To celebrate my birthday, my friends and I went to witness the mayhem that is the LA Derby Dolls, LA’s all-women roller derby league. It was an incredibly raucous and fun time, and it now rivals hockey as the live sport I enjoy seeing the most.
Next Saturday, the Derby Dolls match pits the “Fight Crew” against “The Tough Cookies”. I will definitely be there, and if you are interested, be sure to pick up your tickets as soons as possible. These matches always sell out, and a bunch of people got burned last time by not snagging tickets in advance, so don’t dawdle. I hope to see you there!
Here is a fascinating article about a ban by Bowling Green State University on Nerf guns. Live Action Role-Playing, or LARPing, is a sub-genre of of RPG’s that takes gameplay into the real world. At Bowling Green, students began a game of “Undead”, which is a flavor of the LARP “Humans vs. Zombies”. The game involves two teams, the Zombies and the Humans, and the goal is for the humans to evade being “bitten” by the zombies. The humans can fight of the horde of undead by defending themselves with Nerf guns, among other weapons.
Apparently, the LARPers started causing a commotion and disrupting campus, and so the administration cracked down and forbade the player from using the great foam defense. They were allowed to fight of the zombies with socks and marshmallows, but this limitation still upset the participants. This has caused a bit of controversy on campus, and the LARPers are rallying to get their weapons back. The story continues with more interesting twists, including a relative who worked at Nerf coming to pay a visit to campus.
I am very interested in the phenomena of LARPing and Alternate Reality Gaming (ARG’s), and so, as these forms of entertainment become more pervasive, I am sure there will be more conflicts as we see play continue to spill over into the real world.
This Saturday I witnessed two fantastically ridiculous events in Downtown LA: the “Pillow Fight Day” flash-mob at Pershing Square and a gigantic, block-long water slide set up for a Dodge commercial. Check out the Flickr slideshow below to see the silliness that ensued…
So for you other LA folks, I am sure you have seen “The Rental Man”, the guy dressed up in a superhero costume who dances to help promote “Westside Rentals”. Well, I just received an interesting piece of spam from the company informing me that they are holding auditions to find the next “Rental Man”. Here’s the skinny:
What: Rental Man Open Audition When: Friday, March 14, 2008 @ 2pm Where: Westside Rentals HQ (1020 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401) Who: You! Why: $60,000 a year plus all expenses paid for great seats at Lakers, Clippers, Kings, Ducks, Dodgers, Angels, UCLA, USC and THE SUPER BOWL!!!!!
See you on Friday!
I had no idea it paid so well! Guess that furious dancing comes with some serious benefits. If you are intrigued, you can find more at:
While I try not to discuss work-related things, I will take a quick moment to let you all know about the just-announced 2nd Data Sharing Summit. The event is on May 15th at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA. While I sometimes find that web conferences are all talk and little action, I did find the first Data Sharing Summit to be an interesting chance for discussion and tangible collaboration. The organizers use the “unconference” which creates a more flexible and participant-defined schedule. There has been a great deal of activity since the first meeting around data sharing, and so hopefully we can work to tangibly further the progress.
In addition, there is a 2-day Data Sharing Workshop taking place at SFSU on April 18th and 19th. I won’t be able to attend since I will be in NYC, but I am sure it will be interesting as well. So, for those of you in the bay, check out all the info at: http://datasharingsummit.com/
Last night I went to see “The Mountain Goats” play at the Troubadour in LA. “The Mountain Goats” is really the stage moniker for John Darnielle, whose musical catalogue is rich with autobiographical tales. His songs travel through those universally-wandered emotional roads of divorce, heartache, hope, and the secret desire to have aliens kill all of your friends. This is the second time I have been lucky enough to see him live, the first being at last year’s South by Southwest.
The Troubadour is an intimate venue, which complemented Darnielle’s personal style well. His shows foster a feeling of community. At one point he confessed that he was going to play a song he hadn’t rehearsed because he knew it was the right one for the moment. Mid-way through he forgot the next line and turned to the audience for help. A fan quickly fed him the lyrics, and he continued strumming on. This is the kind of trust that he places in the crowd; he creates the feeling that the concert-goers are sharing in his catharsis. I left the show uplifted, overcome with a feeling of togetherness and a general air of happiness that comes with knowing that one has experienced something unique. Perhaps this is cliche, but again, that communal joy is why I go see live music.
Apple announced that on March 6th they will be holding an event to discuss their software roadmap. This will most likely mark the introduction of the long-awaited iPhone SDK. Let the countdown begin!
This past weekend I finally made it to the Takashi Murakami exhibit at the LA Musuem of Contemporary Art. I tried to go last weekend, but, after making it through exactly one room, the entire facility was evacuated due to an underground explosion.
Despite this setback, some friends and I went for strike two (strike three for a couple) and were not disappointed. Murakami is the founder of the “Superflat” style, and I first encountered his works when I attended the exhibit at the NY Japan Society called, “Little Boy: The Arts of Japan’s Exploding Subculture” that explored the impact that the atomic bomb had on Japanese culture. Murakami’s sensory-overloaded pop style is inspired by and also subverts Japanese otaku culture by twisting conventions of anime and manga. The exhibit not only features his artwork, but also a bevy of sculptures as well as several film explorations.
The exhibit runs through February 11th, and I highly recommend taking the time to soak it in before it ends.
I never turn down the chance to see anime on the big screen. Luckily, as an L.A. resident, the opportunity does occasionally present itself, usually through midnight showings or special premieres tied to cultural centers. Next weekend, the American Cinematheque will be presenting three of Hayao Miyazaki’s phenomenal films in a Studio Ghibli showcase at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica:
Friday, February 1
7:30pm - “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind”
Saturday, February 2
3:00pm - “My Neighbor Totoro”
Saturday, February 2
7:30pm - “Spirited Away”
This is a rare opportunity to sample Miyazaki’s craft in a theater setting, and you owe it to yourself to experience his storytelling. If you don’t consider yourself an “anime” fan or simply have never seen a Miyazaki film, I assure you that you will find these films captivating, your imagination sated, and leave with a smile on your face. I have already bought my tickets to all three at fandango.com, and let me know in the comments if you are planning on attending.
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