Silicon Valley Watcher - reporting on the business of technology and media

Will it get past your spam filters?

From HATEGrenade team:

Has anybody ever pissed you off so bad that you wanted to add them to a SPAM list?

If so, a new startup site, Hategrenade.com can help! By using the form on their website, you can anonymously add the people you most HATE to the world's first community driven SPAM list ...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What it is ...
It is the world's first community driven SPAM list, a.k.a. The Ultimate Online Payback!
How it works ...
It's quite simple and 100% FREE … this website is regularly crawled by spam bots. The person's email address that you add to HATEgrenade.com will get completely blown up with SPAM very soon ... this is what we call, Dropping a HATEgrenade Beeeatch ...

The rules ...
There are no rules ... except that you should be aware that you, not us, YOU are soley responsible for the comments you make on this website.

Why we created this ...
Because we are dorky web-developers that do not know how to fist fight. Because we might be able to make some money from it one day? Oh yeah, and because it feels oh so good to SPAM our enemies ... muahahaha!

--
HATEgrenade Team
hategrenade@gmail.com
http://www.hategrenade.com

Technorati Tags: hategrenade

Monday evening was fun. I was at the San Francisco Community Music Center with my friend Allison Lovejoy as she interviewed conductor Urs Leonhardt Steiner. It is part of a series of interviews with local composers, musicians, conductors, and singers that are part of the rich cultural scene of San Francisco/Silicon Valley.

She spoke with him during a break in rehearsals for the "Sing it yourself Messiah" upcoming on Wednesday, December 12 at 8pm, at Davies Symphony Hall.

At this event the audience are the performers, singing Handel's Messiah and everyone is welcome. It is now in its 29th year and has become a much-loved holiday tradition for many people.

Allison is a wonderful friend because she helps me to escape the geek world and peek into her world, that of a classical pianist, cabaret performer, and educator. If she can help me escape occasionally, then maybe she can do the same for some of my readers too :-)

"Sing it yourself Messiah" is at Davies Symphony Hall, December 12, 2007. Tickets: 415 401 9229 or www.sfsinfonietta.org

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uznnxmjqWt8

- - -

Here is Allison Lovejoy performing Bartok:

YouTube - Allison Lovejoy plays Bartok

By Lucaso

A few weeks ago I headed to NASA's Ames Research Center to check out Yuri's night, an annual world space party celebrating humanity's first voyage into space. Inside the massive hangar music, airplanes, and science converged for a sexy, space party. We caught up with NASA scientist Chris McKay for a chat about life on Mars. He believes that alien life forms could be preserved in the Mars polar ice caps and would likely not be based on DNA, enabling a study of comparative biology for the first time ever.

Maria Mouk writes:

Get ready for something entirely different.
On April 13th the Bay Area joins the world in celebration of space exploration in a unique convergence of artists, scientists, astronauts, performers and musicians.

Yuri's Night is a commemoration of humankind's first venture into space, by Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.  This gathering bridges national, cultural, generational and social barriers to ignite excitement about what is new on the horizon in space exploration and to remind us of the magnificent feats humanity is capable of.

Yuri's Night Bay Area will be held at Moffett Field in the NASA Ames Research Center's massive SOFIA hangar, home to the world's largest aerial observatory.

Our host for the evening is pioneering space traveler Anousheh Anasari, the first privately funded female to reach orbit.  She is joined by Dr. Chris McKay, world renowned expert in astrobiology and terraformation with the Space Science Division of NASA Ames Research Center, as they welcome you to a dazzling array of interactive art installations and science demos, interwoven with musical and acrobatic performances by some of the world's finest entertainers.

Entertainment includes:

By Maria Mouk

Snow falls on the Northern peaks, and cool weather glides across the Bay- strapping me into the comfort of boots and bindings.  If you have  an open schedule- mountains in Tahoe are open and powdered, so hit the slopes early in the week, as I wish I was. Discount lift ticketsare available from Snowbomb for various resorts.

If you're remaining on all 2- and last week's sound stimuli- was missed or unimpressive, glance at the Audium schedule and make it a point to take a  trip. Exploring the language of space in music,and the interaction between compositional needs and technological innovation, led to the creation of AUDIUM, variously described as a theatre of sound-sculptured space or a sound-space continuum.

Located in San Francisco, AUDIUM is a total environment, designed from floor to ceiling as an integrated concept. The theatre, open since 1975, consists of a foyer, a sound labyrinth and a main performance space.

It is a building within a building, conceived directly for this art form. Listeners sit in concentric circles, enveloped by 169 speakers in sloping walls, floating floor, and a suspended ceiling. Sounds travel above, around, below, and on multidimensional planes in space.

Exact control of sound movement, direction, speed and intensity is realized through a custom-designed electronic console, responsive to a "tape performer." Live, spatial performance of tape compositions allows each performance to be unique. Listeners are immersed in a kinetic sound realm wherein speakers and environment become the new electronic orchestra.

Now back to time that ticks; this week offers plenty to holiday cheer about- even if you realize that green and red clash.

