Posts for commentary
Posted by ws1 on: July 24 2008
Posted by ws1 on: October 27 2008
We lucked out today and got a free pass to join the sailing trip put on by the good folks at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum to thank their donors. The traditionally built ' Tall Ship' named 'The Spirit of Dana Point' was built in a mans backyard in the mid 1970's, and is a largely accurate replica of ships built during the 18th and 19th centuries.
I haven't sailed since I was about 15, and have never known much about it - aside from what I could gleam from watching Horatio Hornblower movies like a complete addict.
Being aboard the 'spirit' was an awe inspiring experience - there is something to be said for being on a giant wooden craft, being quietly propelled by breeze. The sound of jostling wooden pulleys and flapping canvas really make it hard to resist squinting and pretending the Captain is wearing a wool cloak and an old-school black hat - instead of the Patagonia parka. The crew - despite having not been tele-transported directly from the 1740's - was fast and knowledgeable, the weather was perfect (the Vietnamese shrimp might have helped too) and we were grateful to be soaking the cold sun, fresh air and amazing views of Santa Barbara from the Channel.
Only problem is getting my land legs back.. Sleeping with all this residual brain-swaying is going to be a bitch.
Posted by ws1 on: November 13 2008
On a personal note. My studio-mate and good friend Jonny just called me from a few blocks away on Figeuroa and State St. As he was standing there, a large piece of ash fell right next to him, and upon closer inspection he realized it was a full roof-tile (you know, the sandpapery kind) that had just landed. That really brought it home for me.. Peoples homes are really burning. I have a few close friends who have homes in that area who I have been trying to reach all night. I hope to god they are somewhere safe and cool. What a nightmare.
W
Check this post for more up-to-the-minute info, links, news etc..
Posted by ws1 on: November 13 2008
According to the Indy, the fire is moving west into Santa Barbara. And has burned over 400 acres.
I've noticed a major 'cooling-off' as it feels like the wind has shifted for the better. We've got that nice coastal breeze going on again now.. Which is welcome news for my poor lungs
Posted by ws1 on: November 13 2008
Looks like I might have to start packing up some belongings just in case. If the fire is moving west.. then I should get a move on (though it would be very surprising if it made it downtown, I don't want to take any chances). Bad memories.
For more info on the fire, see this post: here
My pictures from this evening on my roof: here
I'll try to keep updating the site throughout the night as I can :) Good luck everybody.
UPDATE.. The wind has changed and it's about 10 degrees cooler.. I'm going back to the roof to take some more pictures. Hopefully the wind stays onshore..
Posted by ws1 on: November 14 2008
The fire has expanded considerably. The news is now saying the fire has now hit 500 acres, approximately 80 homes burned, and four people being treated at Cottage Hospital. Looks like the fire started on Coyote and East Mountain Drive (a professor friend of mine lives right there). Sycamore Canyon and Coyote have been evacuated and Shelters have been set up at San Marcos High School.
I just spent another good part of an hour chatting on my roof with my neighbor, who helped his mom evacuate this evening.. He was forced to leave by the police who threatened to arrest him if he tried to go back to rescue a dog and some livestock.
There are probably no fewer than 7 helicopters in the sky over the riviera. The good news is, the wind has changed direction which is (I'm assuming) welcome news for the firefighters who are showing up from all over the state. If the Santa Ana's had kept up, we (downtown) would be in a much much worse predicament. My hat is off (once again) to our police and firefighters for being so on it.. Seemed like the response to this one was relatively quick.
View Larger Google Map of the fire.
Repeating some helpful info from the indy:
* Schools Closed Tomorrow: Cleveland Elementary and Cold Springs Elementary. * Shelter Location: San Marcos High School, located at the corner of Turnpike Road and Hollister Avenue. There currently 40 people at shelter, but classes will still be held tomorrow. * Road Closures: Mission Canyon at Foothill, Ashley Road, San Ysidro Road, Sycamore Canyon, APS from Mission Canyon to Camino Cielo, and Gibraltar Road at Mountain Drive. For more information, call the Road Closure Hotline at (805) 568-3006, or visit the County's website The County's Tea Fire Call Center can be reached at (805) 681-5197. For animal evacuation information, call the animal hotline at (805) 681-4332.
Posted by ws1 on: November 13 2008
Photo from our roof when you could still see the outline of the smoke. Now it's all smokey and you can't really see much.. here is a live twitter feed for Santa Barbara:
Posted by ws1 on: November 14 2008
One more shot from my rooftop.. Going to go eat some food now :) Will be back with more soon.
Posted by ws1 on: November 14 2008
Santa Barbara based Direct Relief International is offering, "emergency assistance to the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Services in response to the Tea Fire burning in the foothills of Santa Barbara and Montecito".
More to come on this soon. I was only alerted to it when they called up after seeing my photos being chucked around on Twitter to use in their article - which is kinda cool.
In other news, the Indy has a big update: 1500 acres burned, and ever expanding evacuation areas. Manditory evac orders for the area within East Camino Cielo, Hot Springs Rd, and Tunnel Road to the West. Instead of me feebly regurgitating everything, you can read it all here.
Posted by ws1 on: November 13 2008
Flickr photoset: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sleeptest/sets/72157609033443102/
Posted by ws1 on: November 14 2008
Looks pretty smokey out there today.. This is normally the view of the mountains from our house. Sounds like 5000 people have been evacuated thus far.
There's some good news, at least for the moment.. The fire seems to be at a lull for the time being. Winds are virtually nil, and the fire department reports that the firecrews are on the offensive for the first time, with full rounds of air support, water drops, etc.. Looks like there's going to be a short window of opportunity to 'put this thing down' before the Santa Ana's kick back in this evening (though they're expected to be stronger in Ventura County).
Air quality warnings are in effect advising residents to limit outdoor activity.
FREE MASKS:
Direct Relief says in a press-release that, "Free masks will be distributed to area residents in the parking lot off Las Positas, near the intersection with State Street. The N-95 masks help protect against inhaling particulate matter in smoke and ash, a particular concern for people with respiratory conditions such as asthma."
