Events

Lemon Fest 2002

Pacific View Mall

Ventura, CA

Lemon Grove Ave

September 7, 2002 to September 8, 2002

Musical performances, booths, kids' activities, lemon-themed food booths, art and crafts. Free admission. 10am-6pm.

Career Column

Career-Op: Technology, Not Computers

by Douglas E. Welch, ComputorEdge Magazine

Embroiled in your high-tech career, faced with a litany of one computer problem after another, you might begin to think that computers are what it is all about. Unfortunately, computers are only a small part of your problem. The bigger problem is an overall lack of understanding about all technology, not just computers. Technology has seeped into nearly every aspect of life, from the electric/sonic/pulsating toothbrush in the morning to the microchip controlled electric blanket at night. If you want to build your high-tech career to greater and greater heights, you would do well to teach technology to your clients, not just computers.

(Continued)

Events

Saturday, 8/31 6:30p-8p

Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa

Satwiwa Evenings Join a Native American host in the Satwiwa Village learning circle for an informal twilight program. Last evening program of the season. Presenter to be announced. Info: 8 0 5 - 4 9 5 - 4 7 5 4. FOS/NPS

Events

Los Angeles City Birthday Celebration

El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument

Los Angeles, CA

(213) 625-5045

September 4, 2002

The city celebrates its founding in 1781 with historical re-enactments, artisans, demonstrations, exhibits, entertainment and food.

Events

Los Angeles Festival of Sail

Port of Los Angeles

San Pedro, CA

(800) 831-7678

September 6, 2002 to September 10, 2002

Setting anchor at the Port of Los Angeles, 15 tall ships, many of which will be finishing a race from San Francisco to Los Angeles, conduct tours and participate in shore activities.

Events

Los Encinos State Historic Park

Rosanne and I happened upon this park nearly 15 years ago. Before the front entrance was redesigned during recent earthquake repairs you could drive right by on Ventura Boulevard and never even know it was there.

This historic rancho was home to one of the main ranching and farming concerns in the San Fernando Valley during the early Mission years and beyond.

As the valley was subdivided, more and more of the rancho was sold off. The natural spring on the property was quite unique in the parched valley of the 1800's and was a great draw for the people who owned the Rancho over the years. Today the spring feeds the duck pond. You can even feed the ducks.

There are several buildings remaining on the site (completely restored after the Northridge earthquake), a large green lawn and picnic tables. Park docents host regular "living history" days with a blacksmith, cowboy, music, kids games and a variety of other activities.

Los Encinos is a wonderful place to get away from the city, without leaving the city. It also allows you to enjoy the outdoors while learning a bit about Southern California History.

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Web sites about Los Encinos

State Park Web Sites

http://www.lahacal.org/losencinos.html

http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=619

San Fernando Valley History

http://www.rootsweb.com/~casfvgs/encinos.html

CSUN San Fernando Valley Digital History Site

http://digital-library.csun.edu/cgi-bin/pquery.exe?CISOROOT1=%2FValleyHistory&CISOOP=all&CISOFIELD1=CISOSEARCHALL&CISORESTMP=%5Ccsun%5Ctemplate1.html&CISOVIEWTMP=%5Ccsun%5Ctemplate2.html&CISOROWS=2&CISOCOLS=5&CISOBOX1=los+encinos

San Fernando Valley: America's Suburb Web Site and Book

http://www.americassuburb.com/HOME.HTML

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/188379255X/thewelchwritecom

(This is an excellent book on the history of the Valley from Indian tribes to Aerospace -- Douglas)

Geocaching.com Virutal Cache

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=23793

Address

16756 Moorpark St.

Encino CA 91436-1068

Phone: 818-784-4849

FAX : 818-784-0621

E-Mail: laha@pacbell.net

Hours
10 AM to 5 PM

Wednesday through Sunday.

