Populist: 11- 17 January

Populist brings you a bite sized round up of the best of Londonist this week. Catch up on the coolest, quirkiest, most recommended and talked about stories and find out what's hot and what's happening for the week ahead.

In the news:

The most incredibly sophisticated squat in town gives eclectic classes for free and makes "murder in the dark" fun again.

Heathrow gets approval for third runway with inevitable beginnings of a backlash while support for an Estuary airport seems to be growing too.

London employers get a thumbs up for being gay friendly, as does the recession yet sadly, Astoria fails to be gay on its final, final, final night.

The 1911 census for London went online, providing yet another way to waste hours avoiding work, tracing ancestors and celebrity lives.

We're halfway to the 2012 Olympics so it's time for us the kids to design an Olympic coin. Whilst in a creative mood, we pondered the fate of the Evening Standard.

Check out the news archives for more.

What's hot:

London geekery: mapping V2 rocket sites, discovering the River Peck, admiring gasometers, braving freezing weather to compare ways of crossing the Thames at Woolwich and booking for the London Lore conference.

Foodies salivate over Red Pig's Pierogi and food porn shots of Abeno Too.

Animal Collective cause rapture at Koko, Bananas go down well at Austin Gallery, you should listen up to Ou Est Le Swimming Pool and be happy that St Stephen's Hampstead is getting reincarnated as a theatre.

Use that new year zing to learn to knit, caper in sets or get out and about on the cheap.

Check out the Arts and Events tag for more.

Images clockwise from top left: discovering the Peck, Urban Sightseeing, DIY dinner at Abeno Too and the restoration of St Stephens. Keep track of our most popular posts by checking out Favourites or using the Populist tag.