Category Archives: Los Angeles

Multiple Updates

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(Waiting for the kettle to boil…)

It has been a rather hectic week for me here in the city of Angels. It is difficult to pull it all together in my mind and recall all the contributing elements, but they have been varied and more or less interesting and useful activities, ranging from various committees, teaching issues, research issues, event planning, event attending, and of course, the Project.

(Kettle’s boiled. Water poured on tea. Assam/Ceylon blend…)

gerardo_hacer_dogami_1I want to work for a bit before going to bed, although I’ll knock off early (midnight) because I’ve got to get up very early in the morning to get prettied up a bit, walk to catch the bus to campus, and get there by 8:15am or so. This is so I can get to my office and put on a cap, hood and gown and play dress-up (remember last time?) with hundreds of colleagues and so forth. The event? The inauguration of our new University President.

I’ve just returned from a long afternoon and evening in which I appeared in two of the classes of my colleague KC Cole (the science writer) talking about the issue of science, and how I do various aspects of communicating it to the public through various means (writing, film, tv, radio; factual, in fiction/drama, through blogging, in speaking engagements), and the broad issue of writing and journalism in that area. Two groups of extremely engaged and bright students in a row, separated by a quick […] Click to continue reading this post →

CicLAvia Report

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ciclavia2010_4Well, it is not often I get to say this, but Sunday’s CicLAvia event was, for me, completely perfect. It was simply about community, family, and enjoying the streets. It did not have an overtly political or activist vibe to it (as is often the case when you try to do some things a little differently from others in this town, like ride the bus or walk to the grocery store), and I saw a lot more people simply enjoying (and remarking on it out loud) the fact that they were out on the streets of the city than I saw people proclaiming rabid anti-car sentiments, as I’ve seen at bike-centric events before. I think the former feeling will go a lot further in making lasting change than the latter in the long run. There was some political content around, but it was largely confined to the steps of City Hall, where (when I passed) there were endearingly naive chants being led by a bloke with a microphone about “LA saying no to oil!’ and “no to coal!”. Don’t get me wrong – naive is not necessarily used as a derogatory term here. Noble dreams begin with a heavy dose of naivete, I believe. Hope, against the odds, for significant change, and so forth. (I could use the fully decorated version, naïveté, but it looks a bit pretentious to me today…)

So the event was mostly about people getting out there and enjoying the city streets, and sharing their enjoyment by doing it together. I was impressed with the turnout […] Click to continue reading this post →

Off to CicLAvia…

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Getting ready to disappear off to explore. the route. Should be fun, although it is a tad too hot a day for it to be perfect for cycling and wandering long in the sun. On the other hand, that will bring a lot of people out to enjoy their Sunday outdoors, I hope, walking, cycling, rollerblading, skateboarding, running, etc. […] Click to continue reading this post →

Don’t Forget CicLAvia!

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ciclavia_logoThe first CicLAvia is this Sunday! Don’t forget! The sudden Winter weather we’ve been having will have vanished by then, and it will be a lovely day. There’s a seven-mile route of city streets for you to walk, bike, run, etc. Should be fun!

See my description of one I saw in Morelia, Mexico, here. More information on this first LA one here. […] Click to continue reading this post →

ArtWalk Saved?

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Hmm. Well, after the kerfuffle of before, it seems that some people have got together and raised money to keep the monthly Art Walk going! So there will apparently be one this month after all, with certain aspects modified. Hurrah! In other news, the group that has broken off to set up a quarterly one that makes it all more about the art (after the shocking! (not) revelation! that the Art Walk had stopped being about […]

So, looks like a win for everyone. More people enjoying community and connection (whether they come for art, or just to hang out and connect) on the streets of downtown LA. Not seeing a downside here.

-cvj Click to continue reading this post →

Soft Lights

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p-1600-641-b0c2b19c-c025-46ff-bc2f-11db94b9158e.jpegIt has been a quiet week here on the blog, and there are many reasons for this. They are mostly all to do with me having a very busy week at work and at play. Work has seen a great deal on the usual fronts of teaching, research, and service, and I’ve also made some progress on The Project. Play has been good, varied, valuable and constructive.

