As seen at Post and Steiner on the side of Hamilton Pool and Recreation Center in the Western Addition.
It’s the brand new Blues Evolution Mural (or the left side of it, anyway) from the Blues and R&B Music Foundation.
Click to expand:
And here’s the legend of the legends:
Now you better know the giant murals of San Francisco.
Have you heard about a lot of problems regarding accidents at problematic intersection of Market and Octavia Boulevard lately? I haven’t.
It’s still no picnic out there of course, but the City has done a reasonable job of fixing the original problem of numerous car vs. bike accidents.
And now, with giantesses Sonia and Rykiel watching over us, well, we’re safer than ever. See?
One of these days, I’ll get out there to see how many cars make the illegal right in an hour of morning drive time.
Imagine it’s much lower than before, so that’s a Good Thing.
Thanks City (and State) workers!
LovEvolution 2009 (or LoveFest or the Love Parade, call it what you will, gallery here) went down in Civic Center yesterday- what a huge turnout it had.
Here are the best photos uploaded to Flickr.
Auric Goldfinger really started a trend, back in the day:
Cf. this shot from the Chronicle’s Frederic Larson - showing why you generally want to keep your white people skin tone magentas lower than the yellows. As always, click to expand.
Hey buddy, get gold or get gone – chest hair is no excuse:
Here we go, a little gold goes a long way:
All right, that’s it for gold. Now how about orange?
Beefcake beefcake, beefcake!
DJ Baybe flew in from Spain just for this event:
The Center of Attention:
Furry boots on top of the truck require an extra hand or two to secure footing:
And let’s give it up for the DJs:
Everybody is a participant, everybody is an observer:
It’s all fur this year, either up top or on your platform shoes.
Market Street was just packed, baby:
And if you can’t afford the entrance fee, just neck outside the double chain link – show them all why they call it LovEvolution:
And There You Have It - those are the best photos from Flickr.
See you next year!
LovEvolution 2009 (or LoveFest or the Love Parade, call it what you will) is still going strong down in Civic Center today – what a huge turnout it has – check the best photos from Flickr and some more photos posted on SFist. Now this year everybody’s paying $10 to get in, so that helps to pay for San Francisco’s excessive fees for doing anything, anytime, anywhere. Anyway, it’s fuzzy cowboy hats as far as the eye can see. And MUNI is FUBAR’ed beyond all recognition. Oh well.
Remember, this type of gathering is Why They Hate Us. Not Fleet Week or nothing, it’s this kind of stuff that They hate. Oh well. Here’s a slide show of photos to ponder. And here’s the post-first, edit-later (Go Go Gorgeous is a person, really? “Kobayash,” is a last name, really?) San Francisco Chronicle’s take, along with 23 photos. And here’s David Yu’s shots.
The cage dancers of Market go rolling up the street. Go Go Gorgeous!
Click to expand
Sandra Gorgeous of GGG, (“a full-service Go Go company“) blowing you a kiss - the whole team is “all about adding that sexy, fun, and friendly energy to good events. Pour some gorgeous into your event!” Available, I’m sure, for weddings, bar mitzvahs….
They had a ton of floats going uptown to Civic Center…
…populated by people like these representatives from Sweet Tooth Entertainment:
2009 on the left, 1969 on the right. Dude was baked:
Do people really spray paint their Dell Inspiron laptop computers gold and then take them on parade? People do. “Gold! I love goooold!”
And they all ended up in Civic Center, thusly. Just look at all these good-for-nothing pukes clogging up the place – is this why my grandfather fought the Second World War, and spent his weekends on the Jersey shore?
Pretty much.
See you next year!
SF LovEvolution Fast Facts
WHAT: San Francisco LovEvolution : A Dance Music Parade & FestivalLove Week page for more info.San Francisco LovEvolution Event Changes this year : on the need for a $10 entrance fee to the festival site at Civic Center Plaza
WHEN: Love Week starts Wednesday, September 30th with official and affiliated parties each night all week and through the weekend.
