When the ancient Polynesians invented surfing, they often used a paddle to help them navigate. Fast-forward a few millennia, and Stand-Up Paddleboarding, or SUP, finds itself trendy again. Part of its increasing popularity is that standing upright allows surfers to spot waves more easily and thus catch more of them, multiplying the fun factor. Paddling back to the wave becomes less of a strain as well. The ability to cruise along on flat inland water, surveying the sights, is another advantage. Finally, it’s a good core workout. If you’re sold on the idea, schedule an intro SUP lesson, free with board and paddle rental, and you may find yourself riding the waves like a Polynesian king.More
Many of us remember coming home from our elementary schools with freshly glazed pinchpots, cups, or whatever else our young imaginations could conjure up. Saturday mornings at the Randall Museum can bring that memory back, or create a new one for the youngsters. Ceramics make great gifts — especially on Mothers' and Fathers' Day. Hop on board for the Randall's once-weekly class, and for $6 and two weeks to have your work fired and glazed, you'll have all the materials you need.More
December is almost over - the New Year is coming up and everyone is busy drying off from the rain or holiday shopping. Let's take a look at what's happened this month.
PostedByJoe Eskenazi
on Tue, Sep 28, 2010 at 2:18 PM
A phalanx of San Francisco Police swarmed an incoming T-train at Fourth and King, and arrested a passenger toting a gun moments ago.
A fellow passenger had noticed the gun tucked into the man's pants and silently informed the driver, Sergeant Pete Thoshinsky told SF Weekly. The driver, in turn, radioed the cops -- who boarded the train at about 2 p.m., an estimated three to five minutes after the driver's call.
PostedByJoe Eskenazi
on Tue, Sep 28, 2010 at 12:59 PM
Will the bell toll for Randy Adams? A group of incensed SoCal cops are sure hoping so.
Our sister publication, LA Weekly is reporting that the Police Officers Association of Bell -- the small L.A. suburb that has become synonymous with costly government malfeasance -- is adamant that Adams, the town's former police chief, face the consequences for loading up his salary. The chief drew a salary of $457,000 -- but was not one of the eight city officials dramatically arrested and charged by L.A. County DA Steve Cooley. The Bell cops are claiming this because Cooley -- a candidate for state attorney general -- is a longtime pal of Adams. This, by the way, has not escaped the notice of Kamala Harris, San Francisco's DA and Cooley's Democratic opponent in the AG's race.
PostedByPeter Jamison
on Tue, Sep 28, 2010 at 12:30 PM
Michael Arrington
AOL has announced that it is buying the San Francisco-based tech industry blog TechCrunch, an influential business news site that has built a strong following in Silicon Valley.
Initial reports suggest the acquisition price -- which has not been publicly disclosed by either party -- was on the order of $25 million, with CNBC reporting a figure of $40 million. The Business Insider, another business news blog, calls $25 million "a surprisingly low figure," given TechCrunch chief Michael Arrington's past claims that his company's revenue is about $10 million.
"After a four-year moratorium on executions in California ... it is incredible to think that the deliberative process might be driven by the expiration date of the execution drug," reads the court's ruling, which remands the case back to San Jose District Court Judge Jeremy Fogel. That judge will be asked to reconsider his recent decision to not intervene and allow Brown's pending execution.
It turns out the suspects' white van was as distinctive as their hairstyles (and mustaches) -- and officers with the San Francisco Police Criminal Investigation Unit pulled them over in the Mission this weekend.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has delayed the lethal injection of Albert Brown to 9 p.m. Thursday night. That will give Schwarzenegger time to consider Brown's clemency case and let the appeals court weigh in. It's also just hours prior to when the prison's supply of the first of the three-drug lethal cocktail is set to expire.
Apparently, it's not just the pills in your medicine closet that pass their expiration dates. The lifetime on the state's supply of sodium thiopental, the anesthetic that renders the inmate unconscious before administering the lethal drugs, is ticking as well -- facing an Oct. 1 expiration date.
PostedByJoe Eskenazi
on Mon, Sep 27, 2010 at 3:45 PM
Not long ago, SF Weekly reported that KRON-TV had gone and hired Nick "The Rapping Weatherman" Kosir -- but wouldn't let him rap.
It turns out, however, that Kosir's tenure in San Francisco was not unlike a summer storm: It was brief, tempestuous, and left everyone soaked.
KRON's general manager is seething, charging Kosir with pulling off "the most unprofessional thing I've seen in 28 years in the business." The Rapping Weatherman purportedly quit on just his second day on the job, claiming he "didn't like San Francisco." This, of course, makes Kosir a W.W.A -- a Weatherman Wit' an Attitude.
PostedByPeter Jamison
on Mon, Sep 27, 2010 at 3:33 PM
Would Master Control have gotten a nice blog review?
There's an interesting study out today from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press on portrayals of the tech industry, both in conventional "mainstream media" outlets and "new media" sources such as blogs and Twitter. The study's focus is the dichotomy within MSM tech coverage between optimistic stories about the benefits new technologies bring us and negative stories about the same innovations' dangers. (The biggest MSM tech story of the year, for example, was about the perils of texting while driving.)
Perhaps the more interesting findings in the Pew report -- at least for those of us who consume news from both mainstream outlets such as newspapers or TV and the countless tech-industry blogs that have sprung up over the past few years -- has to do with the difference in coverage of tech by new and old media. Blogs and Twitter posts on the tech industry, according to the study, tend to be devoted to excited reviews of new devices and companies. And, unlike the MSM, this cheerleading isn't leavened with critical assessments of technologies' drawbacks.
Sub Pop recording artists 'clipping.' brought their brand of noise-driven experimental hip hop to the closing night of 2016's San Francisco Electronic Music Fest this past Sunday. The packed Brava Theater hosted an initially seated crowd that ended the night jumping and dancing against the front of the stage. The trio performed a set focused on their recently released Sci-Fi Horror concept album, 'Splendor & Misery', then delved into their dancier and more aggressive back catalogue, and recent single 'Wriggle'.
Opening performances included local experimental electronic duo 'Tujurikkuja' and computer music artist 'Madalyn Merkey.'"
