A tour of San Francisco’s de Young Museum. The video iPod version (no iPod needed) is an interesting video/audio tour and exploration.

Part 2: America at the Crossroads exhibit

Audio Link: Part 2

Video Link: Part 2

Part 1: The architecture

Audio Link: Part 1

Video Link: Part 1

Link: de Young Museum website

As part of a developing project, I scanned family photographs from the early- to mid-twentieth century. My great uncles, both vaudevillian actors, are the subjects in most of these photographs.

Link: Vintage photographs from the 1920s - 1950s

Creativity.

I volunteered for the TED conference for two years as an assistant photographer - once for Asa Mathat and once for Kristen Ashburn. I can’t speak highly enough of the TED conference and its ability to draw professionals at the top of their game - from artists to scientists to business leaders to world leaders.

Now, six lectures from the 2006 TED conference are FREE and online — Al Gore, Tony Robbins, David Pogue, Majora Carter, Hans Rosling and Ken Robinson — with more coming weekly.

Link: TED Talks website

While her music wouldn’t typically be found in my collection - not saying that it isn’t unique, catchy and quite good - I was more impressed by her “virtual summer tour” and use of community websites like YouTube and MySpace. Add her blog, forums, iTunes and downloadable audio/video, and Terra Naomi is an interesting mix of “well-packaged artist unpolished by the music industry.” Either I’ve fallen for guerrilla marketing disguised as viral marketing, or I’ve happened upon an artist about to go big.

Link: Terra Naomi’s website

Pavel Machotka, a painter, founding UC professor, and my college mentor, authored Painting and Our Inner World, an academic exploration into the psychology behind the way we create.

Link: Painting and Our Inner World
Link: Pavel Machotka’s website