Stephen Hawking Lecture at Caltech

Last night, I went to a lecture by Stephen Hawking at Caltech. The lecture was scheduled to start at 8pm, and I arrived at around 6:30. The line was already enormous: people near me in the line estimated that the line contained over 1,000 people. The auditorium filled long before I made it to the entrance, so I ended up watching the lecture from outside the auditorium, on flat-screen monitors. The talk itself was lively, and I am very happy I went.

You can read about the event here.

Flax Pen to Paper

Last week, I visited Flax Pen to Paper, a Flax outpost near UCLA. I was impressed: the store carries a sterling silver Namiki fountain pen, as well as several kinds of Sailor pens. The Sailors are out of my price range -- the one that fits my hand costs around $300.00 -- but I am happy to know that they are available in Los Angeles.


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Amazing Calligraphy

The person featured in this video is Leigh Reyes, who, in my opinion, is an extremely skilled calligrapher. I wouldn't mind learning calligraphy at some point in my life. Wow.

Janet Iwasa and Molecular Visualization

My friend Janet Iwasa was just mentioned in a New York Times article about molecular visualization. Well done Janet, and everyone else who works on this project!

Pop Culture Curator at the National Air and Space Museum

Apparently, the National Air and Space Museum has a pop culture curator named "Margart Weitekamp," who manages thousands of items, including movie props, toys, stamps, games, pins, and trading cards, showing how space exploration made its way into the national consciousness. Well done, National Air and Space Museum!

Read the article here.

Image courtesy of the National Air and Space Museum.

Coordinated Dancing

What is it about watching a group of people dance in unison that stirs the blood? I just watched the music video for Janet Jackson's song "Feedback," and was struck, again, by how thrilled one can feel by watching group dancing. I wish I knew why I felt this way. Does the feeling stem from early human history, and battle demonstrations? (I have included a video of the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team performing their haka routine for comparison.) Also, the Michael Jackson video below shows how group dancing can be menacing. Interesting....

Rodeo Drive

I have had occasion to spend some time near Rodeo Drive these past few weeks, and I'm not sure what I think. The neighborhood is spotless, and great for walking, but there aren't many stores there that interest me. I found a Taschen book store, and a stationery store that sells fountain pens, but otherwise, I get a little bored. But, one redeeming quality is the vast number of luxury and sports cars. I have had a lot of fun ogling them!