Let’s go surfin’ in the 21st Century, Dude!
Email This Post
I often wonder what the future will look like. Sometimes, when I’m out on my bike I get a preview. That’s what made me stop and take this picture while riding on 41st past Freeline Surf Shop. My imagination didn’t have to dial the time machine forward very far. Let’s say in a few years. You think we’ll be seeing a lot more of these? We’ll see. 
The Design + Innovation Center’s Skateboard Panel event at NextSpace
Email This Post
Design is about people, and how they become inspired to create and refine products that are innovative, simpler, more efficient, greener, and – in the case of skateboards – just plain fun. The Santa Cruz Design + Innovation Center recently held a skateboard panel discussion in NextSpace that underlined how creative thinking, energy, and community involvement led to the development of our world class skateboard design and manufacturing industry.
NextSpace, for those of you not yet familiar with it, is the radical new coworking space on the corner of Cooper and Pacific that is becoming the preferred base for creative/technology startups in the Santa Cruz area. Take a tour, and you’ll see software developers, architects, writers, graphic and product designers, computer animators, intellectual property lawyers, nonprofits, entrepreneurs, and innovators working side by side in the friendly, busy, rising-tide-floats-all-boats spirit that’s often called coopetition.
Fifty people - some NextSpace members, many not – crowded into the second floor café space on May 28th to hear a panel of local skateboard personalities give their varied insights into the ideas, the events, the design, and the people that have made this Santa Cruz industry into a world leader.
The panel was made up of Tim Piumarta, the Director of R+D at NHS, who gave the audience a fascinating history of of the skateboard wheel from back in the ball bearing days to the development of the sealed bearing and how it changed skateboarding forever. Connor Welles, Hard Goods Development Coordinator at NHS, who talked about the process of getting skateboard products manufactured and working with product managers. Don Bostick, who founded the World Cup of Skateboard, talked about the problems and rewards of running competitions and events. Erik Florio, the CEO of Whagaa, discussed the early days of wanting to do apps before the iPhone and how his app went to number one for a month on itunes. Judi Oyama, a longtime skateboarder and designer, gave an illustrated talk about the use of graphics in the industry. And Danny Keith spoke about his Grind for Hunger non-profit, running a retail skate business, his love for skating and how it has driven his life. There was a clear underlying tone of passion for the sport and the skateboard community in everyone’s talks.
This enthusiasm and commitment is a common feature of Design Center events. The basis for its existence is that Santa Cruz has, over the last twenty years, become home to a large, world-class group of creative professionals in the fields of design, technology, software development, research, and entrepreneurship. Creative professionals need and want to live in inspiring surroundings like Santa Cruz but can’t always afford to. However, successful creative professionals can. As a result Santa Cruz, being the most attractive and interesting community within commuting distance of Silicon Valley, has attracted a disproportionate number of top creative professionals. But many commute to the Valley for work, and those who run businesses in town find most of their clients and professional connections come from the Valley. So the paradoxical situation arose that a major regional creative center was unaware of itself as such.
Enter the Design Center, two years ago. Its purpose was first to make Santa Cruz aware of itself as a major design and innovation center, and then to spread that awareness across the region, the country, and indeed the world. And this is what is happening. A series of local events and exhibitions, centered around design and technology, are not only forging new links across professional boundaries but making local creative professionals aware of the breadth and depth of design skills available, in many cases, just a few blocks away. Find more on upcoming events, local designers, and what’s going on in the Santa Cruz design community at the Design Center’s web site www.designsc.org. Join us!
Finally, the Design Center wishes to thank all the sponsors of the skateboard panel event: Santa Cruz Skateboard, Santa Cruz Skate Shop, NextSpace, Fringe, Khiro Skateboard Products and Parachute Design. We also thank our Board, under the chairmanship of Darrin Caddes, for their guidance, and the members and volunteers of the Santa Cruz Design + Innovation Center for their support and enthusiasm.
Bikes, Kites and Flights
Email This Post
On a windy Wednesday, I grabbed a few quick videos while riding my bike in SC:
Downtown I ran into a couple of locals practicing near the Rittenhouse building. I can only wonder how long it takes to be able to do this stuff without breaking bones and bruising flesh!
Then, while cruising along West Cliff, I spotted a kite surfer screaming across the water in front of Lighthouse Beach. First, going out a few hundred yards and then turning back to shore with the on-shore wind, he would hit the surf line at speed, getting big, big air and then busting a flip or two. What a show! No admission, either.