Career Column

Career-Op: Announcements

by Douglas E. Welch, ComputorEdge Magazine

While it may not seem that way at times, you all have lives outside of your career. In fact, there are events in your lives that often impact your ability to do your work. When these events intersect with your work life, it can be extremely stressful. You might be worrying about losing your job or you might be feeling guilty for disappointing your boss or co-workers.. Regardless, everyone requires time away from work to handle these large steps in their lives and you should never have to worry about taking the time for yourself when you need it.

(Continued)

Books

What I'm Reading...

Tools: A Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia

Working in Wood: The Illustrated Manual...

Waiting for the Weekend

Events

POPUP!

500 YEARS OF MOVABLE BOOKS

Aug. 24, 2002 - Jan. 12, 2003

SELECTIONS from the WALDO HUNT COLLECTION

CENTRAL LIBRARY

Getty Gallery Fifth & Flower Streets

Downtown Los Angeles

Antique and contemporary interactive books from the world-renowned collection of Waldo Hunt featuring a 16th century Italian astronomy book, a copy of the world's best-selling pop-up"Haunted House" by Jan Pienkowski, and a pop-up by Andy Warhol.

Sponsored by 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. To support the Los Angeles Public Library call (213) 228-7500 or visit www.lfla.org.

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Events

Saturday, 8/24 6pm

Rocky Oaks

Creatures of the Night

Visit the meadows, oak woodlands and chaparral on this twilight hike as the creatures of the day make way for the creatures of the night. 1.5hrs NPS

Books/Cooking

All Consuming

I happened upon this site when I saw that someone had linked to My Word. It is an interesting idea. Basically, the site scans other blogs for mention of books and then aggregates the information. Quite a neat way of seeing which books are catching people's fancy.

From the site...

This page is the result of several different processes. Inspired by Book Watch, I created a script that visits newly updated weblogs hourly via Weblogs.com. It then looks for links to Amazon.com items and saves them. I then aggregate all that information together to find the most frequently mentioned books. My scoring mechanism is weighted to favor recently mentioned books, so that the list remains fresh, and offers new insight into what the weblog community is reading.

Books/Cooking

The Babbo Cookbook

I began watching Mario Batali's show, Molto Mario on the Food Network before we took our trip to Europe a few years ago. After visiting Italy for the first time, I enjoyed the show even more. Batali blends his love for Italian food with his love of the Italian people and teaches you a bit about its culture, as well.

While the recipes from his show are more on the traditional side, there are several dishes from this cookbook that I want to try. These dishes were created for his restaurant, Babbo, and follow his plan of taking traditional dishes and adding one special or unique ingredient to make something special.

Batali also hosts another show on the Food network, Mario Eats Italy, where he travels through the country, introduces you to the traditional methods of Italy and then cooks dishes based around a central theme. In one show he visited a company making Parmaggiano-Reggiano Cheese while in another he visited Modena and its famous Balsamic Vinegar makers.

We have relatives coming in from Sicily this week, so it will be interesting to get their take on "Mario" and maybe cook up some meals to remind them of home.

Computers/Mac & Palm

Mactopia: Office X: Handheld synchronization

It looks like Microsoft will be giving a second try to their Palm Sync for MS Office X after the first version was found ot have some major problems. Here is the info from the MS web site.

A Microsoft Entourage synchronization conduit for Palm handheld devices is not included in Microsoft Office?v.?X. Development of this conduit is currently underway, and it will be released as a free download on Mactopia by the end of August. English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish, and Swedish versions will be available. To make sure you are notified when the conduit is available, subscribe to the Mactopia newsletter, or check back on this site for updates. Learn more about Palm by visiting their Web site.

Computers/Mac

Apple Xserve Setup

Today, I had the opportunity to set up one of Appleâ??s new Xserve file servers running OS X server. It was a whirlwind setup, as the client needed it in place before heading off on family leave. In just a few hours I was able to migrate off of one server and onto the Xserve.

