by The Editors on June 3, 2007
According to North County Times sports columnist Steve Scholfield, Bob Babbit, co-founder and publisher of Competitor Magazine is running today’s San Diego’s Rock n’ Roll Marathon (his 10th) dressed as Elvis (with the Running Elvi).
While we care very little about running or Elvis, it is a nice way to mention the Rock n’ Roll Marathon and a long-time Carlsbad resident who has built a Solana Beach-based media empire around sweaty, lycra-clad, mid-life crisis suffering body jocks. From the swarms of them we saw downtown San Diego last night sporting “I survived the [insert endurance race here] and all I got was this t-shirt” shirts, we’d have to say Mr. Babbit’s business will see no soon end.
[Link: North County Times]
by The Editors on June 3, 2007
Today at noon, the senior class of Army and Navy Academy in Carlsbad officially relinquished their command and turned it over to the junior class, while the sophomore class welcomed next year’s freshman. At least that is what we thought was going on during the “change of command parade” on Maffucci Field (a.k.a. the athletic field). With 74 cadets graduating it was the largest senior class in the Academy’s history, according to the school’s website.
Students’ families travelled from around the world to witness this annual festivity. Wealthy parents, poor parents, crying grandmothers, dads with newer, younger wives, older moms with newer plastic surgery, hot aunts with their g-strings visible above their skin tight jeans, older brothers all Tokyo popped, along with the hardworking elite of the US Military (we’re guessing here so forgive us in advance) came to see their boys, kids they hardly recognize in those white dress uniforms, march on a big lawn, parade in front of the viewing stands, and finally listen to Bill Gang Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Information Systems Laboratories give a commencement address on the lawn in front of the academy’s Davis Hall.
While families celebrated, Carlsbad’s Finest saw a perfect opportunity for generating some revenue for the city and proceeded to write parking tickets for each and every one of the visitors cars that were parked illegally on the East side of Carlsbad Boulevard. As one father leaned over and said:
I can’t believe they would do that on a day like this. It’s really kind of bullshit.
We couldn’t agree more. Welcome to Carlsbad, here’s your ticket. Then again it’s only June 2 and this officer probably filled his parking ticket quota for the rest of the month.
More photos after the jump.
[click to continue…]
by The Editors on June 2, 2007
Sadly, we’re only 200 steps from the beach, but we still prefer to sit here in our pajamas and check out what Surfshot.com reporter Corey M. Senese has to say about the surf at Carlsbad’s Taramack Surfing Beach on June 2, 2007:
Tamarack is looking like a nice spot this morning. The waves are head high and is showing us fair shape. There is a slight but of texture out on the surface at this spot, but nothing that is effecting the shape as of yet.
Well, Corey. Tamarack looks like a nice spot every morning, but you’re right, this morning it looks particularly nice. And who wouldn’t enjoy a “slight but of texture.” We may even drag our lazy asses down to the beach for a surf this morning. But first we’re going to do just one more thing on the computer. . .
[Link: Surfshot.com]
by The Editors on June 2, 2007
Longtime Carlsbad resident Tony Hawk has kicked off his the national debut of Tony Hawk’s Project 8 Boom Boom HuckJam at Six Flags over St. Louis, the park that is also host to his new signature roller coaster. Talk about a grind: Hawk’s cast of eight athletes (skate, bmx, mx) will perform at 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. both today and Sunday. But that’s just in St Louis. The tour continues on all month at five different Six Flags parks. That’s 20 shows during the month of June. No one ever accused Tony of not working his ass off.
[Link: St. Louis Post-Dispatch]
by The Editors on June 1, 2007
Hidden away at 4901 El Camino Real in an old egg factory and next to Bobby’s Hideaway is Buffalo Brothers Guitars. Many would argue that it is the best guitar store in the world. Or what General Manager Kevin Kinnear calls: “Guitar players heaven.” The store and it’s General Manager were recently featured on San Diego’s News 8 (video link). The place is huge. Kinnear says:
We’ve got more guitars in the open than you can actually play and enjoy. This is completely friendly and hospitable and we want you to experience the guitars.
And he’s right, but what the story failed to mention is that while Buffalo Brothers is a great store and Kinnear is wellspring of guitar knowledge his roots in action sports go deeper still. As the founding editor of TransWorld Snowboarding Magazine Kevin helped shape snowboarding culture and then delivered it to the world. Kinnear was recently featured in an award-winning documentary film on the life of snowboarding great Craig Kelly titled Let It Ride. But don’t think that after talking to Kevin about snowboarding that you’ll find it any easier to leave the store without a new six-string in your hands. . . ’cause that just won’t happen.