Tuesday:

Join the San Francisco URBAN ALLIANCE FOR SUSTAINABILITY for their Holiday party at 111 Minna. A conscious celebration with drinks, food, and entertainment including DJ Alex Theory, Live music from Estas, insight from Darian Heyman of Craigslist Foundation, spoken word by Trathen Heckman of Daily Acts, and sustenance from Juicy Lucy.

The SFUAS is a local network of green businesses and community members who aim to create dynamic models of sustainability within the urban environment.

Wednesday: Be fashionably loud

Invisible Hero Industries presents performance, music, and fashion at RX Gallery with the WINTER GREEN FASHION SHOW. Come at 9:00pm for a Runway show featuring the designs of Type-A Clothing, K-Tuff, Joe Curv Jewelry, and handbag stylings of M.I.A, and K-Tuff

Performances throughout the night provided by the lovely ladies of The SOLID GOLDIGGERS BURLESQUE. Musical stylings for the evening made possible by Pompi-End Up/System Omar-Popscene Sleazemore-Lights Down Low Ollie Vaughn-Progress SF Live Turn tableist performance by Phleck and Gordo-Hit and Run MC performance by A-RON BACARDI featuring Dj Sheik -Hit and Run. $1 PBR's and $2 shots! 21+ $5 B4 11pm $10 after.

Seems like I'm lacking an ear or eyeful , as I keep pointing out the bright and shiny - but visual work space- Dimension 7 doesnt always host events. Wednesday also brings Futuresound Styleclash.

An experience in new music and fashion, D7 will host a designer soiree, fashion photoshoot, and runway shows, all set to a live music soundtrack taped for the fashion reality show = The Hot E*. 7 pm till late.

 Thursday:

STIRR's Winter Wonderland at the exploratorium will bring together Gabriel Venture and Partners to put together a startup holiday inspiration conversation. STIRR's goal is to catalyze entrepreneurial activity in the SF Bay Area and beyond.

The event includes a live catered buffet dinner, swing band, dj, an amazing space (the entire exploratorium is available to explore) under special lighting, and of course tons of companies and enterpreneurs.Gabriel has invested in over $22k of prizes including A Toshiba 42" Plasma T - 2 Bose Sound-Dock digital music system- A Cannon PowerShot SD630 6.0 mega pixel camera- A 4GB iPod nano- and Over 100 ipod friendly table prizes.There will be raffles, contest prizes, a mixer or two, and gift bags to keep at the end of the evening.

Event is semi formal, so this is your chance to doll up. Buy tickets in advance. Sponsorship opportunities available.

If you're feeling more like jeans-end of week, head to the Japanese Puppet Animation! The Exquisite World of Kihachiro Kawamoto show, starting at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Kihachiro Kawamoto, born in 1925, is regarded as the master of Japanese puppet animation.

In the 1960s he studied under Czech animation legend Jiri Trnka, and his work has been honored in retrospectives worldwide. Do not miss this opportunity: The films are not in distribution in the US, and the prints will be returned to Japan following the screenings.

[diggrz: an SVW tag for arts, culture, trends, and events in and around Silicon Valley- new from SVW] -

 By Maria Mouk for Silicon Valley Watcher

Break out! Week thins out and makes for the weekend wander.

Tonight join me, your friends, and your friends freaks and geeks, at Mighty's 3rd Anniversary. Free admission all night with Open Bar until midnight. On the decks will be your favorite dj's from THE SPACE COWBOYS,TIGERBEAT6, OPEL PRODUCTIONS, EGGS, HOUSE OF LOTUS, MOXIE, THE FRINGE CAMP, GET YR FREAK ON, DEEP END, GUN CLUB, FUNKY COZY, FALSE PROFIT, EVIL BREAKS, bands, performances and much more.

Get some quiet daytime in before pressing your aural limitations at Friday night's Brutal Sound Effects Festival at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Running for its 11th year, this blanket of treble vibrance will numb your toes, and fluid your thoughts- until melody flows out of your inhalations. Special out of town guests will include Los Angeles Free
Music Society pioneer Joseph Hammer, and god-being from Baltimore “James Twig Harper”.” This multi-media concert and film event will feature the following bands:• Psichologico Tramas (Joseph Hammer, Loachfillet, Albert Ortega, Mitchell Brown)• James “Twig” Harper• Skozey Fetisch• Beandip Troubadours (Branpos/Antiear)• XOME• Hans Grusel’s Krankenkabinet• Core of the Coal Man• Spider Compass Good Crime Band• Ecomorti• and Sound effects presentation by heejay KROB. Only 8 bucks and show starts at 730.

Feeling frisky after getting a mind rock? Throw on your Super Santaman costume and get out early- as the Santas take over SF. SantaCon 2006 starts at 830 in the East Bay, or stumble in by 10am to the Carousel at Pier 39 in San Francisco. Come prepared for barhopping and lots and lots of Santas...