Posted by ws1 on: November 20 2008
All the evacuation notices have been lifted for Santa Barbara and Montecito, though there are still many road closures. Over 211 structures have been damaged or destroyed (and the number is still growing).
I was up on Mountain Drive today (to help a friend sift through the ashes of his home) and got a first-hand look at some of the damage. It's heartbreaking. There is an interesting mix of people up there; fire personnel, Cops, Landscapers, Marborg guys doing cleanup, homeowners assessing damage, and All-State agents everywhere. The general vibe seems to still be shock for the homeowners, though many of them are springing into action already, salvaging what they can, junking everything else. Pretty sad.
Looks like the Tea Fire was set accidentally by a group of around 10 students (they're calling them the 'tea-fire ten') who were apparently having a bonfire up at the Tea Gardens. I've read that 9 of the 10 were SBCC students, though of course they could have been anybody. I know very few Santa Barbaran's who haven't sneaked up there over the last 40 years.
I snapped a few shots of the burned area today which are here
Here are some aftermath pictures from Doc Searls
And in case you missed it, here are my dramatic photos from the night of the fire and a very interesting and well made citizen piece put together by Patrick Lawler and another by Ricky Montalvo.
Posted by ws1 on: December 01 2008
I took a few shots of the astronomical conjunction over by the mission this evening.
An Astronomical Conjunction means that from a certain point (usually here on earth) two or more celestial bodies (planets, moons etc.) are visible in faux proximity. Apparently, this kind of astronomical event can also be called an 'applause'. I hear that we won't see these three bodies together again for another 44 years.
Here is more information on it, including diagrams. :)
More photos (along with a few time-lapse goofy moments) can be seen here via Flickr.
Posted by ws1 on: December 18 2008
I took a little drive with my uncle around the Tea Fire burn area yesterday.
It's hard to believe it's been a full 30 days since the fire. All the TV vans and fire engines have been replaced by, landscaping trucks, cranes, tractors, and a lot of hard work. As far as we've heard, there has been only one major landslide since the fire as a result of the rain (Coyote and East Mountain). Largely because burn victims are doing the right thing and preparing their potentially landslide prone properties for the rain with the appropriate materials. I'm not sure what this particular method is called (pictured above), but it's obviously meant to keep the newly exposed hillside from sliding into the creek above Conejo.
It's actually pretty beautiful to see the contrast of the freshly laid grass, and the blackened earth below it. I will update soon with more images.
Posted by ws1 on: December 19 2008
This picture is not of Platform A ( aka, 'the culprit' ), but was the only one spouting a little flame from my vantage point above Summerland, which I thought better for dramatic effect. I did a quick Google News search for 'Santa Barbara Oil Spill' yields these results.. Most of the headlines say that the 1000 gallons has been 'mopped up' or 'corrected'. I have to admit though, that I am more than a little skeptical the thoroughness of the 'clean-up'..
Naturally, oil floats on top of the water, and is probably relatively easy to spot the bigger globs of the stuff with boats and helicopters etc. But what I have noticed, as a surfer and swimmer, is that there is often a residual iridescence to water that oil (or gasoline for that matter) has been spilled into. I guess I am just wondering what effect the less obvious oily nastiness has on the ecosystem..
If I have time, I'll do a little digging tomorrow.
Posted by ws1 on: December 21 2008
Happy Solstice Santa Barbara. Here's a thrown together iPhone panorama taken mid-day near Franchesci Park. Click the images for the big one.
Posted by ws1 on: January 30 2009
I went to the Santa Barbara Shorts screening at Victoria Hall Wednesday night for a very diverse and enjoyable set of films (nine in all). The sb shorts are an interesting and often neglected little vein of SBIFF, which are predominantly attended by those either involved directly in the making of one of the films, or those related to someone who was. From what I gather - due to the relative lack of obstacles for 'getting a piece into SBIFF if you're a Santa Barbarian' - there is a considerable lack of interest on the part of the greater public - probably because it is widely assumed that the quality of local entries is sub-par compared to the rest of the festivals screenings. To some degree, I understand this logic. On the other hand, there is a rushed freshness to most of these pieces, which makes for some truly unique and enjoyable film experiences.
There were probably two or three obvious standouts, some doozies, and others that fell somewhere inbetween. Here are some thoughts on them in order of appearance.
Based loosely on a Dave Eggers short story, Anatomy of Numbers (dir Erin Cantelo) was a sweet, intimate portrayal of two lovers in bed flirting, fondling - and eventually making love. Filmed in warm tones, it showcased subtle human gestures, vulnerable moments, and some of the more complex cultural norms that effect our most personal moments (in this case revolving around how many sexual partners each person had had in the past). Though there were brief moments where I was reminded that the people on screen were acting, Cantelo's sophisticated eye (exquisite lighting and depth of field camerawork), humor, sound choices and a acute sense of human charm, vulnerability, and cultural baggage made it obvious that we'll be seeing more of her wonderful work in the future. ****1/2 (4.5 stars)
A Room for Sarah (dir Ginger Swanson) was a faux 1920's era silent film, based on a true story, about a woman confined by her brother (and his nasty wife) to an upstairs room in their late father's house. The film did not hold together (though there was a narrative) for me. The filming was not convincing (even for a Chaplinesque musical silent flim) or particularly engaging. **1/2 (2.5 stars)
Business (dir John McKinney) stood out from the beginning with it's off-kilter edgy humor, augmented pacing and bizarre but compelling characters Caleb and Walker. The 19 minute film chronicles a continuous set of situational non-sequiturs that follow Caleb's challenges after inheriting a very non-glamourous office building that he is determined to use to 'make lots of money'.. somehow. Though there was an almost undetectable narrative, McKinney maintained a comical and spellbinding comedy that had everyone either on the edge of their seats, or in danger of falling on the floor from laughter. Though not intentional (I asked John after the film) I thought it also had subtle shades of Zach, Tim and Eric, which is never a bad thing. Easily, one of my 2 favorite shorts this year. ****1/2 (4.5 stars)
The Early Worm (dir Ray Pivato) was a super lo-fi 'day in the life' of a poor business man who gets up early to do his thing, only to be foiled by a series horrible misfortunes. Though it had a lot of cheap laughs, and great cursing repetition, it dragged on a few minutes too long. *** (3 stars)
En Route (dir Karl Mefford) featured race-cars, super sharp bond-like cinematography, and even a little twist, but smacked a little too much of too much budget (and equipment) and too little planning or attention to narrative. Seemed more like an afternoon 'boy's playing with an expensive camera and expensive cars' than something you'd want to go see outside of your friends living-room. ** (two stars).
