sf observed

I Missed the KFOG Concert. Sounds Like I Made the Right Choice.

2008-05-12T22:11:00.000-07:00

5 reasons why I think it was a good thing that I ended up missing the KFOG 'Kaboom' concert:

Los Lobos headlined. Oh sorry, I had to answer the phone, 1982 was calling, and wanted to know why Los Lobos sucked so much. In 1982.
It screws up traffic. According to local sources, the whole thing makes traffic in an already traffic-challenged city that much more difficult. Feh, I say.
It happens on Mother's Day weekend. At least this year...and I haven't the energy to research whether this is typically the case. But regardless, what kind of asshat plans a concert on the eve of a day when we're supposed to show up and celebrate momhood???
It inadvertently proves that capitalism is viciously accurate. Last year represented the first year that KFOG chose to charge for admission to its annual fanfest, and it seems that interest hasn't waned in the slightest. Price elasticity y'all??
I was in LA when it happened. And sour grapes rule...

Muir Woods. Bomb-ba-laya.

2008-03-26T23:00:00.000-07:00

So, took a trip to Muir Woods last weekend, the first since I arrived here in the Barbary Coast, and wasn't disappointed (well, maybe a little with the parking situation, but let's not quibble over details).

Pics to follow once I stop being lazy and watching John Adams on HBO every spare fucking moment.

OT: I'm Hoping That This Time Won't Be the Same

2008-03-05T02:32:00.001-08:00

I'm hoping that this election won't amount to the same choice I have been forced to make since 1996: the least of two evils.

After Hillary's 'victories' in Ohio and Texas today, and McCain's inevitable assumption of the Republican throne, I have to admit that I'm finding even my usual glass-half-full outlook thoroughly challenged. I can only now imagine a McCain-Clinton national ticket that affords the Republicans yet another term in the executive office due almost solely to Hillary's divisive influence.

I'm not saying that Obama is some sort of panacea. However, at least his rhetoric (to assign it the most base level of import at it's critics' behest) is inclusive and progressive in its stance. In my humble - albeit correct - opinion Obama represents not only a solid and prudent choice for effective and deliberate executive leadership, but also the best chance that we have as a country to unite under a common perspective.

So, I guess we'll tarry on from here, content to watch the Democratic race play itself out. I'd like to be as diplomatic, pragmatic and forward-thinking as Dave Kos has been on the subject, but then again I'm not Dave Kos.

Here we go....let's see if the Dems do exactly what everyone expects us to do: kill ourselves before anyone else gets a chance to.

The Baker Beach Shoot

2008-02-18T23:52:00.000-08:00

I promise...I'll finish the processing on these exposures soon...

My Motorcycle is Louder Than Yours. Thus, I Obviously Have the Larger Penis.

2008-02-17T01:22:00.000-08:00

The sad, attention-hungry souls who ride their modified motorcycles up and down the Embarcadero and its arteries stimulate a range of emotions in me. Obviously based on my setup to this topic, the first and most prominent is a sense of pity and sympathy for the obvious longing that these socially awkward middle-aged men feel. But a close second for me has to be a considerable annoyance at the extent of the noise pollution this apparently insecurely-endowed crowd promulgates on the rest of us.

More soon on this topic...but for now, a message to all of you stage-3-mod-having-middle-age-crisis-drowning fools: I'm coming for you.

The Yerba Buena Shoot

2008-02-14T20:35:00.000-08:00

Last week, I did something I've been wanting to do since I arrived in San Francisco: I took my camera, my brand new tripod (a Bogen-Manfrotto 055XPROB for my fellow camera geeks) and a warm jacket and headed to Yerba Buena Island to shoot some pics of the City at Sunset.

Yerba Buena is uniquely positioned for this very task. It's East and North of the City, so the sun sets perfectly behind the Financial District, and casts a warm glow around all of the landmarks that make the SF skyline one of the most beautiful in the world.

I took the day off from work, and headed over to the island around 4:00 so that I could find a spot and set up my shot before the sun started to set around 5:30. After driving around the island for a while, I found a great spot on the side of a road near the highest peak around, and got to work.

