9:15 p.m. On this windy Thursday night in Los Gatos, the line is forming at 23 N. Santa Cruz Ave. Doors open Friday at 8 a.m. There will be smiles on Infinite Loop.

If you’re wandering about downtown and happen to come across a giant box pumping various music from orange cones… or maybe you look up to catch a video projected on a wall of planes flying, don’t feel confused. It’s art! Tech-infused art is taking over downtown.

01SJ - by Zero1 is “a global festival of art on the edge” and runs from today, June 4th through the 8th.
[ www.01SJ.org ]

After fighting the odd organization of the 01SJ website, I managed to figure out what exhibits/performances I want to see this week and went geeky and highlighted the map they provide.

First on my list was Incursion. As described on the 01SJ site: “2-channel video projection Commissioned by ZERO1 Sponsored by Applied Materials and the City of San Jose with the support of the Visual Arts Board of the Australia Council for the Arts”

What is projected?

It’s amazing and it runs dusk to dawn everyday of the festival.

MetroFi, which provides free and low-cost wireless Internet access in the South Bay has told the nine cities it operates in that it will discontinue service in 30 to 60 days. MetroFi has offered to sell the services in each city to that city or any third party. MetroFi founder, Chuck Haas, says he is also exploring the sale of MetroFi itself to a third party.

MetroFi, like Earthlink, struggled to operate its networks, underestimating costs and overestimating revenue.

Milpitas will be taking over Earthlink’s Wi-Fi network there and cutting back on service. It will be interesting to see what transpires in Milpitas.

Concord, Cupertino, Foster City, San Jose, Santa Clara, and Sunnyvale are the MetroFi cities affected in the Bay Area. If those cities or a third party does not buy the network then it will be shut down in those locations.

San Jose’s network was only located downtown. There is larger coverage area in the other Bay Area cities.

I have tried the free service on a number of occasions and found it to be sporadic. There were times I was under an access point, had trouble connecting, and when connected there were times when it crawled. I could not image paying a monthly fee just to remove the advertising banner.

With free Wi-Fi now available in many coffee shops, cafes, and libraries along with mobile broadband (not free) there are options.

Mark your calendars on May 3rd and 4th! It’s time for the Maker Faire!

If you’re not aware:

“Maker Faire is a two-day, family-friendly event that celebrates the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mindset. It’s for creative, resourceful people of all ages and backgrounds who like to tinker and love to make things.”

The MF is packed with amazing projects, hands-on events, performances, music, and shopping! Bazaar Bizarre is one of my favorite parts of the faire. This year there are 72 Crafters! “A smorgasbord of handmade items, many cleverly made with recycled materials. Something for everyone—jewelry, toys, lotions, art, glass, fiber arts, ceramics, handbags, baby items, even crafting supplies.”

Last year was a blast:

From unique musical guests… To Eepybird and their Coke+Mentos show…

Some odd outdoor contraptions… (you run in the hamster wheel and it would cause the finger to pick the boogie)

And more and more and more. Check out the zillions of photos on Flickr if you need more proof that you will have an awesome time.

Tickets:
Weekend Passes - $20 (kids), $30 (students), $50 (adults)
Daily Passes: $10 (kids), $15 (students), $25 (adults)

[Maker Faire]

One thing I love about going to Cinequest, especially to the premiers, is mingling with the cast and crew. They are often around before, and after the show. I was able to have a few words with Director Craig Saavedra and Cinematographer Joaquin Sedillo. I met Enrico (Rico) Colantoni. He plays D. J. (short for Dijon - like the mustard) The guy he was with liked my brown Nikes. (?)

Sherman’s Way was filmed, for the most part, in Northern California up in Lake County. I am already making plans for a spring road trip.

The town of Kelseyville, thanks to the beautiful work of Joaquin, is now a must see vacation destination.

I didn’t want Sherman’s Way to end. I kept hoping for one more scene - I wasn’t ready to say goodbye…

Screenings: Dates and Times

I met Nina Hautumm while waiting in the lobby of the San Jose Repertory Theatre. We were both there to see the World Premier of Sherman’s Way. I discovered that Nina herself was a moviemaker. Sharp Cookies is a short comedy (17 minutes) and is one of the winners of the ‘Vuze Audience Favorites.’ I told her that I would catch it on Sunday.