The Fisherman (dir Jason Hallows) had a fresh take on the old Genie in a Bottle story. A fisherman, while having a smoke catches a typical genie lantern in his fishing net, at which point things get a little weird. Shot and produced in less than a week, this short was impressive both because of it's built in sense of humor and curiosity, and for a very unique set of visual effects. I thought It could have been developed more though. I would love to see what Hallows could come up with in twice or three times the time. ***1/2 (3.5 stars).
Rashi Bahri's film Sarah (yeah, I know, second one with that name in one night) was a difficult to watch, but courageous piece of fiction that depicted a young woman tortured by nightmares of drowning, who decides to confront her fear. Though the director plays some old-school (and possibly played-out) cinematic tricks, there are many stylistic and emotional subtleties that invite a second viewing. it was also consistently and convincingly suspenseful. The film does a good job of showcasing and elaborating on human emotions that are too often oversimplified. ***1/2 (3.5 stars)
Showing Disaster: Tea Fire Reflections (dir Ethan Turpin), which was only 4 minutes long, stood out because of its self-reflexive dissection of ethical questions surrounding the documenting of disaster. Turpin delicately (but simply and clearly) unpacked complex ideas like cultural voyeurism, empathy, and subsistence in a non-conclusive (and refreshingly honest) style. Showing Disaster invited far more comments and questions than the other shorts, which I believe is usually an indication of a very strong work of art. ****1/2 (4.5 stars)
We Have Lost our Wings but Still We Dream of Flying (dir Elia Vargas) was (for me) the low point of the shorts screening. Vargas chose a split screen presentation for this film, depicting both a romantic (and voyeuristic) scene of a beautiful girl rolling around in a field in the wind on one side, and a dismal, green-toned, dark indoor scene with a male figure sitting alone beside a lamp on the other. I thought that the imagery was actually strong, as was the soundtrack - which consisted of compelling swelling squelchy electric ambient noise. But the whole thing was ruined by what sounded like a morbid high-school goth-kids all-too-long monologue about how 'the world' is 'puke', decaying and devoid of goodness. It's not the sentiment that was off-putting, but the delivery, which seemed to lack any awareness of how played-out and sophomoric it might actually be. Though earnest and occasionally interesting, 'Flying' left me pretty flat. *1/2 (1.5 stars)
Posted by ws1 on: February 13 2009
When I saw the frosting of snow on the mountains today (around 12:30), I decided to take a long lunch and hiked to one of my favorite spots. After hiking through the 4-inch-thick snow for about a half-mile, I arrived at the end of the trail at the flat rock that overlooks the city. I never know what kind of weather to expect there. Sometimes Santa Barbara is blanketed in fog, and sometimes it's crystal clear (so much so that you can see the canyons and beaches on the islands). Today, SB was partially obscured by beautiful little misty clouds that were forming right in front of me on the mountainside.
I snapped a bunch of pictures, and then - seeing the clouds moving back in with a vengeance, I slogged my way back down the trail in my soaking wet jeans and shoes. I should have worn real hiking boots.
When I got back to my car on Camino Cielo, there was an increasing flow of SUV's and nobby-tired trucks coming up the mountain, which I took as a signal that the usual Santa Barbaran pilgrimage to the snow had officially begun.
We coastal people always seem to get our worlds completely rocked when it snows in SB. A bunch of kids with their parents, teenagers, and other curious folks always rush up the mountain to pack the bottom of their windshields with snow, or to chuck snowballs at passing cars before it all melts - which usually happens within a few hours.
My favorite thing about when it snows in SB is how friendly people get. Everyone waves as they pass by. Parents faces seem to lack the weight of the workweek as they shove their kids boots on their feet and shuffle off into the snow with them. Even the screwball teenagers with the raised 4x4 testosterone-mobile who were doing donuts near the gun range offered to escort me (and my comparatively less masculine 2-wheel-drive Honda) through the more frozen part of the road.
Posted by ws1 on: April 07 2009
Lots of beach cleanup.. Seems like this one is getting bigger every year.
It's hard to imagine all of these kids being future doctors, lawyers, marine biologists (bloggers?).
Anyway.. Here's to primal urges.
Posted by ws1 on: April 21 2009
On Sunday, I rode my bike a few sweaty blocks to the Earth Day festival - which always seems to land on unbelievably hot days. I almost didn't bring my camera (the extra weight and awkwardness of riding with an SLR in the heat didn't sound fun) but decided to do it hoping that I might get lucky and snap a few nice shots for City2.
When I got to Alemeda Park, I did some milling around, looking for tents that had something new, or interesting (or shade). As always, the folks there (sweating in the afternoon heat) were far more pleasant and upbeat than they should have been.
After a few interesting conversations (about the proposed expansion of Elings park or or how to get organic food delivered to your doorstep etc) I weaved through the hula-hooping hippies, nearly naked (possibly drunk) 20-something party girls and fire dancers, to talk to a friend I saw hanging out near the Twin Productions music tent. As soon as I shook his hand, I heard over the loudspeakers that Elon Musk and Louis Capps (among others) were due on stage shortly to receive Earth Day Environmental Heros Awards. I was suddenly thrilled to have been lugging around my camera (which was now stuck to my back). I asked my friend, "did he just say Elon Musk?". My friend nodded, and then nervously scanned the area with his eyes (maybe for clues?) feeling a little self-conscious that he had no idea who Elon Musk was - especially after seeing the excited expression on my face. He finally said, "yeah, he's that really cool musician right?"
