The Hidden City’s aim is to create a database of stories that have helped shape the community we live and work in today

It’s basically a map with some nicely produced audio slideshows and very nice it is too. You can subscribe to updates via Twitter, the Tumblr or iTunes. Have an explore around. This one’s about The Drum:

They’re looking to commission regional artists and designers to devise and produce a piece of live art that will be featured inside the iPhone app. It says here that inter-disciplinary collaboration is favourable.

The full brief is here. If you’re interested, you need to submit your idea by 8 Feb (that’s tomorrow). They’re only looking for 200 words and your contact details though, so it’s not too bad.

In 2010, Birmingham was due to become a leading digital city. I’ve no reason to assume that didn’t happen on schedule, although I’ve been flicking through The Drum’s list of Top 100 Digital Agencies (by fee income) and they don’t seem to have got the memo.

The Midlands (east and west) only have three agencies listed. Those are:

• Freestyle in Warwick (59th)
• Big Picture in Leamington Spa (92nd).
• WAA, who are identified as Sutton Coldfield rather than Birmingham but we know the truth (90th)

The good news is we beat Wales (one agency listed) and the North East (also one agency, although their fee income easily outstrips the combined Midlands ones). Hurrah, I suppose.

Well done to 383 Project for their mention in the ones to watch for 2012 list.

Storebeez is

a virtual mall focused on helping small businesses and artisans take their offline business online

It’s been put together by a team at the Oxygen Accelerator tech startup programme at Birmingham Science Park.

It’s just gone live, giving people the option to set up their own online shops. I know there are a few big plans in the works and this is just stage one but, for starters, the option for shoppers to search across all stores (which I always thought was strangely absent from the likes of Big Cartel and Shopify) is there.

If you’re after an online shop then you might want to give this one a look. It’s free to set up a store, instead there’s a 10% transaction cost on sales. Because the team’s local they’re probably very receptive to feedback for improving the service too.

Whack-a-Cake is a game that was built by:

volunteers from the UK tech community as part of the “Children in Need Tech Challenge” hosted at The Oxygen Accelerator in Birmingham.

600 schoolchildren in the Birmingham area were asked to come up with a game idea and the characters that they saw being part of it. The best entries were shortlisted and asked to come to Oxygen and face a “Dragons Den” panel of game developers, designers and local businessmen

It was built in a 48-hour flurry over the weekend. Here’s the full list of people who made it happen.

a one day festival showcasing contemporary artists who misuse and abuse computer hardware and software to striking effect.

The main GLI.TC/H website is here. Good luck getting anything useful out of that one. Best to head over to Vivid’s website to see the programme of screenings, performances, workshops and lectures.

It’s all happening on 19 November. For more info, Antonio Roberts has been running previews on his blog for the past week or so.

There’s information about the event here although the highlight of the evening will be:

a panel debate with some high-profile industry figures including; Chris Deering, former President of Sony Entertainment Europe, Kim Blake, Education Liason Manager of Blitz Games, Leigh Thomas, CEO of First Light and Mike Nutley, former Editor and Chief of New Media Age. The topic will be Nurturing the Digital Talent of the Future.

If you’re quick you might still be able to register here. Otherwise I’ll be liveblogging from 6pm and you can follow along with that here:

Inverted Ziggurat by maniacyak.

Building on the City as a Platform event that took place during the Conservative Party Conference 2010, this full day of panels and breakout sessions will explore these issues and opportunities, presenting case studies including Maverick Digital’s groundbreaking NHS Local project and the Screen WM/Channel 4 supported ChromaRoma, which uses the London Underground Oyster Card system as a playing piece in a city-wide social game.

The pair of us are running the liveblog there. If you’re on Twitter you can follow along on the #caap2011 hashtag or by following the liveblog below. Comments, thoughts and so on are all welcome.

The Public are hosting two open exhibitions in 2011, and have pushed back the deadline for submissions to Friday 31 December 2010.

TOUCHINTERACTIVE 2011 is to be the UK’s first open exhibition specifically for digital interactive artwork, and SCREENING 2011 will offer film and video artists a chance to exhibit work.

Both exhibitions are free to enter and are open internationally to both early career and professional interactive, film and video artists, although priority will be given to those around the West Midlands or at early stages in their career.

Selected applicants will be exhibited in Febuary 2011. For more information and how to download the application form, see The Public’s website.