Reaching into her Cinequest Gift Bag, she came up with a 12oz bag of Peet’s Coffee. She asked, “Do you like coffee?” Nina doesn’t drink coffee is the reason she gave it to me.

Nina asked me, “Where are the shops?” She wanted to pick up a few things, maybe some new shoes. Without going into the whole where in the heck are the shops in San Jose debate, I directed her to Santana Row and Valley Fair.

Sharp Cookies

Vuze Audience Favorites

Joaquin Sedillo and Craig Saavedra

The night began in the Filmmaker’s/Press Lounge (refreshments and computers) at the Hotel Montgomery. There were only three other people in the room with me. One was a member of the Cinequest staff, and it thrilled me to find that the other two were filmmakers!

Director/Producer Craig Saavedra (Rhapsody In Bloom) and Director of Photography Joaquin Sedillo (Veronica Mars) were checking things out on the computers when I approached them for an interview.

The unbounded enthusiasm of these passionate filmmakers fueled my desire to be in the audience on the 29th for the World Premiere of ‘Sherman’s Way’

Scheduled Screenings

Hitch a ride Start it up Watch the trailer.

I said goodbye to the guys and walked over to the California Theatre.

Opening Night Film: Eden Court

I was sitting alone in the beautiful California Theatre when I noticed Jason. He was front row and center. I asked if the seat next to him was taken. It turned out to be a good choice. Where better to enjoy a film than to next to the #1 movie fan!

Jason Watches Movies

Eden Court:

The proverbial mid-life crisis is an overused premise in modern film making, but I found Eden Court so entertaining I hardly noticed. The laughs came on cue.

With the approach of Duncan’s 30th birthday he chooses to run away rather than face the hard truths of his life. He tells a friend that he will find the American Dream, even if he must move to Australia to do it.

Kimberly Williams-Paisley’s (Bonnie Duncan) performance could have so easily gone over the top, but she held it to perfection.

Stephnie Weir (Barb) kept on a pink robe and a smile on me.

Eden Court is the movie to pull out on a dreary day.

[AROUND THE BAY screenshot courtesy Alejandro Adams]

I like to consider the Academy Awards Show a nice little warm-up to our 12 days and nights of film excitement. One of the most influential film festivals of the year is happening in downtown San Jose. We will be presented with 250 screenings, 80+ films, with 40 U.S., North American, and World Premiers from which to choose.

This year’s Maverick Award recipients:
Danny Glover - (The Royal Tenebaums, Lethal Weapon)
Michael Keaton - (Batman, Night Shift, and one of my all time favorites - Mr. Mom)
Michael Arndt - (Little Miss Sunshine)
Bobby Moresco - (Million Dollar Baby)

I know I won’t be able to take it all in, so I am going over the film schedule trying to fit in as much as possible.

The Alejandro Adams film AROUND THE BAY featuring local talent Steve Voldseth, is one film I am making a point of screening.

As the title implies the film uses many locations, places we here in the South Bay see everyday. The film will open the doors of an upper-middle-class life. Will we see one of our neighbors or might it hit closer to home?
(more…)

It was the year my mom bought one of those shiny silver aluminum Christmas trees with a color wheel beneath it. When I asked her why we couldn’t have a regular fake tree with multicolored lights, she replied that she was tired of untangling the strings. That night I came up with a solution. How about a pre-lit tree? Of course the thoughts of a young girl never went further than our living room. Sometime in the 70s the pre-lit tree appeared on the market. I could have been rich! Where was the ‘Everyday Edisons’ program when I needed it?

‘Everyday Edisons’ is holding a casting call this Saturday at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center to discover a bright idea.

The idea can take any form, from a sketch on a napkin to the finished product.
Free educational seminars, too.

Everyday Edisons - Casting Call

San Jose McEnery Convention Center
150 W. San Carlos Street
San Jose, CA 95113
800-SAN-JOSE
408-277-3535

Date: 02/16/08
You must show up sometime from 7am - 1pm to have your idea seen.
Tickets: Free

FYI - Please do not dress up in a chicken suit. It’s not American Idol.

Is it just news mongering, the hearsay that hints at Google saving Yahoo?

GoogHoo would be fine with me.