The main LovEvolution event is Saturday, October 3rd from 12noon – 8:00pm.
WHO: SF LovEvolution is all ages & all friendly peoples.
WHAT’S MORE: A parade starts from 2nd & Market St. in downtown San Francisco with ~25 floats heading West down Market St. The parade is free and all ages.
THEN WHAT: The floats arrive at Civic Center plaza where they park to becomes 25 stages on a transformed festival grounds with food, beverage, a new live electronic and performance stage, and outstanding revelry. There is a $10 entrance fee to the festival grounds, children under 12 with their parents are Free. All ages welcome. No outside alcohol.
WHY: The entrance fee was necessary for the survival of the event due to significantly higher city related fees. Please read the whole story below!
THERE’S MORE (!): After the festival ends at 8:00pm a number of after parties kick off all over the city, including the Official After Party produced by Skills & Spundae on site at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. After parties have their own admission and age policies. See the
LOVE: YES
As anyone who attended last years event knows, SF LovEvolution is now the largest electronic music event in America. Thanks to all those who have faithfully supported us and to the many new Lovers who attended last year. Because of the growth of LovEvolution, however, and to preserve our ability to parade down Market Street and party right in front of San Francisco City Hall, we’ve had to institute a few changes to this years event.
First, because of escalating city fees and the events growth last year, LovEvolution 2009 will require a large increase in all levels of traffic, police, security and medical personnel. This translates into a very large increase in how much money it costs to pull off this special event. As this is a non-profit event with minimal corporate sponsorship, we will be charging a $10 admission to LovEvolution this year in order to pay for the increased staff and other event expenses. We’ve always asked for a $10 donation but since most people do not give, donations are not sufficient to fund and improve the event. In order to be able to continue the event, we received special permission from the city for a $10 admission plan. This is as close to free as we could make it and at $10 for 250 world class DJs, LovEvolution is still the best bargain for an event of this scale in America. **We pay 100% of the costs back to the city, so without this change, we could not have the event. Please note kids under 12 with their parents are FREE. You can also get in free by volunteering. Of course – the parade is FREE to all and the entire event from 12noon- 8:00pm is still ALL AGES.** (After parties will vary by event).
Second, there will be no glass or outside alcohol allowed in the event. This has always been a condition of our permits, but when the event was smaller we never had to enforce. But the site was littered with broken glass last year that presented a safety hazard, so we now have to enforce this policy. This is for all our safety and is no different than at any concert or gated event, so please don’t bring alcohol or glass, it will be confiscated or you’ll be turned away at the gates.
On the bright side, the $10 admission will allow us to continue having this amazing event as well as to add some special production elements in Civic Center plaza. This year we are premiering the LovEvolution Live stage in front of city hall featuring an all out performance by The Mutaytor, and much more tba. The $10 admission will also allow us to reduce prices at our bars since we are now not as dependent upon alcohol sales to pay for the event. We’ll also be eventually eliminating entry fees fees for the floats so producers can make their floats even better. And YES – there will be ins and out allowed. And YES, kids under 12 with their parents are FREE.
Last but not least, the $10 admission will allow us to increase the amount of our non-profit contributions to other worthy organizations. Non-profits that received funds last year and/or we expect to donate to this year include:
Friends of the Main Library
Next Aid
Aids Housing Alliance
The Center for Sex and Culture
Beat University Scholarship Fund
Black Rock Arts Foundation
Bay Area Young Positives
Burners Without Borders
San Francisco Suicide Prevention/HIV AIDS Nightline
Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity
Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity
Thanks for your support and looking forwarding to a fabulous LovEvolution 2009!!
Via StreetsBlog SF, you can learn that the “Livable Streets Community Meet-Up!” is coming up this Monday – it’s sponsored by the Livable Streets Initiative.
