneurs and artists busily building their future here in Maine.

It's a big day here on the NXT Desk. Not only are the hours counting down to what should be an undeniably smooth Yacht Rock party tonight, but I'm heading out on vacation.

This is a real vacation from the NXT Desk, no cross country trips to learn about multimedia, no high school reunions, no conferences.

I'll be completely off the grid at Fort Bacon, the Ellis compound in the Adirondacks before taking the helicopter to tinker in the lab of the DangerVilla on Fang Island.

But fear not, the NXT Desk will not go dark. I've got a week's worth of substitute teachers lined up starting on Monday that I think you guys are gonna like. Be kind to them.

Over the last two weeks the globe has sat together and watched the greatest achievements in sport, found unity through competition and glimpsed a future where the world's most pressing conflicts are resolved with real scores and not imagined ones.

That may be all well and good, but let's get some real sports into the Olympics, eh?

To paraphrase "Clerks," a "professor's job would be great if not for the (bleeping) students."

I kid, really I do. After all, students help pay the bills and provide a never-ending source of comedy and affirmation of stereotypes.

If you sense ire in the blog today you probably looked at the calendar and guessed right - the Class of 2012 "Mindset List" has been released.

We've got a serious mess of cinematic proportions on our hands today with all this week's new DVD releases.

Bad 80s remakes, retelling the recent political past, and the trials of Keanu. Luckily Videoport Jones is not afraid to shed a little blood to get to the truth of this week's titles.

There are certain deep, important questions we should all take the time to ask ourselves from time to time.

Like whether "smooth" is a quantifiable quality in music or would Hall & Oates win a back alley song-off against Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins.

Though I was kneecap deep in local stories while I was working at Press Herald Plaza over the weekend, something that came across the NXT Desk shocked me.

"Pandora Close to 'Pulling the Plug."

Wait...what?

Last Friday I felt like a little bit of an idiot, suggesting a handful of things to do in and around Portland - a little music, some friends, maybe a PBR. Not one single word about the Olympics.

I wouldn't feel like such a fool if I hadn't contracted a case of Olympic Fever myself - now I can't stop watching water polo and archery all hours of the day, and have become obsessed with The DiveCam.

So, uh, anyhoo, don't forget to catch some Olympics this weekend, like local boy Ian Crocker. He is the only one capable of stopping "The Chosen One."

We've got another full boat on the Scanner this week, thanks mostly to Olympic fever, booze, fantasy sports and the eternal question all men face: the gadget or the girl.

Oh CraigsList, your capacity for non-stop human comedy knows no bounds.

Sure, some people still prefer Uncle Henry's for their slightly used swimming pool and free rottweiler puppy needs, but can ol' Henry lead to a prostitution bust?

By now most of the free world has gotten the word that Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama plans to announce his choice for vice president over text message and e-mail soon.

Aside from the gee-whiz (yesterday was neat-o, now it's gee-whiz. I can't explain it) and "shaking up tradition" factors, what does it really mean that a major party candidate for president is sending out major decisions the same way you make weekend plans with your friends?

It's a new week and we're rolling the dice once again - one of the most critically acclaimed TV shows of all time, an international film touches a controversial topic, and an homage to one of Steven Speilberg's classics.

It's another new release Tuesday with Videoport Jones, so strap yourself in.

Don't you just love it when technology works for you, not against you? I'm not talking in a "robots will rise up against us and overthrow humanity" sort of way (though they will, so watch your Roomba), but more along the lines of "maps are neat-o and useful."

Good for you - you made it through to another Friday night. Who's the big winner?
If the weather sticks - and really, we've got no reason to think all the roads won't be washed out by Monday - it may be good weekend to check out a local show, go see a movie - I intend to check out Pineapple Express - or hunker down with some friends in your favorite watering hole and wait for the sun.

Sorry the Scanner is running late, it was a busy day on the NXT Desk yesterday - as you can see by my story on a the city contracting a designer for a new skate park.

But rest easy, the Scanner is always up and ready, even when I am not!

Once again the Internet has proven to be a formidable foe to a chosen band of fools.

In this case, Deering High School's baseball team.

Unless you've been stuck on a mountain in Maine the last few days, you've probably picked up on the latest meme of the moment: "The Press Herald is Shutting Its Doors."

While that's not the case (for today at least - hey, we live in tricky times here) it does provide us with another look at the sticky intersection of the news business, technology and where (if anywhere) it's all going.

You say you want a grab-bag of new DVD releases? How about a histo-drama on Nazi counterfeiting, animal pal adventures with Abigail Breslin, a Starship Troopers sequel and a documentary on gay Christians!

All these reviews and a few more courtesy of our favorite video store curmudgeon, Videoport Jones

Here's a pretty big "In Case You Missed It" item from last Friday:
The Federal Communications Commission ruled that Comcast has been blocking and choking up the Internet connection of some of its customers.

Be honest - You thought it was going to be bacon-related news, didn't you?

I got back behind the camera last week after spending some time with the kids at Hip-Hop Summer Camp.

Here's a brief glimpse of a day at camp: laying down vocal tracks, matching beats...and a little frustration.

For more info: Hip-Hop Summer Camp's Myspace page.

Here at Press Herald Plaza, we've had a hard time wrangling the beast that is the Interweb this week.

But fear not friends, the Scanner was never damaged, and is in full working order.
Prepare to have your minds blown.