guest post by mikl-em

Berkeley’s Shotgun Players are staging Ubu Roi the classic work of proto-dadaism. Performances will be in John Hinkel Park in Berkeley.

The show opens this Saturday and runs until mid-September, it’s a free show in the park but donations are encouraged (just like the SF Mime Troupe). It’s a rare opportunity to see a first rate production of one of the great strange theatrical works of all time. And it’s the perfect thing for an election year!

Ridiculous! Raucous! Irreverent! Absurd!

Shotgun Players invite you to jeer at the candidates, throw some rotten cabbages and stand up for what you really believe in at John Hinkel Park - starting this weekend!

Saturdays and Sundays at 4pm
August 2nd - September 14th

Bring a picnic! Or belly up to the concessions stand for a Shotgun snack.

JOHN HINKEL PARK (Southampton Ave. off The Arlington in North Berkeley)

FREE ADMISSION with Campaign contributions to Shotgun Players strongly encouraged!

FEATURING:
Dave Garrett, Ryan O’Donnell, Carla Pantoja, Gary Grossman, Sung Min Park, Casi Maggio, Marlon Deleon, Megan Guzman, Raechel Lockhardt, Alf Pollard & Jordan Winer

This is show four of an impressive 6-show year for the Shotgun Players including Beowulf (by Banana Bag & Bodice which earned Best Theatrical Production of the Year) and the upcoming Vera Wilde (with Sean Owens as Oscar Wilde). And if the on-stage work weren’t enough, Shotgun’s guest poster designer is artist R Black, that’s his work above.

Ubu Roi is a play by Alfred Jarry which pre-dated and influenced Dada (as well as Surrealism). It debuted in 1896 (when he was only 23 years old) and was, by any considered Dadaist’s terms, a mind-blowingly raging success…

To quote from Wikipedia….

Ubu Roi’s savage humor and monstrous absurdity, unlike anything thus far performed in French theater, seemed unlikely to ever actually be performed on stage. However, impetuous theater director Aurélien-Marie Lugné-Poe took the risk, producing the play at his Théâtre de l’Oeuvre.

On opening night (10 December 1896), with traditionalists and the avant-garde in the audience, King Ubu (played by Firmin Gémier) stepped forward and intoned the opening word, “Merdre!” (”Shittr!”). A quarter of an hour of pandemonium ensued: outraged cries, booing, and whistling by the offended parties, countered by cheers and applause by the more forward-thinking contingent. Such interruptions continued through the evening. At the time, only the dress rehearsal and opening night performance were held, and the play was not revived until 1907.

Alfred Jarry died that same year–1907, less than a decade into the 20th Century–at the ripe age of 34 from complications related to his sincere love for ether and absinthe.

He was remembered and his spirit carried on by friends who would become great and ground-breaking writers and artists in their own right including Guillaume Apollinaire, Max Jacob, and Pablo Picasso.

Jarry also invented “Pataphysics” which he described as the science of imaginary solutions. His other literary works include Caesar Antichrist and Le Surmâle (The Supermale) which is known as the first cyborg sex novel. A film based on The Supermale will show later this year at YBCA in San Francisco.

poster art by R Black

image #1 from the original program for Ubu Roi

image #2 from Wikipedia

guest post by Aaron Muszalski

In the latest post on his superlative hip-hop videoblog, Ill Doctrine, Jay Smooth offers this lyrical explanation of the crucial difference between the “what they did conversation” and the “what they are conversation.”

Jay’s video response to Gary Vaynerchuk’s Good People Day is also worth watching, as is “How To Avoid George Bush Syndrome” aka “Failure Is Always An Option.” In fact, pretty much everything on Ill Doctrine is either entertaining, insightful or semantically def(t). And usually all three. Highly recommended.

via His Wholiness The Reverend DrJon

guest post by mikl-em

So first off, I guess it was Wil Wheaton’s birthday on Tuesday (he’s so shy about it). He’s a square 36 years old–Happy Birthday!