As the time passed, the sun dipped lower and the shots became more intriguing. I got some beautiful shots with :30 exposures, taken with a remote shutter trigger of course so that there was no chance of moving the camera (save the odd earthquake of course...).

Probably the first time in my life that I've taken pictures that I truly am excited about every time I look at them. Hopefully not the last. And with this City as my omnipresent subject, I'm sure it won't be.

For more photos from this shoot, click here.

OT: Dear Bill....

2008-01-23T00:18:00.000-08:00

I count myself among your biggest fans. Not just before your presidency, but during. And arguably even more so after. And that is why I felt it important to write to you today, as one of your biggest fans, to say that I think you are severely fucking up on behalf of your wife.

I registered to vote in the same year you became president: 1992. I registered on the day of my 18th birthday, and on that day I began campaigning for you in my town of 158,000 largely Republican, Reagan-loving voters. I was mocked, debated, shouted at and chastised, but I stuck with it. I believed in what you were doing and in what our cause meant.

To my delight, you won the presidency. And to even greater delight - you were a fantastic president. You helped to spark my deep interest in politics. You made me believe in the system. You gave me hope in the process of democracy.

Over the last few years, that spark, that belief, that hope has been tested for me just like it has been for the majority of Americans who didn't vote for Bush in 2000 (and the sane among us who didn't vote for him again in 2004. Shame on you all btw. Again.).

But now we're entering a new election season in which the field appears wide open on both sides of our intractably polarized two-party system. There is hope - albeit a cynical, almost defeatist hope - in the air. People are buzzing again about politics: from the Ron Paul re-love-utionists to the Obamaniacs and the Huckabeans and even the McCainaanites. And you Bill, are killing my buzz.

Why go on the attack? Why go negative? Why do everything that you made us believe you were above? How can the man who assembled the Clinton Global Initiative be the same one who debases himself with coy, slanderous attacks against a young, aggressive hopeful like Barack who seems to embody the same ideology for which you and your wife once so forcefully argued?

I want to be clear, Bill, that I am not advocating a vote for Obama (though I am increasingly leaning that way...just for full disclosure's sake). Rather, I am appealing to you as a fan, a believer, an arguably naive idealist who has always been a big supporter of you and your cause.

Maybe some Dr. Phil-like comments will help? Let's try. Hillary is not part of your legacy - that stands on its own. She is not you - you don't owe her anything. Forget about all of that Monica stuff, or being the first husband and wife team to occupy the nation's highest office (that's spooky anyways, right??). None of that matters. All that matters now is that you maintain your dignity in the face of a tempting opportunity to use your cachet to help your wife win the presidency. Face it - just like we all have to - that's really not a good idea. But that's better saved for another post.

So Bill. Please. For me. Let it go. Rise above. Be the statesman you deserve to be at this point, and just let things play out and let your wife's campaign rise or fall based solely on her own merits and ability to compete in a contentious race. You did it. If she's half the man that you are she should be able to as well.

(Image credit: Ashley Cecil, 2006)

Something's In the Air...

2008-01-15T23:08:00.000-08:00

...and it's MacWorld 2008 at the Moscone Center.

Seems like the entire tech community has descended on The City to see Steve-O present the latest in Apple wizardry, complete with a rather strange finale in a song by none other than Randy Newman.

The 'real' Steve Jobs didn't disappoint the hordes of Apple fans in attendance at his keynote address, announcing a new software update for the iPhone (which your humble author is thoroughly enjoying btw), a revamped version of Apple TV (calling it 'Take 2') which includes a new video rental service, and of course, the piece de resistance, the new Macbook Air, the world's thinnest notebook computer. All this to the delight of attending Mac fanboys and doting tech journalists alike.

