Today at Quaker Meeting for Worship I gave this message: I've been thinking about this new project that people at Google are working on. It's called "Project Glass." Essentially it's a pair of glasses you wear that present different information on a display in front of your face. They call it "augmented reality." So…
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Avengers vs X-Men Dance Battle!
Okay, not very Easter-y, but I love love love this fan art I just discovered: "Avengers vs. X-men" by barrypresh on DeviantART. Someone please make this an animated short! Avengers might win with the power moves, but X-Men got more street cred and style.
JibJab’s “Jump and Jivin” Easter e-Card
Do you wish your traditional Easter greetings were a bit more swingin'? Well JibJab has just the e-card for you! This Easter you can lindy hop (or at least look like you can) with three other friends on a "Jump, Jive and Wail" e-card. As you can see, there is some genuine lindy and…
Colorful Tango for OK Go’s “Skyscrapers” Music Video
Music video for the song "Skyscrapers" by OK Go. Beautiful dancing, simply and elegantly directed. Credits: Director: Trish Sie Producers: Trish Sie & Paula Salhany Cinematography and editing: Paula Salhany 3D DP: Eric Kurland Dancers: Moti Buchboot & Trish Sie
OKCupid, You Just Creeped Me Out
I'm a longtime fan of the online dating site OKCupid, which I think does a lot of things right in terms of user interface, social engineering, and data aggregation. So I recently downloaded their iPhone app just to check it out. The OKCupid iPhone app at first glance seems like basically another way of…
Visiting a Packed Cal Academy on a Rainy Saturday Afternoon
Yesterday, I got to take some family members to the California Academy of Sciences for the first time as a staff member. It was really fun showing them my favorite exhibits and giving them a bit of the insider perspective on the Academy. It was also the first time I have been to the museum…
Jiro Dreams of Sushi: A Delicious Portrait of Master Sushi Chef and His Sons
I just saw "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" last night in San Francisco, at a special showing with the director of the film David Gelb. What a perfect film for a foodie — a respectful and elegant portrait of a master chef Jiro Ono and his stern but loving relationship with his two sons. The…
Josh Klipp and the Klipptones Swings at Savanna Jazz April 7
My friend Josh Klipp is a triple threat singer / dancer / musician which kind of blows me away. (Plus he's not hideously ugly, as you can see.) Josh and his jazz band the Klipptones will be performing on Saturday April 7 at Savanna Jazz in San Francisco. I'll be there to dance and enjoy…
How To Teach Swing for People with Disabilities?
I ran across this article on the BBC website "Wheelchair user barred from dance class in Reading". Ms. Susi Rogers-Hartley, a wheelchair-bound former Royal Navy communications worker, had hoped to take a lindy hop class at the "All Jazzed Up" dance studio in Berkshire, UK. The organizers told her that they must first "consult their…
“Mr. Beebe”: Incredible Tap Performance featuring Harold Nicholas (video)
My favorite video clip that jazz historian Mark Cantor showed at the Jewish Community Center of SF last Saturday was this this outstanding performance from the movie "Carolina Blues" (1944) featuring Harold Nicholas, one half of the legendary Nicholas Brothers. According to Mark, older brother Fayard Nicholas was drafted during the war at the…