In case there was any question that Star Trek (including Wheaton’s The Next Generation) continues to hold sway over all of geekdom, the following pix from last week’s Comic-con convention should clear that up. There seems to have been good representation across its many incarnations (6 series and 726 episodes in all).

Since I couldn’t make it to San Diego this year, I am instead window-surfing as it were, watching everybody else’s geeky good time via Flickr. Yes, I’m jealous of Eddie. Here’s a sampling of Trekkie treats I’ve found…

Looks like Geordi has gone jazz on us…

Tuvok and Chekov talk about their shared consonants…

But keep in mind, not everyone in a starfleet outfit is legit–I don’t
think any of these 3 have actually ever been on the bridge of a starship:

Ditto on this lineup, they’re packin’ Razrs not Communicators (and definitely not Tricorders)

Wheaton himself shares this clip of Riker (aka number 1 aka Jonathan Frakes) favoring a presumably late-night crowd with a rendition of Ain’t Misbehavin’

photos by chiquitadequeso, Timmy Farol, viciouswargoose, fathom216, Jason Mouratides

video by R. Stevens

guest post by Aaron Muszalski

This Friday night, Berkeley’s Ashkenaz is hosting a celebration of the life, songs and stories of U. Utah Phillips, who passed away in May of this year at age 73.

A true folk hero, Utah Phillips was a labor organizer, storyteller, hobo, musician, anarchist, atheist, pacifist and poet who dedicated the bulk of his life to preserving the words and the deeds of the American worker. Through folk music, exquisitely-told stories, humor, honesty - and sometimes, rage - Phillips sought to remind people that the rights they now enjoy were not given, but earned, and often at great cost.

“Kids don’t have a little brother working in the coal mine, they don’t have a little sister coughing her lungs out in the looms of the big mill towns of the Northeast. Why? Because we organized; we broke the back of the sweatshops in this country; we have child labor laws. Those were not benevolent gifts from enlightened management. They were fought for, they were bled for, they were died for by working people, by people like us. Kids ought to know that. That’s why I sing these songs. That’s why I tell these stories, dammit. No root, no fruit!”

Long beloved in the folk music community, Phillips gained broader notoriety during the nineties through his two musical collaborations with singer/songwriter Ani DiFranco, “The Past Didn’t Go Anywhere” and “Fellow Workers,” for which he received a Grammy nomination. In addition to his own compositions, Phillips regularly recorded and performed his interpretations of classic folk songs, such as those of famed labor activist Joe Hill.

“Joe Hill was executed by the state of Utah, November nineteenth, nineteen-hundred-and-fifteen, for writing songs like this. But he left them to us - these are people’s songs - so you damn well ought to learn how to sing it, don’t you think?” - U. Utah Phillips

Phillips believed that folk history - “the long memory,” as he called it - was everyone’s birthright, an uninterrupted river into the past from which we could draw wisdom, insight and inspiration, and from which we were becoming increasingly disconnected. He believed that maintaining this connection was not only vital, but subversive, as people with a strong connection to the struggles of the past would be far less likely to be manipulated again in the same way.

“The long memory is the most radical idea in America.” - U. Utah Phillips

A lifelong member of the IWW (the Industrial Workers of the World, or “Wobblies”) Philips was a firm believer in the power of organized labor and direct action as a means to bring about change. He believed in taking individual responsibility instead of assigning it to elected officials and his countless concerts served not only to entertain, but to educate his audience, and inspire them to action.

On his radio show “Loafer’s Glory: The Hobo Jungle of the Mind,” Phillips once said, “My work on this planet has been to remember.”

It is fitting then that we celebrate the life of U. Utah Phillips by continuing to remember; carrying his words, music and spirit with us, making them forever part of the long memory.

See Also: UtahPhillips.org

painting by Robert Shetterly

photos by Fleming Artists and Nicholas Wilson

Our friends at Common Craft have made another great explaination video, explaining the US presidential election process with “Electing a US President in Plain English”.