But Fake Steve Jobs (infamously played by Forbes senior editor Daniel Lyons) was not to be outdone by all of the hype surrounding Apple's triumphant storm into the city by the bay, and in judo-like fashion chose to roll with the punch, rather than try to block it. Fake Steve loyally followed all of the hype and hilarity in the runup to MacWorld, including an entertaining picture of one of the Real Steve's most dedicated fans:

Naturally there was a dude in the front of the line playing Guitar Hero on a MacBook and being very solemn about the whole thing. You knew there would be, right?

(Photo Credit: The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs)

Gotta say, I feel bad for all of the losers that are hooked on Apple products; the poor pathetic great unwashed geek masses who are willing to wait in line for the latest techno-hype that will be outdated in a matter of months, only to be replaced by something more expensive with an even shorter shelf life. I also feel sorry for the sad, sycophantic journalists who hungrily lap up the Real Steve's every word, looking for clues on what the prophet himself wants them to write, in the hope that they can join the likes of Walt Mossberg in receiving a coveted prototype of some future in-apple-vation.

Sad. So sad. Mostly because I can't join all of them until Thursday because I have f@#king meetings all day tomorrow.

See you Thursday boys...save me a seat!

Frank Chu Gets Down

2007-12-10T23:38:00.000-08:00

So, out shopping and generally enjoying the holiday merriment today, and ran into Frank Chu (shocker). I introduced him to Christine and moved on with our Union-Squarish activities. As we were coming back and hit Market though, we ran into what appeared to be an impromptu Solid Gold dance session on the street, with 40 or so revelers gathered around a small stereo that was blasting what sounded like holiday salsa music, taking turns in the defacto holiday mosh pit. Again, not the most shocking of scenes to be found on Market, but the true treat was the special guest dancer, Mr. Frank Chu himself.

Frank was rocking out like I had never seen him before. I've run into him at, in and around clubs, and always found Frank to be a casual, silent observer rather than active participant. Truly a treat to behold. Despite several slick robot-like dance stepsand one particular freestyle move that resembled a moonwalk, Frank never put his sign down. Never.

Sometimes, you just gotta fight for your right to party. But that doesn't mean that you should stop fighting for your right to receive compensation from the 12 Galaxies for your participation in a reality television show.

Sunday Morning. China Basin Park. iPhone. Bliss.

2007-12-09T10:56:00.000-08:00

Christmas Hits San Francisco - Hilarity Ensues

2007-12-01T18:58:00.000-08:00

Okay, maybe hilarity didn't ensue, but Christmas has definitely hit The City.

I took a stroll down to Union Square this evening to take in the sights and walk off a rough and difficult day, and was richly rewarded. The tree was magnificent as always (and, of course, environmentally friendly courtesy of PG&E), and Macy's has continued its recent tradition of accepting donations to sponsor a light on the tree for $10, to benefit the UCSF Children's Hospital.

OT: My Mom Got DSL Today...

2007-11-30T21:16:00.000-08:00

...and I haven't had this much fun in a long time.

We hung out on YouTube for a while, and now we're setting up her gmail account.

This rocks.

San Francisco Bans Plastic Grocery Bags

2007-11-20T19:38:00.000-08:00

So I found out yesterday that plastic bags have been banned from grocery stores in The City. Apparently, this move was approved by the City Council at the beginning of this year, but I wasn't aware of it until I went into the grocery store last night and they made a big deal out of joking around that they couldn't give me plastic. There was also a big fuss because apparently Safeway is giving away canvas bags with a minimum purchase, but ran out within the first few hours. Now they're providing rainchecks to everyone who comes through. Have to wonder if that move is just going to result in a huge glut of canvas bags floating somewhere in the ocean 1000 miles West of San Francisco. It can join the plastic islands forming there.

On my way home today, I ran into a few guys that are pushing to expand the ban already. They were dressed in clever and comprehensive plastic sack outfits, holding signs asking "Honk if I make you sick" and "Bags Banned from S.F. Migrating to Berkley".

I guess that's just one more point for The City. Not only is it one of the first cities in the world to ban plastic bags, but it also managed to set a trend as the first city in the US to pull the trigger. Now Oakland, Los Angeles, Santa Monica and - you guessed it - Berkeley want to join the movement, and Paris and London don't appear to be far behind.