Monday August 24th, 7pm-8pm
The Green Arcade
1680 Market St. at Gough
You see, they’re returning to the scene of the crime: Horrible Octavia Boulevard. What’s up with this stubby Scar Upon The Land? It’s like some giant came along and just plopped down an aircraft carrier on San Francisco for the sole purpose of preventing people (people like pedestrians, cyclists, transit users, car drivers, etc.) from moving around the City.
Here’s a bird-eye view of the failed attempt at social engineering known as Octavia Boulevard, with a scale drawing of the WWII era Japanese aircraft carrier HIJMS* Taiho in overlay. Take a look for yourself. Click to expand:
Of course the Taiho is a little smaller but its deck (now sitting at the bottom of the Pacific) has the same general shape as Octavia, and of course the Taiho would block cross traffic equally as well. Why is Octavia so wide? Why does cross-traffic have such a short amount of time to cross the Blvd? Why are there so many accidents on Octavia? Why is Octavia jammed up with idling cars all the time?
Now get this, the Livable Streets people think Octavia is just great. Check it.
And here’s a longer bit from the same point of view. Note how they refer to the Octavia onramp as something other than the Octavia onramp.
Wouldn’t it have been better to keep the earthquake-safe and retrofitted Central Freeway the way it was? Yes! Alternatively, wouldn’t it have also been better to tear down the whole Central Freeway all the way back to the 101 freeway? Yes! Pick one or the other or something else, I don’t care. Anything would be better than the present Octavia Boulevard situation.
Can somebody start a Boulevard Revolt?
Only Time Will Tell.
And, bonus, let’s take a look once again at what real people say about Octavia, you know, the actual result of plans drawn up by ivory tower academics. Enjoy:
What is the Legacy of Octavia Boulevard?
“Octavia has severely impacted traffic on Laguna at all times, not just peak.”
“Octavia is a mess for bicyclists and there are tons of vehicle accidents.”
“What has Octavia taught us? Stopped cars/slow idling cars seem to pollute more.”
And what do the Yelpers have to say?
“Who’s the dip-shit that designed this Octavia Street nightmare between Market St and Fell St?”
“1) It’s a freeway offramp – slash – playground. Kids and cars!! Who’s the genius??
2) It doesn’t take you across Market Street but rather has you wait at the light — filling the above-mentioned park with your exhaust as you idle along.
3) The “local access” road is a perfect place to die while crossing the street, as some confused driver makes a right hand turn.
4) It got voted in after at least three failed initiatives. During the boom. When the population was more passionate than informed and the Hayes Valley Merchant’s Associationcould sweet talk them with this park bullshit. ”I like parks not freeways! I’ll vote yes!” The old Fell Street offrampwas ugly and the dark sidewalks underneath were full of pee. It’s been replaced by a classic San Francisco compromise that essentially works well for no one but makes some smug mofosfeel like they discouraged driving when all they really did was put more smog on the street. And now the sidewalks are sunny, but they’re still full of pee. I wonder why an offramp didn’t solve homelessness…?”
“The poster child for stupidity in San Francisco. STILL not finished after 25 or so years???
“Unsafe at any speed for:
1.pedestrians
2.bicycles
3.scooters
4.motorcycles
5.marmosets”
“OHMiGOD are you kidding?? Wow, I looked up this review expecting to see half a star and a lovely littering of ‘fuckity fuck motherFUCKER,’ wowwweee…everyone i talk to in person HATES this addition…
Why we hate the new Octavia Blvd:
1. It is confusing. What is with the extra mini-side lane next to the regular lane? Are you allowed to switch back and forth at liberty? What is the purpose of this mini lane?
2. Why are there traffic lights AND stop signs in front of the mini-lane? When there’s a traffic light and a stop sign, which one wins?
3. The traffic on Octavia Blvd, coming from the freeway, is always atrocious. It doesn’t matter what time of day it is. Something about it’s ingenious design allows it to remain backed up 24 hours a day.