Right now, I’m popping off to bed to get some sleep before getting up to go over to UCLA for the second day of the Southern California Strings Seminar. Today, day one, was excellent.

I will be giving you an update on various aspects of all those above things shortly, but right now I will leave you with a moody photo of some strings of lights at the Edison, that bar downtown I sometimes mention here. I had an excellent evening down there on Thursday night.

-cvj
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West Hollywood Book Fair

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west_hollywood_book_fair_1The West Hollywood Book Fair was fun to visit yesterday, even through the huge heat wave we’ve been having. I struggled through the heat to a bus stop and was rewarded with one almost immediately I arrived, to my relief. Even the bus seemed tired as it trundled along through the sweltering city to West Hollywood, where I jumped off and wandered into the grounds of the event. I poked around the stands with books, authors, and other people on display, chatting here and there with interesting people.

I was not on a panel this year (see last year’s report here and here – I don’t think there was anything on science or science-writing this year), so decided to listen to a […] Click to continue reading this post →

Glow

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glow_festival_5_bannerLast night, Glow, the biennial evening to late night gathering down on Santa Monica beach, was fun. There were even some interesting exhibits to look at and interact with, as sort of a bonus! Below (and above) are a few images I took while down there. Click for larger view. Look at the guide on the website to figure out which piece you might be viewing, and go here for links to more photos and so forth. The piece captured in the photograph above, Day for Night, (Santa Monica pier and the carousel in the background) was one of my favourites. See description and information about its creators here. […] Click to continue reading this post →

ArtWalk Walks…

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Faith Machine by Robert Reynolds…And in other news about changes to events I frequent and blog about (see list at end), the downtown LA ArtWalk, which had turned into a monthly street festival (that had very little to do with art, but so what?) that brought downtown alive by attracting people from all over the city, has been canceled, to the surprise of many. I’m shocked by this but at the same time not entirely surprised as I have seen the seeds of this before. (The photo is of a piece entitled “Faith Machine”, by Robert Reynolds, that I saw in Bert Green’s gallery in 2008. Click on the photo to jump to the post about it, and a video showing its lovely breathing action…)

As much as it has moved to being more of a walking city than it is given credit for by most people, something I talk a lot about here, I have to admit that Los Angeles still does not really know how to deal with too many people on the streets. And by “too many” I mean levels that would be regarded as normal in so many other places. The expectation is that too many people (especially in neighbourhoods that are not in the, er, supposedly more genteel West side of the city) is simply a bad thing that is prone to turn into a “problem”. That is always the first reaction. In any case, it is certainly reasonable that some level extra policing is needed for safety, etc., but this is where things get sticky. The increase in policing that is needed to deal with the extra people puts a strain on resources, and there ensues an argument for who will pay the bill. So crowds are simply regarded as clearly negative, instead of an opportunity to build community, express humanity, and for other things involving positive person-to-person connections that this city needs more of. So the thing seems to have been killed because a model for how to foot the bill for extra policing could not be worked out… There may be more to it than that, but that rough model seems to fit the pattern I’ve seen before**.

My main point here is that by LA standards the ArtWalk had grown to become a large crowd, but it was no larger than a typical Summer’s weekend evening in Times […] Click to continue reading this post →

A Dream Come True!

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Wow! There’s a major piece of news that was announced today that basically exactly fits with a dream I have every year. Furthermore, I have been taking part in some meetings with all the University’s Deans, the President, and other key officials, about major aspects of USC’s future endeavours, and when the issue of strengthening the role of USC in the life of Los Angeles came up, I intended to mention my dream, but we ran out of time yesterday so I decided I’d mention it at today’s lunch meeting instead. So today at lunch I was about to be called on to make the point about local roles, and I’d decided to give the specific examples I had in mind. I was going to suggest that we seek for things analogous to UCLA Live, and to the LA Times Festival of Books, as things we can do to open our doors to the city (even more than we do) and become well known to more people near and far as a regular contributor to the intellectual life of the city (I mean beyond the huge number of people who come to us for an education, and the many public events that we already host and/or sponsor). But I was not called on because the President, Max Nikias, looked at his watch and said he had an announcement to make since it was just past the embargo time that was put on the story.