I Feel Guilty That I Paid Nothing for the Radiohead Album

2007-11-09T18:30:00.000-08:00

I'm not a huge Radiohead fan. I like a lot of their older stuff, but have definitely not kept up - 'cept for buying Kid A at some point, I think.

But this new album is really good, actually. I think In Rainbows one of their best albums, and it's passed the acid test of 'more than just a few cool tracks' for me.

But, when I downloaded it I paid nothing. I paid nothing because that was an option given to me, and because I don't like the idea of paying for anything in British Sterling unless I'm in the UK - it creeps me out. But I want to focus on the former reason right now. Am I such a skeeze that, given the chance, I would stiff an artist who allowed me to name my own price for their work? Apparently. But I'm also likely not alone. Even though the spokesfolks for Radiohead described as "wholly inaccurate" an earlier story from Internet research group ComScore that asserted that less than 4 in 10 people paid anything for In Rainbows, I would expect the figures from the original article to be fairly close. And I'm one of the skeezy cheap bastards contributing to those statistics and creating an impression that there is no legitimate market for digital music if consumers are given the chance to get it for free. Sorry bout that everyone. What can I say, I'm a creep.

BTW - a friend did remind me that I could simply revisit the Radiohead site and contribute whatever I think is fair now, but that's just stupid. I already have the album. I don't feel that guilty. Radiohead doesn't really need my money. And besides, I'd still have to pay in pounds. Eww.

I Can Haz Vizshun?

2007-11-02T18:42:00.000-07:00

Though I'm still not completely convinced that it is actual medical science and not instead a craftily-disguised deal with the devil consummated somewhere within the myriad documents I was compelled to sign, I made the leap and had LASIK surgery yesterday.

Today, I went for my follow-up appointment in the morning, and the doctor was surprised to find that my vision is almost 20/20 already (even though I still think it's pretty blurry).

Insane. Yesterday, I was 20/80 in my right eye and 20/200 in my left, with a bad astigmatism and thick (albeit broken) glasses. Today I'm reading soup cans in the kitchen from across the room for fun.

I'm gonna vote black magic...no other valid explanation for it frankly.

This City May Not Have 330 Days of Sunshine...

2007-10-29T23:14:00.000-07:00

...but it does have a lot of cool people.

Take the optometrist that I went to tonight because my glasses broke in half yesterday. Not only was I seen on a few hours' notice, but I also got to hang out with a cool pug/bulldog/chihuahua mix as I did. She particularly enjoyed laying on my bag and trying to hustle cute head butts into behind-the-ear scratches.

These are the kinds of little things that make this place so cool. Aside from the generally Mediterranean-like year-round mild weather, amazingly picturesque natural surroundings, thriving art community, world-class restaurants, progressive undercurrent and atmosphere of tolerance, the people are definitely the best thing about San Francisco.

I don't think I'm gonna leave....

Top 15 Lame Last-Minute Halloween Costumes

2007-10-24T21:58:00.000-07:00

I was cruising around the Internets this evening unsuccessfully trying to get a handle on the costume I'm going to wear to the company Halloween bash this year, and I stumbled upon a great SF Weekly slide show on the 15 lamest last-minute costumes...my favorite quote:

The Ubiquitous "Devil" Horns: You think you can roll with Satan in that shit? N***a, please.

The sad part is that some of these were actual, working ideas before I saw them in living color. Back to the drawing board....

Photo credit: Paul Quitoriano for SF Weekly

Reddit Party: 8.5. Frank Chu Interview: 10.

2007-10-17T22:23:00.001-07:00

Reddit.com's reader party last night in SoMa was well-attended and a good time. Great crowd and a cool atmosphere. Saw and spoke with a lot of people who I can't help but think are a big part of the future of social media online.

But the highlight of the evening had to be the appearance of the one and only Frank Chu. For those not yet indoctrinated into the Chu fan club, Frank is a local San Francisco celebrity who manages to appear at the most happening spots around town with his trademark sign and generally well-mannered arguments against the '12 Galaxies' and the people and circumstances behind them.

