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When my family went to Montreal on vacation in the 1970s I spent an uncomfortable few days with an itchy piece of paper stuffed inside my sock. My mom, worried that I would not be able to communicate with the French-speaking population if I got lost, had written down the contact information for our hotel on a piece of paper and stuck it in a safe, though annoying location. This memory came back to me when we took our toddler up to Vancouver B.C. (his vocabulary and grasp of English astonishes me but it'd be useless for a stranger). I didn't stick anything on him but I thought it'd be neat if you could order a custom temporary tattoo with your cell phone #. Of course I'm not the first to think of it. DaddyTypes linked to a temporary tattoo for kids that has a space to write in a number (it comes with a pen). You could also buy custom tattoo printer paper, assuming you trust that your printer ink is safe for this purpose.
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Stephen Ho dreams of building a Shaolin Temple in San Francisco and bringing the ancient practice to the U.S. as a religion. But he is at odds with the Shaolin monk, Shi GuoSong, sent from the Chinese temple to help with his cause. Ho is a longtime student of Buddhism and in GouSong he sees plenty of martial arts discipline but little of the practice of silent meditation and spiritual customs that he expected from those following Shaolin as a faith. It's a classic rift over what constitutes a religion and its practice, but in this case Ho holds GouSong's visa sponsorship and will make his own vision hold true. He intends to sever his sponsorship and carefully interview the future Shaolin he brings to the U.S.
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Friday, April 27, 2007
Friday Flashback: Astounding 80's YouTube find: the Square Pegs episode with Devo (part 1, part 2, part 3). Muffy's having a New Wave Bat Mitzvah!
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If the show Babylon 5 used to be on your radar but fell firmly off (it is over a decade old after all), you'll want to know that 15 volumes containing the scripts for all 92 Babylon 5 episodes (plus two movies) are being made available by J. Michael Straczynski. 11 have been released already. The 15th will be available (free) only to those who buy all 14 volumes. In more exciting news, Babylon 5 - The Lost Tales
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Thursday, April 26, 2007
Nifty A4 paper art from Peter Callesen. (via Medley)
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The NY Times has a blurb on The Smart Cycle from Fisher-Price. It's a stationary bicycle for toddlers that hooks up to the TV so they can play pedaling games. It's got a joystick also. The bike was rolled out at the Toy Fair in February and I missed the mention on Engadget. It will be out this summer for $100 with additional games (Dora, Hot Wheels) at $20.
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Wednesday, April 25, 2007
The retired ferries of Washington state. Steve Pickens' eight-year old EvergreenFleet.com website has details on over 70 retired ferries in the Pacific Northwest and San Diego, plus information on the current Washington fleet. Each boat has its own unique history.
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No one knows the intricate details of a museum piece as well as the artisan who affixes it to the display case. Two mount-makers created a custom bracket for each of the 1,008 pieces in the Seattle Art Museum's display of European and Asian teapots, saucers and statuettes. Every earthquake-safe bracket is its own invisible work of art composed of Plexiglas and wax. The mount-maker has the rare privilege of touching and examining these ancient ceramics up close as they determine the best way to display it. The renovated SAM opens to the public on May 5th with a 35-hour opening marathon.
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Tuesday, April 24, 2007
We've launched CatInABox.com. Because cats like to sit inside of things and their owners like to take photos. And because tumblr is great for people who should know better than to add another blog to their busy lives.
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The May issue of Sunset magazine has a list of Top 10 Rafting Trips and #1 is a journey down the Colorado River with a string quartet. Yes a cellist actually carts her (or a rental) instrument down the Grand Canyon along with the violins and viola for rafters to enjoy the natural acoustics. A similar trip is chronicled in this 1998 article where the musicians battled against mosquitos along Utah's Green River. One morning cello solo was called on account of bugs.
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Monday, April 23, 2007
There's a house going up in Walnut Creek, CA that was manufactured in Austria. The prefabricated structure is composed of European Larch panels, twelve inches thick, fixed together with dried wooden dowels that will absorb moisture from the panels and expand to keep it all secure. Architect Gordon Pierce is building the home for his daughter's family. He's President of Pure Wood Solutions, which hopes to raise U.S. interest in this patented prefab system known as Thoma Holz100. It's quick (a house can be assembled in 3 days) and green (the European Larch is easy to grow, no glues or chemicals are used, and the factory is fueled by wood waste).