At that point, we had a wonderfully awkward conversation. My friend (we'll call him Chuck) was embarrassed to not know who Musk was (and I started making self-deprecating comments about myself being a big enough internet dork to know who he was in the first place). Anyway.. now we're on the same page and have agreed that:
A: Musk is God. B: I am still a big dork. and C: It was high time to hunt down smoothies to prevent total heat stroke.
But first, we had to listen to the award ceremony.
Now, liking Louis Capps is kind of a given if you live in Santa Barbara. Even people who disagree with her politics have a fondness and respect for her many years of honest and genuine service to our community. So it was great to see her all fired up to present the awards.
I had a similar happy feeling about seeing 14 year old Kids vs Global Warming founder Alec Loorz receive his award. Awesome person. It's great to see people so young so committed to making positive change.
But Elon Musk! If you don't know who he is, don't feel bad..The crowd didn't seem to either. He isn't exactly a household name (yet).
Musk is a stunningly successful (and impressively young and altruistic) entrepreneur. At 37, his resume looks a little like this: He dropped out of a Stanford High-Energy Physics grad program to found 'Zip2' (which provided online publishing software for news organizations) and sold it for $307M (in cash) plus another odd $30Million in stock options in 1999. He went on to co-found X.com which later became PayPal. He is currently the founder and CEO (and CTO) of SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies), which develops efficient space launch vehicles. And if that weren't enough new-model-entrepreneurship for you, he also launched Tesla Motors, which is a car company builds high end EV roadsters (which were of course on display - and stealing the show - at the car show portion of Earth Day). Musk is also the Chairman of the board at Solar City. Both companies underlying purpose is to combat global warming. If you'd like to know more about him, try here.
Getting to shake his hand (and nearly fall over myself telling him that I was a fan) was an unexpected and happy surprise. He was very polite and humble as we spoke for a minute. Then, quietly excusing himself, he was off (in the direction of the smoothies - now I couldn't go or I'd look like I was a stalker).
It is great to see (and sometimes even meet) entrepreneurs who realize that 'doing the right thing' and 'making money' aren't necessarily diametrically opposed. In an age with so much corporate corruption and looking out for #1 mentality, it's refreshing to see an increasing number successful companies (Google, Patagonia, etc) and individuals who are slowly proving that this new humanistic model for business is viable. I'm looking forward to seeing what Mr. Musk does next. My guess is Tesla Motors will be a household brand in less than 5 years and he'll have his hands full with interviews, and even more globetrotting to promote the project. But knowing him, he could be terraforming Mars at the same time.
Burnt, tired and perma-grinning, I walked my bike home. Happy to have been ambushed by a much better-than-expected day.
A final note on Earth Day: Each year, I am more and more impressed with the scope of the Earth Day Festival. My hat is off to the wonderful folks at the Community Environmental Council for orchestrating a meaningful local event.
Posted by ws1 on: May 09 2009
Ethan and I went out to the Red Cross Shelter at the MAC Center at UCSB. It felt a little weird being there to take pictures. We weren't capturing the flames, or even the homes of that some of these people lost. We were just witnessing a sort-of surreal purgatory. A purgatory full of people in their pajamas, wandering around an indoor hockey rink, eating, charging their phones, and witnessing big water planes spray orange fire-retardant on their neighborhoods. Though we weren't sure what we were expecting, most of them seemed a little bored and tired of waiting.
I spoke for a few minutes to a guy that I hadn't seen since high school. His story matched most of the others we've been hearing. He recalled thinking how much he thought it sucked that certain areas closer to Mission Canyon were being burnt, with that guilty excitement that many of us feel when something BIG happens in our town. Then the fire started racing west. Then they got the warning call. Then the Jesusita fire (if you didn't know this is spanish for 'Baby Jesus' you do now) jumped highway 154. Then it was time to leave, which he and his family did along with other stunned neighbors, and here he is, looking for a place to plug in his dead iPhone.
The Red Cross facilities are top-notch. They are well-staffed (and well-volunteered), clean, and internet equipped. There are even a bunch of plasma screen TV's set up here or there, each surrounded some mildly dazed evacuees in folding chairs and blankets.
There was even a second gymnasium that was all ready to go with several hundred cots, garbage cans, and stacks of bottled water in the corners. The Red Cross gets huge kudos for being so on top of it. Happily, because of their competence, there is very little else to report.
Here are some photos:
The Women's section (I'm guessing this was the quieter end of the rink).
Volunteer getting snacks ready.
Another Volunteer getting cozy with the staff.
Watching the planes drop retardant.
Watching the DC-10 big drop.
Navy? ROTC?
Volunteer texting.
Sheriff Bill Brown tours the facilities with entourage of Red Cross Staffers, journalists and officers.
The next gym, ready to go.
Shaka!?
Chancellor Yang and friends
Keeping busy.
Jesusita Fire PHOTOS from the past few days:
Night 4 Fire Photos from Hollister Ave, La Cumbre Vons, and Downtown SB
Day 3 Evening Fire photos from Loma Alta
Last night's photos of some pretty big flare-ups and ANS update
Dramatic Day 2 images from Loma Alta on the Mesa
Helicopters at the junior high, fire crews at Earl Warren Showgrownds
Night-fire pictures taken from downtown Santa Barbara
Keep up to date with the latest headlines from the Indy, Daily Sound, Nexus, Craig Smith, etc on the City2 Headlines Page.
Posted by ws1 on: May 31 2009
This thing has always tripped me out. From what I am told, it is also (apparently) the reason I got a fix-it ticket for having a clear (non- tinted) cover on my license plate. Apparently, it's the law even if the plate is totally readable (CVC 5201 (f) ). I should clarify, I got the ticket before this little gremlin was put into use - because the SBPD anticipated that they wouldn't be able to read or scan my plate properly with the new gizmo. I just get a sinking feeling every time Wall-E here rolls past. Aren't those two back cameras looking at each other lovingly? Like they might have children?
Posted by ws1 on: June 09 2009
I am embarrassed to admit that after nearly 29 years living in Santa Barbara and eating many a greasy, satisfying Rusty's pizza at the Carrillo tudor, I never realized that the old building had wonderful and spacious upstairs rooms. Maybe I was too busy gazing longingly at the racing arcade console in the corner.