4. If you don’t play your cards right, you WILL get forced onto the freeway. You just think you’re along for an innocent ride, and then , BAM, Octa-Nazi Blvdhas you marching along in its gigantic oppressive middle lane and it wil NOT let you out, no matter how much you beg.
I don’t get it, I don’t get it! What’s going on with this street monster?”
“This is NOT the haven for cyclists and pedestrians the city touts it as being. Whose idea was it to build the off ramp at street level? It should be RAISED and go over Market or they should build some kind of blockade so that people coming east on Market absolutely can’t try to make a right onto the highway and clip pedestrians and cyclists. That single spot is a death trap.
It’s pretty and it’s great that it’s not a shithole anymore but this is seriously some urban planning gone awry. The shared bike/car lanes on the outside would be great if the cars that drove in them weren’t complete idiots. Sharrows mean it’s my lane too, buddy, so don’t honk at me and tell me to get on the sidewalk, don’t rev your engine behind me, and don’t speed up to 20 to squeeze by me. The middle lane is for fast driving of cars, not the outer lanes. Unfortunately people are unable to grasp this concept and choose to terrorize pedestrians and cyclists who are trying to enjoy the sections of the project supposedly designed to make things better for us.
And the light/stop sign combo… what the hell? It’s maddening. If this is supposed to benefit cyclists, why make it so difficult to make a left onto Market? One must cross Octavia and go onto the sidewalk then cross Market and make the left there, or cross Market then cross the on/off ramp via Market. That second option wouldn’t be so bad except for the fucktards coming down Market who don’t understand what NO RIGHT TURN means and repeatedly take out cyclists at the same spot as they try to turn onto the highway.”
And on it goes.
*His Imperial Japanese Majesty’s Ship
Now I’m sure that other people are out there on the Streets of San Francisco (™, a Quinn Martin Production) commuting to work on a Segway scooter, but this guy, this guy*, he’s the man. Why? Staying power, baby. He’s been doing it for while. With style.
Note the black suit, black gloves, stick-it-to-the-Man lawyer’s ponytail(?), saddlebag, auxilliary lighting – it’s got to be the same dude I used to see years ago on Market Street. Apparently, he has a safe and convenient way of storing his rig at home and at work, and he’s worked out a good-enough system for safekeeping while performing errands. Good for him.
Click to expand. On Market crossing problematic Octavia Boulevard, San Francisco’s Greatest Public Policy Disaster of the 21st Century**
You see, he’s not riding on the sidewalk, not tromping on the grass, not riding on the train tracks, not clowning around in Golden Gate Park like Lily, not skylarking himself into a painful (at the very least – that poor, poor woman) faceplant, not killing himself at 5 MPH, not playing soulja boy, and not wearing a tuxedo while escorting a high-heeled woman(!) to the exclusive Black and White Ball.
In short, the man has his dignity.
Quite unlike Gob, for another example:
Truth be told, the San Francisco man you see in the first photo is using the cleverly-designed Segway exactly as it was meant to be used. (There was some issue before about allowing Segways on sidewalks, but all the effort by a bunch of lobbyists failed. So, the street is where these things belong, apparently.)
The problem Segway Inc. has is that there was no way IT (a former name, along with “Ginger”) could possibly live up to the hype that came from Segway Inc. and Various Famous People.
But that’s ancient history now. What’s the future of the Seqway PT? Only Time Will Tell.
*Note the use of a Canon 135mm 2.0 lens avec full-frame digital camera. The key is to use this combo wide-open, so you use either Aperture Priority or Manual Mode to set the lens to f/stop 2.0. (That’s the full Clockwork Orange setting, no squinting allowed.) You end up with a diffuse, fuzzy background (depending on geometry of where you’re standing, etc.) and clear view of whatever you focused upon, assuming the not-so-hot auto focus feature of your Canon 5D (Mark II or Mark I) got the job done. This special kind of look is why some people get digital SLR cameras.)