And now its Saturday night- and you find yourself standing at the doors of the RXGallery. Inside awaits you interactive "Device Art" and beats with Kontrol's METOPE, hailing from Berlin with tech-lectro to make you twitch till the AM. The current exhibit at RX is entitled Device Art; and is a year in the planning- featuring over 2 dozen interactive video pieces, optikinetic works; conceptual and performance. 

PLug in- Engage- Dissimenate.

Saturday night also offers the Opel Holiday Season Soiree @ Shine. A holiday season party with all the trappings of egg nog, decor, mistletoe, and snazzy outfits. No dress code per se, but we're requesting you dress up a bit: bust out that cocktail dress you've been dying to wear or the styled out get up too nice for work. Performing will be SYd Gris, Smoove, Dutch, ViaJay, Aaron Jae, Nathan Vain, Dulce Vita, Cosmic Selector, and Dex Stakker.

This weekend- 2 trunk shows offer you unique gifting options for the winter days.

Saturday; Pandora's Trunk- at 916 Natoma offers a designer sample sale, art/fashion production performance, rotating indie artists, gourmet food, massage, and free play pinball all under one roof.

Sunday: Younique Boutique features bay area artisans and crafters such as ViaJay and Green Girl, Ruby Pearl: pussy art, jewelry and soaps, Lindy Kehoe: fine art prints and originals, books, Cheryl Kerr: silver and Paua shell jewelry, paintings, Elwyn Crawford: velour cloches, fabric-college head scarves, Sequoia: art prints, glass art, handmade poi for dancing
Dee Dee Russell: glitter and feather clothing, and more Im sure. At Anon Gallery 285 9th street- noon to 7. 

Monday evening; join Dave Eggers, writer of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, at the Herbst Theatre for conversation about his most recent book ;What is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng. Epic in scope and full of adventure, tragedy, and triumph, What is the What depicts the recent history of civil war in Sudan through the eyes of two young men. It is based on the true story of Valentino Achak Deng, a survivor of a 1000-mile exodus and one of Sudan's "Lost Boys." In 2003, Eggers and Deng traveled by cargo plane to southern Sudan where Deng was reunited with his parents, who he was separated from seventeen years earlier during the Second Sudanese Civil War. Deng will be on site as well.

2007 Lurks... so gather inspiration but travel light.

[diggrz refers to the nomadic lifestyle offered by mobile digital technologies and gadgets - creating a "nomadig" culture. The diggrz name is also a tip-of-the-hat to some of the ideas of the Diggers, a democratic group that arose in 1649, out of the English revolution .

The Diggers were a radical group that cultivated and protected common lands, and sought to create egalitarian, self-sustaining communities. The Diggers would have found  kindred spirits in today's software engineer culture,  and the focus on creating  commonly owned technologies through egalitarian open source community projects. - Tom Foremski]

Tag: diggrz

[diggrz: an SVW tag for arts, culture, trends, and events in and around Silicon Valley- new from SVW] -

By Maria Mouk for Silicon Valley Watcher

Yes, its already December, and with 55F degree temps it can make one forget that this is winter! So roll up your sleeves and check out all the decadent detours December has to offer.

Starting this week; the SFMOMA presents a retrospective on German film director/ screenwriter Werner Hezog in conjunction with Anselm Kiefer, whose art is on view in the galleries. The film series samples the full range of Herzog's work, from fictional features to documentaries and shorts. Beginning with a lineup of six films in November and December, the series continues in January with seven additional screenings.

Trying to find meaning from exerting (or lacking) energy (E)? Want to know what to do with your mass (m)? Or how much energy you really need in your low lit (c=speed of light) space of an office? You might want to Ask a Scientist. This month discussion heads towards Einstein's legendary equation; e=mc2, as we explore energy, mass, matter, antimatter, and those pesky missing pieces of the universe: dark matter and dark energy. Hitoshi Murayama; Professor of Physics at UC Berkeley, and Senior Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, speak at the Canvas Gallery

Tuesday Eve

Tuesday bring in Aimee Mann's 1st Annual Christmas Show at Bimbo's. Think soothing, songwriting which sometimes wrecks songs with literary quality. Surprise special guests are promised.

This Tuesday is also the monthly session of SF's Green Drinks. Held at Varnish Fine Art from 5:30-7:30 p.m, come to discuss or collaborate on business possibilities in the environmental field, and stay for happy hour priced drinks and an art gallery with the current exhibit titled Life Aquatic.

Also Tuesday, is the Converting Your Passion into a Real Business Panel & Mixer at Stanford University in Palo Alto. Presented by Women 2.0 (a division of Entrepreneur27) and Stanford BASES, evening will include vloggers, bloggers, and seasoned entrepreneur panelists such as Nick Douglas, Valleywag Immediate Past Editor, Liz Gannes, GigaOM Reporter, Shannon McClenaghan, JimmyJane President, Amy Andersen, LinxDating Founder and CEO, Christopher Surdi, Global Educational Program (GEP) Co-Founder & President, Michael Cerda, Jangl CEO, and Moderator: Ariel Polero CEO of TextMarks. Topics will include; getting started, getting funding, and how to run a successful business. Please register here.

