fun-size bar

The San Jose Tech Museum is looking for yucky leftover Halloween candy. It can be traded for a yummy NESTLÉ CRUNCH fun-size bar, and 10% off admission through November 8.
The collected candy is being transformed into a rocket ship sculpture. What fun!

Whats new at The Tech

I attended a preview of Star Trek: The Exhibition that opens Friday October 23 at the Tech Museum. I am a Star Trek fan but not a Trekker. I have seen all of the television series with Next Generation being my favorite. I have seen all of the films except the most recent.

So, let us take a tour …

When you enter the exhibit, you are greeted with a pillared entry. Do not go racing past them, take the time to notice they have text on them, from the “where no one has gone before” dialogue to a list of episodes.

Pass the pillars and you will be in a large area that includes uniforms and artifacts. There is a display featuring all of the Enterprises beginning with the Enterprise aircraft carrier, followed by the space shuttle, and then the starships. The centerpiece in this room is an immense model of the 1701-A Enterprise.

We exit this area to the right and enter the bridge of the original series. This for me was a disappointment. It is a scaled down bridge with no interactive features; unless sitting in the Captain’s chair or at the helm is being interactive. The consoles have plastic non-push lit up buttons. A few of these could be setup to activate display screens, sound effects, and communications chatter. Having the forward view screen animated would liven up the bridge. Note: no photography allowed throughout the exhibit. A photo of you in the Captain’s chair is available for a fee.

We exit the bridge through the turbolift and proceed down a walkway passing displays of Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock’s uniforms.

Proceeding along the walkway, we enter a corridor of the 1701-D Enterprise (Next Gen), this portion of the exhibit being my favorite. First up along the corridor is Captain Jean-Luc Picard’s ready room. This closed-off area includes the Captain’s uniform, various props, and a bottle of Chateau Picard wine. Continue down the corridor to a full-scale Transporter. You can stand on the Transporter and wish photography were allowed. Look up at the monitor to see yourself; will you beam down? Next to the Transporter room is a full-scale model of the Guardian of Forever, the time portal from “The City on the Edge of Forever.” Another lost opportunity for a photo of you going through the portal. These two rooms include Captain chairs, a shooting model of the Borg ship, along with more artifacts and uniforms. Before leaving the corridor, take a close look at the displays on the walls of the corridor.

Leaving the corridor, we enter “The History of The Future.” The History of The Future is a timeline, which goes chronologically from right to left. Not only is it a bit strange that the timeline is right to left, you enter the room to the left of the timeline. This room includes shooting models of the Enterprise and other ships. There are more uniforms on display here including those from the recent Star Trek film.

That’s it. End of the exhibit; however, turn the corner and there are two motion simulators,

The two rides have an extra fee each.

There is an eight-seat ride that I found to be rather tame. There were six aboard, I was in the last row and had an obstructed view of the display screen. You are fighting the Borg as Worf (Michael Dorn) narrates. The ride rocks back and forth enough for you to slide back and forth on the bench seat. You may want to skip this one.

The other simulator is a two-seater. This one is fun. You get strapped in as you will be rolling and looping. The display is right in front of you and again you are fighting the Borg. There is a warning that the ride may be too intense for some; you will be upside-down a few times. If you are going to ride both simulators, do this ride second.

I recommend Star Trek: The Exhibition even though the admission is a bit pricy.

Check the Tech Museum’s Star Trek: The Exhibition website for ticket pricing, hours, costume guidelines, and more.

Star Trek Exhibit Photos…

It was October 17, 1989 just before 5:00 PM and all was well. My 19-month-old daughter was taking a late nap, dinner was warming in the
microwave, the TV tuned for the World Series, and my husband would be home soon. Then without warning it all changed in seconds.

The TV flickered and then almost simultaneously everything was in motion. Books fell off of the shelves, the microwave cart started to move from the kitchen to the front room, and I was running for my daughter. Fortunately my family suffered no injuries.

The sorry plight of the people trapped in the Cyprus Freeway collapse made quite an impression, so I do carry bottled water in the car. But this many years later I am not prepared for the next big one. Is anyone?

Tomorrow morning we can participate in “The Great California Shake Out” and learn to help keep ourselves safe.

Radio & TV Broadcasts
October 15th at 10:15 AM

* KCBS 740 AM – 106.9 FM

* KPIX TV 5

San Jose: The Tech Museum is the epicenter for Northern California.

As the key ShakeOut venue, the museum will be staged to carry out the “drop,
cover, hold on” drill with more than 400 student visitors and other guests
including Matthew Bettenhausen, acting secretary of the state’s Emergency
Management Agency, Karen Baker, secretary of Service and Volunteering for
California Volunteers, museum President Peter Friess and officials with the
USGS, American Red Cross, San Jose police and fire officials, among others.