Then off the cliff nearby, I noticed a group of gulls facing virtually motionless up into the wind just above. They take turns like riding on an “elevator”, rising up and then getting off at the top and drifting back down again. They do this over and over. Why? I’ve seen this before and often wondered. My only guess is that, like the kite surfer, they’re having a little fun on a windy day! You think?
If you know the answer, please share!
David Sedaris Reading at Capitola Bookstore on Sunday
Email This Post
Famed wordsmith and New York Times’ best-selling author David Sedaris will read at the Capitola Book Cafe Sunday at 2:30 p.m. The author who has become somewhat of a literary darling over the last five years will read from his latest novel “When You Are Engulfed in Flames.”
The show has already soldout, but speakers will be setup outside of the store during his reading and then everyone will be offered access to a signing afterward.
If you’re unfamiliar with his work, I encourage you to go out and get a copy of “Naked” or “Me Talk Pretty One Day.” They’re both great introductions to his witty and comic memoir-like style.
Hope to see you there!
Santa Cruz Pride Parade
Email This Post
In light of Pride Week, here are some photos from the 35th annual Santa Cruz Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Festival, which took place on Sunday.
The Truth About West Side Video
Email This Post
Walking into West Side Video transports you back to a time when the phrase “renting a movie” actually meant “renting a 
VHS tape.” A time before Blockbuster and Hollywood Video made their publicly traded land grab for every video-renting neighborhood in America. A time before Netflix and Redbox completely removed the human element from renting a movie. In this bygone era, the person behind the counter at your locally owned and operated video store didn’t just have an encyclopedic knowledge of all things cinema, they have a knack at personalizing a recommendation just for you by asking a couple of quick questions.
Now things have changed. Our movies tend not to be rented from other people, but rather delivered by a mailmain who doesn’t know the difference between a Woody Allen and an Ed Wood, or dispensed by a vending machine in SafeWay that hasn’t even been programmed to say “Have a nice day” in a creepy cyborg voice.
But the beloved video store culture of yesteryear still exists, I tell you, and you need look no further than West Side Video. The video store sits in the corner of a parking lot on Mission street, tucked away behind Sabieng thai restuarant where it has stood for 23 years.
The first thing you’ll notice, when you enter through the glass doors, is wall after wall, and shelf after shelf, of VHS tapes available for rent. In fact, I have to admit, the first time I visited West Side Video I didn’t think that they had DVDs in stock. It was pretty shocking, and slightly traumatizing. But I soon got over the trauma, and found my way to their DVD section (just to the right of the entrance) and was pleasantly surprised. They have a lot of extras you won’t find at box video stores, or at video vending machines, like a local pick section consisting entirely of movies that played at the “Nickelodeon.” Being a huge fan of independent films, this was a natural draw for me and I instantly recognized a couple movies I had seen at the Nick, and some I had missed.
What I love most about West Side Video is the passion of the owner, Ashlyn Adams. Cinema just gushes out of her, and it’s impossible to talk to her for longer than a minute without having a handful of directors to check out whom you’ve never heard of, a handful of movies to watch that you haven’t gotten to yet but MUST SEE, and updates on all the recent releases.
Ashlyn grew up watching TV and movies, and started working in West Side Video a few years ago. When the previous owners, a couple who both currently work for Google, decided to close down West Side Video, Ashlyn was heartbroken. She offered to buy it. The rest is history.
To Ashlyn’s credit, she totally keeps with the whole “Keep Santa Cruz Weird” vibe. For example, there is a pirate ship hidden somewhere in the movie store. In the event of a power outage (Ashlyn tells me it happens once or twice a year), there is an immediate scavenger hunt for the pirate ship. She’ll even equip you with a flashlight. If you find the pirate ship, a booty of free movie rentals awaits.
Today, West Side Video stands a testament not only to one woman’s passion for movies, but for a community’s passion for a good video store. Leaving I’m struck with an overwhelming awareness of what corporate franchises do to movie store culture: they spray Windex all over it and rip the heart out.
Me, I’m heading to a video store where I can get in depth reviews, critiques, and suggestions from a living cinema-pedia. I’m going where everyone knows your name, and co-workers come in on their days off to hang out and watch movies.
I’m going to West Side Video, or somewhere close.
Weekend Rummage Sale Benefits Abandoned Cats
Email This Post
While on my way downtown this morning I saw something that caught my attention. At the vacant lot on the corner of Thurber Lane and Soquel Drive, just south of Dominican and opposite Wells Fargo Bank, a lot of trucks, boxes, people and stuff — lots of stuff — were being put out on tarps and tables that were quickly filling up the large, weedy lot.