**So far. The NIMBYs of Hayes Valley have nine decades left to top themselves.
The owner of this Schwinn bicycle took a bit of care before locking it up for the last time ever. Note the $50 Kryptonite Evolution Mini (quite fashionable, non?) avec cable for the wheels – that’s a perfectly cromulent way of a locking a bike on the mean streets of San Francisco. (A lesser lock would have succumbed like this.)
But the owner might have dared to leave it overnight, when the freaks come out.
Click to expand
The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition has some thoughts on the issue of protecting your bike. Check it out, after the jump.
Good luck.
You see this Camry heading north (sort of) on San Francisco’s failed Octavia Boulevard? It was just in the “middle lane” (where the cars on the left are) and it looks to be going for the “right lane.” The stopped car in the lower right is already in the right lane, but the driver faces not a green light as the cars in the other two lanes do, but a flashing red light(!) AND a stop sign(!).
The question of the day is whether or not this maneuver by the Camry driver is legal. Note the cyclist catching a few Z’s during the interminable wait to get across the boulevard. Note the 15 MPH speed limit – that’s right, different lanes, different speed limits.
Click to expand.
Here’s the thing – the first question you need to ask yourself is whether car drivers try hard to drive well or not. The answer, in real life, is NO, drivers generally don’t try hard to drive well. That means you should have a good reason before you go and confuse them.
Cause when they get confused, they start killing themselves and others, right?
(This is why all those associated with creating this debacle and then walking away patting themselves on the back job well done should take their bloody Boulevard and cram it with walnuts. Moving on.)
I’m not unfamiliar with the California Vehicle Code, but even if I poured through it looking for the answer I wouldn’t have any confidence in my conclusion.
Some suggested answers are here. Let’s listen to wise AJ:
“Octavia Boulevard is all about what people should do.Auto drivers should stay in the center lanes. Bikes and parkers should stay on the right. Nobody should turn from Market to the ramp. A few homeowners on Oak should be able to park in front of their homes as they have always done. Etc.
Except that nobody knows what they should do, because in order to make it a “beautiful urban boulevard” there are almost no signs explaining what the hell it is all about. For SF transit experts, hey, no problem, everyone was the public meetings and voted on the ballot measures, right? But for everyone else it is damn confusing.”
To conclude, Octavia Boulevard, Bring This Mother Down, all the way back to Mission.
End it don’t mend it.
In the alternative, some signs would be nice.
I don’t condone this spray paint vandalism, but the bigger crime here is on the bottom – that’s part of San Francisco’s Octavia Boulevard/Onramp/Offramp/Idling Car Parking Lot, a relatively new public policy failure. Interestingly, this 133-foot-wide, quarter-mile-long Scar Upon the Land does not benefit motorists or transit users, or cyclists or pedestrians. Isn’t that funny?
Why not just get rid of this monstrosity, take the whole shebang down going all the way back to Mission and then just alter the excessively-wide boulevard part? That would benefit motorists, transit users, cyclists AND pedestrians. Is Octavia really a Great Street? Really, like in real life? I’m sure the Boulevard Movement looks great when it’s just plans drawn up in an Ivory Tower somewhere, but is anybody obligated to visit the resulting mess to see what’s been wrought?
And you may find yourself/ living in a shotgun shack near the Octavia disaster. HTF did we get here?
Can you imagine me walking my grandmother across Octavia Boulevard? All right Grandmere, we’ve just started, you’ve only got 100 more feet to go to get to the other side. At 2.5 feet per second, we’re talking about more than 40 seconds. Do you think The Man would allow precious Octavia to be redlighted for that long a time, with the “DON’T WALK” signal counting down? Think again.
Of course the bottlenecks are at the start and finish, so drivers are oftentimes staring at a green light but unable to move due to the heavy traffic that maxed out capacity about week after the ribbon cutting. This blocks cross traffic, including buses, peds and cyclists. To what end? So we can try Something New for the sake of trying Something New?
We ought to Bring This Mother Down, shatter the lens and grind it into sand.
What is the Legacy of Octavia Boulevard?
