Anita

PAIFF wins 3rd Place at the Chili Cook-Off!

Anita | 7/6/11

Between 7,000 — 8,000 people attended the 30th Annual Palo Alto Summer Festival and Chili Cook-off in Mitchell Park this 4th of July. PAIFF was one of twenty-two competing teams.

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The Digital Natives Are Here!

Anita | 7/5/11

More than most places, Palo Alto can claim that its youth are true digital natives. They are not only growing up in a digital age, but are growing up in a place where many of the latest digital technologies are being created and developed.  Although there are many film festivals around the world with a youth program and even film festivals devoted entirely to youth, there aren’t many that try to embolden and spark experimentation in an audience of young people whose lives are already deeply woven with cutting edge technology.  

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Influence

Anita | 6/28/11

The actor Peter Falk died last Thursday at his home in Beverly Hills, California. Although Falk was most known for his starring role as a disheveled, lovable detective in the television show Columbo, his death prompted me to remember his incredible, very different performance in John Cassavetes’ 1974 film A Woman Under the Influence. 

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The Medium is the Massage, Part V

Anita | 6/27/11

When I first read about Baz Luhrmann’s (Romeo and Juliet, Australia) plan to make The Great Gatsby in 3D, I was puzzled. The movie is expected to be released in 2012 with Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire as three of its stars. But why 3D, I thought? It’s trendy right now — even art-house directors (Wim Wenders, Werner Herzog) are experimenting with it­­ — but is it right for every project?    

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PAIFF Launches at a Castle Cocktail Party

Anita | 6/8/11

On Saturday, June 4, we launched PAIFF 2011 with a lively, sophisticated cocktail party held at the beautiful Stonebrook Court (“the Castle”) ballroom owned by our sponsor Kelly Porter of Woodside Capital Partners.  Guests enjoyed an evening of appetizers and drinks below an authentic 16th Century gilded Venetian ceiling inlaid with paintings.  The 16th century was a time of unprecedented changes in every aspect of European life.  Since PAIFF celebrates the modern day renaissance in art and technology, the setting was ideal.

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Embodying Experience: A Conversation with Artist Gail Wight

Anita | 5/24/11

Tucked away in an almost bucolic spot on the Stanford University campus, conceptual artist Gail Wight’s well-lit studio bears witness to her love affair with art and science. A large bookshelf and reading nook showcases her wide-ranging reading interests — from obscure scientific texts to books explicitly titled “Art and Technology.” On one far wall is a mandala made of tiny photographic representations of bones. In the middle of the room, is an enormous clear sculpture of a microscope. (more)

About The Blog

At the Palo Alto Institute, new ideas and perspectives are explored and played with on a daily basis. Our blog is a place for us to share some of these ideas and insights with our community. We'll throw in the occasional recipe or other tidbit, too, just for fun. Enjoy!

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