I took some pictures and talked with Lynne Achterberg who is also project manager and a board member for an organization called Project Purr (watch the short video). I found out that it is a non-profit organization intended to care for abandoned cats and their feral offspring. Funds from events like this weekend’s go toward paying for spaying and neutering in order to keep feral populations in check and to prevent their suffering. Project Purr volunteers organize and host a rummage sale twice a year at this location.
It was still early when I left but according to Lynne, the stuff won’t stop coming until this evening when a security team will take over and she and the other volunteers can get some sleep before returning early when the gate opens sharply at 7 a.m. tomorrow. Frankly, I’ll be back, too!
Informal Group Gets New Name – Caffeine Cruizers
Email This Post
It’s not unusual when I stumble across something fun going on in Santa Cruz as I go about my day. It doesn’t matter where in town I happen to be or what time it is. So, when I was leaving the 41st Ave Safeway to return to my car this morning, an unusual number of people milling in front of the Starbucks (just opposite Beverly’s Fabrics) inspired me to go take a look to see what was happening over there.
As I approached I began to notice that the people were milling around some very cool cars. I wondered if it might be some car club, but according to one of the guys in the parking lot, it just kind of evolved. Now, between about 7AM until about 9:30AM on Saturdays’ a large and friendly group of mostly men congregate with coffee’s in their hands, sipping, laughing, and talking in small groups as they check out the cars that have shown up to be admired.
“There’s no formal name but people have started to call it, The Caffeine Cruise”, said one man who comes regularly.
The photos I took represent only part of what I saw. Everyone was friendly and eager to answer any questions I had. It definitely got me off to a good start for the weekend. If you have any interest in cars or just love to see something that is both American history and American art, I’d suggest you stop by some Saturday and enjoy the Cruise…I mean Cruize!
Kinetic Art Cruz
Email This Post
More photos from Kinetic Art Cruz on Sunday.
Kinetic Art Cruz Pedals Through Santa Cruz
Email This Post
SANTA CRUZ — Apparently, a lot of things aren’t that apparent. Take for example the fact that the queen of water, oceans and rivers — did anyone even know she exists — travels in a carriage pulled by sea creatures in spandex. And steampunk, a subculture that celebrates the styles and art from the age of steam power, is alive and thriving in our own backyard.
Both were prominent contestants in Kinetic Art Cruz, an eccentric bike parade and the latest addition to the annual River Arts Festival held in San Lorenzo Park over the weekend.
This year’s festival proved bigger, better and weirder than years past with the addition of the Kinetic Art Cruz, a bike art parade where residents of all ages can showcase their eclectic and often wacky two, three or four wheelers in competition for a winning spot in one of six categories.
“It gives us another opportunity to be ourselves,” said John Carson, 46, of Santa Cruz. “These events are what make Santa Cruz unique and weird.”
Some of the standouts included the Steampunk carriage, which took over 60 hours and almost $2,000 to build according to its creators, a bike outfitted with a pedal-powered TV and a gold ox that doubled as a functional DJ booth. The ox’s driver spun records in the middle of the crowd while dancers on stilts showcased their moves.
Mayor Cynthia Matthews, one of the six local community leaders who made up the judging panel, summed it up well when she yelled “Stupendo,” when asked what she thought of the event.
The parade started on Pacific Ave. where the contestants would pass the crowd and the judges and briefly explain their creation. They then headed down Pacific Ave. often doing donuts along the way, and looped around to San Lorenzo Park. There they dumped their bikes in various places around the park and joined the festivities of the River Arts Festival while they waited for the awards ceremony at noon. That meant lots of food, local art and music and interactive activities.
Guillermo Martinez made the trip up from Orange County to give impromptu lessons on how to play his wooden flutes handmade in a style predating Columbus. The Tannery, a local housing project that provides low cost boarding for artists, hosted its first show with a myriad of artwork. A number of live bands including Sadza provided groovy background music on the main stage. There were snowcones, Indian and Mexican food and freshly brewed teas.
At noon, the contestants from the Kinetic Art Cruz gathered on the center lawn and listened as each judge read the winner of their category. These ranged from “Best Artist of the future,” which went to a 6-year-old student at Pacific Elementary School, to the “Greatest Artist in the World.” Each winner received a ceramic trophy and various other awards including cash, gift cards and even an unicycle.
Before long the award ceremony had ended, the music had started back up and the bikers had fallen back into the regular festival. Someone from the crowd asked Lynn Mia, the organizer, why a kinetic bike parade. “Because we’re cool,” she responded.
Cool indeed.
Above photo by Lindsey Foden.
|
|
FROM THE EDITORS » |
|
Writing Contest Reminder PVUSD Will Announce Cutbacks, Layoffs Tonight Writing Contest! Experiments In Print Capitola Call to Service Meet-up