More than 400 visitors participate in an actual earthquake drill in
three museum locations. The museum earthquake platform will be shaking all
day with eight different simulated earthquakes from around the world –
including the Loma Prieta. An ambulance and police and fire vehicles will be
stationed outside the museum along with the “Big Shaker,” an earthquake
simulator where visitors are rattled for up to 10 seconds in what feels like
an 8.0 quake.

1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake – KTVU TV 8:15pm

USGS twitter

You are relaxing on your sofa, it is late night and you are watching Star Trek: The Next Generation on KOFY-TV. It seems you have seen this episode a zillion times before, you know it by heart. That does not matter, you have seen all five Star Trek television series and eleven Star Trek feature films. If only you could sit in the Captain’s chair on the Starship Enterprise.

Guess what kids! Not only can you sit in the Captain’s chair on an authentic replica of the Enterprise bridge, you will see original costumes, genuine props and authentic recreations of sets from the television series and feature films at Star Trek: The Exhibition coming to the Tech Museum.

You will also be able to ride through a Star Trek adventure in your choice of two full-motion flight simulators (extra fee).

Photography of any kind is not allowed inside Star Trek: The Exhibition; however, photos on the Bridge will be taken by a professional vendor.

Star Trek: The Exhibition begins October 23 and will run at least through the Christmas holidays.

Check the Tech Museum’s Star Trek: The Exhibition website for ticket pricing, hours, costume guidelines, and more.

The Tech Museum of Innovation
201 South Market Street, San Jose

Tickets (includes admission to the museum): $25.00, adults; $19.00, ages 3-17; $22.00, seniors and college students. Other pricing options are available. Tech members get up to 40 percent off.

Fees for the simulator rides: $5.00 for the two-seat ride (the more aggressive of the two); $6.00 for the eight-seat ride; $8.00 to ride them both.

Live long and prosper!

Multi-Purpose Display Module

Technology Benefiting Humanity is The Tech’s new permanent exhibition linking social responsibility with technology, intended to encourage a deeper understanding of the technologies that are improving the human condition. The new gallery showcases inventions from past Tech Awards Laureates, which will be routinely updated.

The Tech Awards is one of the premier annual humanitarian awards programs in the world, recognizing technical solutions that address the most critical issues facing our planet and its people. The program honors 15 global innovators (Laureates) who are applying technology to benefit humanity in five universal categories: environment, economic development, education, equality and health. The Laureates include individuals, non-profit organizations, and for-profit organizations/companies.

The five categories are represented in the new gallery. The exhibits are basically lit up multi-purpose display modules that you stand there and read. Some have sound and video along with a few simplistic hands-on activities. Actually, you can find this information and a great deal more on The Tech Awards website.

The Tech Museum of Innovation
201 South Market Street, 95113

Tickets and Hours

Amy Stewart

Growing up in Modesto, Ca. I was fascinated with the Oleander bushes dotting the median strip of highway 99. As I remember it, my mother had told me, “Never go near them!” At the young age of two-and-a-half I knew not to walk out in the road, so I asked the, “Why?” She said that they were poisonous, and then explained that poisonous meant get very sick.

This decorative plant will never find a spot in my garden. I saw White Oleander (film). All of its parts are poisonous and ingesting one little leaf could be a fatal dose. Symptoms are: nausea, vomiting, accelerated or retarded heartbeat, and cardiac arrest.

Other poisonous plants include: Primrose, Azalea, Holly, Daphne, Ivy, Peony, Lily of the Valley, and Daffodil. Chewing the leaves of the Coca plant will give a pleasant euphoria, but could lead to premature aging, physical and mental breakdown, and death.

None of this bothers Amy Stewart. She encourages wicked varieties of possible sickness and death in her Eureka, Ca. garden of Foxglove, Poppies, Castor Beans, and more.

Amy, the author, also cultivates minds with her books:

• From the Ground Up: The Story of a First Garden
• Flower Confidential: The Good the Bad and the Beautiful Business of Flowers.
• The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms
• Gilding the Lily: Inside the Cut Flower Industry
• Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities

Amy Stewart is in San Jose tonight.
Thursday, June 18, 6:30 PM
Wicked Plants lecture & slide show a free event.
Children’s Discovery Museum
80 Woz Way San Jose, CA
(408) 298-5437

I visited the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum last weekend so I could see two independent films that were playing Saturday night: Around the Bay, by Bay Area filmmaker Alejandro Adams, and Passion Flower, a short film by Tennessean (soon to be Bay Arean) Jarrod Whaley.

Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum

The museum is located on Niles Boulevard in Fremont and there is free parking on the street. As soon as I walked through the front doors the friendly museum docents asked if they could give me a tour. The theater was built in the 1920s and was the first movie theater in Fremont. Soon business was booming so nicely that a newer, bigger theater was built next door and Niles was closed down. During the next 80 years it spent time as a dance hall, photography studio, and sometimes just a storage room. The newer theater burned down in the 1950s but it wasn’t until 2004 that the Niles was bought by its current owners and in 2005 they opened up the theater.

Inside the theater, Museum in back

The theater holds about 80 wooden chairs with comfy leather cushions. There is a piano where live music is played for many of the silent films. It had never occurred to me that the old silent films had live music accompaniment – but duh. If they could record music, they would have sound, right? I found that an interesting silly fact that I should have already known. The actual museum part is in the back of the theater and there you can find several old style cameras and projectors along with many photographs and other film paraphernalia. The gift shop is in the lobby and there are many books, pictures and cards to look at.

Old projectors in the museum

Their schedule of silent films varies so you should check their website for specific days, or give them a call. The 12th Annual Broncho Billy Silent Film Festival is coming up on June 26-28 and it is recommended that you pre-order tickets. June is also Independent Filmmakers Month and the theater will be visited by John Korty, Les Blank, and the Scary Cow Short Films Show among others. You can also rent the museum and theater for lecture discussions, musical concerts or a movie showing for family and friends – they even have the original 1933 King Kong film!

Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum
Open: Noon – 4PM Saturday and Sunday
Telephone (510)494-1411
37417 Niles Boulevard
Fremont, CA 94536

Explore and learn more about California’s environment, history, art and people at The Oakland Museum of California free second Sundays.

The museum has permanent Art, History, and Natural Sciences Galleries along with special exhibits. Note that the Art and History Galleries are currently under renovation and will reopen in 2010.

Currently through August 23 is the exhibition Future of Sequoias: Sustaining Parklands in the 21st Century featuring photographs by Jeff Jones and prose by retired National Park Interpretative Ranger William C. Tweed. The exhibition includes 40 color prints by Mr. Jones.

The museum is open for the free second Sundays 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

April 12, 2009
May 10, 2009
June 14, 2009
July 12, 2009
August 9, 2009

Oakland Museum of California
1000 Oak Street
Oakland, 94607

Directions & Parking here.

510-238-2200

Special free second Sunday events -

April 12, June 14, and August 9
1:00 pm

Tour of the Building and Gardens: Members of the museum’s Council on Architecture lead tours of the building and grounds, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Kevin Roche and renowned landscape architect Dan Kiley. Meet by the Admissions Desk on the second level.

May 10
1:00 pm

Meet the Museum: Join a docent for an inside look at the museum’s past, present, and exciting future.

June 14
2:00 pm

The African Presence in Mexico: Join a museum docent and learn more about the exhibition.

July 12
1:00 pm

Meet the Museum: Join a docent for an inside look at the museum’s past, present, and exciting future.

July 12
2:00 pm

Join Curator of Art Karen Tsujimoto in a tour of the exhibition Squeak Carnwath: Painting Is No Ordinary Object.

Check out The Tech Museum of Innovation’s Free Second Sundays here.

The fabulous “Leonardo: 500 Years into the Future” exhibit at The Tech Museum of Innovation is closing this Sunday. There are special extended hours this weekend. The exhibit will be open until midnight this Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, the exhibit will close for that last time at 8:00 pm.

If you have a Discover Downtown Card, you will save $3 on General Admission tickets to the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit.

Schedule well over three hours for the exhibit alone.

The Tech Museum of Innovation
Through Sunday, January 25

Tickets

Directions, Parking and Public Transportation

On Tuesday, December 30, Betsy Ortiz of Walnut Creek was the Tech Museum’s 100,000th visitor to the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit.

“We’ve reached a fabulous milestone with this groundbreaking exhibit,” president of The Tech Museum, Peter Friess said. “People are coming from all corners of the region to see this one-of-a-kind show that is educative, fun and exciting.”

The exhibit features the most comprehensive display of the innovative art, science and engineering works of Leonardo da Vinci and his contemporaries. The exhibit includes more than 100 life-size and scale working models, hands-on interactive machines, multimedia presentations and two priceless works of art.

The life-sized and scale working models are based on conceptual drawings and designs by Leonardo, Francesco di Giorgio, Mariano di Iacopo (Taccola), and others. These models recreated using tools and materials common in Leonardoís time. Most of Leonardoís machines were never built in his lifetime, as many could not have been built due to the lack of suitable parts.

The exhibit has been extended to January 25, 2009 due to popular demand. There may be a further extension if high attendance continues.

Schedule well over three hours for the exhibit alone.

The Tech Museum of Innovation
Through January 25, 2009

Tickets and Operating Hours

Directions, Parking and Public Transportation

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