Firstly, I was impressed. The installation went smoothly. Apple has done a very good job of putting this unit together so that your average computer geek can set it up in about 30 minutes to an hour. The machine is notably faster than the existing PowerMac G4 server. Call me an old-timer, but I also like the status lights on the front of the unit. I like knowing the status of the machine at a glance.

The unit is much larger than I thought it would be. The photos I had seen only showed the cool front panel display, so I never got a feeling of what the rest of it might look like. While the unit is only 1U high (about 3â??) it is almost 3 feet long! It runs the entire length of the rack. My client had already installed the unit in the rack, so I didnâ??t have to worry about that, although he did say it was a bit cumbersome. I actually had to pull the unit out of the rack in order to jot down a serial number needed for setting up the software. (I later realized that I could have gotten the number off the outside of shipping box. Oh well, live and learn.) The unit is cumbersome to remove and re-insert into the rack, but hopefully you wonâ??t be doing that very often.

I can agree with all the other reports I have heard about the unit...IT IS LOUD! The fan noise is quite prominent and would quickly annoy you if you sat in the room too long. This is definitely not a server you can stash in a bread rack or other open installation if there are people nearby.

If you donâ??t plan on using RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) you can start using the system right out of the box. If you do want to use RAID, you need to reformat the drives, setup the RAID and install the Mac OS Server software again. Something that Apple doesnâ??t make very clear in their documentation. (See below)

To setup the Xserve, you run the Server Assistant Program, either remotely or locally, supply the necessary network information and start adding users. The included Server Admin and Server Monitor applications are solid and allow you to do almost all setup and management remotely if you wish. Our unit will be managed remotely almost exclusively.

If you are planning on configuring the Xserve remotely, I came across a tech note that recommends connecting the Ethernet cable to the built-in Ethernet port. Otherwise, Server Assistant might not find it on the network. This seemed to be the case with our unit.

There is also a problem with the Server Monitor if you are running in an environment without DNS services. This tech note will explain the issue and help you to correct it.

We wanted to make a RAID mirror out of the 2-120GB drives we had installed. This required attaching a monitor and keyboard (as far as I know) and booting from CD-ROM. Once the CD has loaded, you can run the Disk Utility program to create the RAID. With that completed, you can run the Mac OS X Server Installer to install the default configuration. All told, it only took about 1 hour to restore the unit to working condition.

Since I was migrating from an existing PowerMac G4 Server , running Appleshare IP 6.3, I was pleased to find the ASIP 6.3 Migration tool in /Applications/Utilities. After logging into the existing server using and Administrator-level account, the migration tool was able to read the existing Users & Groups Data file and recreate the user structure on the new server.

Once the users were in place, I copied all the existing data to the new server, set the privileges so users could see their data and (after a few minutes of testing) made the server accessible to all the users. Despite a few small cosmetic changes, their access to the server is much as it was before. They have little to no indication that the server has changed, except that it seems much faster than before.

This is not meant to be an exhaustive review of the Xserve unit, only a quick note on how our, rather typical, installation proceeded. I had no previous experience with the Xserve, but using the manuals and provided software, I was able to proceed with the setup with little trouble. As I spend more time with this unit I will pass on any other info that might be useful.

Events

Full Moon Walks

Here are a few events coming up during this month's full moon.

Thursday, 8/22 8pm

Coldwater Canyon Park

TreePeople's Full Moon Hike

Explore Coldwater Canyon Park at night during this popular docent-led hike. After hiking the trails and viewing the valley lights below, enjoy a taste of entertainment in the S. Mark Taper Foundation Amphitheatre. Reservations required 8 1 8 - 6 2 3 - 4 8 6 6. 1hr TP

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Thursday, 8/22 7:30pm

Charmlee Wilderness Park

Full Moon Hike

An evening hike through the park under a full moon. All ages welcome. Reservations required 3 1 0 - 3 1 7 - 1 3 6 4. 2hrs CWP

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Thursday, 8/22 6:30pm

Franklin Canyon Ranch

Nearly Full Moon Hike

Explore the canyon by moonlight on a moderately strenuous hike. Look and listen for nocturnal wildlife and enjoy a spectacular view of the city from atop the canyon. 2hrs WODOC

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News

Free People Read Freely -- Support Banned Books Week

Computers/Palm

GeekSounds -- Neat alert tones for your Palm

This easy-to-install collection includes theme songs from TV shows and movies and a host of other cool sounds. Dress up your Palm alarms today!

