This is a guest post long time in the making. Or at least a few weeks. You see, Travis was the winner of this year's Bracketstravaganza, and he is due a guest post on this blog because of his prognostication skills.

But instead of simply gloating, Travis decided to stay hungry, humble and thankful for the companionship of a good friend.

Let's send it over to Trav:

Justin Ellis is on vacation. While he's gone, we will be publishing with the help of "guest bloggers."

Today's guest writer is Rob Landry who runs Pemaquid Communications, a funky little Web design shop, in greater Portland. Rob's on a mission to develop a top-flight community of Web creatives in southern Maine. When he's not sitting in front of his computer Twittering, he likes to hop on his bike or in his kayak, and he plays bass guitar in Bluezberry Jam, a funky little blues band.

Rob lives in Cumberland with his wife Rachel and their two kids, Kathryn and Harry.

Justin? Justin! JUS-TINNNN?! Oh, yeah, wait, Justin's not here this week because he's slinging his star-spangled shield against the enemies of freedom in...well, I've said too much. Anyway, he didn't need his sidekick for this one, so Videoport Bucky's on his own for now. The new releases this week at Videoport are as follows:

Justin Ellis is on vacation. While he's gone, we will be publishing with the help of "guest bloggers."

Today's guest writer is Jenna Vendil, 24, currently the Field Director for the League of Young Voters. Prior to this, she has spent the last several years working on housing, health care and racial justice issues with various non-profits in Maine. She is fascinated with cultural fads and social movements and wonders what her generation's legacy will be in history. She has her own blog that she should probably update more frequently:

Justin Ellis is on vacation. While he's gone, we will be publishing with the help of "guest bloggers."

Today's guest writer is Kathryn Hawkins who lives in Gray with her husband Jeff and an abundance of animal friends. She has written for publications including GOOD Magazine, Wildlife Conservation, and Chow.com, and is the editor of Razoo.com, a website for everyday philanthropy. You can learn more at kathrynhawkins.com.

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.

The week would truly not be complete without a that healthy dose of internet radiation that is The Scanner. But in my stead, Christian McNeil has stepped up to the plate to provide the goods.