Frank and I were able to share a few tender moments together. He was expressive, congenial, warm, rather articulate and overall - professional. He was definitely the type of person that I imagine any reporter would want to interview. He knew the drill: go outside, put jacket on, put glasses on, get the sign ready, and stand with one leg only slightly behind the other. He was, to coin a term loosely, media friendly.

And so, I present most humbly, the Frank Chu :30 video interview series (the first shown below, get the rest here):

Fish Sticks

2007-10-15T21:43:00.000-07:00

Somehow, it feels like fish sticks should be good for you.

Sure, they're typically fried, and in most cases compiled from various parts of fish that couldn't make it into the big leagues, but they seem like they should be part of a healthy, well-balanced meal.

I don't think that it's the relatively recent allure and popularity of fish consumption that lends itself to this phenomenon, in fact I think that the pop culture cachet associated with eating fish is largely propagated by a crowd which detests fish sticks, and the people fish sticks represent. After all, the primary audience for sticks of mechanically-separated-and compressed fish is likely the crowd that enjoys them with ketchup...or when they're feeling _really_ frisky maybe a little mayonnaise or relish (or both!!) mixed in to keep things spicy. Not exactly the Nobu constituent.

And that, in fact, is why I think many people (read: possibly just me) believe that fish sticks represent an aspect of Americana to which, regardless of our upbringing or social status, we can all somehow connect. You may not like them, you may not want to consume them now or anytime in the future, but you have eaten them - at least once. It's that kind of a shared, common experience that we all long for in life, and despite their humble construction and dubious nutritional value, fish sticks scratch that wicked subconscious itch.

Fish sticks are good for you. I don't care what they say.

Not the Best Night I've Spent in San Francisco....

2007-10-10T23:37:00.000-07:00

The Engadget reader party was definitely not the highlight of my week, but I suppose it's a little unfair to criticize it since it was a free, open to the public event. But that said, I found myself standing at the end of a considerably long line to get into a building that was on the UCSF Mission Bay campus (read: BFE) on Wednesday evening, even though I was fairly certain that I was behind the 500th person in line (the first 500 guests received a door prize consisting of either a Sansa MP3 player or a Flickr Pro account. Why were either of those a draw for me? Ummmm....).

Despite the line I decided to tough it out and see what was to see inside the venue. But, as you might expect from a publicly-announced open 'reader party' for a fairly well-known website, there were far more people at the event than I think Engadget expected (or they are just horrible event planners all). Inside of a fairly sterile room that was probably designed to hold 500 people there were, by my estimates, more than 700 of the great unwashed masses in attendance (note, according to Engadget, over 1,000 showed). This fact led to a rather uncomfortable, largely disappointing experience.

Still though, I have to give Engadget credit for pulling the event off, even if it was a poorly disguised attempt to gain a few event marketing dollars and/or favor from the few consumer electronics companies that were provided a folding table from which they earnestly pitched the hordes of tech-geeks who shuffled past en route to a (likely unsuccessful) trip to the bar.

But as an aside, as I was walking away from the party a short while later, I couldn't help but notice that a nearby celebration for the grand opening of a Subway restaurant close to the venue - replete with a cover band and light show - was far more rocking than the Engadget party. Yet, it had far fewer (albeit seemingly happier) attendees. Made me wonder what would happen if they joined forces....hoagies and gadgets for all??? Oh my!!

If that happens, call me and I'll line up again in hopes of a Sansa and a 6" cold cut combo. Otherwise, there are better ways to spend a Wednesday night in this city.

Bay Guardian Endorses Chicken John for Mayor

2007-10-08T19:20:00.000-07:00

The Bay Guardian took a decidedly weak position in endorsing the "Anyone but Gavin" candidate for mayor today. Among the reasons cited for the SFBG's self-described 'protest vote' is Newsom's decision to not attend the monthly Board of Supervisors meetings despite a non-binding resolution demanding that he do so, largely at the behest of his apparent nemesis on the board and resident San Francisco ass-clown, Chris Daly (some of Daly's antics can be found here and here).