Via Versiontracker.com

Events

From the Autry Museum Web Site...

Charreada Family Festival

08/24/2002

Charreada Family Festival at The Autry Museum of Western Heritage. Experience the excitement of charreada, or Mexican rodeo, preceded by the charreria tradition of hearing the charro anthem and watching a Jarabe Tapatio dance by the Fiesta dancers. Charro teams will demonstrate skills such as roping cattle and jumping from oneâ??s horse to a wild mare. The escaramuza (women equestrian) teams will perform amazing and daring maneuvers while riding sidesaddle in their colorful dresses.

Also enjoy music, folklorico dances and childrenâ??s activities For all ages. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Festival will be held on the South Lawn and is Free (not including museum admission.) Museum admission is $7.50 adults, $5 students and seniors, $3 children. Free: 4 to 8 p.m. Thursdays. Located in Griffith Park across from the L.A. Zoo. 323-667-2000.

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News

Why is software so bad (and how to fix it)

by Charles C. Mann

Technology Review, July/August 2002

(Online access includes only the introduction for non-subscribers)

This article provides some interesting insight into software flaws and ways in which they might be prevented. I have often written about the necessity for better programming because of technology's increasing intimacy in our lives. More and more, technology manages important aspects of our lives. Software flaws could be (and have already been) life threatening.

One of the article's conclusions seems to be that software companies need to clean up their act or they face massive litigation or governmental regulation. Check out a print copy at your local library or bookstore.

I picked up a copy of Technology Review in an on-going effort to buy magazines I have never read before. Next time you go to the news stand, pick up 3 titles that interest you, but you have never read. I have been pleasantly surprised with all my recent finds. It is a great way to expand your horizons and expose yourself to new viewpoints and information. -- Douglas

Events

Charmlee Wilderness Park

Saturday, 8/17 6:15pm

Twilight Marshmallow Hike An evening hike through the park. Hike ends for stories and roasted marshmallows. All ages, bring your own marshmallows and skewers. Reservations required 310-317-1364. 3hrs CWP

Events

CELEBRATE CALIFORNIA'S INDIGENOUS HISTORY

SATURDAY, AUGUST 24

Southwest Museum

9:00 a.m. to 12 noon

Museum Patio

STEATITE CARVING:

Ted Garcia, Chumash

Ted Garcia, Director of Satwiwa American Indian Museum & Cultural Center, is one of a few traditional, Southern Coastal carvers still practicing this ancient art. Mr. Garcia will teach participants the techniques of carving and polishing their individual effigies. All materials are included with registration. Members, $20; guests, $30.

1:00 to 3:30 p.m.

Museum Patio

CALIFORNIA BASKETRY DEMONSTRATION:

Dee Dominguez

Dee Dominguez, member of CIBA (California Indian Basketweavers Association) will demonstrate Southern California style coil weaving and display current work on a Central California style baby cradle. Ask questions and watch her weave, then tour the California Hall's basketry collection with a greater appreciation for the skill and artistry required to make these beautiful pieces. Free with paid Museum admission.

1:00 p.m.

Sprague Auditorium

LEGENDS AND DANCES OF THE CHUMASH:

Ted and Dennis Garcia, Chumash

Free with Museum admission.