[Link: KFMB San Diego]
by The Editors on June 1, 2007
The City of Carlsbad is looking for a new live-in Caretaker for Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park and wedding chapel (okay, we added that last part). The new caretaker may live at the ranch with his/her family and pay zero rent. But there are some chores involved according to the notice:
You’ll have to mow the lawn, clean the restrooms, provide guided tours of the ranch and pick up stray trash, among other things. You’ll need to look presentable during the 25 to 30 hours a week that the city expects you to perform your duties, and you’ll have keep your stereo turned down during the park’s night-time quiet hours.
You’ll also be harassed 24-7 by the family of peacocks who live there and have to spend time hanging out with a couple ghosts that are rumored to cruise the property on moonlit summer nights. We were so there until the “looking presentable” and keeping the stereo down part. But maybe you can hang with that.
[Link: North County Times]
by The Editors on June 1, 2007
With the major event of the week (Steve and Bill on the same stage) going down on Wednesday, the final day of the Wall Street Journal’s digital conference at the Four Season at Aviara was a bit of a let down. Time Inc. CEO Anne Moore took the opportunity to let some of the world’s best tech writers know how completely out of touch she is with anything related to the Internet. That didn’t stop her from repeating her latest legacy begging mantra:
I am going to be known for transforming Time Inc. For diversifying Time Inc. And I am going to be the person who leads the transformation, to make sure we are around for another 80 years.
Yeah Ms. Moore. . . say that three more times, click the heels of your ruby slippers, and it will happen. Seriously.
Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman was equally out of touch, however, there were a few who spoke a little more eloquently about their digital futures:
– Chad Hurley and Steve Chen, the founders of YouTube
– Google CEO Eric Schmidt
And then there was “International Space Tourist” Charles Simonyi, a former Microsoft employee who paid more than $20 million to visit the International Space Station for 11 days. Truthfully, we don’t care what he has to say about anything. Yeah, Charles, we know. Things do feel heavy back on earth after being weightless for two weeks.
What a way to end it all. Next year, we’re going to be much more diligent about our barging. . . maybe we’ll even get a job bussing tables that week.
[Link: All Things Digital]
by The Editors on May 30, 2007
Steve Jobs and Bill Gates have not shared the same stage for 23 years. And tonight, at the Four Seasons Resort at Aviara they were together at the “special event” that directly followed dinner at the Wall Street Journal’s D: All Things Digital Conference.
Sadly, we did not make it out. Thought we would, but didn’t feel like getting our “web worker” duds on and driving back out there again, even though, we’re guessing tonight is the big party. . . Click the link below for all the details on the evening. Blow, by blow, by blow.
[Link: All Things D]
by The Editors on May 30, 2007
by The Editors on May 30, 2007
Okay. It’s now 10:07 PM and we’ve just returned from the Four Seasons at Aviara where we successfully infiltrated the surprisingly intimate D: All Things Digital Wall Street Journal Executive Conference. On entering we walked straight into the D Anniversary Celebration and Nightcap Gathering (slipping past someone who looked like Six Apart’s Mena Trott) then took a right to go check out the conference rooms. The stairway in the back was lined with monitors and a woman was video taping something. Down below I saw a cadre of men in suits coming up the stairs from below and I was approaching to go down.
Now, saying you’re going to go barge a conference, take some pictures and hang out is one thing. Doing it is another. We discovered this while standing face to face with the shockingly ghost-white John McCain who was surrounded by several aids and a team of Aviara’s finest security men. Before we could even think about getting our camera out they moved past and down the hall.
We got no photo of John McCain, but we also didn’t get thrown out. Which is good. If we had, we never would have snagged this lovely photo of the 5th Anniversary cupcake tower.
Having been to dozens of industry conferences we can add that barging is 100 times more fun than paying, wearing the lanyard and standing around with a bunch of geeks pretending to have a good time.
Stay tuned: we’re making plans for another foray into the digital world tomorrow. Carlsbad has never been so tech.
ADDED 10:50 PM: Just heard via Jason Calacanis’ Twitter post that George Lucas was in the lobby talking to Chad Hurley (Youtube.com co-founder) and it is obvious that we left too early.
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