Following the lead of other young faces, I discovered the stairs and found the few-but-lively SB Young Democrats (and an almost equal number of Santa Barbara City Council and Mayoral candidates) all scooting around with pizza getting ready for the SBYD's Meet-The-Candidates & Dems Jeopardy gathering.
The purpose of the meeting was to give the local Democrat candidates a chance to introduce themselves, and hopefully earn SBYD's eventual endorsement.
The format was simple. Each candidate was given a few minutes alone with the YD's to introduce themselves, pitch, and answer some brief questions. Any other candidates vying for the same position were asked to wait their turn outside the door.
Being new, and feeling like I should have eaten more brain food, I did my best to hang towards the back, chew on my personal size pizza, listen and snap pictures.
Candidates in attendance were Helene Schnieder, Grant House, Iya Falcone, David Pritchett, Dianne Channing & Olivia Uribe. Das Williams was there in his capacity as a young democrat, and subtly psyching himself up to playing Alex Trebek in the impending game of Dem Jeopardy that was to follow the Q&A session (this is where I considered finding some opportunity to channel some salty Sean Connery, just for fun, but I resisted the urge).
Since the local interwebs are (mostly) full of chatter about the candidates positions, backgrounds, etc.. I thought I might just share a few pictures, and list some of my impressions of each candidate. And since I am pretty well within the SBYD demographic, I have made up some ratings for each candidates web-savviness based on whatever I could (easily) find.
Here we go:
Iya Falcone:
Strong, smart, sharp, sober, passionate, and controlled. She had a sort-of 'strict teacher' vibe (maybe she's the kind you eventually come to hug at the end of the year?). More than any of the other candidates, she seems like a traditional politician (possibly of the HRC school).
Misc quote:
When asked why she'd be a good candidate for the SBYD's:
"Because I was young once!!" (she then went on to give a more diplomatic answer citing her experience with her 28 year old daughter, etc.).
Web Presence: 2/10 stars - ie. next to nil. She has a (seemingly obligatory) Facebook presence that gets updated with photos all entitled 'Iya Falcone for Mayor'. Her web-presence is worryingly MIA.
** UPDATE (7-10-2009):
She seems to have added a website (or it's at least findable now). I'd say this is a big improvement from before, with a nice design, letter to supporters and donate link. But Iya, get some info on specifics up there! I'm upgrading my score to a 4/10, so there is definitely more work to do. Give me a reason to come back to your site!
Helene Schnieder
Intelligent, genuine, articulate, knowledgeable, affable, and seems younger in person than she seems on TV or in Print.
Web Presence: 7.5/10 stars Website? Check (though woefully unfinished, poorly designed and low-fi - except for the rss feeds). Facebook? Check. Twittering? Check (and with sparse but very decent community-minded tweets).
** UPDATE (7-10-2009):
Dianne Channing
Clearly very bright, experienced, charming, knowledgeable, genuine and articulate. She spoke to the group comfortably, and didn't shy away from being direct.
Web Presence: 7.5/10 stars Very good. Her twitter skills are formidable (she's RTing and @ing like a pro) and uses it like a normal (community aware) person. She's also on Facebook, and has a decent website (that even has a Google translation widget).
** UPDATE (7-10-2009):
Nothing new to report
David Pritchett
Direct, serious, and clearly very involved in the community, David didn't come off as polished as some of the other candidates but that gives him a certain Michael Moore bad-ass feel. Seemed a bit nervous tonight.
Web Presence: 8/10 stars
Great. David is also keeping up. His tweets are useful and often amusing, his Facebook page is there (albeit a little impersonal), and most impressively, he co-produces 'Off-Leash Public Affairs' which is a community access show he does with Cathy Murillo. The segments are posted to their blog and updated regularly. His website is here.
** UPDATE (7-10-2009):
Nothing new to report. Not twittering much. Not much that's new on the website.
Olivia Uribe
At 24, Olivia is the youngest candidate running for City Council. She also seemed a little nervous during her moment on the hot-seat. During the Q&A session she was asked a few questions that felt like they might push her into 'everywhere-like-such-as' territory, but she recovered gracefully (though her answers were a bit vague). But she did better than I would have at 24.
Web Presence: 8/10 For a young person, so-so. She's clearly a net-near-native, but her tweets don't really indicate a particularly strong sense of community (though that's not a requirement, she uses it like a normal college student, which may or may not be a good sign). Her website is 'under construction' (I guess it is early-ish in the season). Naturally, she's on LinkedIn, Facebook etc. etc.
** UPDATE (7-10-2009):
Great improvement on the website. It's now filled with videos, a bio, and appropriate links and what-not. Upgrading score to 8.5/10. Nice job team Uribe! This campaign, along with all the others could still really make some serious online improvements (See Grant House's update for more info).
Grant House
Mr. House, the only City Council member who is running as an incumbent also seemed very straight forward, compassionate, intelligent, and concise. He gracefully illustrated his background, ideas and addressed questions directly with more specificity than most of the other candidates. He also seems to have his eye on a larger local picture, emphasizing the necessity of a big voter turn-out, and long term planning.
Web Presence: 8/10 Grant has the best (most information rich) traditional campaign website out of the bunch (though it still feels a little too old-school campaigny - doesn't quite fit his personality). Grant is also predictably on Twitter, Facebook etc. and does a decent job of keeping up.
** UPDATE (7-10-2009):
I just looked at Mr. House's webpage again. It's full of wonderful material that is woefully lacking in the other candidates websites. It actually HAS information on his positions. This not only indicates courage (we all know why politicians choose at times to be vague), but honesty and humility. I'm upgrading House to a 9.5/10.
Who cares? The Significance of Technology in the Local Political Process
So while writing these mini-critiques, I noticed I was having a little debate in my head. One voice said "who cares if Iya Falcone's web presence sucks? It doesn't effect her ability to be a great public servant". But the other voice (the one that won the debate) said in response, "Yes, but we're at the SB Young Democrats meeting for God's sake! A public servant who is uninterested or ignoring the channels through which information now flows, and people engage each other, would be woefully out of touch with the young (and increasingly older) demographic in the community."