Career Column

Career-Op: Instead

by Douglas E. Welch, ComputorEdge Magazine

Many of you have been working in high-tech careers for so long that you might not be able to imagine what other careers you might have pursued. In some cases, you might even be wondering how you developed the career you have. We all have interests beyond our careers (or should have). Maybe it is time to find an outlet for the other interests in your life. Reviewing what career you might have chosen can often lead you to new areas of your high-tech career.

(Continued)

Events

In an effort to "share the wealth", I thought I would start writing up quick Park Focus mailings to let you know about specific parks in the LA Area. -- Douglas

Charmlee Wilderness Park

2577 South Encinal Canyon Road

Malibu, CA

310-457-7247

$3 parking fee

This wonderful park, high on the hills overlooking the Pacific is a great place to see the many sides of California. There is a nature center with animals and displays, picnic area, restrooms and a series of trails through various habitats. One trail leads through oak woodlands and chaparral while another takes you across a large meadow and out to ocean views.

There are regular events at Charmlee, including our favorite Marshmallow hike. As a group you hike out across the meadow to the ocean view for sunet and then enjoy a marshmallow roast on your return to the picnic area.

Below are a series of links with a host of other information.

Wheelchair access info

Mountain Biking info

Hiking info

Newspaper article

Santa Monica Mountains Activity Guide

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Opinion

Have you read or seen The Monsters are Due on Maple Street by Rod Serling recently?

Even now, 30+ years after it was written, it still applies directly to our current terrorist situation. The terrorists have got us attacking each other. It seems we are doing their work for them. More and more each day we suspect those around us. We actively seek to limit the freedoms we have enjoyed in the past or ignore the efforts to do so. We don't seem to understand that the worst enemy is here, inside our own hearts and minds. When we start seeing those around us as "suspects" first and neighbors second, we are in danger of destroying our own society from the inside out.

Events

Beach-y Keen

We headed out to one of our favorite beaches, Leo Carillo State Park, last week and had a grand old time. I wanted to share one photo with all of you. It was a gorgeous day, the surf was up and there were perhaps 30-40 surfers out catching the waves. I like this beach as it has both sand and rocky parts, allowing you to just sit and soak up the rays or go exploring.

(Click for larger image)

It might be interesting to put together a day at the beach under the auspices of WelchEvents. If you would be interested, drop me a line. Weekdays are best for those of you who can slip away.

What I'm reading...

Wooden Boats: In Pursuit of the Perfect Craft at an American Boatyard

I was completely finished with this book before I realized that the author also wrote another one of my favorites, The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America. Ruhlman has the ability to get deeply inside the stories he is covering, becoming part of the story but yet remaining apart. Wooden Boats is the story of a nearly extinct art form and one company that is keeping it alive. This book took me less than 2 days to read and kept me fascinated the entire time. Not only do I want to go to Martha's Vineyard to check out the boatyard, now I want to get out on the water myself.

The Naked Chef

Air Ferrets Aloft (Ferret Chronicles #2)

I recently discovered this series of books by Richard Bach, author of Johnathan LIvingston Seagul and Illusions, two favorites of both Rosanne and I. These books capture Bach's love of flying and maintain the depth of his previous work in a young adult format. See also Rescue Ferrets at Sea (Ferret Chronicles...

Sparks of Genius: The Thirteen Thinking Tools of the World's Most Creative People

I am always interested in creativity books, so this one jumped out at me. It is more technical than similar books and a little more difficult to read.

Sketching With a Pencil: For Those Who Are Just Beginning

Meetings With Remarkable Trees

The author visits some of the most ancient trees in Britain, while recounting their history. An amazing combination of history and nature writing. the photos are absolutely gorgeous.

Most Beautiful House in the World

Witold Rybczynski, an architect, recounts the building of house, from initial idea, through design, completion and remodeling. Another excellent telling of oen person's working methods along with the historical background of architecture.

Computers/Macintosh

TackyShirt - Educational Seminars and DVD training for Mac OS X

This just might be exactly what your small, Mac-based office might need...DVD-based training videos featuring some of the big names of the Mac world.

