Meet the dusky-footed woodrat on his own turf. Join a 1-mile easy walk with naturalist Tony as he takes you on a tour of the neighborhood where they build elaborate nests that are both a home and a time capsule. Meet at the parking lot to left of the pond. 2hrs MRCA/SMM
Join us for a ranger-led constellation tour followed by stargazing through telescopes. Bring your planisphere or telescope. All ages welcome. Rain cancels. Info: 805-370-2301. 4hrs NPS
I have been using Flickr to share my photos since 2004 and have over 5,300 photos there which have been viewed over 33,000 times. I’ll be re-visiting some of my favorite pictures and also those most popular with other Flickr users.
Malibu Sunset 2004
I think this photo captures the very essence of a California Summer sundown. I used my sunglasses in front of the lens in order to allow me to shoot directly in to the sun. The people on the beach came and went as I shot and produced several excellent silhouette tableaux naturally without any prompting from me. It was all about just being ready to shoot when the scene composed itself.
Like the LAPD scanner link I posted week or so ago, this link to LiveATC.com lets you listen in to that is happening at Van Nuys airport as aircraft arrive and depart. Van Nuys is the business general aviation airport in the US, so there is always a lot going on. You can also listen in on what other aircraft, like LAPD, are doing near the airport, as they need to stay in contact whenever working in the Van Nuys airspace. Van Nuys is also the base for LA County Fire Helicopters.
This feed could also be useful if you happen to visit the Van Nuys Airport Observation area off of Woodley Avenue. Using your iPhone or other mobile device, you could listen in on traffic as you watched the planes arrive and depart. When my son was younger, we used to visit here so he could watch the airplanes up close.
Living in a big city like Los Angeles, you can see and hear a lot. In such a large city, helicopter activity is nearly constant. Nearly every day I hear an LAPD helicopter orbiting overhead covering some police activity.
In the past I have often found myself wondering what was happening. Recently, though, I stepped up my search for access to radio scanner audio via the web. I had been to RadioReference.com before, but hadn’t located a scanner feed that delivered the best information. On this visit, though, I found the scanner feed labelled, “LAPD – Code 3/Hot Shots, Air/K9 and Van Nuys/Valley Traffic“. (Click to Listen)
In the last few days, this audio has proven very useful in discovering where a police incident was happening and also learning a bit about what was happening. Whenever I heard the chopper overhead, I would tune in listen for a few minutes. The quick mention of an address what usually all I needed to understand how the incident might impact me and in nearly every case, move on with my day. One of the biggest reasons for wanting to know the location of an incident is simply to avoid the location so as not to get involved in the incident itself, but more importantly for Los Angeles, not get involved in any traffic jam that might be caused.
RadioReference.com has scanner links for many metropolitan areas, so even if you don’t live in Los Angeles, you might find something useful there.
Waaaaaaay back in the 1996 we were looking for a contractor to do some small work on the house we had just bought. Being a tech guy, I headed over to the Internet to see what I could find. Brian had an AOL web page that came up in a search, we contacted him and hired him for this small job and several larger jobs over the years.
He is GREAT to work with — professional with a great crew. In every case, he was able to clearly see what we wanted, offer great advice, and make it happen.
If you need a contractor for your project — large or small — give Brian a call. I think you will be as happy as we have been with his work over the years.
Licensed and insured general contractor in Southern California – License no. 668801
We specialize in residential remodeling and room additions, and we’ve done everything from fixing a chair to building a house. We’ve also done many select commercial/hospitality jobs. I personally designed many of our projects and have worked with some of the most talented architects and designers in the business.
You can see examples of Brian’s work on the web site linked above and also on these additional sites.
Due to personal family issues with the scheduled speaker, I will be speaking at this weeks’s Tuesday’s with Transitioners meeting on the topic of “A Year of Action!”.
Action — any action — can help us to get our careers and lives moving forward. Douglas presents a few “action items” you might want to explore or use as jumpstart points for your own ideas.
Learn how action benefits you no matter what your job, current job status or career!
Please share this event with anyone you know who might be interested. All are welcome!
Our friend, Janet Wilcox, will be starting her UCLA Extension voiceover class again in just a week. If you are interested in getting started in the industry, this could be the class for you. I will be speaking to her class about New Media this session, as I have done in the past.
Do people say you have a wonderful voice? Gain a comprehensive understanding of the tools needed to excel in TV and radio commercials, animation, narration for documentaries, and other areas of voice over work. Instruction includes breath and microphone technique, script analysis, finding characters spontaneously, and how to keep it fun, even when the pressure’s on. Participants also learn how to pursue a career in voice over.
Writer, producer, and actor with extensive experience on both sides of the microphone. Ms. Wilcox has written and produced promos for HBO, ABC, and The History Channel, among others. As a voice over talent, she has been heard on Lifetime, HBO, E!, Cinemax, and AMC. She is the author of Voiceovers: Techniques and Tactics for Success.
Every year my friend Ric Turner does some amazing light displays for Halloween and Christmas. This year’s Christmas show is a version of Angry Birds that plays on his Christmas lights?!?!?!? Watch the video below or see it for yourself on Philbrook Avenue in Santa Clarita, CA.
“Help! The pigs are trying to ruin Christmas. Grab the sling shot and fire those birds! From the people who brought you the Guitar Hero Christmas Light game! Running on two computers and 10 Light-o-rama 16 channel controllers, uses more than 20,000 lights and less than one cent of electricity per game. Audio is broadcast on 99.1FM, and the controller has a long enough cord for people to play in their cars on the street. Easier than the iPhone version, and bigger too.”
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