Category: Places and Spaces
-
Hanging Loose in Maui: a Whale of a Family Vacation
We spent a relaxing mid-winter break in Hawaii last week, staying at the Polo Beach Club in (or near) Wailea on Maui, the same spot where Amy and I honeymooned nearly 20 years ago. This stay was a little different than the last time – I don't want to say the honeymoon is over, but…
-
Coasting in Oregon: Notes from a Family Vacation along the Oregon Coast
We spent the first week in August traveling down the Oregon coast, covering 1300 miles in 8 days, stopping in Cannon Beach, Florence and Gold Beach then dipping down into Crescent City, California, before heading inland to Crater Lake, with a stopover in Eugene on the way back home to Woodinville, Washington. The scenery in…
-
Africa is the New Black
If I were to highlight one [more] theme that emerged at Foo Camp 2007 (having already noted the themes of passion, privilege, scalability and desirability as well as attention, inattention, appreciation and depreciation), it would be that Africa is the new black, i.e., an area of increasingly popular, perhaps even fashionable, interest. There were three…
-
Notes from Florida: Reviews of Tampa Area Attractions, Detractions and Distractions
We went to Florida for a family vacation last week, visiting my mom and stepfather in Clearwater, and engaging in [more common] tourist and consumerist activities. Although I didn’t take a vacation from email during the trip, I did take a full vacation from blogging (and I still feel backlogged in both dimensions … not…
-
Chicago at the Chateau (A Concert Review)
The band Chicago put on a surprisingly strong — but surprisingly short (one hour, forty minutes) — show last night at Chateau Ste. Michelle. Approximately 3,800 people came out to enjoy the music, wine and fabulous weather at the winery. I don’t think I’ve attended another concert where so many people were singing so many…
-
CSNY vs. GWB at WRA (A Concert Review)
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young rendered a rousing rock and roll revue that combined retrospection with rekindled rebellion at the White River Amphitheatre last night. While I don’t believe U.S. President George W. Bush was physically present at the concert, representations of him — including his words and actions (and their consequences) — were front…
-
Why Wiffiti? Wi Not?
Sean sent me a link to the Wiffiti blog last week, and I was immediately intrigued with this new twist on an interactive display in a "third place". Users can send text messages to a large plasma display installed in a restaurant or bar via mobile phone (SMS) by specifying the screen identifier. Real-time approximations…
-
Workspace Personalization: Physical, Digital and In-Between
I’ve encountered a number of articles lately about organizational and personal aspects of ubiquitous cubicles (UbiCubes?), and these have brought to mind a number of ways that people have explored personalizing their workspaces with atoms and/or bits. Fortune recently posted an article, Cubicles: The Great Mistake, providing an historical overview and future predictions for the…
-
Bizniking at the BalMar with a Proactive Display
Biznik is "an urban tribe for business, a supportive business network that encourages creativity, radical thinking, and community" … The BalMar brings "cocktails, conversation and comfort" together in "a unique space with exceptional service and adventurous food and drink" … It’s hard to imagine a group or place that could be better aligned with the…
-
The Proper Way to Enjoy an Espresso … and a Cafe
I stopped by the original Caffe Fiore (in north Ballard) yesterday afternoon for a double shot of espresso, and was treated to a double shot of expert advice about the right way to drink an espresso … and the right way to enjoy a café. As Jon, the barista, was preparing my drink, he asked…