If you don't have time to teach everyone in your office about the Dock, multi-user logins and how to install software under Mac OS X, this could be the answer. Give all your people easy access to Mac OS X information and watch their productivity rise.

Via Macintouch

Events

History Mystery Hunt

Children & their parents search for clues to life in the 1840s, 1870s and 1930s.  Using all senses, children will look, draw, taste and participate in activities from these three historic eras in the history of Rancho Los Cerritos. Sun, August 18. 12:30-4:30 p.m. Free.

Rancho Los Cerritos

4600 Virginia Road

570-1755

Rancho Los Cerritos will re-open this August after the completion of seismic retrofit and ADA (American with Disabilities) improvements. 

From their web site...

Rancho Los Cerritos History

Once part of an early Spanish land grant, the 27,000 acre Rancho Los Cerritos evolved from cattle ranch to sheep ranch to private home before becoming a City museum in 1955. The current 4.7 acre site, a National and State Historic Landmark, includes an 1844 two-story Monterey-Colonial adobe and historic gardens, houses a California History Research Library and hosts many educational programs for families and youth. You are encouraged to visit. The Rancho is closed on Monday, Tuesday and all City holidays.

Computers/Macintosh

Apple Security Update 8-02-02

Latest security update from Apple. Available here as a download or directly through Software Update.

Via Versiontracker.com

Career Column

Career-Op: Privacy and You

by Douglas E. Welch, ComputorEdge Magazine

These days, privacy seems as quaint a concept as a horse and buggy. Everywhere we go, everything we do, especially online, is being tracked by someone. While most of the data can be useful for online retailers, most of this information is simply a free-floating opportunity to snoop. Even worse, we, high-tech careerists, are the makers of this privacy invasion. We create the tools that allow these invasions of privacy and we are often the ones to suffer the most. Maybe the time has come to reduce the amount of data we collect so that everyone can benefit from some slim slice of online privacy.

(Continued)

Events

Flavors of India Family Festival

Saturday August 17, 1-4pm

Pacific Asia Museum

Guests may participate in a henna body decoration workshop. Children are invited to bring their own percussion instruments to join in an Indian musical instrument performance featuring the tabla. Adults will enjoy a lecture discussing Ayurveda health principles and food applications. Also featured will be an Indian cooking demonstration and a demonstration illustrating the complicated art of wearing a sari (the traditional Indian woman's clothing). Indian tea and snacks will be available for tasting.

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Events

Here are a variety of upcoming events for the first weeks of August 2002.

Museum of Neon Art - Free Admission

Date: Thursday, August 8, 2002

Time: 5:00PM - 8:00PM PDT (GMT-07:00)

Museum of Neon Art - Free Admission

2nd Thursday of each month, 5-8 pm

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Summer ArtWalk 2002 - Ventura

August 17, 2002

Downtown cultural district

Ventura, CA

(805) 658-4760

Over 100 Ventura County artists display artwork at 50 gallery, business and studio locations, plus roving musicians and performers. Tour at your own pace. Free. 3-9 pm.

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Outdoor Giggle and Wiggle Concerts for Kids
The Getty Center

Kick up your heels with award winning, kid-centered musicians performing energetic, engaging and just-plain-wacky songs -- from the first note to thefinal bow.

Saturdays 4 & 5 pm

August 10 The Chenielle Sisters

August 17 Trout Fishing in America

August 24 José-Luis Orozco

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FREE Sunday Concerts In The Park at Peter Strauss Ranch

August 11, 2pm - 4pm

Pacific Crest

Join us for an afternoon of traditional Bluegrass music with this well known band out of Bakersfield. Pacific Crest won 1st place in the 2000 L.A. County Fairâ??s Bluegrass Band Contest. Info: www.topangabanjofiddle.org/summer_concerts.html or 8 0 5 - 3 7 0 - 2 3 0 1. Topanga Banjo and Fiddle Contest in cooperation with National Park Service