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At center stage on the front page of Saturday's Seattle Times was an article on big budget local high school musicals. Many local drama departments are going all out, licensing Broadway shows whose royalty fees alone exceed the budget of most high school productions. Ticket sales and donations make up the bulk of these ambituous shows' costs which run $25,000 and up to $90,000 (Bishop Blanchet High's "Barnum"). Elaborate sets are constructed, costumes custom-made or rented, fight choreographers hired. Pros (aka "ringers") are even hired to plump up the pit orchestra. The kids of course have a magnificent experience, but I wonder if they'd be better off learning how to gather the forces needed to put a play on in a barn.
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Friday, April 20, 2007
A city audit reveals that San Francisco cable car riders have a 40% chance of riding free. Conductors didn't collect fares in 17 out of 42 undercover boardings. "San Francisco's public transit system raises only 22 percent of its operating expenses at the fare box." A cable car ride costs 5 bucks.
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The first big trailer for the movie-based-on-the-musical-based-on-the-movie Hairspray is out. Pick your poison: Youtube, AOL, official site. Michelle Pfeiffer, Allison Janney, and Christopher Walken!
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Here are some amazing sculptures made out of books. Each artist has a unique approach to shaping art from bound pages. There's even a functional lamp!
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Thursday, April 19, 2007
In 2003, archeologists in Cyprus unearthed the oldest known perfume factory, dated to 2000 B.C. They extracted fragrances from the containers found at the site and used them as the basis for four perfumes. Visitors to Rome's Capitoline Museums can smell these ancient concoctions of spices and oils at a special exhibit.
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Hello Kitty obsessed brides can now don real (i.e. not plastic) bridal jewelry featuring their heroine with a new pink hairdo. There are glass pearl necklaces and bracelets, a collar, a belt, and, of course, a stunning tiara with Swarovski crystals and three lucite cameos of the Kitty herself. I think I'd almost rather wear the Hello Kitty Wedding Dress. (via Fashionista)
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Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Oklahoma is about to declare the watermelon to be the official state vegetable. They already have a state fruit, the strawberry. Watermelons fit into both fruit and vegetable definitions depending on what perspective you have.
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The San Francisco chapter of the American Institute of Architects came up with a "semiofficial list" of their top 25 buildings in the area. Chapter Executive Director Margie O'Driscoll's original goal was a top five list but they ended up with five categories with five each instead. Some are obvious, some surprising.
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Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Daily Horoscope for All: Today you should relax, hug your loved ones, and, if vicinity allows, partake in Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day. Their store locator includes info on participating locations.
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Monday, April 16, 2007
When Rick & Billie Broome added a sunroom to their house they had to hire a crane to lift in the primary component of the decor. Measuring 15,800 pounds, 50 feet long, 12.5 feet wide and 27.5 feet tall, this wasn't a fancy hot tub or mahogany bar. The Broomes built their sunroom around the front section of a United Boeing 727. The idea came to Rick Broome, a plane nut (needless to say), in a dream when he was 16. An artist, his nearby studio work table, resembles a United Airline ticket counter. He's hooked up the first-class lavatory, heat & A/C, and has plans to paint the floor of the room and ceiling of the cockpit so he can pretend he is in flight.
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"I'm in the time warp of vinyl, and it works for me" says Jim Goff, owner of JNS Phonograph Needles. He repairs record players, sells needles and other phonograph supplies at his Seattle store. There are records for sale too, left over from the stock of Standard Records which occupied the space until 1987. Goff discovered his skill for phonograph repair while working for the owners of Standard Records and he and his wife ended up buying them out. Now vinyl fans bring and send in their turntables for his expert care and flat $45 fee (plus parts). But don't expect to find JNS on the Internet. Goff's "time warp of vinyl" remark is strictly true. No computers, no fax, and no credit cards either.
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Friday, April 13, 2007
Eating out with Food Allergies
We don't go out to eat very much because of our son's food allergies. Eating out doesn't need to be a part of our lives, but it's certainly a convenience for us working parents and it's a social activity with friends. We prefer Asian foods but there's usually a language barrier that reduces my confidence that our restrictions will be understood. I've searched chain restaurant websites for ingredient lists or allergy information. The dominant fast food places (e.g. McDonald's, Burger King) are very open about listing their ingredients and you can trust that their robotic food assembly lines won't stray from set procedures. But fast food isn't really what I want.
Each chain handles allergy information differently, many inadequately. Chili's, for example, has a PDF with an exhaustive list of what items are safe for each common allergen. But the structure makes it difficult to determine what is safe if you have multiple allergies. Outback Steakhouse has a "General Guidelines for Allergies" that is specific to nuts and dairy (gee thanks). The best method for a place that doesn't want to list its ingredients is a chart with the menu list down the leftmost column and then a list of allergens across top (BK has this and ingredients lists). Each item gets marked if it's got the allergen so it's easy to spot the clear winners. Many places don't bother with allergen info and I understand it's a hassle and also a liability to put out a guarantee that something is safe when cross-contamination and substitutions can easily occur.