As a young person (any person?), I want information on all my candidates to be easy to find online, and presented in a way that is easy to understand. What I don't want is to be digging through a stack of old newspaper articles, flyers and other dead trees to see where a candidate stands on issues.
The web has presented our generation with an unprecedented opportunity to enhance local democracy. We should have politicians who understand this potential and can use it to improve government and civic life.
I'm sure that I am not alone in being impressed by the Democratic field. I have a hunch that I am also not alone in wanting to raise the digital bar for local politicians. This doesn't mean they have to keep a Tumblr blog, or set up a Flickr account. It just means that the presentation that they make to the increasingly online community must be clear, honest, and most importantly - flow in both directions.
For candidates (present and future) wishing to improve their campaign web presence (I will be revisiting this list later in the season), here is a great list of tips for building a better political campaign website:
http://www.bivingsreport.com/2006/how-to-build-a-better-political-campaign-website/
in the interest of full disclosure.. I am a web-designer by day, so I am probably a little more aware of design flaws etc. than I might have been otherwise.
Posted by ws1 on: June 17 2009
You'd think if you bought a $100,000 electric car-of-awesomeness, that you'd not TEXT while driving south through the bottleneck!
Posted by ws1 on: June 25 2009
You've probably already heard the news that Michael Jackson is dead. I heard about 40 minutes ago while driving home. It's absolutely everywhere: radio, TV -my old band-mates are still texting me. Twitter is even occasionally over capacity (maybe partly due to this?).
Since there will be plenty of information about his death in the coming hours and days, I figured I'd just share a few YouTube videos (below) and a few of my own memories and feelings.
Like I said above, I was driving home and was just accelerating through the intersection of Ortega and Chapala when I heard the urgent sounding but still newsy, matter-of-fact announcement that he had been pronounced dead by officials in LA.
My reaction wasn't exactly dramatic, but my foot did momentarily leave the gas pedal. The hair on the back of my neck also stood up accompanied by a quick rush of adrenaline. Then, without my consent, my eyes filled up with tears.
I was never the drooling or crying type of Michael Jackson fan (maybe just because I never got to go to one of his concerts), but I was pretty obsessed with him. His songs were a huge part of my childhood soundtrack.
As a kid, 'BAD' was the first cassette tape that I CAMPAIGNED for (relentlessly). I had heard the radio cuts on Y-97 and had expected (imagined) him to look something like Michael J. Fox from Teen Wolf or Kenny Loggins (my parents wouldn't let us watch MTV then). Needless to say, I was psyched when my mom finally caved and bought the new album for me. She handed me a cassette featuring what looked to me like a hip-cocked, leather clad, make-up wearing... uh..woman?
I wasn't sure if there had been a terrible misprint, where Paula Abdul's picture had somehow been slipped-in with his name. Or if maybe someone named Michelle Jackson had just cut an album coincidentally entitled 'BAD'. Believing my mother had purchased the wrong album, I less-than-politely asked, "Mom, don't you know Michael Jackson is a BOY?!". Feeling bad for scolding her, I told her 'it was ok' that she was confused, and that it was an 'understandable mix-up', because he DID have a high voice. But I made it clear that we had to go back and get the right album from the store asap. At that point I'm pretty sure I got a short lesson in rock/pop fashion and other strange rock-star behavior. Still, I didn't totally buy her explanation until I took the plastic wrapping off and gave it a play. After that, the cassette didn't come out of my tape deck for 2 years.
I distinctly remember dancing alone in my bedroom amongst scattered legos that could no longer compete with my inability to hold still to "Smooth Criminal". Every track on that album was way too compelling not to dance to - except for 'Man in the Mirror' to which I lip-synched, rewound, lip-synched and rewound - until I had to put the fragile tape back in the bewildered cassette with a pencil. Fortunately I had a bunch of backup copies should this very scenario present itself.
I followed Michael's next few albums with enthusiasm (and dug deep into his older stuff) until he released 'Dangerous'. After that, I didn't know what to think. All of the molestation allegations and trials set in, and lots of people seemed to feel overly vindicated for all those years of thinking 'something must be off with any guy who dresses and moves like that'. During the Nirvana era, it wasn't even smart to mention that you were a MJ fan (and you couldn't get away with saying you only liked his 'older stuff' - that didn't work until the 2000's).
From that point until now, public condemnation of Jackson has always annoyed me. I have been pretty content 'not to know' what his true relationship was with the children he was accused of abusing. Far be it from me to know what went on.
More than anything, I think my mother was right when she said that he might just be a 'little lost soul'. That's why the Jackson 5 videos below are particularly hard to watch - he was so solid, and confident looking that it's hard to imagine exactly what changed.
Of Michael Jackson the man, I will say this: Through his charity work (hell, even just his federal taxes or the sheer funky pleasure that people get from dancing their socks off all around the world) he has left a massively positive footprint on the world - despite people's obsession with his less desirable or understood traits.
And even though in some ways I feel like he has been gone for a while - that he may have been a little too medicated or depressed to be himself - it isn't for us to say who 'he' should be (or should have been). Today I miss him in all his inconsistencies. And will put a candle in my window tonight.
I will also play (at full volume) my vinyl copy of Thriller. And yes, I'll probably dance alone in my apartment despite my best efforts to be somber.
Here's a really interesting (and wonderful) set of interviews:
And here are a few videos.
This is great:
Posted by ws1 on: July 20 2009
Last month, before last Sunday's fire, my girlfriend and I nervously parked our Honda amongst all the giant lifted macho trucks at the Camino Cielo shooting range to break up the monotony of our peaceful and earthy tour of the mountaintop. I had been up there before (years ago), but never noticed the sheer massiveness of the mess. The whole hillside was covered in shot-up junk (TV's, matresses, thousands of beer bottles, cans, sofas, and piles of shells and cartridges ).
There were probably 15 or so people shooting. We saw a young kid with his dad and uncle letting their shotgun off, a bunch of late-teen-early 20somethings (who reminded me a little too much of some of the more scary kids I knew in Boy Scouts), and some other dudes with mustaches that I wasn't about to look at for too long.
