And Radio Shack, which is going to try to re-brand itself as “The Shack” (good luck with that!), will put up “giant laptops” in San Francisco’s Justin Hermann Plaza and New York’s Times Square and invite C-list celebrities to lead audiences in both locales in bi-coastal games. The picture at left is an artist’s rendering of what the event is supposed to look like; click on the photo to be taken to the large, very creepy-looking and unintentionally hilarious hi-res version of what they imagine the event will look like, complete with multiple images of the same computer-generated peeps standing in the same pose at several places in the image.

The “giant laptops” are really just screens and cameras set up to beam SF’s image to NY and vice-versa; unfortunately the keyboards are not functional, a spokesperson told me. The “laptops” will be set up from Thursday to Saturday.

Well, the 44th annual Big Book Sale hosted by the Friends of the Public Library started yesterday, but have no fear — the sale will continue today and tomorrow from 10 to 8, and on Sunday from 10 to 6. All books on Sunday will be priced down to $1 or less! The Friends contend that it’s the largest book sale on the West Coast, and I’d believe it. It’s being held, as usual, at lovely Fort Mason, in the Festival Pavillion. Just go to Fort Mason — you can’t miss it!

This sale is truly staggering, by the way. The picture above is of last year’s sale, and it nicely conveys the scope. (It comes from this great post on the anonymous blog, Tea & Cookies.) You could easily pick up a year’s reading for less than $50. Normally I’m such a restrained person in bookstores: because of the relatively high cost of new books, I almost never purchase one unless I’m certain I will benefit from it. Fifteen bucks per paperback adds up, never mind hardcovers! But at library book sales, all prudence goes out the window. Not only are the books cheap, but according to the Friends page, all the proceeds “fund education programs that promote literacy for children, teens and adults. Last year, over $250,000 was raised for San Francisco’s libraries.” How can you resist that? It’s a license to splurge. Last year my wife and I took public transportation specifically to limit the amount we could bring home, and we still ended up staggering up the big hill to our house with a huge bag stuffed with books. But it was worth it, I think. I’d be more certain of that if I could still remember what we bought.

A Sketchy Character

In case Opera in the Park last Sunday didn’t satisfy your hankering for high culture in the great outdoors, this Sunday features Shakespeare in the Park. The price is free, the play is the little-produced Pericles, Prince of Tyre, and it will take place in the Presidio, at the Main Post Parade Ground Lawn. (Man, that’s about all the alliteration I can handle.) Apart from its low cost, outdoor pretentiousness has one huge advantage over the indoor variety: a picnic lunch with several friends and almost as many bottles of wine. (If that’s your style. Tea is awesome too.) Pericles is not a well-known play, but I remember enjoying the Shakespeare Santa Cruz production back in — gulp — 1996. Oy vey.

Anyway, the show starts at 2:30, but you’ll probably want to get there early to lay your blanket out in a good spot. Dress in layers — but I don’t have to tell you that.

Not long ago I blogged about Festival of Sail. If you haven’t seen this yet, check out the impact a different fleet had on San Francisco: the Imperial Fleet.

[Via Kevin Kelly's article, The End of Video as Evidence of Anything.]

Update 5:05 pm: Lanes have just reopened. Nevertheless: Check traffic conditions before heading that way.

Following the jump, the gory details.

Message/Item Delivered Ggb 3:15 PM
6 Vehicles Involved Blocking All 3 Lanes 3:15 PM
Message/Item Delivered Ambulance Required Oo National Parks 3:15 PM
2 Vehicles, Fire Extricating 1 Party 3:20 PM
**sig Alert** N/b 101 S/of Vista Point Lanes Blocked for Traffic Collision Fire on Scene Attending Injuries Unknown Eto Log #1360 3:23 PM
Message/Item Delivered Dotcc 3:26 PM
Media Inquiring About Lane Closure When Unit Can Advise, Thanks S-Alert Issued 1523 3:28 PM
2 Parties Trapped in 1 Car, 1 Party Trapped in Another, Possible Accident (Major Injury) at this Time Per 20 M 3:29 PM
Message/Item Delivered Dotcc 3:30 PM
Rway Closed Both Dir, See Lane 12 Also 3:30 PM
**sig Alert Update** All Lanes Both North and South Closed at this Time Due to Traffic Accident Unknown Eto 3:31 PM
**sig Alert Update** Alternate Routes for 101 South Use 580 to 80, for North Use the Bay Bridge to 580 3:35 PM
Late Entry Message Sign S Activated Advise Use Alt Bridges 3:37 PM
FYI Line 16-17 Getting Calls Inquiring About Closure 3:38 PM
CHP Unit Enroute 3:39 PM
CHP Unit on Scene 3:52 PM
CHP Unit Assigned 3:52 PM
CHP Unit on Scene 3:53 PM
CHP Unit Enroute 4:00 PM
---Traffic is Starting to Do U Turns Near Lombard St 4:03 PM
Bcst Lane 22 4:04 PM
**sig Alert Update** Approx Eto for Opening Traffic North and South 101 on Ggb 30 Min Log#1360 4:06 PM
L2 Cpys All Lanes Open 4:24 PM
All Lanes Open Nb/sb 4:24 PM
**** Sigalert Update All Lanes Open North and South Heavy Traffic Backup 4:26 PM
Message/Item Delivered Ambulance Required Advise D Airlifted to Trauma Center 4:29 PM
Animal Control Advise Stuck in Traffic on South Side 4:33 PM
Animal Control Ll Stuck in Traffic / Were They Called Out for this 4:33 PM
Animal Control Copies Lane 40 4:34 PM
Medical Assist Dog at Sgts Ofc at Tp 4:34 PM
Regarding Lane 33, Affirm, See Lane 36 Also 4:44 PM
Mso Advise Getting Calls of Vehicles Turning Around and Driving North in the South Lanes at Marin City to Avoid this Traffic / Exiting at Marin City 4:47 PM

There’s an “expotique” built up around the concepts of fun & fitness, and Nike’s offering runners free manicures, massages, and a heads up on all sorts of Nike related whatnot. This popular and completely sold out annual event has brought in heap loads of dough for Luekemia & Lymphoma related causes, an estimated some $40 million in the first three years. This year, the event’s 4th, is expected to pull in over 18 million alone, from the efforts of some 20,000 participants, up from 15,000 last year, registered from 11 countries & all 50 states. All the slots were filled in just 3 and a half days, and I even saw registration spots being auctioned on Ebay.

Like the sneakers, this isn’t a one size fits all race, so there’s also a half marathon for those who don’t feel up to the whole 26 mile challenge.

On Sunday, the runners leave Union Square at 7 am and head through the downtown financial district past the TransAmerica tower, along the Embarcadero past the Wharf, and Marina Green into the Presidio and out to the Great Highway, through Golden Gate Park and south along Lake Merced, finishing just north of the Great Highway along the Pacific Ocean. Along the way, event organizers have even set up randomly placed DJ stations, and live entertainment options to keep the runners entertained all the way to the sea. If you’d like to see the 26 mile course breeze by in about 11 high speed minutes via streaming video, click on the windows media file link below the jump:

On Thursday night the “expotique” was packed with participants, and quite a few lookee loos as well. While Olympic gold medalist Brandie Chastain was on the stage exhorting hopefuls to future glory, other non-athletic types were enjoying free wine, and the free manicures were quite popular as well.

Nike Marathon Course Video

Indeed many frothy quaffs await yer presence all over the region with details after the jump. In addition to the 27 ales Rogue has on tap, they now have their own spirits line including a hazelnut spiced rum, and on Tuesday debuted the first pours of their Spruce gin. They also have grub including Kobe beef burgers, and on Friday they will feature a pig roast.

Things really get rolling this weekend with Saturday’s Rogue Olympics where entrants celebrate the repeal of prohibition by competing in activities like the Washington Sq tricycle obstacle course, beer pong and a root beer chug off. Sunday Rogue wraps up their weeklong anniversary bash with a pajama party bloody mary brunch and the swearing in for dogs into the thirsty & esteemed Rogue Nation, an honor once reserved only for people.

Other info on brew related local events coming up this month, including the Meet The Brewers dinner at Edlo’s for the occasionally hungry & unusually organized beer enthusiast after the jump…

On Thursday at 6:15 pm Rogue will host screenings of The American Brew DVD and the SF premiere of The Rogue Nation DVD, after which there’s a raffle. American Brew tells the story of beer, from colonial settlers to the struggles of prohibition, through the rise of microbrews and the unrivaled successes of large scale national breweries, offering an inside look at brewing innovations that any beer-lover will appreciate.

Other local beery bulletins you should know about include Speakeasy Brewery continues to hold open houses every Friday afternoon at their brewery usually with Bar BQ and sometimes music. One of their latest offerings has been Double Daddy, a double hopped IPA that kicks off at 9.5% abv where their plenty hoppy already Big Daddy leaves off.

The Park Chalet offers freshly brewed $1 beers on Mondays from 3pm til close including their Playland Pale Ale, Fleishhacker Stout and Presidio IPA.
Toronado on lower Haight St is in the midst of Belgian Beer Month, and The 21st Amendment down by the ballpark has introduced their Oyster Point Stout, brewed with over 30 lbs of Hog Island oyster shells, and have increased their canning capacity to sell their Watermelon Wheat and 21A IPA in aluminum cans. Look for that in regional markets soon, where currently Anchor Bock is on it’s typically limited spring time run… I scored some Anchor Bock in February at my corner market, I’m sure if you look around there might be some left…

Oh yeah… one last foaming thing I wanted to mention…

Meet the Brewers

When:
Thursday, April 19, 2007 at 6:00p.m.

Where:
Eldo’s Grill & Brewery

The casual Southwestern themed menu is complemented by creations from what oozes out of the brewing equipment, courtesy brewmaster : Joseph Agrillo…

Have a pint with feisty Joe, Massachusetts born but Californian at heart. Joe is somewhat self taught, but has worked at Marin Brewing Co., SF Brewing Co, Thirsty Bear and now after 6 years of weekly brewing at Eldo’s certainly knows a thing or two about fermentation. Heck the guy’s previously made traditional miso, wine up north, and got his start messing with hard ciders back east. Amongst his many creations at Eldo’s include the 8.5% abv Rumble N Judah, Croaking Toad Barley Wine and Californicator (a doppelbock with 7.2 percent abv)…

1326 9th Avenue
Between Irving Street and Judah Street
(415) 564-0425

Meet The Brewers is a monthly event sponsored by The SF Brewers Guild and in part by their fans at the San Francisco Brew Pub Club, who also publish the handy happy hour clock chart online which tells you where the best deals on locally brewed ale are to be had around town…

The absolutely astounding weather we enjoyed through Thanksgiving day amazed all of our group of 11 who convened in SF from points south and east. After a day of feasting, we ventured out to take advantage of the diversion of the throngs towards the shopping malls to enjoy a ‘touristy’ traipse around the nature sights of the city.

A drive through GGPark and up through the Presidio found us at Chrissy Field, and the still, sunny weather motivated us to take a stroll down the gravel path towards the Warming Hut.

It was great to see the family clusters at the picnic stations along the route, but what I really appreciated seeing were the many people lining up on the extended boardwalk jutting out into the bay. Folks strolling, sunbathing and fishing in jeans and shortsleeves.

I often lament about missing the beauty of Fall in the Pacific Northwest, but on Friday, cruising around my new city, I revelled in the beauty of a sun-drenched post-holiday afternoon, and was very glad for it.

(of course, then came today, but that’s another post)

T-shirt all the way and sat near the Warming Hut for awhile without a chill. Really beautiful.