In Massachusetts, celeb chef Ming Tsai has been campaigning for legislation to raise awareness of common allergens in restaurant kitchens. His son used to have seven of the common eight food allergies. Restaurant associations are of course against any laws since they'll come with the burden of potential lawsuits. Some places do train their staff and are very accommodating. It can't hurt to ask when you eat out, but of course the best solution is to bring your own food and explain why. The more awareness there is for this growing problem the more restaurants will want to help out voluntarily.
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Thursday, April 12, 2007
It's hockey playoff season. For the small handful of you who aren't aware of how Canadians feel about hockey, remember: Canadians love hockey and Canadians love Hockey Night, the Saturday CBC broadcast with a 50 year history. This playoff season, the National Hockey League has screwed over CBC's Hockey Night (yes, I said screwed, sorry mom). CBC was expecting to get Saturday's Ottawa Senators & Pittsburgh Penguins game. The Penguins' Sidney Crosby is Canada's new Wayne Gretzy (or Mario Lemieux if you prefer) adding Canadian appeal for CBC and marketing appeal for America's NBC. Guess who the NHL decided to make happy? NBC. The game will be played in the afternoon on NBC and CBC gets the Tampa Bay Lightning & New Jersey Devils instead (yawn). CBC will see at most one Canadian team for Hockey Night playoffs. They paid the NHL $500+ million for six year broadcast rights. NBC only pays the NHL if their ads make money (ah ha, incentive!). The Nova Scotia House of Assembly actually passed a resolution protesting the NHL decision. "Screwed" pretty much sums it up. Sorry Canada!
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When it's time to retire, the equine members of the San Francisco Police Department go out in style. Chub, Ernie, and AAA Andy were given a fancy retirement ceremony at the Police Stables in Golden Gate Park on Tuesday. They then headed to Rocking B Ranch in Sonoma County under the care of the San Francisco SPCA. Their shoes will be removed and they will be free to frolic with the five other retirees kicking back in the fields. Two youngsters, Rusty and Seattle, both 8 years old, were sworn into the police force at the same ceremony.
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Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Mary Allen Hood decided recently that she wanted to buy her high school class ring. The fact that she is 97 and graduated in 1928 did not deter her from calling up Washington-Lee High School in Virginia and asking if they could help her fulfill this little dream. School officials managed to find a 1937 model on which the ring company based a design and Hood happily ponied over $513.04 to pay for it. After her story made the news, the management at Hess Construction Company decided they wanted to pay for her ring. The reason? They're about to demolish Washington-Lee High School, home of the memories her ring will hold, and build a completely new facility.
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Tuesday, April 10, 2007
As a follow-up to the Washington Post story on Joshua Bell's busking efforts, writer Gene Weingarten had an online discussion which reveals further background information to the story. Weingarten was unable to convince the D.C. Metro officials to allow Bell (or any musician) to play in a station, so he turned to the property management for the arcade area adjoining a Metro elevator. They agreed in a jiffy. Also, in a deal with Bell's publicist, the story, which took place in January, was held until April 8th to coincide with the April 10th awarding of the Avery Fisher Prize to Bell. There are other backstory tidbits and musings from Weingarten in the session, and of course plenty of differing opinions from readers. What Weingarten wanted to understand was what exactly made so many readers cry when they read the article?
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Fans of the Powerpuff Girls will be amused by the Japanese anime "Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z" based on the series. Cartoon Network took the Powerpuffs to Japan and reworked the premise (which was itself inspired somewhat by anime) with anime producers. The girls are not exactly the same Powerpuffs, as they are regular girls who've been exposed to Chemical Z, but there are many characters and plot aspects retained from the original series. Now teenagers, Hyper Blossom, Rolling Bubbles, and Powered Buttercup fight crime (of course) and have special weapons. Bubbles' weapon is a bubble wand. The show premiered last summer and escaped my radar until the recent announcement of a Powerpuff Girls Z Nintendo DS game.
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Monday, April 09, 2007
A long stay at Alcatraz wouldn't appeal to many, and the 18 hour solitary night watchman shift barely appeals to any. Gregory Johnson plays upbeat music on his iPod as he walks the deserted prison buildings, trying not to think about the long-gone occupants, the murders and suicides. Previous holders of his post report a few mysterious goings on, but they all know the creepy surroundings plays tricks on your mind.