Once we got over the loudness of some of the guns and the contrast between the beautiful hillside and the shell strewn ground, we noticed that there was a very distinct etiquette. Every 30 min or so, someone would call a time-out, and everyone would go calmly out into the range and re-set their targets. We watched for another 45 min or so and then drove off into the mist..
I'm still formulating an opinion about how I feel about our local shooting range culture, but if that fire the other day was indeed caused by some irresponsible target practice, I'd be a little ticked. The trash is kind of a turn off too. Some of the pictures on Edhat, seem to show a much cleaner 'post-fire' shooting range.
More later.. Too late to get into more detail. Enjoy the pictures. :)
Posted by ws1 on: August 28 2009
At almost any hour Don Pacos is serving delicious and physically manageable tacos (this is not your 'too-big-to-handle' Super Cucas fauxcos). Tonight, (friday) Don was parked on the corner of Micheltorena & San Andreas.
Posted by ws1 on: January 07 2010
This picture is from the back of the room (at CAF) during the 'Amazing Animated Jukebox Vol 2' show (consisting of animated videos compiled by Ted Mills for 2010's first Forum Lounge). The show consisted of a series of hand-picked music videos with exceptional/artful and progressive animation.
This reminded me of how easy I have it as a mostly still visual artist. Animators work their asses off.
For example, Birdy Nam Nam's video directed/created (?) by Willy Sweeny (see first video below) was a very interesting and artful combination of elements I can't even begin to describe here ('cause I'd say something unintelligible like retro-HeMan-Atari lasers meets acid-trip-orbiting-sugarcube-shooting-katchina-hero narrative).
I think I was more-or-less smitten by everything except for the very last video of the evening (not to be confused with the last video on this page), which felt a little too similar to a lot of post-modern animation that I've seen (think hairy, slimy, extra-appendage-laiden, crooked toothed cartoon characters). I can't remember the name of the artist or director at the moment, but I was slightly sad to see it end on that note. I'm being nit-picky though. It was an impressive and fun show.
I've embedded a few of the highlights below (though there were a few more that I'll have to look up because I stupidly didn't take notes).
Birdy Nam Nam - The Parachute Ending
"Myriad Harbor" by the New Pornographers
"E-Pro" by Beck
"Happy Up Here" by Ryoskopp
"Evil Bee" by Menomena
My apologies for not including more of the director/animator credits.. If I can, I'll ask Mr. Mills for the playlist.
Here are some more pics:
Posted by ws1 on: January 22 2010
Well, El Nino's personality has gone from relatively boring (sun, clouds, sun), to crazy-as-an-astronaut-diaper this week. One minute, it'll be sunny, and the next; dumping rain. Then sunny again, then windy, then drizzly...and then... a freaking waterspout.
A mysterious wind event took some trees down on Haley, and some tiles from a few rooftops downtown. We've also had a weird indecisive cold spell, rivers for creeks, and giant hepatitis filled chocolate waves (see some of my fellow amazingly intelligent surfer brethren below).
Here are a few photos I took during the last day or two, complete with big waves and Mission Creek nastiness letting out into the Pacific. If the storm continues, maybe I'll grow some cojones and get a pic of a waterspout and some lighting. Or maybe I'll just run the other direction.
Mission Creek Letting out into the Pacific.
Snow in the Mountains over Santa Barbara.
There are about 2 or 3 boats washed ashore in the distance. I was amazed how much sports equipment was floating in the shallows.
This one really gets at the color of the stuff coming out of Mission Creek.
And of course Sandspit was cranking. The surfers are getting their stoke on before realizing they have Hepatitis AND sinus staph infections.
Keep in mind those little specks at the base of the wave are surfers..
Pretty. Wait. Did I just see a syringe?
More Sandspit Backwash.
Looking past the Santa Barbara Zoo to the mountains above Montecito and Carp.
Posted by ws1 on: February 06 2010
It's Night Two of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Sandra Bullock vs. Forest Whitaker (aka Forest graciously presents Sandra with the American Riviera Award because she is awesome ).
Since we know that both artists are immensely talented, humble, and that the ceremony inside the arlington will go predictably... I'm not going to get into it.
What does always strike me as interesting is the ritual that occurs on the red carpet. We (the press) arrive and check-in, and then stake out our 6 inches of space, exchange light conversation about camera lenses (Nikon vs. Canon) and consider if anyone near us might need a some gum. Then we wait.
The stars eventually arrive, and in typical 'gracious star' fashion, greet their fans with varying levels of authenticity. Sandra made a big effort to go say hi, shake a few hands, give a few quick interviews and chat.
Eventually, the stars handlers and festival organizers help them make their way (separately, never overlapping) and up the carpet and through the gauntlet of yelping and jostling journalists. There's a different emotional vibe with the press than with the fans. Most photographers yell the stars names or shout compliments at them that are mostly designed to elicit a momentary response (preferably a genuine looking smile).
The stars play along with the ritual. They smile, and then pause for longer-than-realistic periods of time so that everyone can get a good shot (probably thinking to themselves "you know, I never really get used to this.."). They occasionally joke back at us, but it's always slightly awkward because everybody knows the game, and everyone is a little anxious to get their awards, or review their photos. As a former Anthropology major, I can't help wonder how this ritual might look to outsiders.
I'll freely admit that despite my weird comments about the press line, it is fun to be surrounded by so much energy and enthusiasm. I do my best to ignore the few cranky and jaded journalists who seem to complain a lot about; people in their way, dead camera batteries, bloggers and lost press-passes. In my mind, I offer them a breath mint.
At the end, I always leave these red carpet events with a bigger smile on my face than I expected. Despite all the strange fanfare and commotion, being so close to famous people does humanize them a little bit - which is comforting.
I think Sandra wins in the screaming chanting salivating fans department. But Forest might actually have the upper hand in the charming smile category. Make your thoughts known below.
