A couple weeks back, Flavorpill HQ-ers and friends got a brutal wake-up call from Meetup.com founder Scott Heiferman. “Get the f*ck away from screens!” He yelled. Wha? This was semi-shocking news, coming from and directed at “new media” mavens. But over the course of his Flavorpill Salon talk at Housing Works, Heiferman explained the power of both the nefarious “invasion of the screens” (when you only involve your iPhone, think of all the human interaction you’re missing, and the relationships you fail to build) as well as a self-organizing, DIO — that’d be “do it ourselves” — spirit. Ultimately, for Heiferman it seems that while online organizing is a useful platform — after all, Meetup is an Internet company — “virtual groups are virtually worthless,” and face-to-face interactions are still the best form of communication and organization. And that’s a philosophy that jives pretty well with Flavorpill’s ethos of getting readers off the couch and into the culture of their city.

Congratulations to our Barcelona Travel Journal winners: Seema D of Missouri and Anna B of Brooklyn (no, not that Anna B). Read all about their adventures on Le Méridien’s Travel Journal blog in mid-July. Also, keep your eyes open for our next Travel Journal contest! We’re jetting to a new exotic locale with Le Méridien this winter.

This June, Le Méridien and Flavorpill team up once again to send two lucky cultural explorers (and their guests) on the trip of a lifetime. If you’re a travel junkie, enter now to win airfare and a three-night stay, a Flavorpill-curated odyssey in the Catalan capital — including VIP treatment at the grand opening of Le Méridien’s Barcelona hotel — and a digital camera to capture the excitement. Upon their return (and recovery from jet-lag), the two winners will share their adventures with the world, via LM’s Travel Blog. The contest is open until midnight on Wednesday, May 9. Winners will be notified on Thursday, May 15. Start packing…

While a chocolate factory tour probably wouldn’t entice us in the same way that it did when we were nine, there are still plenty of priceless commodities and experiences that fall (for most of us) under the “money can’t buy” category. Enter Flavorpill advertiser MasterCard. Somewhere, buried in the April issue of a magazine, is a new kind of golden ticket; one entitles the bearer to a weeklong, multi-continent foodie adventure with star chef David Bouley; another promises a commissioned portrait by artist Julian Schnabel (his first ever); while the third ticket takes the recipient around the globe to visit seven wonders of the world. Each prize aims to expand winners’ cultural horizons — something we’re proud to be a part of here at Flavorpill, even if our budgets are generally more Bowery than Bouley. Learn more here.

We’re big on Next Big Things, but those things aren’t always bands, dancers, and DJs. We also try to clue you in to worthy social and environmental causes — organizations and nonprofits we believe in, and think deserve your dollar, too. That’s the idea behind our partnerships with the organizations you’ll find on our new Social Causes page, our involvement with the official Live Earth US afterparty, as well as our continued listing of charitable and green events and fundraisers. After all, it’s tough to have a culture without a conscience.

Our partners at BuzzD, the team behind Flavorpill Mobile, have been making headlines lately. In addition to developing a great partnership with Helio Mobile, they’ve been winning awards on the global mobile scene.

On our end, we’ve got some updates to the system queued up which should increase usability for everyone. If you haven’t tried it out yet, give it a whirl. You can sample it right in your browser.

Last week, we redesigned our Film mailer sign-up page to include content from our partnership with the Sundance Film Festival. Now, besides signing up to receive the soon-to-be-launched Film mailer, you can check the Live@Sundance series, which offers exclusive, behind-the-scenes footage from the ‘08 fest. A slew of industry veterans lend perspective, from technicians and directors to writers and actors. The ten thoughtfully crafted shorts are a welcome substitute for those of us who were unable to make it to Park City this year, and a great preview of what to expect from our upcoming Film publication.

It’s less than a month away, so a lot of us are already planning our New Year’s Eve shenanigans, from McKibbins Loft parties to the (ahem!) Pull-Out Method. Sadly for ‘pill staffers (and our families — even step-relations, damn), we’re not eligible for a new contest brought to the general public by Flavorpill and Le Méridien hotels. Today through December 12, all the rest of you can enter to win one of four NYE adventures to Shanghai, Vienna, Monaco, or Miami. Winners score a three-night stay at a Le Méridien hotel and a Flavorpill-curated odyssey through the city, exploring local culture. They’ll also be uploading pics and blog posts, so those of us stuck at home can enviously check up on their awesome vacations. The best way to head off that green-eyed monster? Enter to win.

We’re big art fans (duh). But we’ve also honed partying down to an art form. That’s why we’re throwing Flavorpill Miami’s one-year anniversary party concurrent with Art Basel Miami. A bunch of us are heading down for the fête; book your plane tickets now, too, and replace rain and snow with sun and sand on Saturday, December 8. We’ve teamed up with resident party-monsters Aquabooty to bring art-punks Japanther (who tore it up at our Halloween shindig here in New York), avant-pop mistresses Something in Spanish, and legendary house DJs Danny Krivit and DJ Harvey. Ghostly International’s Sam Valenti VI, Aquabooty’s own DHM and Lust4house, and Fuevoz’s visual aces round out the bill. We’ll make sure to give all art-stars way more than a measly 15 minutes — Budweiser Select promises a two-hour open bar.

Last week, fellow web presence Nerve.com threw a launch party for its new “green” sister site. Flavor-founder Mark showed up. Absinthe was rumored to be poured. But, as Gawker has reported, the new site remains unnamed, and as such, offline. Still, a green heart is undoubtedly in the right place. Speaking of which: For the past year we’ve partnered with charity: water, a great non-profit that pledges 100% of every donation toward building sustainable wells in Africa. We’ve drummed up donations for charity: water at all of our parties, plus we matched readers’ contributions last holiday season. You can donate whatever amount you want, or buy what might be the most expensive bottled water you never get to taste (each “virtual bottle” is $20). Just rest assured that, while your dollars may not quench your thirst, they are hard at work bringing potable water to thousands of impoverished people. If you’re looking for more ways to give back, check our city guides this week for volunteer call-outs (including special Turkey Day options).