Wednesday Eve

Teched out? Then get decked out! on Wednesday all day.  NOOWORKS and GUARDIAN PRESENT: WINTER FASHION FEST 2006. Get your holiday shopping done at the bar. The trunk show at 12 Galaxies will feature the best local designers, artisans and merchants bringing their creations to the savviest shoppers in the middle of a rockin' party! Admission is FREE! DJs, food and drink come together. While you're shopping, bring your receipts totaling $100 to the Guardian's table to receive the fabulously chic DVD of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA! While supplies last. Not too shabby for a December kick off, huh? Glad you agree.

[diggrz refers to the nomadic lifestyle offered by mobile digital technologies and gadgets - creating a "nomadig" culture. The diggrz name is also a tip-of-the-hat to some of the ideas of the Diggers, a democratic group that arose in 1649, out of the English revolution .

The Diggers were a radical group that cultivated and protected common lands, and sought to create egalitarian, self-sustaining communities. The Diggers would have found  kindred spirits in today's software engineer culture,  and the focus on creating  commonly owned technologies through egalitarian open source community projects. - Tom Foremski]

Tag: diggrz

Lucaso's Note: It's the lifestyle of the new millenium: digitally enabled, creative, environmental conscious, community minded, and productive. We are a band of merry travelers and crafty curators, contributing our new gifts to a world uninhibited by the constraints of the past. We are the people we've been waiting for.

Introducing our new Diggrz lifestyles column is ZigZag. ZigZag is a writer, life coach and poet. She calls herself a practical mystic. You can usually find her inspiring everyone she meets to live their dreams. She has her own life coaching practice, is working on her first book, and takes the stage with her spoken word. Her blog, mszigzag.com, "exposes the unexposed" as she gets personal about dating, relationships, bikini waxes and good books.

By ZigZag for Sillicon Valley Watcher

Whether you are sitting in a cubicle, wearing an Italian suit, bartending, or working for “the man,” odds are you have a project or a dream separate from that working life. You might be conjuring up the newest technological brainstorm, fire dancing on Sunday nights in vinyl Speedos, or strategizing your way into a new galaxy of modern voo-doo.   We are the Diggrs, a kultur of the 21Century, and we are on a mission.

One thing I have discovered is that it ain’t easy to have a mission. For instance, my mission is to build a successful business as a writer, speaker, poet and life coach. I have become my own one-woman show, and this is no easy task. To some degree we are all a one-person show, creatively growing and discovering new pathways to inner peace, financial freedom, and a world of unlimited potential.

However, don’t be fooled by the hype. At first it sounds delicious. It’s a world of possibility, but the first thing to know is that you will resist. We are children of habit, so breaking free from a lifetime of comfort zones can be daunting. As you enter into the “discomfort zone” remember that resistance becomes your friend. Think about it, how many times have you heard yourself saying things like: “I don’t have time to do this,  ” “Maybe this isn’t my thing, ”  or "I'll do it later." Listen to your cues, if you think you are in resistance, it means you’re on the right track.

As a society stuck in fear, our friends and family might try and get us to take the safe road. Afterall, we might fail at something, and so we shoot low hoping that at least we walk away with a small prize because we don’t think we deserve the grand prize. Luckily, we know that we can shoot high, instead of aiming low, because the truth is that all successful people fail. They just recover fast and keep going.

“Races are not won by the fastest athletes. Fights are not won by the strongest men. But the races are won and the fights are won by those who want to win most of all.” – Tommy Lasorda

They say that there is a lot of tension when you embark on a journey or mission, and the tension builds slowly until the most tension is felt right before the biggest breakthrough. The problem is that most people give up at 11:59 when they should have held on until 12:00.

So hold on tight. Enjoy the ride. Make it bumpy. Fall down a few times, and then, when you’re ready, fly...or should I say, dig.

By Maria Mouk for Sillicon Valley Watcher.

Its that time again, so get your days-off with your kicks, beats, and percussions-in.

Friday Eve

The Kronos Quartet performs Friday evening at Stanford University Lively Arts Center. Talented string musicians that have been at it for the last 30 years, Kronos differsifies by covering a very broad range of musical genres.(Past work has included movie soundtracks, experimental, Mexican, etc...)

Also Friday evening; the Unity Church of San Leandro (501 Joaquin Ave, San Leandro, CA)will have a showing of the movie "The Secret". Though the concepts behind the movie are simple, they are groundbreaking in the sense that there is finally a practical presentation for the ideas that focus on the law of attraction and manifestation. If you don't watch it now, check it out online. It's worth the watch.

After you've blissed out, head over to Ambiotica, a new edge salon, hosted by record label Cyberset and collective Anon Salon, from 8:30 to 3am. This month's trip will begin with the MindMeld discussion circle at the Lofty Thoughts Gallery (1286 Folsom Street) followed by an evening of inspired music, art and interaction at the adjacent Anon Salon Gallery/Climate Theater. MindMelt topic spans "What is your religion?" with Erik Davis, author of Techgnosis, Visionary State (Religion of Vision), Chris Deckker; founder Earthdance International (Religion of Peace), and Jim Wanlesscreator, creator of Voyager Tarot. Musical performances will include B. Smiley, Medicine Man, Leslie Shill, Neptune, Irina Mikhailova, Estas Tonne, amd Waterjuice. I'll be on hand serving smart Amazonian herb cocktails.

