Video from my Ignite presentation at Foo Camp.

Photo by Wildbell

I joined hundreds of my fellow Angelenos today to walk 7 miles in honor of the famed “Silverlake Walking Man,” Dr. Marc Abrams, who passed away this week. If you live in the area, you no doubt have seen him on his daily walks, always shirtless, usually carrying a newspaper. The Walking Man was a Los Angeles icon.

Photo by Wildbell

My friend Verdell Wilson organized the memorial walk with a post on a local blog. She planned the route based on a press interview with Dr. Abrams where he described his daily path, “I usually loop around the lake, and then go down West Silverlake to Rowena, and then Hyperion, and then Griffith Park Blvd. down Sunset, back down Silverlake to the reservoir, and then back and loop around the lake again. So it’s about 15 miles altogether.”

Verdell was surprised by the response from the community. She tweeted, “It’s amazing how many people feel personally affected by the passing of a man they didn’t know. Me included.”

Controversy about the doctor aside, I was personally happy to participate in the memorial walk today. People often say that LA is a city without community. The success of today’s walk proves that is not true. The memorial walk was less about honoring Dr. Abrams and more about celebrating LA. about 400 Angelenos came together today to bond over a shared experience – the shared experience of seeing the Walking Man every day. Just by doing his thing, he gave us something to share. I met some really great people today. I ran into many friends. I enjoyed Silverlake for the beautiful neighborhood that it is. And I felt proud to be a part of this community.

Verdell with Eric Garcetti, President of LA City Council
Photo by Wildbell

By the way, Verdell totally borrowed that bullhorn on NeighborGoods!

The next time someone says to you or someone else “Looks like
you have too much time on your hands,” I encourage you to respond with a question: “if you could have more of just one thing, what would it be?”

links:
Time Affluence
Jane McGonigal

re-blogged from Shareable.net

Gus and Jack

I’m a dog owner. In fact, I spend so much time and energy on my dogs that I have recently taken to calling myself a crazy dog lady. I figure hey, at least it’s better than being a crazy cat lady. I work in a shared office space in the Arts District of Downtown Los Angeles along with several other dog-lovers. We were overjoyed at the recent news that our neighborhood would soon have a dog park – the very first dog park in downtown LA! If you’ve spent any time in LA, you are already aware that Downtown has been undergoing a major transformation in recent years. Streets that just a few years ago most people wouldn’t dare to tread are now home to the city’s hippest bars and restaurants, loft apartments and cultural events. The arrival of Downtown LA’s first dog park is a milestone for the area’s transformation.

So I got to thinking… What impact would the dog park have on the area? How do dog parks, and dogs in general, change neighborhoods? I’ve already expressed my bias at the outset and my thoughts here are in no way scientifically validated but I’ve got a hunch that dog parks have a positive impact on neighborhoods. I know from personal experience that dog parks can be social hubs of a community. I’ve spent hours chatting with my neighbors at the Silverlake dog park. I know all their dogs’ names. I know which ones get along best with my dogs. I’m even learning more about their owners, what they do for a living, where they stand on certain political issues… There’s lots of time to talk about all sorts of stuff while the dogs run around. The dogs act as a sort of ice breaker. “Hey, my dog really likes to hump your dog. Wanna go out for coffee?” OK, maybe not exactly like that but once your dogs make friends, it’s hard not to follow suit. Single guys have known this for ages.

In some urban areas, dog walkers are the only pedestrians. Without them, parks and other common spaces can easily devolve into dangerous places. Richard Layman points out that building more dog parks is a much cheaper path to public safety than putting more cops on the streets.

The sad truth is that most of us don’t know our neighbors anymore. There is a strong movement afoot to change that with the growing popularity of farmers markets, neighborhood potlucks, and yes – dog parks. These shared experiences and events help unite us with our neighbors and pave the way for casual conversation and friendly introductions. A neighborhood that knows one another is a safer, friendlier, happier place to live. Dogs can help create neighborhoods like that. That’s more than you can say for cats.

Cross-posted from Huffington Post

Get out of your car and enjoy all that Los Angeles has to offer! Local non-profit LA Commons kicks off it’s fourth season of Trekking LA this weekend. Trekking LA offers curated walking tours of under explored Los Angeles neighborhoods. Each tour includes al fresco dining featuring foods from urban farms and community gardens.

This weekend’s trek will lead participants through Highland Park. Local Historian Charlie Fisher will point out some of the neighborhood’s architectural treasures while Steve Grody, author of Graffiti LA, will explain the cultural significance of the area’s famous murals.

Space is very limited so reserve your spot now! Tickets are $25 all inclusive. Get tickets and see a complete schedule for the season here.

A few weeks back, I had the pleasure of working with the legendary filmmaker Albert Maysles and his awesomely talented crew as the subject of a documentary. It’s a campaign for Mitchum that profiles the hardest working Americans in several short films. Then people get to submit their own stories for the chance to get a film made about them and a cash prize of $100k!