“Octavia has severely impacted traffic on Laguna at all times, not just peak.”
“Octavia is a mess for bicyclists and there are tons of vehicle accidents.”
“What has Octavia taught us? Stopped cars/slow idling cars seem to pollute more.”
And what do the Yelpers have to say?
“Who’s the dip-shit that designed this Octavia Street nightmare between Market St and Fell St?”
“1) It’s a freeway offramp – slash – playground. Kids and cars!! Who’s the genius??
2) It doesn’t take you across Market Street but rather has you wait at the light — filling the above-mentioned park with your exhaust as you idle along.
3) The “local access” road is a perfect place to die while crossing the street, as some confused driver makes a right hand turn.
4) It got voted in after at least three failed initiatives. During the boom. When the population was more passionate than informed and the Hayes Valley Merchant’s Association could sweet talk them with this park bullshit. ”I like parks not freeways! I’ll vote yes!” The old Fell Street offramp was ugly and the dark sidewalks underneath were full of pee. It’s been replaced by a classic San Francisco compromise that essentially works well for no one but makes some smug mofos feel like they discouraged driving when all they really did was put more smog on the street. And now the sidewalks are sunny, but they’re still full of pee. I wonder why an offramp didn’t solve homelessness…?”
“The poster child for stupidity in San Francisco. STILL not finished after 25 or so years???
“Unsafe at any speed for:
1.pedestrians
2.bicycles
3.scooters
4.motorcycles
5.marmosets”
“OHMiGOD are you kidding?? Wow, I looked up this review expecting to see half a star and a lovely littering of ‘fuckity fuck motherFUCKER,’ wowwweee…everyone i talk to in person HATES this addition…
Why we hate the new Octavia Blvd:
1. It is confusing. What is with the extra mini-side lane next to the regular lane? Are you allowed to switch back and forth at liberty? What is the purpose of this mini lane?
2. Why are there traffic lights AND stop signs in front of the mini-lane? When there’s a traffic light and a stop sign, which one wins?
3. The traffic on Octavia Blvd, coming from the freeway, is always atrocious. It doesn’t matter what time of day it is. Something about it’s ingenious design allows it to remain backed up 24 hours a day.
4. If you don’t play your cards right, you WILL get forced onto the freeway. You just think you’re along for an innocent ride, and then , BAM, Octa-Nazi Blvd has you marching along in its gigantic oppressive middle lane and it wil NOT let you out, no matter how much you beg.
I don’t get it, I don’t get it! What’s going on with this street monster?”
“This is NOT the haven for cyclists and pedestrians the city touts it as being. Whose idea was it to build the off ramp at street level? It should be RAISED and go over Market or they should build some kind of blockade so that people coming east on Market absolutely can’t try to make a right onto the highway and clip pedestrians and cyclists. That single spot is a death trap.
It’s pretty and it’s great that it’s not a shithole anymore but this is seriously some urban planning gone awry. The shared bike/car lanes on the outside would be great if the cars that drove in them weren’t complete idiots. Sharrows mean it’s my lane too, buddy, so don’t honk at me and tell me to get on the sidewalk, don’t rev your engine behind me, and don’t speed up to 20 to squeeze by me. The middle lane is for fast driving of cars, not the outer lanes. Unfortunately people are unable to grasp this concept and choose to terrorize pedestrians and cyclists who are trying to enjoy the sections of the project supposedly designed to make things better for us.
And the light/stop sign combo… what the hell? It’s maddening. If this is supposed to benefit cyclists, why make it so difficult to make a left onto Market? One must cross Octavia and go onto the sidewalk then cross Market and make the left there, or cross Market then cross the on/off ramp via Market. That second option wouldn’t be so bad except for the fucktards coming down Market who don’t understand what NO RIGHT TURN means and repeatedly take out cyclists at the same spot as they try to turn onto the highway.”
And on it goes.