If you like the videos produced by Common Craft, check out the new Common Craft store which launched on Monday. There you can purchase and download videos from their catalog for professional use and in the workplace.

guest post by Todd Lappin (Telstar Logistics)

Do you look like Frida Kahlo? Are people always walking up to you on the street and saying, “Haven’t I seen those eyebrows before somewhere?” If so, the SFMOMA wants *you* to participate in a collaboration with Mission District artist Rene Yanez to create live tableaux of several Kahlo self-portraits. Auditions are this Saturday, August 2. The details, from Rene Yanez:

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, in celebrating its current exhibition, is collaborating with curator Rene Yanez in conducting a Frida Kahlo Look-a-like Model Search for Tableaux (living paintings) presentations. Located in the Schaub Room on SFMOMA’s first floor, this special presentation will take place on Sunday, September 28th 2008.  We are looking for up to 4 to 5 models over the age of 17 to recreate Frida’s paintings or moments of her life on 8′x8′ platforms with painted backgrounds and a live music soundscape.

These Tableaus are created in the spirit of the 1992 San Francisco “Pasion Por Frida” exhibition at the Mexican Museum.   The process will consist of 3 auditions; The first audition will be an open call at the Galeria De La Raza, 2851 24th Street in San Francisco on Saturday, August 2nd at 5:30pm as part of the Mission MAPP (Mission Art & Performance Project). This first audition will be conducted in the order of arrival.  Please come dressed as Frida, already costumed or with makeup.

Mario’s enemies express their grievances in “Bowser’s Minions” by College Humor.

Last Saturday at our impromptu mini Drinkup, I was talking to Adam Jackson about Twitter iPhone apps and he said that his favorite was the web app Hahlo. I had used it early on, but didn’t really think to much of it at the time, but the new 3.1 version rocks. Hahlo has set the bar when it comes to design and functionality and in my opinion it is the best iPhone app out there for Twitter.

Hahlo is developed by Dean Robinson, a web developer at the University of Newcastle in Australia. Here’s an overview of how it works and some of its features. Developing a great app like Hahlo is a lot of work, so if you enjoy using it, consider making a donation to help Dean keep making Hahlo even better.

Personally I think Twitter should buy Hahlo and hire Dean to implement its UI across the board, including web, desktop app, mobile, etc.

Check out Adam Jackson’s write-up on Hahlo for a list reasons why it’s the best iPhone app for Twitter.

Note: Halo is a web app, not one of the new native iPhone apps. To access it, go to hahlo.com using Safari on your iPhone. Hopefully there is a native app in the works.

guest post by Todd Lappin (Telstar Logistics)

This Friday, August 1st Robert Holmgren and Joe Reifer will be hosting a show of their toy-camera photographs from 7 - 10 pm at the fabulous Lucky Ju-Ju Pinball Arcade (and Art Gallery) in Alameda. The show is free, and the pinball costs $10 for all-you-can-play. Robert writes:

Since 2005 nearly the only camera I’ve used is a cheap toy camera –the Holga. With a plastic lens, single aperture, and guessed focusing, I produce pictures that hope to triumph over these limitations. Whenever I’m asked why I take pictures with a cheap plastic camera I find myself giving an answer something along the lines of, ‘Well, aesthetically I’m conceptualizing an alternative to the dominant form of image capture vis a vis the digital realm’. The reality is closer to ‘I don’t know’, but the answer likely to be somewhere around same reasons that people fix-up old cars, brew their own beer or play the ukulele. It’s low art with outsized dreams.

Toy Camera Dreams: Photos by Robert Holmgren and Joe Reifer

photos by Robert Holmgren and Joe Reifer

The 6th Annual Altered Barbie & Ken Show, organized by Julie Andersen of ChatterBox, takes place at the new Art 94124 Gallery in San Francisco from August 1st-17th. There will be a Art 94124 Gallery fundraiser event on Friday, August 1st, an artists reception on Friday, August 8th, an Barbie and Beyond Workshop at SCRAP on Saturday, August 9th and a closing reception on Friday, August 14th.

