Books

How...Design Ideas at Work - Creative Workout

This article, from How's June 2002 issue, (not available on the web) is a great way to stoke up your creativity if you are feeling a little burnt out. While How focuses on print and interactive design, there are lessons to be learned for everyone involved in thinking up new ideas.

The article contains a list of additional resources, which I have linked to Amazon.com* below. You might also find some of them at your local library.

Enjoy! - -Douglas

The Big Book of Creativity Games: Quick,...

Idea Index: Graphic Effects and...

Layout Index

Color Index: Over 11000 Color...

Creative Jolt

Creative Jolt Inspirations

Creativity Games for Trainers: A...

Five Star Mind: Games and Exercises to...

Sparks of Genius: The Thirteen Thinking...

Thinking Creatively: New Ways to Unlock...

Thinkpak: A Brainstorming Card Deck

* In association with Amazon.com. WelchWrite receives 5-15% commission on books purchased using these links.

Events/Organizations

The Los Angeles Audubon Society

Here is another LA organization that might interest you. The LA Audubon Society sponsors bird walks and field trips throughout the area. A complete calendar is available on their site.

From their web site...

The Los Angeles Audubon Society is people dedicated to the enjoyment and preservation of the natural world. Through birding, education and conservation activities in our community, we raise awareness and promote the cause of global environmental protection.

The headquarters, library and bookstore are in Great Hall at the center of Plummer Park, 7377 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90046-6694 (on the north side of the street, between Fuller and Vista, six blocks west of La Brea). Parking is free in the large lots at the south and north ends of the park. Or park on Vista.

Hours

* Tuesday through Saturday
* 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Events

LA Astronomical Society

If you have any interest in astronomy, you would be well advised to check out the LA Astronomical Society. They have a host of regular and special events throughout the year, even gaining access to the 60-inch telescope on Mount Wilson. Full information is available on their site.

The LAAS also hosts several public star parties each year. Even though Griffith Park Observatory is closed for remodeling, they will be hosting a party there on August 17.

From the site...

Membership in the Los Angeles Astronomical Society is not restricted. You don't need to have a telescope to get in. In fact, it's better that you join first, so you can find out what kind of telescope you really need, depending on what you want to do. There are no requirements for membership other than paying your dues. If you want to join right away, just read the dues required below, and send them to the mailing address at the bottom of the page. If you are not sure about joining, I suggest you drop by the Garvey Ranch Observatory, in Monterey Park, on any Wednesday night (we are there even in non-astronomical weather), or come and visit one of our regular membership meetings, on the 2nd Monday of the month, at Griffith Observatory (Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov, & Dec - no regular meeting for Jan, Jul or Aug), or drop by one of our public star parties. Meet the astronomers, look around, talk up a storm, ask questions, be nosy, and find out who and what we really are. If you decide to join, you can in any case do so right there, or mail in your dues, as you wish.

We encourage our members to be as active as they can in the many different activities we offer. You can be a Garvey Ranch Regular, you can make the dark sky star parties your second home, you can show off your knowledge and/or enthusiasm at the public star parties at Griffith Observatory, you can volunteer to speak at the membership meetings, you can make telescopes, or anything else that catches your astronomical fancy. whatever it is about astronomy that interests you, we either already have other members doing it, or you can start the ball rolling yourself.

NEXT PUBLIC STAR PARTY

Saturday, August 17, weather permitting
At Griffith Observatory.
Latitude = 34° 06' 46.8" N.
Longitude = 118° 18' 5.5" W.
Elevation = 1134 feet.
Griffith Observatory is now closed to the public for the beginning of renovation. The grounds remain open for a limited time. Grounds will close to the public at 10:00 PM PDT.

Sunset 7:38 PM PDT
End civil twilight 8:05 PM PDT
Moon Transit 9:05 PM PDT
Moonset 2:03 AM PDT on August 18
Moon waxing gibbous 75% illuminated; 1st Quarter Moon on August 15 at 3:12 AM PDT

Events

Leaping off the page - Building Pop-Up Books

Aug. 3, 2002 - Jan. 12, 2003

LA CENTRAL LIBRARY
First Floor Galleries, Fifth & Flower Streets, Downtown Los Angeles

A step-by-step look at how pop-up books are designed, engineered and printed,using samples of best-selling works by four popular children's book creators:

Sponsored by Farmer's Insurance

Organized in partnership by the Los Angeles Public Library, Waldo Hunt Children's Museum,and Intervisual Books,Inc. Presented by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles.