What was his announcement? The LA Times Festival of Books is going to move to USC starting next year! (See also here.) We’ll be enlarging it, and bringing back the awards ceremony to the way it was, etc.

You’ve maybe read my many posts here about the LA Times Festival of Books, and […] Click to continue reading this post →

Inception, Abridged!

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So have you seen Inception yet? Recall my discussion of it in an earlier post. I thought it was excellent. Ok, so if you have not seen it, scroll on to another post. If you have, then you might love this**. I found it hilarious and quite brilliant. It’s a very funny idea worthy of wider recognition, and so I thought I’d share with you and hope you share it with others. Now, it is sort of important to know that you have to bear with the video quality and also let yourself get used to Steven Beacon (the performer) and his somewhat frenetic delivery for several minutes so that the actual Inception part (and how he performs it) that comes later is properly appreciated. So stick with it (and you don’t have to understand all he says in the leading up parts of the act)… it’ll be worth it. (Jump to about 07:30 if you are really busy…) Remember, it probably won’t make any sense or seem the slightest bit funny if you’ve not seen the film.

Ok. That’s enough intro. The video is just after the fold. Enjoy!

[…] Click to continue reading this post →

Not Really Herding Cats

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It is a cool and damp morning here in Los Angeles. There’s a slow mist covering everything in moisture, and there are dripping sounds from many directions if you are still and listen. I made a cup of tea at about 7:00am and decided, what with the mist, the coolness, and the Saturdayness, to head back to bed for an hour. But on my way there I spotted my friend outside in the garden, so we hung out for a while, before he eventually wandered off down the street (possibly a bit miffed at me encouraging him to chase an annoying squirrel rather than just sit and have a good groom…).

Somehow this put my in mind of the following film*. Yes, it is for an advertisement for Ikea (other curiously-named, fun-to-assemble and maybe-soon-to-fall-apart furniture is available), but it is still quite lovely. 100 cats let loose in an Ikea – fun!

The finished advertisement (appropriately for my mood called “Happy Inside”) is here: […] Click to continue reading this post →

Gell-Mann Joins Us!

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Some exciting news today! We’ve had Murray Gell-Mann join the USC faculty! See an article about it here. As you may know, he is the inventor/discoverer of quarks, the particles that make up, among other things, the protons and neutrons that make up the nuclei of every atom in your body.

Speaking of bodies, he’ll actually be focusing on medical issues, as far as I understand it:
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My New Friend

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I’ve some news. I made a new friend the other day. We met unexpectedly, and hit it off in minutes, recognizing something we liked in each other quite quickly, I expect. We met and hung out for a little while, enjoying each others company, and then the next few nights, met again at the same spot at around the same time, being pleased to see each other every time. I admit I was quite surprised by how much I melt with delight every time I see my new friend. We really enjoy each other’s company, and in the week of our friendship, we have spent quality time together doing a favorite thing together – sitting side by side on the steps outside at night staring into the darkness, just listening, sniffing the air and thinking.

I’ve been toying with the whole idea of how far to pursue this new friendship. Yeah, commitment issues. Bottoms line is that I’ve been wary of getting into something like this for years because I worry that circumstances are such that I can’t always be there for such a friend, and so don’t want them to become dependent on me. But this seems to be something out of my control, really. Maybe I should just see how it goes. A good sign is that my friend does not seem to really need me too much, does not seem underfed at all, and in fact has rejected some of my offers to take things to a new level by offers of food. In fact, only a little drink of milk has been accepted during our times together, and a specially bought can of tuna was shown indifference, so maybe the worry about dependence is entirely misplaced, and I should just enjoy the friendship. […] Click to continue reading this post →