Cyrus Farivar

I will be performing in the pit orchestra for a middle school production of “The Music Man” this week in San Leandro! Come see a really fun and great show! May 3, 5-6 at 7:30 pm Bancroft Middle School Gym 1150 Bancroft Ave, San Leandro, 94577 General Admission: $8.00, Students/Seniors: $7.00

MuniWireless: Santa Monica, California has issued a request for proposals (RFP) seeking a vendor to deploy, operate and maintain a ubiquitous wireless mesh broadband network in the city. Santa Monica covers an area of 8.3 square miles and has 87,000 residents; it lies on the coast within greater Los Angeles. Responses to the RFP are due back to the city by 5:00 PM, Friday, June 30, 2006 (see the RFP for details). . . . The vendor will deliver Internet…

Paul Boutin is at it again, this time with his sights on MySpace (it’s what the kids are into these days) and YouTube. Slate: But the focus on the collaborative nature of these sites has been nagging at me. Sites like Friendster and Blogger that promote sharing and friend-making have been around for years with nowhere near the mainstream success. I’ve got a different theory. YouTube and MySpace are runaway hits because they combine two attributes rarely found together in…

To add to my love of Lost, I just recently discovered that Daniel Dae Kim was in one episode of Star Trek : Voyager that I just watched (and three in Star Trek : Enterprise). On top of that, Terry O’Quinn played a really badass admiral in one episode of Star Trek : The Next Generation!

I’m going to Sasquatch, the Sunday show. Of these bands, what 10 tracks should I buy on iTunes? What I’ve already bought: Blue Scholars – Blue Scholars Pretty Girls Make Graves – “Speakers Push the Air” Pretty Girls Make Graves – “Ghosts in the Radio” We Are Scientists – “It’s A Hit” We Are Scientists – “Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt” Update: The DJ from Blue Scholars is Persian!

Although you wouldn’t know it given the tundra-like weather we’ve been having lately, it’s almost summertime. What does summer mean? That’s right, it means my favorite music festival (that I haven’t been to in several years, but still) : Paléo Festival Nyon. So if I was in Switzerland in late July this year, this is where I’d be: Who’s on tap this year? My favs: July 18: Ben Harper Pixies July 19: Depeche Mode The Dandy Warhols Ziggy Marley July…

Gadling reports that one of my favorite small businesses from my hometown is closing its doors at the end of May. Everything is 20 percent off until then. Although I only went in there a few times, they always had what I wanted and were helpful and friendly. I bought my Melbourne Lonely Planet there in 2002. I’ll be sure to stop in when I’m home next month. You might want to consider health insurance for travelers if you’re going…

Go find your nearest Ben & Jerry’s. Wait about 20 minutes. Enjoy said free ice cream.

I really want a copy of this map to hang on my wall, to replace my National Geographic world map. It combines a political and physical map, along with Internet top level domains and country calling codes. Damn cool! You can buy it in four different flavors: 48-inch — 24-inch (122cm — 61cm) Laminated: $63.75 Unlaminated: $40 34-inch — 17-inch (86cm — 43cm) Laminated: $40 Unlaminated: $25 Oh man, I’m so tempted to buy this. For now, I’ve just made…

Bush is in the Oval office when Rummy walks in. “Sit down, I have some bad news,” says Rummy. Bush sits. “8 Brazilian soldiers were killed by insurgents in Iraq,” he says. Bush goes pale, puts his hands on the desk, bows his head. “Are you Ok?” asks Rummy. “I’m Ok,” says Bush. “I’ll be alright. Wow. 8 Brazilian. Wow. Just one question. How many is a Brazilian?”