Column

Career-Op: Web stars
by Douglas E. Welch, ComputorEdge Magazine

Finding neat, new web sites is a large part of the fun of surfing the web. That said, many of the sites that I find most useful are those that have been around the longest. This doesn't mean you can't have fun locating new sites, only that you shouldn't forget the old standards. For a high-tech careerist, the web is probably the best source of information to keep your work, your life and your career on track.

(Continued)

Museums

PASADENA MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA ART

Just opened June 1!

490 E. Union St. Open Wed.-Sun., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Fri., 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; $5, $3 seniors & students, children under 12 free, free to all first Friday of the month 5-8 p.m. (626) 568-3665.

On-Ramps: Transitional Moments in California Art Painting, sculpture, video and other works divided into four California art movements of the past century: Impressionism/Postimpressionism, Post Surrealism, Hard Edge Abstraction to Finish Fetish, and Bay Area Conceptualism; thru Sept. 1.

Pushale! An expression meaning "Push it!" in Spanglish, this collection of Tijuana art, including clothing and video, features the work of Sergio Brown, Sal Vazquez, Raul Cardenas, DJ Hiperboreal of the Nortec Collective, and Torolab; thru Sept. 1.

Events

SAT 8/4, 9pm

Charmlee Natural Area

Full Moon Hike

Hike to the bluffs, view the ocean and end at our nature center. Reservations recommended 310-317-1364. 1.5hrs CNA

Computers - Opinion

Could Hollywood Hack Your PC?

This is so wrong in so many ways that I barely know where to start.

1. Corporations acting as their own vigilante law enforcement
2. Little governmental oversight or control
3. Difficult appeals basically say "too bad" to innocents who might wrongly have their data destroyed
4. Destruction of both physical and intellectual property
5. Interactions between Federal DA and corporations performed in secret

A law such as the one purposed would be like allowing the power company to systematically destroy your home appliances because they were not on some approved list, decided by them, of course.

Once again, instead of attempting to create the next generation of copyright law, corporations and bureaucrats are simply attempting to quash digital technology. The focus needs to be on creating a fair system for compensation and protection of copyright, not burying their head in the sand and pretending that bills such as this one will make the problem go away.

Events

Have you hugged a geek today?

I have to admit, I wouldn't mind a little recognition, but I don't think this has the charm of Administrative Assistants Day. (SMILE) Perhaps it is just a ploy by the computer hardware lobby to sell more product.

From the site...

System Administrator Appreciation Day

Friday - July 26th, 2002

A special day, once a year, to acknowledge the worthiness and appreciation of the person occupying the role, especially as it is often this person who really keeps the wheels of your company turning.

Events

Old Spanish Days Fiesta Santa Barbara

August 1-4

A parade and host of other free and admission events make up this festival. See the web site for complete schedule and information.

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Computers - Apple

Apple Xserve Update

If you are one of the lucky people to have received a new Apple Xserve server, here is the first update for the system.

From the site...

Xserve Update 1.0 provides updates and enhancements to the serial port, ATA hard disk drivers, server assistant, and server monitoring functions of Xserve. Xserve Update 1.0 includes a new version of the Server Monitor and Server Assistant applications. These updated applications are installed by the update in the /Applications/Utilities folder. It is recommended that client computers running these administrative tools update to the new versions by copying the application from an updated Xserve. After installing the Xserve Update 1.0, you can update your Mac OS X Server administration clients by copying the new applications to them.

Via Versiontracker

Astronomy

Watch the skies for August asteroid

While most asteroid warnings are filled with doom and gloom, this trip could prove to be very interesting. On the morning of August 18 Asteroid 2002 NY40 will be visible in the sky between midnight and 4 AM. Break out the binoculars or that telescope that has been gathering dust in the closet.

The article contains a good map that should allow you to easily locate the asteroid using the star Vega.

Via Fark.com

Letters

Another nice letter from a reader regarding my column, Worker's Beware.