If all that sounds like outer space, get grounded, at the Chillin Productions Holiday Sale Fashion Show. Mezzanine will host 60 fashion designers, 80 painters/photographers, and 60 filmmakers, with musical performances by DJ JOHANSON, Russell Vargas, DJ Laron, Kerowack, Dirtyhertz, Dave Madix, and more. A personal fav presenting will be KAYO, with her winter line of fleece apparel. Drop on in, and leave with something saucy.

Saturday Eve

Saturday night, Addictech presents a breaks breakdown, with peformers spanning the globe, including Autobots, Lawgiverz, SOTEG, Kosmikniel, and locally loved Eskmo, Audiovoid, Ripple, Dov, Aaron Jae, Friction,Evan Bender, Bertzerker & Hypnotech! Go big or go home.

Also Saturday, techno collective Kontrol makes you itch with Fred Giannelli aka The Kooky Scientist's live PA. Talk about ooold school. From his early work with Psychic TV to collaborations with Richie Hawtin and Dan Bell, this man has seen and done it all, twice. If you missed out on the DEMF this year, this is your opportunity to catch this tick. Playing also is [a]pendics.shuffle, LA's multi-monikered maestro with dirty, dance-floor destroying minimal.

If you're looking to go the distance or to a strange Gypsy slinging rockout, Primus plays with Gogol Bordello opening, at the Berkeley Community Theatre. A bizarre combination indeed but its sure to be a night of well, like I said, Gypsy slinging.

After you've recovered from any weekend overextension, there's still time in the weekend to make the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition's Winterfest at SomArts. Bikes, apparel, gourmets, designers, and salons, will be on hand, ready to convert you or confirm your cycling love.

After The Buzz Wears Off

And dont forget First Tuesdays of the month mean free museum crawl. So take an early day or extended lunch, and take advantage of one of SF's creative possibilities.

By Maria Mouk for Silicon Valley Watcher

Whether you celebrated or not, I'm sure you've gotten your fill of turkey stuffing and stuffy grocery stores.  Time to burn off the mind-halt and not let the cooling nights deter you from gaining inspiration and riding on productivity.

Tuesday Eve

Head over to the Independent for an 8:30 show by The Coup and Mr.Lif. Politically radical and banging out lyrical beats since the early 90's, 'Coup' is characterized by electronic sounds and bass driven backbeats overlaid by humorous, cynical, and sometimes violent lyrics criticizing American politics.

Wednesday Eve

Get your art snob fix, by going over to SF Camerawork for their 2006 Auction Preview Reception of fine photographic prints(6pm). Scope out the shots worth your walls before bidding at the Live Auction on Saturday afternoon.

Also, Wednesday is the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for Web 2.0 Presentation. Held in Mountain View, at Google Inc. from 6 to 9pm, the event will focus on increasing traffic, ranking, and structural barriers limiting indexability and maximizing the spiderability of web sites.

Speakers for Web 2.0 include Adam Lasnik-SEO Strategist-Google, David Hahn-Director of Advertising-LinkedIn, Markus Hoevener-Chief Visionary-Bloofusion, and Joelle Kaufman-Vice President Experience-of Engage.com. The event is hosted by the Silicon Valley WebGuild with a focus on providing a collaborative environments within monthly meetings.

Thursday Eve

Drop into the Commonwealth Club, for Defining the Self in a Virtual World: Online Personas. They are founders of the most successful and innovative web sites allowing people to interact, trade, meet and network. They will explore how their sites are evolving to keep up with the future of online networking.

Do some physical networking beyond the screen Thursday eve at DNA Lounge, for Reload, brought to you by tech talkers and music junkies. Included will be a Second Life virtual and live performance, with the assistance of Electric Sheep Company, an intro Podcast meetup, drink specials thanks to Splashcast, blog cast/ mp3 casts through IODA Promonet, including music with DJ Cez, Pants Pants Pants, Black Fiction,Halou w/ Zoe Keating, and DJ Tom Thump. For information you email crazywanda@gmail.com

Editor's Note: We're trying something new here at Diggrz and including a link to the band's music for you to preview before the event. Check out Black Fiction:

"Magic Hands" (mp3)
from "Ghost Ride"
by Black Fiction
Howells Transmitter

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Stream from RealNetworks / Rhapsody

The place to be Saturday was afternoon at the Podcast camp at the Swedish American Hall, and then at Scott Beale's  Laughing Squid party in the evening. Lots of familiar faces... Nick Douglas, Nick Denton, (Nick Denton  has been doing a stellar job in filling in for N.G ) (N.G still won't tell me what he is up to...)

