Super Blood Moon

Obviously no one would knowingly miss a Super Blood Moon Total Eclipse, so Sunday at dusk I stopped at Alta Plaza Park, the highest location on my way home. A small crowd was already gathered. Some people were picnicking. Even from the top of the park, the horizon is blocked by hills & buildings, so we had to wait for the moon to rise high enough. Some people applauded when the moon eventually emerged from behind clouds. I wouldn't call it blood red, but it was definitely a dark rusty orange, a bit brighter along the right bottom edge. I was lucky to get such a clear view of it during totality. As I kept looking at it as I walked home, it started to resemble a giant orange hanging in the sky. I went out to look again a half hour later, & its bottom edge was a bright, white crescent. It seemed more 3-dimensional than a normal moon. When I tried to check its progress later, the sky was too overcast.

Origami-Palooza

Last month Japantown hosted the 3rd annual Origami-Palooza, a sort of origami open house, where people are invited to sit down & learn how to fold something out of a square of colored paper. It was well-attended, & you needed to hover a bit in order to snag a free seat.

It's obviously a perfect family activity, ...

--- but really people of all ages were getting into it.

Expert folders brought models to enter into a competition.

Their entries were amusing ...

... and astonishing.

My favorite was Trevor Mead's life-sized sheep, apparently constructed from 2 huge sheets of paper, supported by a metal frame. I'd never seen anything like it before.

A paper airplane contest was held in the plaza, though subjecting contestants to the vagaries of the wind did not seem fair.

The contest was emceed by John Collins, who holds the record for the longest flight of a paper airplane.

I liked figuring out how to fold a paper airplane at this table by seeing a sample of each step, but when I launched my finished plane, it shot across the room & smacked a little girl in the side of the face.

§ Origami-Palooza
Sunday, August 23, 2015, 1-5pm
East Japan Center Mall

SF Zine Fest

Sunday afternoon I attended the SF ZineFest, an indie marketplace for zines, comics & art. This year it was one day instead of two, & the organizers culled the vendors rather than allocating tables on a first-come, first-served basis. The event was crowded, & most of the vendors I asked were OK with the changes, though a couple complained they wouldn't be making as much money because it was only one day.

I had fun catching up with a handful of stalwart exhibitors whom I see every year. Luckily Geoff Vasile had an issue of Track Rabbit that I hadn't read yet, but I think the tiny Chihuahua at his table attracted as much attention as anything at the Fest. I found Jason Martin & got a copy of Bright Nights, his Transatlantic collaboration with UK artist Simon Moreton. They both excel at capturing small moments, & their differing drawing styles alternate without clashing. Andy Warner proudly handed out entertaining preview pages of his up-coming book Brief Histories of Everyday Objects, which will be published by Picador.

I saw a lot of polished projects, like Joan Karissa's accordion book of drawings of overhead bus wires. I liked handling the vintage-style covers of Fiddler's Green magazine & learning that Jeff Hoke is working on a follow-up to The Museum of Lost Wonder, with more paper models to build yourself. Jez Burrows's designs have a strikingly sleek & disinfected appearance.

I did not come across many old-school zines, so it was great to see issues of Before the Silicon, containing old newspaper photos of San Jose from the 40s & the 50s, & Doctor Popular's American Analog, with its grainy, gritty street photography. His snapshots of downtown San Francisco depict the City as I recognize it.

§ San Francisco Zine Fest
Sunday, Sept 6th 2015, 11AM - 5PM
San Francisco County Fair Building, Golden Gate Park

4th of July Illuminations Show

The 4th of July fireworks show in San Francisco is an iffy thing. The weather was misty at the pier at Aquatic Park, so this year's show was mostly illuminated fog, accompanied by cheesy songs about America, blasted from loudspeakers.

The crowds were definitely sparser & more low-key than usual.

Just before the start of the show, 3 gentlemen showed up with a miniature hot air balloon & proceeded to light its flame.

The successful launch received applause from the crowd, & the sky lantern wafted up & eastward, toward Fisherman's Wharf.

Bay Area Maker Faire

Thursday afternoon I was at the San Mateo County Event Center with a friend who is exhibiting at Maker Faire over the weekend. This year the faire opens a day early, with an "Industry Day" preview on Friday afternoon.

It was nice to walk around & see some of the exhibits going up.

The faire breathes a free-wheeling, anarchic atmosphere which is naturally appealing to kids.

It attracts a lot of affluent families, & exhibitors are increasingly vendors & major corporations.

My friend attends as a hobbyist, demonstrating how to build networks of sensors that could be used for home automation. But very often people come up to this booth and just ask what he's selling. It makes me wonder if people have a hard time interacting with things that they can't buy.