It is Barbie’s and Ken’s Celebration of conserving and reuse. Join Artists from around the San Francisco Bay who Resurrect Kens and Barbies and Reinvent them into a wide range of recycled and re-usable Barbie art that includes mixed-media, painting, printmaking, photography, quilts, fashion, poetry & 3D Barbie’s, with video, performance and film.! Over 80 artists showcase their eco-friendly visions and creations.

Here’s a video by the Personal New Network (PNN) from last year’s Altered Barbie Show featuring an interview with DJ Puss Puss.

Todd Lappin shot of couple of photos of Altered Barbies from last year’s show.

photos by Todd Lappin (Telstar Logistics)

Tiki Oasis 8, “Voodoo Vacation on Zombie Island”, takes place August 14th-17th in San Diego. Tiki Oasis, organized by Otto von Stroheim of Tiki News and Baby Doe of the The Devil-Ettes, is one of largest and longest running Tiki events in the world.

Experience a full weekend of live Exotica and classic Surf tunes, attend educational symposia, peruse art, purchase the latest creations from local vendors and imbibe tropical cocktails poolside while Disc Jockeys from across the country provide a seamless soundtrack from spinning vintage vinyl.

illustration by Derek

guest post by Todd Lappin (Telstar Logistics)

The fab folks from North Beach’s own Kitchen Sisters have produced a radio piece about the history of Rice-A-Roni, the “San Francisco Treat,” that’ll debut during NPR’s Morning Edition on Thursday, July 31.

Personally, I suspect we locals no longer eat much of the stuff now that we live under the iron-fisted regime of Queen Alice Waters of Slowfoodshire. Nevertheless, Rice-A-Roni really was invented in San Francisco, and that infectious jingle practically defines the city for tens of millions of Americans.

The Birth of Rice-A-Roni

San Francisco, 1948. The worlds of a young Canadian immigrant, an Italian pasta making family, and an old Armenian woman converge in this story of the creation of the “San Francisco Treat."

After World War II, newlyweds Lois and Tom DeDomenico moved into the San Francisco apartment of an old Armenian woman, Pailadzo Captanian. During the day, while Tom was off working at his family’s Golden Grain Macaroni factory, Lois spent long kitchen afternoons with Mrs. Captanian learning to make yogurt, baklava, and Armenian rice pilaf while listening to the old woman’s dramatic life story — of the Armenian Genocide, of her husband’s death, her separation from her two young sons and her tortutous deportation trek from Turkey to Syria along with thousands of other women and children. Years later, when Lois made rice pilaf one night for dinner, Tom’s brother Vincent looked down at his plate and said, "This would be good in a box. We’ve got rice, we’ve got macaroni." And Rice-A-Roni was born.

If you miss the broadcast, the recording should be available on the Morning Edition and Kitchen Sisters websites.

guest post by Todd Lappin (Telstar Logistics)

Michael Douglas has become too much of a mega-celeb to play the part of a young cop with a lot to learn, and Karl Malden is 96 years old (but still alive). But the real star of the original “Streets of San Francisco” crime show, which aired on ABC from 1972 to 1977, was the city itself. And happily, the city is tanned, rested, and ready for a reprise.

Reuters reports:

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Steve Keller and Mike Stone are back on “The Streets of San Francisco.” CBS is developing an update of the classic 1970s cop series starring Michael Douglas and Karl Malden.

The remake will keep key elements from the original Quinn Martin production: the title, the names of the two main characters and, of course, the backdrop of the City by the Bay. But the main focus is to bring the spirit of the original “Streets” into the new reincarnation.

“The times are very similar — it was the Vietnam War in the 1970s and the Iraq War now,” said Robert Port, who will write the pilot script with Sheldon Turner. “There is the same sort of tension between generations, and we wanted to carry that to the new series.”

