OMG somebody please enter me in this totally legit contest to win a $2 million house in San Francisco. Benefits go to the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. How'd they swing this one?!

solar-powered cruises

Sydney got it first, and San Francisco's awaiting its order for a new ferry to Alcatraz. Aussie Robert Dane's invention, however, goes beyond revolutionizing cargo, cruises, and luxury yachts. According to him, "for the cost of one conventional battleship, you can have 8,000 of these drones patrolling the seas." Why it's making news today long after its debut at the Sydney Olympics, I don't know. I suppose our ears are perked for the word "green."

the 40th summer of love

50,000 gathered in GG Park to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the summer of love. Too bad I missed both the original and the commemoration. It sounds like there was a great crowd. "San Francisco police said the gathering proceeded harmoniously, with no major incidents reported. 'Just nothing but love,' police Sgt. Mark Im said."

Josh Wolf is running for mayor of San Francisco against Chicken John wearing a justin.tv-style webcam on his forehead? I'm proud to say I come from one of the nuttiest cities on the planet. I used to hang out with a few of the justin.tv folks in the God Quad in Branford College. Never imagined that this is what they'd be up to in a couple of years. Nor did I envision a mayoral campaign for Wolf. Just when you think you know the world...

kicking the bottle

San Francisco city departments are officially off bottled water. Three cheers! Over a billion water bottles end up in California's landfills each year. Bottles of stuff that falls from the sky and costs more per gallon than gasoline. Oh, human folly...

edumacated city

San Francisco is the second most educated city in the country, following Seattle. I've never been to Seattle, sadly. I'm really overdue for my first visit.