I was excited for the opportunity to participate as a way to promote NeighborGoods and I’m really happy with how the film came out. If you like it too, I hope you’ll share it with your friends. And who knows, maybe you are the hardest working American?

I’m joining a ton of my friends (mostly LA Derby Dolls) for the “craziest frickin day” of running through mud, climbing walls, jumping fire and drinking beer – it’s the Warrior Dash and it’s about a month away (April 10). I just got really excited for the event because they sent me an awesome email including the

Warrior Code of Conduct:

1. A warrior’s thirst shall always be quenched. The sweet nectar of One Pyramid Brew will be served to each warrior. Thou may bring drink from youre homeland for additional strength (outside alcohol and glass containers will not be permitted; energy drinks and other non-alcoholic beverages permitted).
2. Friend of foe, thou shall respect the plight of fellow warriors through the muddy trenches and blazing wall of fire.
3. The heart of a warrior never slumbers and stands strong in the face of adversity.
4. Those warriors who reach out an empty hand may be thanked by that brother with a frothy cup of brew.
5. The celebration of battle is always open to the friends and family of our fearless warriors… and even better, they’re free!
6. Chariots to and from the battleground shall be steered by the sober and valiant mind of your designated warrior driver.

You heard it here folks. Real athletes drink beer. If this looks like your idea of fun, they added another day to the event so you can sign up to do the dash on April 11!

You going to Austin for SXSW this year? I am! I’m speaking a few times so why don’t you come say hi? Here are the deets:

20×2
Twenty hand-picked creatives, two minutes each and the same ethereal question to interpret: ten years in at SXSW, that’s 20×2. Join us as we answer “Who Loves Ya Baby?”

Monday, March 15 at 07:00 PM
The Ghost Room, 304 W 4th St.
Add to your plans on Plancast.

Mapping and Geolocation: Turnkey Approaches You Need to Know
Local and location are all the rage right now, and it’s become clear that sooner rather than later every app in the world, big or small, mobile or not, will have mapping and geolocative abilities baked right in. So what about yours? This panel will cover the ins and outs of getting you properly situated with location-based technologies, covering approaches, tools, design and user experience, best practices, and future directions.
Speakers: Lane Becker, Joe Stump, Kate Imbach, MG Siegler, Micki Krimmel

Tuesday, March 16 at 05:00 PM
Ballroom C
Add to your plans on Plancast.

Socialize Your Network: Tech Tips That Rock
Speakers: Brad King, Gabe Beneveniste, James Hannon, Elliot Hurst, Micki Krimmel

Friday, March 19 at 11:00 AM
Room 12AB
Add to your plans on Plancast.

Startup Stories #3, The Wall from Mickipedia on Vimeo.

Every entrepreneur hits the wall sometimes.

re-blogged from NeighborGoods blog:

“Our beds are empty two-thirds of the time. Our living rooms are empty seven-eighths of the time. Our office buildings are empty one-half of the time. It’s time we gave this some thought.”

This interesting opinion piece from the New York Times begins by reminding us of those words spoken by R. Buckminster Fuller 40 years ago. The editorial examines how we can better use space in our cities and how new data visualization technologies can help us find ways to revitalize unused paved alleys and industrial sites into public green space. It’s all pretty geeky stuff but what it comes down to is the simple fact that we don’t currently make the best use of our space. We overbuild giant buildings that barely get used and we leave large expanses of unused concrete. We build without a sense of the larger picture. How can we get the most value out of the space we are using? How can we apply a more sustainable approach to development?

Speaking of space, do you know how much self-storage space we use in America? According to the self-storage association, we have 2.35 billion square feet of self-storage space in this country. That is 7.4 square feet of storage space for every American man, woman and child.

All that stored stuff holds hidden value – monetary value and social value.

We can all agree that transforming unused blocks of pavement into green space and finding ways to use empty office buildings would help us be more sustainable. Ideas like this also make for stronger communities by creating more communal space and opportunities for gathering. The stuff we own has this same potential.

If instead of using a power drill once or twice a year and then storing it in a closet, we instead make that power drill available to our neighbors, we are getting more of the value out of that power drill. Now instead of purchasing 10 power drills, our block only needs one. That is more economically and ecologically sustainable. Sharing that power drill also gives us a chance to connect to each other. We can share stories about how we used the power drill or maybe even help each other with a household project. The power drill has the potential to help us strengthen our local community. How many things do you own that have that same potential? Take a look around your house and think about what you’re not using today. Could someone else use it?

As a society, we have spent the last several decades working more hours to buy more stuff and then building barricades against our neighbors to protect that stuff. If we can lower those barricades just a little, we can create a more economically and ecologically sustainable system where the potential value is extracted from the stuff we produce and buy. So go on, get that stuff out of storage and into your community. What can you add to your NeighborGoods inventory today?