Today the adrenaline started to wear off a bit and the jetlag pushed forwards, so I decided to start with an Uncle Joe special – broccoli and feta omelette with the largest hash brown I have ever seen. Plus (UK cafes take note) an endless supply of fresh coffee. I’m sure I saw cactus on the menu but I wasn’t in the mood for spicy; I will have to be back another time.
Thence to the Visual Philosophy art collective opposite the motel, where I had a chat with Joanna to find out more. There will be an open day this Saturday, so I shall keep my powder dry for now and report back further afterwards.
My afternoon meeting was pushed back, which gave me a chance to visit the very garage where a young Steve Jobs began the Apple revolution. It is a small, unassuming bungalow in a manicured residential district. I was curious to see who (apart from me) might turn up. Sure enough, after a couple of minutes another pilgrim drew up. I introduced myself, he was Oliver from Austria, an Apple fan(atic? – I think more of an enthusiast, but I like the word play) who was sad when Steve Jobs died and promised himself that if he was ever in the area he would pay a visit. And so it came to pass. “Have you been to the Computer Museum?” I asked, “it’s fantastic”. “No,” he said solemnly, “I don’t have the time. But when I return with my family we are all going to visit it.” Over the course of the next half hour several more visitors arrived to take the obligatory selfie. This is how religions (or cults?) begin, I found myself thinking. I noted the number plate of the car parked next to me.
And so to my afternoon meeting, with new media artist Scott Kildall. Scott comes from computing royalty; his father Gary is recognised as a leading pioneer of early microcomputing. Scott is an early adopter, exploring and exploiting tech to create work around his chosen themes. He is currently working with SETI (the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence) to create a participatory, NFT-based narrative in which participants are assigned a role on a trip to an exoplanet. The outcome of the trip is contingent: they may succeed or they may (virtually) vanish into the far reaches of outer space, never to be seen again. I liked Scott’s openness towards tech. We talked about the concerns around privacy and AI, and the differences in attitudes towards tech between the generations.
I once again failed to take a pic; I blame my jetlagged brain. I stopped off on the way home at the Smart & Final for some food to keep me going. I’m not sure if it was smart, but it will definitely be final.