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As a parent you can discover and even rediscover wonderful, often simple enjoyments through the perspective of a toddler. The Washington Post's experiment where they set up virtuoso violinist Joshua Bell as a busker in a subway station reveals that "Every single time a child walked past, he or she tried to stop and watch. And every single time, a parent scooted the kid away." It was morning commute time and the parents can't be faulted for rushing their kids off to school. But it's a reminder to take your children's lead sometimes. They don't have the same filters and conditioned responses that you do. (thanks Steve!)
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Friday, April 06, 2007
The San Francisco branch of Cody's Books will go the way of many bookstores and close its doors on April 20th. Situated in a high profile shopping area, with the Apple Store and Border's Books nearby, plus a Barneys under construction, the store was losing $70,000 a month. Andrew Ross, president of Cody's, took a huge risk in opening the store 20 months ago, mortgaging his house to do so. A long-lived Berkeley location on Telegraph Ave closed a year ago. But the Cody's on Fourth Street in Berkeley is still doing well, so all is not yet lost.
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Thursday, April 05, 2007
Christie's auctioned off the Strad I mentioned on Monday for $2,728,000 (including commission). Bidder Ric Heinl would not name the new owner but Heinl is from Canada so it may be going up north. Let it out to be played!
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$16,000 at the new Ritz-Carlton in Tokyo will buy you a Diamonds-Are-Forever Martini which comes with a one-carat Bulgari diamond and free ring setting. It won't, however, buy you a night in the Presidential Suite. For that you need $20,000.
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Dewey the cat, a long-time resident of the library in Spencer, Iowa, will be immortalized in a book that garnered a $1.25 million advance for its authors. Librarian Vicki Myron will pen the book along with Bret Witter. Grand Central Publishing trumped a planned auction for the book deal by putting in the huge bid. Editor Karen Kosztolnyik told the N.Y. Times: "You can’t underestimate the market out there for people who love animals." They're hoping this will be as big as "Marley & Me" which has sold 1.85 million in hardcover. Dewey unfortunately passed away in November, about 19 years after he was found in the library book drop.
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Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Biologist Jana Johnson is restoring the Palos Verdes blue butterfly population, one pupa at a time. She has a crop of 720 this year, split between two captive breeding locations in Southern California. Only about 200 Palos Verdes blues exist in the wild today, but that's up from 50 in 2003. Johnson coaxes butterflies out of their pupae casings, plays them inspirational music (such as "Defying Gravity" from the musical "Wicked"), and feeds them honey water and Fierce Melon Gatorade (scientifically proven to be preferred by the Miami blue butterfly). Eventually she hopes to have enough of a population to start establishing multiple new colonies in the great outdoors.
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Our toddler sits on a couple of phone books (taped together no less!) at the dinner table, so I thought this booster seat styled as the yellow pages was hilarious. Since they don't have the Space Needle on them I'm not sure our son would actually sit on them. As he often points out, his booster seat has the Space Needle on both sides. I doubt he'll ever have a need to use a phone book for its intended purpose.
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Monday, April 02, 2007
It's a normal day in kindergarten at Starr King Elementary in San Francisco. The kids have circle time, identify shapes and colors, practice writing, and sing the "clean up" song. Seven months ago these students entered the classroom for the first time and could not understand a word their teacher was saying. She refused to speak English, sticking only to Mandarin, as frustrating as it was to everyone. But today they are happily learning characters instead of letters, singing Mandarin versions of popular kiddie songs, and watching Chinese videos on rainy days. Starr King's language-immersion program had a few initial hurdles to overcome. The hope was to start with an even mix of Mandarin and English speakers. Instead the two classes were filled entirely with English speakers. One teacher still needed to be hired when school began. The Chronicle has been visiting with the class regularly since its inception. Most recently it visited with one of four African American students recruited into the program.
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Christie's in New York is auctioning off a Stradivarius violin today and, the N.Y. Times realized, violinists who attended the public viewing last week actually had the unique opportunity to play this prized instrument. They first had to pass muster with Kerry Keane, overseer of Christie's musical instruments in New York or Benjamin Hebbert from Christie's London office. No one was rejected, though Hebbert wished he had turned down a few of the bad players. Hebbert also admitted to checking for "the telltale bruise under the jaw" that violinists often have. (I've never heard it referred to as a bruise. Those of us in impolite musician circles call it "the violin hickey".) The Strad, named the "Solomon, Ex-Lambert" after two previous owners, has an auction estimate of $1 million to $1.5 million. Christie's sold 'The Hammer' Strad last year for over $3.5 million. Let's hope it goes to someone who will play it or lend it.
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