Body Metrics Now Open at The Tech

A new permanent exhibit at The Tech focused on wearable technology called Body Metrics. The technology featured in this exhibit will eventually influence almost every aspect of our life, especially our health. You can think of it almost as Mobile Devices v2.0.

Visitors to Body Metrics will be given a Sensor Kit with three wearable devices. After interacting with exhibits, visitors can place one of these devices on a 12-foot touchscreen table and see how their activity level, tension, mental focus, talkativeness, and attitude were impacted.

For more information, have a look at the press release below or the Body Metrics page at The Tech's website.

The Tech Museum of Innovation Opens New Permanent Exhibition, Body Metrics

Explore the Digital You in Latest Exhibit Focused on the Intersection of Technology and Wellness

SAN JOSE, CA — The Tech Museum of Innovation on Thursday opens a new permanent exhibition, Body Metrics, presented by Kaiser Permanente.

Body Metrics invites people to learn about their physical, social, and emotional health, and how they are affected by environment, behavior, movement, and interactions with others. Visitors will be outfitted with a Sensor Kit including three wearable devices — a customized iPod, a Somaxis muscle and heart sensor, and a NeuroSky headset. Using these tools, they’ll be able to explore and manipulate their data streams, displayed on the iPod screen, while participating in activities within the Body Metrics exhibition and throughout the museum.

“What we are doing is much more than wearable tech like Fitbit, NikeFuel band, and Zamzee, which measure physical activity,” said Lath Carlson, Vice President of Exhibits at The Tech. “We’re exploring physical metrics, as well as social and emotional ones. This is way beyond anything that’s commercially out there.”

After interacting with exhibits while wearing the technology, visitors can place their iPod on a 12-foot touch table that displays their data in six categories: activity level, tension, mental focus, talkativeness, attitude, and the number of people nearby. By exploring and learning to manipulate these metrics by altering their behavior, visitors learn to make small but meaningful changes to their physical and mental health.

"Kaiser Permanente was the first health care organization to link computers and doctors to improve members' health. Now, more than 4.7 million Kaiser Permanente members use our digital tools to take charge of their health and partner with their care providers," said Chris Boyd, senior vice president and area manager, Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara. "By sponsoring the Body Metrics exhibition at San Jose's famed Tech Museum of Innovation, Kaiser Permanente wants to spread the message of how powerful technologies can help people understand and manage their well-being."

Body Metrics is one in a series of new exhibits representing a five-year institutional transformation that is redefining The Tech as a Silicon Valley resource for innovation.

The Tech is creating deep experiences that are open-ended, social, and collaborative, such as Body Metrics and Social Robots, which challenges visitors to design and program a robot for human interaction in real-world settings. Multiple new “design challenge” galleries will cover the museum’s 30,000-square-foot lower level; The Tech is scheduled to open an exhibit on cyber security in the spring of 2015.

About The Tech Museum of Innovation

The Tech is a hands-on technology and science museum for people of all ages and backgrounds. The museum — in the Capital of Silicon Valley — is a non-profit, experiential learning resource established to engage people in exploring applied technologies affecting their lives. Through programs such as The Tech Challenge presented by Cisco, our annual team-design competition for youth, and the internationally renowned program to honor technology benefiting humanity, The Tech Awards presented by Applied Materials, The Tech endeavors to inspire the innovator in everyone.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. It is recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, its mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of its members and the communities it serves. It currently serves approximately 9.5 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: kp.org/share.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween San Jose! So where is the best place to go Trick-or-Treating tonight? Willow Glen? Evergreen? Almaden? Post in the comments.

Pop-Up Shops Galore Coming Downtown!

Are you ready for some amazing news? Last week I posted about therethere opening their first retail store in Downtown San Jose. Well, it turns out they will have a lot of company during the holiday season. A total of NINE pop-up stores will be opening by November 7th!!!

These popups will be occupying underutilized spaces both indoors and outdoors, including the lobby of the San Jose Rep. This is a win all around... a win for local entrepreneurs, for Downtown residents and visitors, and for current Downtown retailers that have been yearning for other businesses to open up shop and help attract a critical mass of shoppers.

Times are changing and over the new few years we may see the same explosive growth in Downtown retail that we have with the restaurant scene in recent years. Please read the release below and patronize these businesses. Let's help our local entrepreneurs succeed Downtown and prove that retail can work here!