I enjoyed your article in CE about employee/employer relations. As a retired aerospace engineer, I can appreciate a lot of the concepts but I'm not so sure that the younger workers of today will appreciate the overall impact of your article. Keep up the good work. --Tom Tindel

Events

The 7th Annual Palm Springs International Short Film Festival

Aug. 7-13, 2001 Festival of Arts Theater, Palm Springs

From the site...

"This year's festival runs from August 7-13, with a big Opening Night celebration at 6:30 p.m. on August 7th. The evening begins with a film program of award winning short films, followed by a reception sponsored by Las Casuelas Terraza. It will be a night of fun, films, music, food, and dancing all for just $25! Tickets are selling quickly; reserve yours now!"

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Museums

African-American Firefighter Museum

The Los Angeles Fire Department proudly celebrates more than a century of African-American Firefighters in Los Angeles. We extend an invitation for you and your family to learn more about the courage and dedication of these proud men and women by visiting the African-American Firefighter Museum. Built in a Fire Station that once housed LAFD's Engine Company 30 and Truck Company 11, the Museum offers rich cultural displays and knowledgeable docents. There is no charge for admission, but donations are gratefully accepted.

---

LAFD Museum and Memorial
1355 North Cahuenga Boulevard
Hollywood, CA

You've seen the Los Angeles Fire Department's Historic Station 27 (1930-1992) in countless films and television shows. Now, on a limited basis, you can visit this renowned former firehouse, which is being transformed into the LAFD Museum. Also under development is a Memorial to Los Angeles Firefighters who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

Thanks to the generous support of concerned citizens and dedicated members of the LAFD Historical Society, this vibrant and inspirational community asset will soon be open full-time in the heart of Hollywood. While development continues, the Museum will be open most Saturdays from 10 AM to 2 PM. Please call (323) 464-2727 for more information, or visit the LAFD Historical Society website for details and to see photos of Museum development in progress.

Admission is Free!

---

Los Angeles City Fire Department Historical Archive Web Site

Computers

Handheld Synchronization for Entourage X

It seems there were significant problems with this software, so Microsoft has withdrawn the update entirely. Hopefully, they will be able to fix the problems quickly.

From the site...

Microsoft Handheld Synchronization for Entourage X is temporarily unavailable as we investigate some technical issues that have been reported to us by customers. We are working hard to identify and correct these issues. We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience. Please check back here for more information as it becomes available.

Events

Museum and Garden Free Days Museum Free Days are available at many of our local museums and gardens. They are usually the same day each month.

Below are the dates for August 2002.

August 1
Huntington Gardens and Library
August 6
Natural History Museum/Page Museum at the La Brea Tarpits
August 13
LA County Museum of Art/Autry Museum of Western Heritage

If you know of any other Free Days, let me know and I will include in future mailings.

Events

Fort Tejon Historical Association - Civil War Events

This State Historic Park hosts regular Civil Ware reenactments throughout the summer. Rosanne and I visited with a friend a few years ago when they where working on a book that was set in and around Andersonville prison. The battles were quite amazing to watch and strolling through the camps afterwards truly felt like we were going back in time. The participants are a wealth of historical information and love talking about the period.

If you or your children are interested in this period of American History, I highly recommend a visit to Fort Tejon, The fort is open most days and provides lessons in California History when not hosting a reenactment.

Admission to the reenactment is $3-$5.

From the site...

Watch volunteers present skirmishes and demonstrate the tactics used in the eastern United States during the American Civil War. See troops of the Union and Confederate Armies, all authentically uniformed and equipped. Meet the soldiers & civilians. Tour their camps and see how they lived. There is one small Saturday skirmish at 4:00 PM. Sunday battles are at 10:30 AM and 1:00 PM (Approximately 30-45 minutes each.) Guided tours of the camps are offered between the battles on Sunday (only). Living History presentations include Manual of Arms, Artillery and Field Hospital demonstrations.

Events

Santa Barbara Surf Museum

Today's LA Times Magazine (7/21/02) had a small article on this museum. If you have any interest in surfing history, or maybe just want to relive the days of surfing past, this could be the place for you. I plan on checking it out the next time I make it up the coast.

The museum is located within easy walking distance of Stearn's Wharf and Chase Palm Park.

[Map]

I couldn't find an online presence for the museum, but here are the specifics:

Santa Barbara Surf Museum
16 1/2 Helena Street
Santa Barbara, CAL
805-962-9048

Free Admission