Chris Pirillo and Robert Scoble cruise by in a stretch limo ...

Also: This is the first time I've seen Scott Beale without a camera around his neck... Mrs Beale was dealing with the guest list and doing a very good job of it. Inside, lots of music, but not too loud to chatter.

I usually try to avoid weekend events but these ones  were worth while. And they show a growing San Francisco geek community, which is interesting.

by lucaso for Silicon Valley Watcher

Just back from an Alaskan blizzard experience and I'm ready to shake off the land of the midnight sun and wreck havoc on a sucker-free jaunt through the city of love. Diggrz weekend Kultur Shock begins NOW!

Tonight, shake your thang with Luke Vibert at the Rx Gallery(132 Eddy St.). An eclectic DJ grounded in hip-hop cut-and- paste aesthetics, Vibert is sure to get your body moving with BA-Ba-BASS, dig?

If shakin' it ain't your thang and you feel like ploppin it in front of the silver screen for a few good laughs, then head out to the movies and catch "Borat."(sure to have you in stitches) If you haven't seen Borat, then check him out on youtube(too funny!)

Heerrreeee kittty, kitty, kiity... REORRW!

That's right, it's the CFA International Cat Show! This weekend in San Mateo it's time to take a stroll with the finest felines in the world! Garfeild, Hello Kitty, and Morris impersonators welcome! ROAR!

Laughing On...

Saturday night will be one to remember as Laughing Squid celebrates their 11th anniversary at Mighty. Laughing Squid is one of the Bay area's top portals and has to be one of my personal favs. The diggrz will be there to shoot a vidcast of the event.

The Camp before the Squid...

Need a lil intellectual stimuli before(or after) the big squid down? Then head over to PodCamp West to catch up with all of the west coast podders and talk shop.

If you're looking for something with a unique and diifferent vibe, then head over to the Red Ink Studios for the third annual Synergenesis. From Synergenesis:

"Synergenesis is evidence of a world that does not yet fully exist, a world that we are calling into being through the experience of this event. This is intended to be a magnetic portal, bringing diverse yet aligned people together to exchange ideas, share resources, observe art, integrate experience and create culture."

That means Sunday I'll be kicking it, watching the game! Until next....

by lucaso for Silicon Valley Watcher

The diggrz have been on the road this week. Mouk is in Northern Cali enjoying the trees and ladyQi and I have been fighting a blizzard, filming a documentary vidcast up in Alaska.

But that won't stop the diggrz mid-week-let events listings!(altho, this week we're keeping it quick and dirty :)

Boo-yah! And we're off...

Tonight, head over to 12 Galaxies for Vertiver and get your dose of some home grown music by a SF based music.

Not in the mood for home grown music? Then head over to the Warfield to hang with the Lords and Masters of GWAR, sure to be a horror-fying show! (and their Cyber-Fortress website is quite bloody...)

Quieres algo mas? How about hitting the 10th annual International Latino Film Festival. This afternoon at 2pm is the Animation & Indigenous Shorts at the CCSF Visual Arts Building.

Tomorrow, head over to the 50th year Anniversary Celebration of Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" at the Commonwealth Club of California.

Or, if you're still itching for some good music, hit the Warfield for Portland's Pink Martini. Always a beautiful show, Pink Martini delivers classy melodies with energetic rhythms! Great event for pre-show wine and post show snuggles.

Didn't get enough geek-ery at Web 2.0? Then head to SF Beta November: The Web 2.0 Mixer at Shine Lounge Thursday night. From meetup:

Got a lack of tag clouds in your life? Looking for that perfect Rails mashup? Feeling like you're on the short end of the longtail?Welcome to Beta, a new monthly mixer for the San Francisco Web 2.0 community. Join us for a relaxed, informal evening full of entrepreneurs, developers, bloggers -- anyone with an interest in the future of the web.

Gotta luv the things that get you through the week!

For me, I need an automatic blizzard remover to get me on a plane and out of Alaska(please God!) Until then....

[diggrz: an SVW tag for arts, culture, trends, and events in and around Silicon Valley- new from SVW] -

By Maria Mouk for Silicon Valley Watcher

Days have gotten shorter, so embrace the longer nights as the Bay culture saturates the darker hours with possibility. Thursday evening starts off with the SF Sustainable Business Happy Hour at Elixir (16th St. @ Guerrero.) from 6:00 - 8:00PM, where this week Michelle from Organic Vintners will be pouring Pinot Grigio, Cabernet Savignon, and Tawny Port samples. Also, Green Zebra will be joining in to promote their new coupon book for green businesses.

Friday; Modeselektor, of label BPitch, and recent release 'Hello, Mom' are performing at 1015 Folsom. Coming all the way from Berlin and hailing a pretty amazing IDM glitch hiphop sprawl, this show is not to be missed. Also on deck will be Adam Freeland, a UK based DJ and Producer specializing in nu skool breaks with quite a history of his own, and keep your ears open while you're out for the free special underground venue performance.

Dont forget to stop by to the Grist Happy Hour on Friday. The environmental news and commentary publication from Seattle will be at 111 Minna Gallery serving up conversation and a variety of organic food and cocktails.