Posted by ws1 on: February 07 2010
If you've been following (or even enjoying) my ramblings on the press-line ritual, and the spectacle that is the SBIFF red carpet, you'll be pleased to know that there was more of the same last night. James Cameron was there to receive the Lucky Brand Modern Masters Award. Here's the scoop from the Indy.
The crowd was a little thinner than some of us expected. And the Governator didn't do the red carpet stroll (which we assumed was the case upon arrival, after noticing that the security was minimal). Still, another interesting night of overhearing interviews and watching the paparazzi shuffle.
Here are some photos:
Posted by ws1 on: February 10 2010
Note: There is little in the next few paragraphs that isn't hinted at in the official trailer. BUT, I urge you to go see this one blind. Don't watch the trailer. Don't read my review (yet). Just go see it (it's good). It's playing Friday at the IV Theatre at 6pm.
If you live in Santa Barbara, then you've probably driven by Oak Park a t some point seen a small group of young and not-so-young adults running around in medieval costumes hitting each other with padded swords. Like me, you probably thought something snarky to yourself, like, "I knew a few kids in high school who were into that stuff..but..really?". To be honest, ever since my friend Dieter monologued for an hour in a futile attempt to to explain D&D (Dungeons & Dragons) to me back in middle school, I've been a little curious what role-playing games were all about.
So I was excited when I heard about The Wild Hunt. Having only briefly scanned the one sentence synopsis in the festival brochure, my motivation to go was based almost exclusively on a single sentence that I overheard while waiting in line to buy milk at Ralph's. The guy in front of me said, "yeah, I think I'm going to check out The Wild Hunt tonight - I guess it's like...a D&D Viking thriller or something".
Awesome. Because Vikings are almost as cool as Ninjas or Pirates (and maybe even Dinosaurs), I needed no more convincing. The films unusual elements sounded odd enough to be worthwhile.
Despite knowing that there was a D&D/LARP (live action role-playing) element in the film, the opening sequence (an 'epic battle' Vikings and Celts) still caught me off-guard. In diminishing believability, an almost authentic looking Viking battle scene morphed quickly into something very B-movie-ish, complete with less-than-convincing fight choreography, bad wigs, and uncomfortably clichéd dialogue (think 'The Seeker' but worse).
My friend Steve and I momentarily wondered if we had picked the wrong film, until a fight scene (between a cranky 'King Argyle' and a loud and feisty Viking berzerker) reached it's climax, and ended with a burp ( Argyle yelling 'Whoa whoa whoa! The fight's fuckin over OK? I hit you like ten times! Ref!?" ). There was an audible sigh of relief from the audience (who must have been as concerned as we were that we'd all stumbled into the worst film ever).
Happy, realizing we we'd been playfully duped, we scooched deeper into our seats knowing that the film we were watching was (a) not necessarily horrible, and (b) charming because it was off to a good start poking light fun at.. uh.. the type of people who take LARPing a little seriously - withou t making them seem like idiots.
TWH quietly lulls you into thinking you're watching an indie-romantic-comedy-drama-type- film (something like "Away We Go") as it sets up it's sympathetic and frustrated protagonist Erik (Ricky Maybe), who lives with (and takes care of) his mentally disabled father. His flaky older brother Bjorn (an emotionally arrested Norse-God-Obsessed 30 something, played by Mark Antony Krupa) has more-or-less abandoned Erik and his father to frolic indefinitely in a role-playing camp in the Canadian back-country. Unfortunately for Erik, his aloof and emotionally distant girlfriend ( Kaniehtiio Horn) has a sort-of simultaneous relationship with one of the LARPers ('Shaman Murtagh', played by Trevor Hayes) at said camp. By the time she tells Erik that she's leaving for some 'air' to go role-playing with some other dudes in the mountains, the little voice in the back of my mind telling me that the film is supposed to be a thriller had all but faded - and the bleakness and quiet dysfunction of their 'relationship' had taken center stage.
Director a nd Co-writer Alex Franchi's genius is in allowing us to invest ourselves emo tionally into Erik's character, and his charming and slightly pathetic 'love quest' to go talk some sense into his cheating girlfriend, which he can only do by (reluctantly) playing along with his brothers geeky friends who constantly insist on him staying in 'decorum' so as not to ruin the game. We trust the films smart and witty storytelling until we learn the hard way that it's not out to make us feel warm and fuzzy.
Of course, eventually, everything goes horribly, horribly wrong (it really goes terribly wrong). The film pivots instantly from an increasingly tense romantic tug-of-war, into very real-feeling panic and disorienting violence. Brilliantly, the quirky and harmless emotional momentum of the film (which by this point has flirted with danger and returned to safety many times) extends slightly past the point of no return - leaving the audience (or at least me) flinching.
It's hard to miss the director tipping his hat to William Golding. But unlike Lord of the Flies or Apocalypse Now, Franchi places mans capacity for acts of horror much closer to everyday life. He makes us watch as his carefully-crafted, charming and emotionally familiar narrative get's convincingly ( and unapologetically) torn limb from limb.
And just in case you were wondering, though I'll cry in a theater at the drop of a hat, (or more likely when a dog is hurt or dies) I'm the kind of guy who is almost never bothered by 'scary' movies. Of course I've jumped once or twice - but never too far. I thought the Saw was campy and a little stupid (duh). Silence of the Lambs was excellent, but more intriguing than scary. And the Blair Witch Project was what it was - but I never lost sleep.
The Wild Hunt terrified me.
During the last 15 minutes of the film, I felt my heart race uncontrollably. I squirmed, cringed & flinched until my whole torso and neck actually tingled with adrenaline (which is usually reserved for getting stalked by hungry bears in the dark on a camping trip in Yosemite).
In the brief calm that follows the films climax, it manages to blend together the banal and the mythological. It articulates a fascinating connection between role-playing games with the horrific realities they romanticize, and somehow erases the gap between typical contemporary real-life breakup drama and Shakespearian tragedy.
The film is a brilliant, emotionally complex and believable piece of storytelling, with compelling acting (especially by Ricky Maybe, Nicholas Write & Mark Anthony Krupa).
Driving by Oak Park will never be the same.
9 out of 10 stars (aka 'go see it').
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