Temporary stores “pop up” downtown

SAN JOSE – Nine “pop-up” stores will open during downtown San Jose’s holiday season when more than half a million people visit the center city.

The new shops are occupying underutilized indoor and outdoor spaces downtown, including vacant storefronts such as the former San Jose Repertory Theatre lobby.

Civic pride apparel provider Therethere x SJ, opened its doors Oct. 24, sees the San Jose Pop-Up Project as part of downtown’s evolution, where arts, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit thrive.

“Not only do we hope this pop-up microhood activates the downtown corridor and supports independent business, but we also hope to encourage people to explore downtown and shop locally,” said Chinwe Okona, project manager of Therethere x SJ.

All of the stores are expected to be open by a pop-up event Nov. 7, coinciding with the popular monthly South First Fridays art walk.  The shops will remain open into January.

The lineup incudes:

• Therethere x SJ – unique graphic T-­‐shirt designs created by local artists; Angela Tsay, owner; 15 N. Second St.; Wed-Sat, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; therethere.com; open Oct. 24

• Underground: A Fashion Boutique – men’s and women’s clothing and accessories with a seasonal appeal; Sam Garcia, owner; 95 S. Market Street; Wed-Sun in November; daily in December, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; undergroundsj.com; expected opening Nov. 1

• San Jose Bike Clinic and Cowgirl Bike Couriers – bike repair and education; Cain Ramirez, courier owner; Camera Cinemas lobby, 201 S. Second St.; Thur-Mon; sjbikeclinic.org and cowgirlbikecourier.com; expected opening Nov. 1

• The Usuals – apparel, accessories and gifts; Marie and Mike Millares, owner; former San Jose Repertory Theatre, 101 Paseo de San Antonio; daily except Tuesday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sun; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Mon, Wed, Thur; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Fri and Sat.; shoptheusuals.com; expected opening Nov. 5

• SJ MADE Playspace – platform for creative entrepreneurship (trunk shows); Marie Millares, owner; former San Jose Repertory Theatre, 101 Paseo de San Antonio; daily except Tuesday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sun; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Mon, Wed, Thur; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Fri and Sat.; sanjosemade.com; expected opening Nov. 5

• Empire Seven Studios – gallery; Jen Ahn and Juan Carlos Araujo, founders; former San Jose Repertory Theatre, 101 Paseo de San Antonio; daily except Tuesday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sun; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Mon, Wed, Thur; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Fri and Sat.; empiresevenstudios.com; expected opening Nov. 5

• San Jose Earthquakes – soccer merchandise and Earthquakes ticket sales; former San Jose Repertory Theatre, 101 Paseo de San Antonio; daily except Tuesday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sun; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Mon, Wed, Thur; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Fri and Sat.; sjearthquakes.com; expected opening Nov. 5

• DIE HARD – unique sports apparel; Adam Mayberry, owner; shipping container on plaza outside former San Jose Repertory Theatre; daily, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. thedhco.com; expected opening Nov. 7

• First Article – Jaymer Delapena, principal; Bay Area designed and created men’s wear; shipping container on plaza outside former Repertory Theatre; daily, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; firstarticlegoods.com; expected opening Nov. 7

San Jose Downtown Association and the City of San Jose Office of Economic Development started the process of matching retailers and non-profits with vacant and underutilized ground-floor spaces in the downtown core about six months ago, said Nate Echeverria, SJDA business development manager.

The “pop-up” or temporary retail could grow into something more permanent, Echeverria suggested.

“We want to catalyze the next wave of retail to downtown,” said Lee Wilcox, city Office of Economic development downtown manager. 

Added Marie Millares, owner of SJ MADE and The Usuals, and who is willing to stay inside the former San Jose Repertory Theatre building as long as possible:  “We've seen similar pop-up programs start and ignite retail districts in cities like Oakland, Los Angeles, and New York.  It's time to see these forward steps happen in San Jose, and we're glad to be part of it.”

Operating retail outlets from shipping containers is a first for downtown San Jose.

“Not only will we gain exposure for our company, but also be a part of the larger conversation,” added Adam Mayberry, owner of DIE HARD sports apparel.  “We can work with property owners to find more permanent locations for shipping container retail and possibly create a new hub in downtown San Jose.”