Saturday afternoon, the Messy Monkey Arts has teamed up with the Ghetto Gourmet, voted BEST OF THE BAY for their exclusive gourmet dinner parties. Also voted BEST OF THE BAY, will be Das Frachtgut, known for their legendary veggie-fueled orange party bus to take you on adventure throughout the City & beyond.

The "Teacher With the Bus" will pick you up and stop at different hidden pockets to engage in intriguing activities such as painting with brooms and feet to live music by our special guests, the Bluebellies;  as well as engaging in an enticing 4-course meal, with only the finest cuisine prepared by the Ghetto Gourmet. Between intervals, guests will hop back on the bus where drinking and dancing are both allowed and encouraged. It will end with champagne toasts and a fashion show. Vague and interesting. 

If you're feeling political, with the voting agenda that befell this week's activity, be the riot at BeThe Riott. On Saturday, a huge concert lands at Bill Graham Auditorium, with artists such as The Rapture, Diplo, Saul Williams, Breakestra, and more. The Riott aims to be a culture expo, featuring the most cohesive representation of music, street fashion, and art in the nation. Should make for an exciting evening and culturally diverse evening.

Scorpio Ball also falls on Saturday night, at Kink.com's Porn Palace.This years theme is titled "The Tropic of Scorpio", so slather on the bain du soleil and dive deep into the sounds of Eskmo, Dave Seied, Ripple, Syd Gris, Mozaic, and then some.

Lasting all weekend is the San Francisco Green Festival (Nov 10th- 12th), at the San Francisco Concourse Exhibition Center. Speakers, exhibitors, individuals, business and community leaders will come together to discuss social and environmental issues of personal, local, national, and global concern.

[diggrz refers to the nomadic lifestyle offered by mobile digital technologies and gadgets - creating a "nomadig" culture. The diggrz name is also a tip-of-the-hat to some of the ideas of the Diggers, a democratic group that arose in 1649, out of the English revolution .

The Diggers were a radical group that cultivated and protected common lands, and sought to create egalitarian, self-sustaining communities. The Diggers would have found  kindred spirits in today's software engineer culture,  and the focus on creating  commonly owned technologies through egalitarian open source community projects. - Tom Foremski]

Tag: diggrz

[diggrz: an SVW tag for arts, culture, trends, and events in and around Silicon Valley- new from SVW] -

By Maria Mouk for Silicon Valley Watcher

This week starts out immediately productive if you have made it your agenda to attend the Third Annual Web 2.0 Conference at Palace Hotel in San Francisco, lasting Nov 7th to Nov 9th. The Web 2.0 Conference focuses on emerging business and technology developments that utilize the Web as a platform and will be a gathering of top-notch presenters, leaders, and experts in the field. Be sure to catch Wednesday mornings' discussion on "Net Neutrality" with Tim O'Reilly , Vinton G. Cerf , and Robert Pepper, or "What Google Knows" on Thursday with Marissa Mayer (with many more on the schedule for you to explore.)

Wednesday evening find yourself at the Creative Commons monthly salon at Shine, with this weeks lineup featuring Flickr, Annalee Newitz, Bittorrent, the Homebrew Mobile Club, and the music of the Kleptones. Goes all eve, so show up, even afterhours. Alternately (or in addition to) drop over to Dorkbot, where Greg Hazel will present Incoherence: Stereo Field Spectrum Analysis which displays stereo field and frequency information together, in real-time. It can show frequency-dependent phase information in an intuitive way. The demo will include an introduction to the display layout, basic functions, and music demonstrations. Matt Chisholm and Ross Cohen present The Neighborhood Project, a map of city neighborhoods based on the collective opinions of internet users.

Still if you're looking for stimulation beyond speculation, Wednesday 6pm-8pm, put your physical efforts and gusto into setting up for the two day Web 2point2 Unconference at the Microsoft Conference Center (1 Market Street) held on Nov 9th and 10th; Web2Point2 aims to be an event driven by participants and based on conversations, not powerpoints, though they're surely booking hype from their larger Web 2.0 brother event (or those who can't pocket to attend.) Email kristie@brainjams.org or call 415.577.9022, if in fact you're interested. Afterparty at Fluid (662 Mission) on Thursday, and free admission with event badge.

Thursday evening, at 111 Minna Gallery, the good people of Grist, (Environmental News and Commentary) are in San Francisco to host a Grist Organic Happy Hour. Chat it up to the writers and join forces, or just offer suggestions, and if the amazing menu isn't enough (choc full of local organic delicacies and libations from Square One Vodka, Bison Brewery, Organic Vintners, Sambazon juice and Guayaki Yerba Mate,)  Flexcar will be there as well donating 5 free memberships that include 5 free hours a month for 6 months, and Clif Bar will be offsetting all emissions for the event via their Cool Tags program with Native Energy. RSVP now.