Things are picking up at the California Academy of Sciences for 2009, to say the least. Sign up for the monthly eNews if you’d like. (They didn’t sell my email address to Ukranian spammers, so that’s a good thing.)
So what do we have this month - the fairly inexpensive every-Thursday Nightlife program (for those 21 and older); Evolve 2009 - the citywide celebration of evolution in honor of Charles Darwin’s bicentennial; a conversation with Paul Ehrlich (President of Stanfoo’s Center for Conservation Biology) on March 30 at the Herbst Theatre; and iconic images from the Hubble Telescope.
Spot the elusive Paradise Tanagerin the Rainforests of the World Dome / exhibit and then quickly make a wish. (Sadly, the pleasuredome is closed for maintenance this week.) Anyway, the tanager(s) the CAS has look(s) just like this one. Click to expand:
And of course, the CAS is Web 2.0 ready, with the requisite number of blogs, Facebook friends, YouTube channels, Twittertweetings, Yelp reviews (including food), and Flickr Group Photostreams.
See you there!
NightLife Continues Every Thursday
NightLife got off to a rockin’ start last month with thousands of visitors enjoying music, provocative science, mingling, and cocktails at the Academy after-hours. The March 5 NightLife will feature DJ Malarkey and a sneak preview of clips from the Banff Mountain Film Festival. NightLife takes place every Thursday from 6:00 – 10:00 pm and is for adults 21 and older; a valid ID is required for entry. Tickets cost $10.
Purchase tickets.
Evolve 2009
Evolve 2009 – the citywide celebration of evolution in honor of Charles Darwin’s bicentennial – continues in March with lectures and book discussions. On March 10, the Academy’s adult book group debuts with a focus on The Voyage of the Beagle. On March 21, teens can discuss the book Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature. And on March 24, Kevin Padian of UC Berkeley will share his personal experience during Kitzmiller v. Dover, the 2005 trial about intelligent design.
See the complete schedule of Evolve 2009 events.
Iconic Images from the Hubble Telescope
As part of the Benjamin Dean lecture series in astronomy, Sandra Faber of UC Santa Cruz will give a tour of the Universe with the most beautiful and notable images from the Hubble Space Telescope. Lecture takes place on Monday, March 16 at 7:30 pm. Tickets cost $10 for adults, $8 seniors.
Visit the Events + Lectures page for details.
Conversations at the Herbst Theatre
The 2009 Herbst series resumes on Monday, March 30 with Paul Ehrlich, President of Stanford’s Center for Conservation Biology, in conversation with Academy scientist Healy Hamilton. Takes place at 8:00 pm at the Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco. Tickets cost $20.
Visit www.cityboxoffice.com to purchase tickets.
Science Briefs
Chasing Beetles, Finding Darwin
Academy scientist Dave Kavanaugh has been studying beetles for more than 40 years. His knowledge of the mountain-dwelling Nebria beetles is so extensive that he even predicted the existence of a new species in California’s Trinity Alps. Did his prediction come true? A new 30-minute episode of KQED’s QUEST series follows Kavanaugh on his journey of discovery, and explores how his work and that of other evolutionary biologists continue the legacy of Charles Darwin today.
Click here to watch the QUEST episode.
Google Earth 5.0 Debuts at Academy
Last month, former Vice President Al Gore, Google CEO Eric Schmidt, oceanographer Sylvia Earle, and others launched “Google Earth 5.0″ at the Academy. This new version allows users to dive virtually underwater to see trenches, ridges, and other submerged features. In conjunction with the launch, Academy educators debuted a Google-based quiz on marine habitats, and Academy scientists unveiled an interactive map of the Philippine coral reefs that draws upon 17 years of research.
Notes
Rainforest Dome Closed March 2-8
Note to those planning to visit the Academy in early March: the Rainforests of the World exhibit will be closed for scheduled maintenance from Monday, March 2 through Sunday, March 8. The Academy apologizes for any inconvenience, and recommends that visitors explore the many other exhibits and programs the Academy has to offer during that week.