The city-sponsored Pop-Up Project highlights downtown San Jose’s potential, said Jaymer Delapena of First Article consortium of men’s wear developers, who also will be stationed in a container.  “We’re participating partly to showcase our community and a simple, yet innovative approach to retail in an urban setting,” he said.

San Jose Bike Clinic and Cowgirl Bike Courier hope to create a cycling hub that raises enough funds to move its clinic into a permanent location, said Cain Ramirez of Cowgirl and Corinne Winter, president and executive director of the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition. 

For Underground:  A Fashion Boutique, the Pop-Up Project serves as a chance to reunite with former downtown customers, said owner Sam Garcia.  Garcia previously operated the record store and clothing store OnFirst on South First Street.

As the Pop-Up Project gained momentum over the summer, others came forward to help, including Tracey Ariga of Gensler, graphic designer Ben Henderson, and Spartups tech accelerator managing partner Saif Akhtar.

“We hope to inspire the public to take a peek and discover what the buzz is all about,” Ariga said.

  

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The San Jose Downtown Association (SJDA), established 1986, is a non-profit group of business and property owners working to improve the vitality and livability of downtown San Jose.   SJDA advocates on issues that affect downtown business and property owners; enhances the image of downtown and attract new visitors through year-round marketing, public relations, and special events; and collaborates with its Property-Based Improvement District (PBID) for ongoing improvements to downtown’s cleanliness, security, aesthetics and delivery of services.

Wednesday Wishlist: Halloween in the Park! (Part VII)

In honor of Halloween week, I have what is becoming a San Jose Blog tradition... a Wednesday Wishlist post for Halloween in the Park. The idea is to build on the momentum that Christmas in the Park brings to San Jose each year and create something of similar scale in October with Halloween in the Park! A lot of the infrastructure such as wiring, lighting, and booths might even be able to be shared between the events. The goal would be to make Downtown San Jose the epicenter of October Halloween experiences.

Below you will find brainstorming ideas we have collected for this concept so far. Please have a look and provide your feedback and suggestions in the comments. Thanks!

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The largest draw to Downtown San Jose for many years now has been Christmas in the Park. It has continued to grow year after year and brings in visitors from all over the Bay Area. It's economic impact is substantial and helps keep many Downtown businesses afloat.

What would you think about a similar event for Halloween? Picture Downtown lit up in orange and purple with elaborate Halloween displays assembled by local artists. Perhaps infrastructure could even be shared with Christmas in the Park (e.g. retail booths). A strong event in October would help maintain traffic between the summer months and Christmas in the Park. Here are the ideas we have so far:

• Animated Halloween Displays
• Created by local artists
• Analogous to the Christmas displays that attract many families during Christmas in the Park (almost half a million visitors)
• Family friendly so that everyone can enjoy it (PG/PG13, perhaps around the same level as Great America Halloween Haunt)
• Halloween Lighting
• Orange, purple, and green LED lighting on trees
• May be possible to use new controllable lighting that can go from Halloween colors to Christmas colors with the push of a button, allowing the lights to stay up for Christmas in the Park as well and reducing setup/take-down effort.
• Halloween Food
• Booths with candied apples, chocolates, candy, pumpkin seeds, etc.
• Food trucks
• Trick-or-treating station - a free piece of candy to anyone wearing a costume any day in October (could also be used to hand out promotional flyers for Downtown events/businesses/resources)
• Retail Booths selling Halloween items, for example:
• Artwork (paintings, glass pumpkins, etc.)
• Home decor/crafts like candles
• Light-up hats/necklaces/bracelets
• Costumes
• Zombie/Halloween make-up station 
• Halloween-themed Carnival Games
• Pirates of Emerson and Candlelighters (Fremont) do a good job of providing family-friendly games themed around Halloween
• A handful of children's rides could also be added to the Paseo and reused for Christmas in the Park
• Interactive Art
• ZERO1-style, but with a Halloween spin.
• Pumpkins
• Instead of the sponsored Christmas trees in Christmas in the Park, how about decorated Pumpkins (can even be Styrofoam so there is no mess/decay)?
• Pumpkin carving station for families. 
• Pumpkin carving contest.
• Costumed Entertainers
• Walking around the area, not necessarily scaring people but adding to the ambiance and providing photo opportunities for families
• Haunts / Mazes
• Would be ideal if these were nearby, perhaps in vacant retails spaces, surface parking lots, the convention center, or at SJSU.
• Could partners with one of the established San Jose haunt providers such as Deadtime Dreams or The World's Largest Haunted House.
• Potential Events
• Zombie-O-Rama can be used to kick off Halloween in the Park (late Sep. / early Oct. time-frame)
• Zombie Crawl
• Dia De Los Muertes Bike Party
• Horror Movie Trivia Contest
• Weekly horror movie screening (perhaps in the Circle of Palms area?)
• Costume Ball

As in previous years, please post your suggestions below and I'll merge them in!

