Owen, approaching mid-career, is feeling sober. In part, he means he's becoming a wiser, less self-conscious designer, more receptive to the nuances of a market already filled with smart objects. But this doesn't mean he's getting conservative. He's gained clarity, he says, a willingness to engage in a process that allows practical concerns like economics and manufacturing technology to inform design.

"Philadelphia's tipping point is a triangulation between available land, great location, affordability and an influx of creative-class types. All of the projects we show speculate on how this energy can help to produce infill activity in key areas."

In this city, nothing so zestfully calls to mind the need for design evolution than "A Clean Break," a "pop-up neighborhood" exhibit of prefabricated spaces combining notions of sustainability, affordable housing, eco-friendliness and near-future revitalization.

With a whopping 90 events — from exhibitions and lectures to open studios and workshops — on offer, DesignPhiladelphia gives new meaning to the term "sensory overload." Not that we mind.

How can this be different? How can this be better?

by Brian Howard

Good Advice, Anytime.

by Bruce Schimmel

What You Say

People are past the point of panic attacks/excessive drinking/doctor-shopping for Xanax in reaction to reports of massive job cuts, outsourcing and skyrocketing commodity prices. It's old news. Even so, bills don't pay themselves, and if you are among the many mired in occupational insecurity, you may have considered a job fair or career expo.

"I have to feed my babies and I miss being a shopkeeper. I guess you can say I'm a slugger. Either that or nuts."

Evolution test? Is that really something we want to take?

In Pennsylvania, it is illegal to buy, sell or distribute syringes without a prescription. But people who inject drugs need to find them somewhere. One place to get them is on the street. But there is another way: Drug users can go to a van staffed by the nonprofit Prevention Point Philadelphia and exchange a dirty needle for a guaranteed-clean one. Strictly speaking, the program is still illegal. For 17 years, though, the city of Philadelphia has not only tolerated the program, but helped fund it. Why? Because it works.

When news breaks in Philadelphia, we make jokes.

What enables players to "police" the field by throwing at each other and brawling? The answer, it seems, are baseball's Unwritten Rules. Known to players of every uniform and nationality, plus umpires and Major League Baseball itself, the Unwritten Rules are copious — you might be surprised at the sheer amount of unofficial protocol in a game in which chewing tobacco and adjusting oneself mid-inning are commonly accepted.

As one might expect from a man who practices a dying art, Ray separates work from life.

by Mike Newall

by Mary F. Patel

The curious academic life of Penn's first black professor eludes even his reverent biographer.

by Nick Norlen

John Vettese sees what develops

by John Vettese

by Mark Cofta

by Mark Cofta

by David Shengold

Parsons Dance | Spooky Action | Roy Blount Jr. | Magnetic North | ContempraDance Theatre

Feet | WYSIWYG | Bioforms

Dracula Festival

by John Vettese

The Chemical Heritage Foundation Museum

by Rachel Dukeman

The movie reveals the history and the extent of Kym's drug problems gradually. At first, she seems like a standard-issue movie malcontent, cracking wise like a sardonic teenager and bristling at her father's attempts to keep an eye on her. But as the family's dynamics unfold, it becomes clear that Kym's addiction is long-standing, and that its consequences have been tragic.

"These stories are about athletes as heroes, imperfect people that achieve great things. It's really about the human stories."

Send repertory film listings to molly.eichel@citypaper.net.

Pop culture will tell you that being a child of the famous isn't easy, but Anoushka Shankar has a different story.

Peter Burwasser on Classical

by Peter Burwasser

Outerspace | Bad Touch | Wovenhand | Network for New Music | Werner Moebius

Fri., Oct. 17, 8 p.m., $12, all ages, with Frightened Rabbit and The Sw!ms, First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., 866-468-7619, r5productions.com.

by Kevin Pearson

Fri., Oct. 17, 10 p.m., $7-$10, with Emynd and Bo Bliz, Fluid, 613 S. Fourth St., myspace.com/reefthelostcauze.

by Deesha Dyer

Thu., Oct. 16, 8 p.m., $15, Settlement Music School, Mary Louise Curtis Branch, 416 Queen St., myspace.com/mwinfection.

by Shaun Brady

For Jack: A Tribute to the Music of Christopher Tucker, Fri., Oct. 17, 9 p.m., $10, North Star Bar, 2639 Poplar St., northstarbar.com.

by A.D. Amorosi

Michael Maierhof, Sat., Oct. 18, 8 p.m., $10, Slought Foundation, 4017 Walnut St., 215-701-4627; Mauricio Kagel, Sun., Oct. 19, 8 p.m., $10, International House, 3701 Chestnut St., 215-387-5125, soundfield.org.

by Shaun Brady

Hora named his restaurant Root because the word represents the foundation for everything that grows. Here's hoping the chef continues to do just that — all while keeping his roots planted right where they are.

Mi Lah Vegetarian | Earth Bread + Brewery | New chef for South Philly Tap Room | Meal Ticket

The Plaza's perch on the building's spacious pedestal gives the lunch crowd a slice of high-urban love that is without parallel in Philadelphia.

Rarefied

by Felicia D'Ambrosio

Get Out!

by Nikki Volpicelli

Fall shopping for the reluctant consumer

by Holly Otterbein

Bigger is Better | Vintage Collection's First Birthday Party | Jump Trunk Show | Habitude

American Indian Powwow

by Jimmy Viola

Home Movie Day

by Kathryn Lipman

Achieving a Nuclear Weapons-Free World

by Andrew Thompson

CSI: Museum

by Campbell States