Hat tip: Jim Herd

photos: SoSF screen grabs by Telstar Logistics

Rackspace, the data center where we host our servers, is going public. Their IPO auction website just went live today. The IPO is expected to take place the week of August 8th, 2008, where they will be auctioning off 1,500,0000 Shares Common Stock at a price range of $12.00-$16.00 (Symbol: RAX).

Rackspace is an great company that served us well for almost a decade (we are one of their oldest customers, hosting there since 1999). We wish them all the best with their upcoming IPO.

1Password by Agile Web Solutions is one of my all-time favorite Mac apps. It makes it super easy to manage website passwords between browsers as well as syncing between multiple Macs. Today 1Password became even better with the release of their amazing new iPhone app. Here’s more information on how it works.

The current issue of Wired Magazine has an excellent article by Scott Brown on the 25th Anniversary of the 1983 film “WarGames” and it’s effect on the geek world:

“WarGames: A Look Back at the Film That Turned Geeks and Phreaks Into Stars”

The article has interviews with several people involved with the film, including screenwriters Walter Parkes and Lawrence Lasker, as well as commentary from real-world hackers John “Captain Crunch” Draper and Kevin Mitnick.

photo by Todd Hido

“Davy Crockett In Space” is the latest animated music video by They Might Be Giants.

The video was created by Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata of tiny inventions, with illustrations by David Cowles. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how it was made.

guest post by Todd Lappin (Telstar Logistics)

Troy Paiva has a brand-new book out, and it’s full of weird, wonderful photos taken at decaying buildings and abandoned military bases around the Bay Area.

Troy pioneered an esoteric photographic technique that he calls “light painting.” The basic formula for light painting combines one part cool location with a shot of full-moonlight and a sprinkle of low-power flashlight. Troy clicks the shutter, then adds plenty of time to create spooky, spectral images which have lots of texture and detail.

Notably absent from the mix, however, is any touch of Photoshop or HDR. What you see is what Troy saw when he was standing for hours in the middle of some godforsaken, desolate, and thoroughly beautiful wasteland in the middle of the night. Like the Hunter’s Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco, for example:

Or Byron Hot Springs, an abandoned resort and WWII prisoner-of-war camp near Altamont:

Or West Oakland’s former train station:

Troy’s latest is called “Night Visions: The Art of Urban Exploration,” and it’s published by Chronicle Books. I bought a copy, and I’ve really been enjoying it.

Chronicle is throwing a book party for “Night Visions” this Friday, August 1, at the 111 Minna Gallery in San Francisco from 7-9 pm. Troy will be there, along with many copies of the book.

“Night Visions: The Art of Urban Exploration” by Troy Paiva

Lost America (Troy Paiva’s Flickr photostream)

photos by Troy Paiva

Citizen Engineer is new video series on open source hardware hacking, art and electronics produced by Limor “Ladyada” Fried of Adafruit Industries and Phillip “PT” Torrone of MAKE magazine. The first episode, featuring cellphone SIM card and payphone hacking, recently debuted at The Last HOPE conference in New York City.

Modify a retired payphone so it can be used as a home telephone and for VoIP (Skype). Then learn how to modify the hacked payphone so it accepts quarters - and lastly, use a Redbox to make “free” phone calls from the modified coin-accepting payphone.

The NewTeeVee Pier Screenings are back this year with a new series of four screenings beginning this Thursday, July 31st at Pier 38 in San Francisco. The theme for the San Francisco screening is “Pilots” where video producers will be showing the first episode of their series. Tickets are available for free online through Eventbrite.

The Pier Screenings, a series of four summer events, bring together content creators and online video aficionados in a casual setting. These events are live tests of how well online video survives the move from the PC to the gigantic screen, accompanied by entertaining commentary from our judges and informative talks by relevant, successful online video entrepreneurs. Past themes included episodic content, parody, product placement and user-generated advertising, and citizen news.

Future screenings are planned for Los Angeles in August, New York in September and then back to San Francisco again in October.

photo by James Yu