San Jose Halloween Attraction Guide 2014

Wondering which events and haunts to go to this Halloween season? The San Jose Blog has got you covered:

Dead Time Dreams - San Jose

Back for their third year next to a pumpkin patch near Eastridge Mall. They have 2 haunts, which were quite well done despite having fewer actors than some of the places below. There is also a neat midway that connects all of the attractions and features a Halloween store.

World's Largest Haunted House - San Jose

They are known for a very long maze with seemingly never-ending black corridors that break up the scares. For me personally, this is the single scariest maze in the Bay Area.

Halloween Haunt @ California's Great America - Santa Clara

Still the largest Halloween event in Northern California. Now in its seventh year, the word has gotten out on Halloween Haunt and the park is packed even on day 1. There are now 9 haunted mazes, a single haunted ride, 3 scare zones, and various shows (3 of the mazes are new this year). Most rides worth going on are still open--including the new Goldrush--and the roller coasters are being run with all the lights turned off. I would also recommend the Academy of Villains show, which was 100 times more impressive than what we were expecting. This year there is a new option to get a front of the line pass with a skeleton key that unlocks bonus scares in 5 of the haunts. If you go for the key, do not drink the blood in Roadkill Roadhouse... spoiler alert, it tastes like blood and will make you gag.

Pirates of Emerson - Pleasanton

The preeminent Bay Area Halloween event for almost 2 decades always provides a stellar experience. There are 5 haunted mazes this year, a Halloween Carnival, and several micro-attractions. This is MUCH MORE intense than Great America, so don't bring your young children. You'll get scares from every angle, including above and below you. The haunts are extraordinarily well done, and they only let in small groups. 

Wicked Woods - Los Gatos

This was the biggest surprise of last year and is extraordinarily well done. The groups are limited to only 2 people, there is quite a bit of acting and storytelling, you have interactive elements like hidden doors, and there are lots of surprises. 

ScareCo - Oakland

This is a brand new event for 2014. It wins the award for best ambiance hands down give it is hosted in a 102-year-old abandoned train station. Inside are 3 different haunts, all of which are very different. Contact takes place entirely in a single room, Kaiju has a prop that will blow you away, and Platform 13 was my pick for the single best haunt for this year. It is a bit of a trek to get here from San Jose, but is completely worth it.

Taylor Morrison Building 180+ Units in San Jose

Taylor Morrison has acquired 8-acres of dirt at the intersection of Monterey Highway and Montecito Vista Drive. The location is near the Plant Shopping Center and The Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. The plan is to build 184 townhomes across the land ranging in size from 1,400 SQFT to 2,000 SQFT and having 2-4 bedrooms.

This is part of a larger master-planned community called Montecito Vista, clocking in at 30-acres. Lennar is also building a 100-unit project next door called Astoria.

The Taylor Morrison project will begin construction in about a year with models opening up April 2016.

Source: SVBJ

Little Italy San Jose Sign is Up!

The Little Italy San Jose arch is finally in place and it looks amazing! Workers from S&S Welding put up the arch, which still needs to be accented with brick and marble. Completion is expected by November 14th. You can already anticipate a big celebration to mark this milestone in the neighborhood's history sometime in November.

Source: Anonymous, SVBJ

Saturday Stats: SJC Has Lowest Airport Delays in the Bay Area

According to Nerdwallet, you should definitely fly out of San Jose instead of SFO or Oakland this holiday season if you are worried about being on time. San Jose has the lowest percentage of delayed flights in the region, especially on Southwest or Alaskan. In fact, SFO is the country's 2nd worst airport during the holidays when it comes to delays.

If you factor in the amount of time you will also save getting through security and to the gate, the choice becomes even more clear assuming there is not a huge price gap.

Source: Nerdwallet