Thursday night rocks on with Canadian Ninjatune artist Kid Koala at the Mezzanine, with 12 dollar advance tickets. His recent tours have included up to 8 turntables and sounds: unforgettable! Think jazz-hop-scratchathon.

SFlickr; a monthly meeting of San Francisco Flickr users, starts 7pm at Crossroads Café (699 Delancey St.) This is an opportunity to meet local Flickr users and discuss camera specs/ photo tips. Falls in time with the recent re-release of JPG Magazine, where readers (viewers) can submit photos to issues and themes for consideration in the magazine. ($100 per photo used.)

See you Thursday, till then; avoid all shell shock from Web related activity. Though the days are cooler; get out, as time away from the safety net of technology (sit.. stare.. type) make for better productivity in the long term.

[diggrz refers to the nomadic lifestyle offered by mobile digital technologies and gadgets - creating a "nomadig" culture. The diggrz name is also a tip-of-the-hat to some of the ideas of the Diggers, a democratic group that arose in 1649, out of the English revolution .

The Diggers were a radical group that cultivated and protected common lands, and sought to create egalitarian, self-sustaining communities. The Diggers would have found  kindred spirits in today's software engineer culture,  and the focus on creating  commonly owned technologies through egalitarian open source community projects. - Tom Foremski]

Tag: diggrz

by lucaso for Silicon Valley Watcher.

Here's the diggrz vidcast from the vloggies!

by ladyQi and lucaso for Silicon Valley Watcher.

Two weeks ago the diggrz headed to the Nimby Warehouse in Oakland, CA to check out "Burnt," a fundraiser for Africaburns (South Africa's incarnation of Burningman) The event was massive, featuring large scale fire installations, aerial performances, and a ton of stellar musicians. Enjoy!

[diggrz: an SVW tag for arts, culture, trends, and events in and around Silicon Valley- new from SVW] -

 By Maria Mouk for Silicon Valley Watcher

With the time change this weekend came the weather tide, pulling out the heat of Indian summer and making way to seemingly winter rain. It's always bittersweet to feel the flux of the seasons, but in all change lies evolution... and I look forward to days of pensive skies.

Crazy Castro shooting Halloween! If this year came close to cancellation, I see no reason for having an event that contributes to 9 people being shot next year. What is wrong citizens? Stray fire at a Halloween Party? Blows my mind... Very disturbing.

Put your thoughts into a positive process: move, make, and involve yourself. Maybe you found inspiration at the Brazilian Girls show Thursday night at the Warfield. Or braved the rain in the Mission march for Day of the Dead. This week has more options for burning off your Halloween candy.

If you really feel like doing a body good- head to the Apple on the East. The New York City Marathon starts Sunday morning Nov 5th, and if you havent qualified to run- you can still cheer on the thousands who attend.

For the rest on the home Bay, weekend is jam packed with suggested events such as Clandestine; a Cold War themed costume party set in Berlin, 1962 to benefit Workspace Limited, who provide affordable studio space for artists. Saturday afternoon: Of interest may be the Plants & Magic: Exploring Our Spiritual Connection to Plants show at the Conservatory of Flowers and the San Francisco Botanical Garden where renouned ethnobotonists will speak about the sacred role of plants and the plant-based rituals of Earth's diverse cultures. Learn about shamanic uses of plants, and join in on the Kava Lounge for inspired conversation while moving to the sounds of Brazilian drummers.

Saturday also rolls on with the VLOGGIES at the Swedish American Music Hall. Yes, the first award ceremony for online video documentation presented by Irina Slutsky (the name just slides off the tongue doesnt it? ;) ) of GeekTV. After party at Café du Nord. Also this weekend, geek out at the Vintage Computer Festival 9.0, at the Computer History Museum, in Mountain View.

If you're looking for a little more action, check out the ICER AIR  Festival at ATT Park, on Saturday, with performances by Ladytron and Jurassic 5, beyond the skate & BMX vert demo, wakeboarding exhibition, and the big air/ ski and snowboard competition. Lombardi Sports will be having a blowout 50 percent ski and snowboard sale to accompany the event. Attending will be most accomplished world-class skiers and snowboarders of Olympic and X-Games fame.

Sunday evening (8pm), stop into the Little Baobab (3388 19th St @ Capp St.), for the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Calabash Music Mixer. EFF is the leading civil liberties organization defending rights online. Calabash Music is a top online distributor of music from
around the world, providing its entire catalog in MP3 format and splitting sales revenue 50-50 with artists. Mingle, chat, and dance with EFF staff members.

Power weekend! Invest your time.efforts and Enjoy.

[diggrz refers to the nomadic lifestyle offered by mobile digital technologies and gadgets - creating a "nomadig" culture. The diggrz name is also a tip-of-the-hat to some of the ideas of the Diggers, a democratic group that arose in 1649, out of the English revolution.

The Diggers were a radical group that cultivated and protected common lands, and sought to create egalitarian, self-sustaining communities. The Diggers would have found  kindred spirits in today's software engineer culture,  and the focus on creating  commonly owned technologies through egalitarian open source community projects. - Tom Foremski

Tag: