This is not your practice blog

Michael Jackson tribute flash mobs

Flash mobs are performing the Thriller dance and Michael Jackson songs around the world. You're not surprised, are you?

South Winchester News

My friend John Vink loves to create interesting random projects. His latest effort is South Winchester News, a hyperlocal web site dedicated to a 4.5-mile stretch of Winchester Boulevard, a wonderfully kitchy and useful commercial street that runs near his house (and mine) through San Jose, Campbell, and Los Gatos, California. Winchester Boulevard, named for the family that founded the Winchester weapons company and home of the infamous Winchester Mystery House, is a patchwork of buildings spanning more than 100 years of development and housing hundreds of businesses that include a Russian deli, several sushi places, Mexican restaurants and carnicerias, an Ethiopian market, a couple of thrift stores, numerous fast food joints, Chinese restaurants, an ultra-chic faux-downtown shopping district, and a derelict Burger King, which closed more than 10 years ago but still keeps the light on over its salad bar (waiting for Sarah Winchester, perhaps?).

Please enjoy South Winchester News, and check out this Google map of the South Winchester Boulevard territory it covers:

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The Sonic Blog at 5

Earlier this month, the 5th anniversary of the Sonic Blog passed with little fanfare. The Sonic Blog is a bit of surreality that happened in the comments when I wrote a most innocent blog post about visiting a Sonic Drive-In in Ripon, California. A few days ago my friend Stacie Tamaki wrote a wonderful post on her award-winning The Flirty Guide blog that explains a bit about the history of the Sonic blog. 

Silicon Valley Duck Race 2009

Last Sunday my family and I spent part of Father's Day at the Silicon Valley Duck Race. The race takes place every year at beautiful Vasona Park in Los Gatos, California. This year 15,000 rubber ducks were poured into the creek for the big race. We left before the race started, but I was there for the test run of 2000 ducks. Here's a video I shot with my handy new iPhone 3GS:

Unfortunately, I didn't win the million dollar prize.