Many Torontonians know about the U.S. based TED and the now global TEDx events that revived eighteenth-century Parisian salons. Now meet heads.

Heads is the latest homegrown, TED-like event. Like the salons they emulate, TED and heads are social gatherings to exchange ideas and meet new people. Think scholarly conference, minus the formality, long presentations and academic-speak. Instead, add booze, short talks and mingling. The video above is one of the talks at heads 01 in October 2009.

Winter cyclists are a crazy breed. That being said, this is the first year I've ever considered pedaling in the minus degree weather. But I wasn't quite convinced.

I ended-up at one of Bikechain's Winter Riding seminars this week to learn more about winter biking. I left just as skeptical.

"The Toronto Women's Bookstore is in crisis and we need your help!" That's the first line of an e-mail the non-profit bookstore sent to their general list-serve on Wednesday.

"We can't pay our bills," the board chair told me yesterday. Robyn Bourgeois thanks the recession and continued competition from big box book retailers for decreasing sales.

"It's a shame to see us go. We're important for people who want to think critically about the world."

If Toronto was a high school, Bloorcourt would be the kid whose name no one remembers.

To ensure its spot in the metaphoric yearbook, the forgettable neighbourhood on Bloor Street West (from Montrose to Dufferin) is getting a makeover. It started in 2008 with the annual Big on Bloor street festival and the inauguration of the experimental Storefront project, a social networking space (both physical and virtual) that seeks to unite the various elements of the community.

Now Bloorcourt is putting itself on the map as something of an outdoor gallery with intriguing pieces of art in the form of six foot banners hoisted on hydro poles.

David Bergeron is a carpenter. Naturally, a friend asked him to make her a dildo. And naturally, he did.

She liked it so much that David started his wooden dildo business a year ago. I met him and his unique pleasure sticks at The Everything To Do With Sex Show in Toronto last weekend.

Neighbours of Rolly's Garage, the mechanic shop turned arts venue on Lower Ossington, are in a bit of a quagmire. They like sleep. They also like art and the creative use of buildings.

"I think what's happening in the building is great... but sometimes the noise was totally unbearable," says one of Rolly's residential neighbours, who preferred to remain anonymous. "I called the police a few times because of it."

Another neighbour called a building inspector. The visit recently shut Rolly's bay door. Now Robin Lacambra is struggling to raise $100,000 to renovate the garage before it can open as a venue again. One of the renos includes soundproofing the building.