§ Maker Faire Bay Area
Friday May 15, 2015   1p - 5p (Preview Day)
Saturday May 16, 2015   10a - 8p
Sunday May 17, 2015   10a - 6p
San Mateo Event Center

20th Bay Area Anarchist Book Fair

Saturday morning I went on a short jaunt to The Crucible in Oakland to check out the Anarchist Book Fair. It's been a while since I've seen so many books, pamphlets & zines all in one place, & it felt positively retro to be surrounded by all that paper.

It was fun seeing the variety of formats & texts. One could pick up a pocket-sized copy of the Unabomber's Manifesto, Morrisey's Autobiography in the Penguin Classics edition or a set of academic works in attractive letterpress covers, whose contents the vendor did not hesitate to describe as "pirated."

There was a lot of graphic art for sale.

I liked discovering these brittle & sinister illustrations of famous anarchists by Flavio Costantini.

The event was well attended & got increasingly crowded. Many attendees brought their children, & there was even a special activity room for kids. Maybe I liked hanging around with the anarchists because they were all so earnest. I felt no cynicism, insincerity or irony, even from the 2 cheerful young women who tried to sell me a $15 pink taser.

§ 20th Bay Area Anarchist Book Fair
April 25, 2015, 10am - 6pm
The Crucible, Oakland

Sunday at the Cherry Blossom Festival

This afternoon, on my way to the gym, I passed through Japantown & happened to catch the tail end of the Cherry Blossom Festival parade.

Teams of mikoshi carriers crossed Fillmore Street...

...including those wild guys in their loin cloths.

I've never seen the Cherry Blossom Festival so crowded.

Traditional exhibits like bonsai trees are still to be found...

...but the biggest draw seemed to be the anime cosplay talent show on the main stage.

I saw people in costume...

...in every direction I looked.

§ 48th Annual Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival
April 11, 12, 18, 19
11a - 6p
San Francisco, Japantown

Cherry Blossom Festival

I spent Saturday afternoon with a friend, walking around the Cherry Blossom Festival, which is taking place over 2 weekends in Japantown. The event was densely crowded with young people, & there were long lines at the food stalls. A lot of people showed up in costumes.

The origami exhibit was in a small but lively space.

This mask with astonishing facial details must be by Joel Cooper.

Origami artist Linda Mihara explained that this huge structure, still under construction, is a Level 3 Menger Sponge, a fractal sculpture composed of thousands of folded, interlocking business cards. It's part of an even larger, virtual construction whose components are distributed around the world.

Ms. Mihara also made sure we visited the Paper Tree store to see this scaly dragon, folded from a 6 foot square of paper.

At the end of the day we found the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck, which had a line half a block long. Fans were waiting to buy donuts, petit fours & macarons. Just as we got there, though, 3 cops came & shut it down. My companion inquired what the trouble was, & apparently Hello Kitty is not allowed to serve customers past 6:00pm.

§ 48th Annual Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival
April 11, 12, 18, 19
11a - 6p
San Francisco, Japantown

Relighting of the Ferry Building

This evening, in commemoration of the centenary of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, the City lit up the Ferry Building with a big "1915." This recreates the building's lighting display during the fair. The lights look Christmasy & will stay on until December 4th, the date the fair closed.

When I arrived to see the lights turned on, a small ceremony was being held across the street from the building. Charlotte Mailliard Shultz, Willie Brown & Mayor Ed Lee were among the speakers.

A comparison with old photographs shows that the new lights fall a bit short of replicating the original display.

§ Relighting of the Ferry Building
Tuesday, March 3, 2015, 6:15
1 Ferry building

Belgium vs. USA

Yesterday afternoon it was clear that a lot of people in the Financial District were taking an extra long lunch to watch the USA play Belgium in the World Cup. The crowd at the Irish Times spilled off the sidewalk, & even Muni buses had to drive around them. Chants of "USA! USA!" alternated with tense silences. I knew the outcome of the game when I noticed how quiet the streets were 45 minutes later.

Bay Area Maker Faire 2014

I spent the weekend as a booth babe at the Maker Faire in San Mateo, assisting Chris Jefferies, who was exhibiting a wireless sensor network he built from open source hardware & software. In addition to a diverse range of sophisticated hobbyists like Mr. Jefferies, ...

... the fair hosts affinity groups ...

... & artists utilizing technology in novel ways.

There was discussion among the makers about how commercial the fair has become, & in fact most of the exhibits are products.

Big corporations have taken note of the huge audience & duly set up camp.

I didn't come close to getting around to everything, but I did see a lot of custom fabrication & 3D printers.

In the Dark Room, I caught feeding time at this jellyfish aquarium.

The fair has exhibits with flame throwers, but I had to sign a safety waiver just to stand next to some beehives.

This transparent beehive totally made me want to learn beekeeping.

The fair does a terrific job of being family-friendly, & I saw lots of kids.

Every little girl wore an outfit that was coordinated in some way, & even the boys dressed better than me on a good day.

§ Bay Area Maker Faire 2014
May 17 & 18
Sat. 10 AM - 8 PM | Sun. 10 AM - 6 PM
San Mateo Event Center