Author: CoolDMZ

"X-ray vision to see in between / Where's my kimono and my time machine?"

Happy Birthday to us! The Sac Rag turns 8

lit up cakeOn this date in 2005, RonTopOfIt and I launched this here web log. If memory serves, it was after a killer lunch at Mayflower and a discussion about tracking which local establishments served the Coca-Cola brand beverage–Google Maps having been launched just weeks prior.

Bringing in our first compatriate SinghCity and then Sac-eats and Stickie shortly thereafter is what really made this thing take off. I’d like to send a personal thank you to those dudes, as well as the five or six of you that I know have been reading this for those 8 years.

Brake for costumed heroes Saturday UPDATE: Cancelled

Some pretty kickass Doctor Strange cosplay

UPDATE: Commenter Junior points out that the event has been since canceled. Thanks, Junior!

If you see a team of super powered individuals strolling Capitol Mall Saturday, don’t be alarmed — it’s just the participants in local actor Charlie Holliday’s Super Hero improv acting seminar. Participants will be congregating at Embassy Suites downtown, and then presumably chewing up scenery and super powered baddies up and down the Capitol Mall.

Participants will be given free(!) admission to Digital Odyssey 2013, a one-day film showcase and digital media workshop sponsored by the California Film Foundation.

Digital Odyssey Conference
Saturday, April 27 10AM-5PM
Information and tickets on CaliforniaFilm.net

Built to Spill visiting Harlow’s April 26

Perfect from now on
Perfect from now on

The venerable Built to Spill are on tour, and making a stop in Sacramento. The band, whose current lineup features front man Doug Martsch and guitarists Brett Netson and Jim Roth from the original ’90s lineup alongside new band members Steve Gere (drums) and Jason Albertini (bass) will be at Harlow’s next Friday.

Built to Spill released its most recent album There Is No Enemy in October 2009. It was the band’s first album since 2006’s You In Reverse. Previous studio albums include 2001’s Ancient Melodies of the Future, 1999’s Keep It Like A Secret, and their major-label debut, 1997’s Perfect From Now On. In 2012 Built to Spill remain an influential force in compositionally intelligent, lyrically thoughtful, melodic, guitar-centric rock music.

Holy crap, looks like Yo La Tengo and Man Or Astroman? are playing back to back nights at Harlow’s in May. Everything’s coming up late ’90s college radio today! Was anyone else at the “Clone Project Alpha” show at Old Ironsides back in the day?

Sacramento one of real estate blog’s “Nerdiest Cities”

Purports to be LARPers in Sacramento
Purports to be LARPers in Sacramento

You heard it first on Ransacked Media, but Sacramento has made another list, this time real estate blog Movoto’s 10 Nerdiest Cities in America. We also made their list of top cities for gamers, as well as their list of places where you might be eaten by a dragon. In fact you could say we are definitely on Movoto’s radar.

This is a real source of pride, personally. I don’t get out much, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised but I don’t think I would have pegged us for a very nerdy town. Maybe there are enough LARPers to account for what I assume was a zero in the “people per science museum” category?

P.S. We’ll forgive Isaac for not knowing what LARPing is. Anyone know where the attached photo was taken?

Southgate Branch librarian one of this year’s Movers & Shakers

Christy Aguirre, branch supervisor at the Southgate Branch of the Sacramento Public Library, was named one of 2013’s “Movers & Shakers” in the library world by Library Journal in March. Aguirre was recognized as a Community Builder for her work partnering with local businesses on literacy programs:

As a result [of literacy programs], the summer reading program at Southgate tripled in size from 2010 (699) to 2012 (2,100-plus). Nearly half (47 percent) of those who signed up finished the program. That’s the highest participation rate among all 27 SPL branches. The youngest participant was four days old; the oldest, 96, prefers audiobooks. Participants read 5,859 books.

Aguirre had also been named the 2012 Outstanding Librarian in Support of Literacy by the California Library ­Association. Way to go! Love to see SPL getting national recognition.

Apple hiring again in Elk Grove

4-1-2013 9-25-13 PMMark Anderson of the Business Journal reports that Apple Inc has listed an additional 9 positions in its Elk Grove location, bring the total to 18 current positions listed.

The article was interesting to me because I didn’t realize there was an air of mystery surrounding what exactly Apple does at the Elk Grove location.

The Elk Grove location has the electrical capacity to support a major data center. It has its own 69 kilovolts substation from the Sacramento Metropolitan Utility District. That’s enough to power a city the size of Elk Grove.

So what is Apple doing in Elk Grove (besides the real answer, which I’m pretty sure is customer service)?

Supercuts to sponsor Sac Pro Soccer — but you get to name the team

Sac Pro Soccer, owners of the area’s newest pro sports franchise, announced this week that Supercuts will be a major sponsor.

But the actual team name, as well as its nickname, colors and shield, will be decided by a good old-fashioned contest. How about the Supercuts Fades or the Sacramento Buzzcuts, or maybe a name that is not terrible?

Carmichael Dave launches Project Zero; multi-city “road show” to save Kings

After hyping it on Twitter Sunday night, Carmichael Dave announced “Project Zero” today, which he calls a “huge team effort” to help “save the Kings.”

At about 4:00 PM today, Dave formally announced the project after a meeting with Mayor Kevin Johnson.

Is someone trying to give away the McKinley Park geese?

Clearly McKinley pond

Mrs Cool spotted this Craigslist ad, through which it appears someone is trying to get the McKinley Park duck/goose hybrids adopted. The McKinley fowl, of course, were in the news recently, as the City is being pressured to have a better plan for ensuring they are fed balanced diets.

Did the City post this without attributing it? Did one of the concerned citizens from the Bee article post this, and is that chill? The ad claims the birds were abandoned, but how would one know this, and in either case if they are living at the park, aren’t they public fowl now, or something? Help me out, fowl devotees.

Electro Group, hearts+horses @ Bows & Arrows, 3/8

Electro Group. Getting the band back together!

Great electro pop show Friday night at Bows & Arrows, with Electro Group, hearts+horses, and Arts & Leisure for only $5! The Bows blog has a great writeup on all the bands.

This lineup really tugs at my heartstrings. In the late ’90s Electro Group and Park Avenue were two of my favorite local bands; saw them dozens of times in places like Capitol Garage and another venue–cannot recall the name, help me out, 90s kids!–that was in the spot currently occupied by Bows & Arrows, behind Profound Sound at the time. For a time my sonic world was permeated by Electro Group’s heavy fuzz and “Lifter/Green Machine” was on heavy rotation.

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