Here's a quick stop motion animated film I created in about 10 minutes using the free "Lego Superhero Moviemaker" app on the iPhone. Of course Lego would like you to use Lego-branded products to make animations. But there's no stopping you from using anything you have lying around your desk. Say, a Chewbacca action figure…
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Freeplay Dance Crew at Dance-a-Rama Dance Fest in Berkeley (video)
Here's some nice video of the Freeplay Dance Crew doing our thing at the "Dance-A-Rama" dance festival in Berkeley earlier today. It was a pleasure getting to perform with a diverse range of dancers in a beautiful studio space. I love how the natural light in the room changes as we do our piece…
Berkeley Vintage Shops Make Me Nostalgic
In high school, I was a shy, bookish, awkward child. I didn't do much besides go to school and study. My entire world was contained within the couple of miles between my home and my small Christian private school, in the sleepy suburb of Pleasanton in Northern California. A pivotal moment that broadened my vision…
America’s Best Dance Crew Season 7 Ep 2: Funky Mexicanos, Dirty South, LA Pros, and Even More Teens
Get More: America's Best Dance Crew (Season 7), Full Episodes America's Best Dance Crew Season 7 Episode 2 was in all respects an improvement over episode 1: better music (Flo Rida), better dancing, and actual drama with one crew going home. Here's my take on the five crews (really six) this week. Electrolytes: Crew from…
I’m Off to Korea in May!
Tickets are booked and plans are being made, so I guess it's really happening. I'm headed to Seoul, Korea in May! Korea is very high on my bucket list of places to visit in the world, for its rich culture, delicious food, and amazing dance communities, from hip-hop to lindy hop. I'll be there for…
Awesome Kid with Wooden Gun is Awesome
I'm pretty sure I wouldn't make this toy for my kid. But I'm loving how he is rocking that cap and outfit! From a 1941 advertisement for a wooden machine gun kit. [From Modern Mechanix blog, via Boing Boing.]
America’s Best Dance Crew Season 7 Kicks Off: Hawaiian Kiddies, Sexy Canucks, and More Funny Asian Boys
Get More: America's Best Dance Crew (Season 7), Full Episodes I was totally unprepared for Season 7 of "America's Best Dance Crew," which my friend Michelle alerted me to on Facebook. Just finished Episode One, and I'm so far pretty impressed. This first week was the "Britney Spears" challenge, which was kind of a…
Freeplay Dance Crew Performing for Bay Area Dance Week April 29
I'm excited to report that the Freeplay Dance Crew will be performing as part of Bay Area Dance Week on April 29th in Berkeley. This is our first time doing a BADW event, so we are super-psyched to be involved. Specifically, we are dancing as part of "Dance-A-Rama," an afternoon of various dance performances organized…
Cherry Blossoms in Cemetery: Beauty and Transcience
In Japan, cherry blossoms are symbols of the fleeting nature of life, since they bloom so quickly, and are gone just as fast. So it's appropriate to see a cluster of them at the Mountain View cemetery in Oakland, where I run a couple of times a week. Seeing the blossoms in bloom this morning…
Social Media versus Social Dancing: You Can’t Tweet a Tango
During my commute this week, I watched this thought-provoking TED talk by psychologist Sherry Turkle called "Connected, But Alone?". It's worth the few minutes of your time to view, particularly if you are as immersed in social media as I am. Sherry Turkle examines what in her view are the dangers of the online…