To be fair, this is not the only reason cited by the Guardian in their endorsement of Chicken John and two other candidates for mayor (it's a protest vote, remember?). Underneath the front page tease for the story of, "Plus: we grill Newsom!", there are true-to-life mentions of a few of the successful initiatives to which the current mayor has been attached - almost providing a veneer of impartiality to the casual reader or recent j-school graduate.

As a rather new resident to The City I certainly don't want to throw stones at a respected publication like the SFBG, but this really reeks of tabloid journalism - the sort of sensational hyperbole that one might expect in the supermarket line, but certainly not in the alternative to the alternative paper in this fair city.

The Guardian's position (I would cite the author here, but in another decidedly weak move the SFBG does not provide a byline for this article) would likely be more tolerable were it not so blatantly sensationalist. To say that San Francisco is, "at best, wallowing helplessly in problems under Newsom" is simply too much poetic license to bear from a paper that many consider a semi-respectable news source. Perhaps I'm just too new to notice, or perhaps I've just been lucky, but I certainly would not say that this city is in any way wallowing helplessly. Far from it.

Big city mayors aren't the stuff of Santa Clause. Almost by definition they have to get their hands dirty to get the job done. In my book Newsom is not much different, and frankly the insinuation that he is supposed to be, or that 'a candidate to be named later' somehow will be, smacks of the type of illogical blind idealism that gives us hard-working progressives a bad name.

(Photo credit: Chris Stewart, San Francisco Chronicle)

Castro Street Fair

2007-10-07T19:36:00.000-07:00

So, the Castro is one of the few areas of The City that I still had not been to since I moved here a few months ago. I suppose it's only appropriate that I visit on the day of the Castro Street Fair.

It was crowded, but manageable - and I was surprised at how big it was. I think it stretched from 16th to 18th on Castro, and for almost a block each way on each of those streets. Lots of vendors and lots of people.

It was a great scene. A lot of cool, colorful people and some good music acts too.

More pictures and videos here.

BART Has WiFi?

2007-10-07T14:07:00.000-07:00

(Posted from the train at the Montgomery Street station...)

Getting free wifi on bart rocks...but it seems kinds streaky for now. Maybe it's just the stations....more research is obviously needed....

Edit: According to this article, they are quietly rolling out wifi at several BART stations - though it looks like it's linked to the stations, rather than the trains.

Edit.Edit: Oh, and according to this article, this was news back in 2005. Scooped again.

San Francisco Daily Photograph

2007-10-06T23:33:00.000-07:00

Found this site from Manuel Guerzoni tonight. In his about page he notes that every photo on the site is candid, original and shot solely in The City (I'm assuming this is except for the picture from Lake Tahoe a week ago). I really dig that he includes a link to Google Maps on all of the pictures, so that you can see where it was taken...cool touch (and good use of his editing software).

Even though he writes that this isn't supposed to be professional work, just his personal musings, thumbing through a few of his photos tonight I found myself reminded of the huge difference between taking photographs and taking snapshots.

Photo credit: Manuel Guerzoni, 2007

Fleet Week

2007-10-06T19:17:00.000-07:00

Headed down the Embarcadero to the Marina today to find a spot to watch the Navy ships parade and the air show immediately after. Been to a few air shows, can't recall one that was in a more beautiful place. Thankfully Supervisor Chris Daly didn't get his way and the Blue Angels were able to perform and wow the crowd as usual...

Aquatic Park got packed pretty quickly, with people laying on the grass or sitting on the break wall to catch a good shot of the planes flying by.

Don't know when the next time I'll be able to see a Stealth Bomber fly over Alcatraz will be...

Video of the Blue Angels performing their trickery...

Update: The SFist has some amazing pictures that put these to shame here, along with an interesting commentary on whether or not San Francisco can still be considered a 'Navy town'. Click on the slide show for some almost-freakishly-cool shots of the event.

More pictures and videos (my crappy ones) here.