San Jose: The Smartest City In America (as seen on The TODAY Show)

In case you missed it - San Jose was featured on The TODAY Show this morning. In their "Healthy, Wealthy, Wise" segment, they showed a video about the innovative and awesome place we call home - San Jose.

Check out the video:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Rockage 3.0: February 7-9th @ SJSU Student Union

Three days of indie music and retro gaming will be coming to Downtown San Jose in early February. Rockage 3.0 features 25 bands (several local ones), DJs, and 50+ classic arcades and pinball machines. You will even be able to meet independent game soundtrack composers and learn about their craft. This sounds like a great event for fans of either indie music and/or video games, which I'm sure you will find a lot of in San Jose.

This is the largest Rockage event so far, and is targeted towards all ages. You can learn more at RockageSJ.com or their Facebook page. Head down past the flier for the full release.

ROCKAGE INDIE MUSIC AND RETRO VIDEO GAME CELEBRATION RETURNS TO DOWNTOWN SAN JOSE FOR THE THIRD YEAR AT A NEW VENUE ON SAN JOSE STATE CAMPUS
            

* * Featuring live music from 25+ bands/ DJs and a huge collection of retro video games **

WHAT:            

For three exciting days, music and video game fans will experience some of the most cherished old school video games in the ultimate celebration of independent music, digital nostalgia, and retro bliss as Rockage 3.0^® returns to Downtown San Jose!  More than 25 dynamic indie rock bands, chiptune artists and DJs will perform over the weekend in front of a classic free play arcade backdrop of more than 50 rare classic cabinets and pinball. 

In addition to the live music and arcade, die-hard fans can meet the composers of many modern independent game soundtracks and learn how to make their own chiptune music through workshops and panels. The intimate venue on campus at San Jose State University gives fans unparalleled access to meet and play their all-time favorite video games with their favorite independent musicians! 

Bit Brigade, video game rock band from Athens, Georgia, will be headlining the event. They will perform the full soundtrack and simultaneous speed run of The Legend Of Zelda for the first time on the West Coast live on Saturday, February 8^th.

One of the steady-growing independent music festivals in the Bay Area, Rockage 3.0^® has doubled attendance each year providing quality low-priced family entertainment in Downtown San Jose. Now in its third year, Rockage 3.0^® looks to extend its appeal to a like-minded audience with more bands, more games, and more excitement.

WHO:               

Bit Brigade, Mega Ran, crashfaster, Slime Girls, Danimal Cannon, The Megas, Curious Quail, Matthew Joseph Payne, Super Soul Bros., Picture Atlantic, Good Hustle, Gnarboots, Space Town Savior, Cartoon Violence, Petriform, Together We Are Robots, Hawk Jones, The Albert Square, Ghost & The City, Porch, Lady Game Lyric, Space Boyfriend, Cartoon Bar Fight, Boboso, Jean Baudin, Continuum Kingdom, DJ Mr Smith, DJ Coco.                       

WHERE:          

San Jose State University, Student Union Ballroom – One Washington Square, San Jose, CA 95192

WHEN:            

Friday, February 7 – Sunday, February 9, 2014Friday 3:00 PM – midnight
Saturday NOON – midnight
Sunday NOON – 8:00 PM

TICKETS*:      

Ticket prices – $30 for a 3-day pass or $20 for one day, at the door.                       

Advance tickets – $30 for a 3-day pass http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/540015

Kids tickets (ages 2-12) – FREE on Sunday (2/9) at the door with adult admission.

*Tickets may be subject to service charges, facility and handling fees.  

For more information and updates log onto http://www.RockageSJ.com

Or visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/1414152018821817/ or http://twitter.com/RockageSJ

Josh Marcotte @ Bela La Vie

Come check out local guerrilla photographer Josh Marcotte's latest work this weekend at Bela La Vie!

Source: Phantom Galleries

Bela La Vie presents: "Mobile Manipulation" Hipstamatic photos by Josh Marcotte. Opening Reception January 25th, 7–10pm 311 E. Campbell Ave. Campbell, CA

January 2014 Downtown Dimension Highlights

Here are my notes from the latest edition of Downtown Dimension:

• The Downtown Association's Design Review Committee awarded three golden nail awards for Downtown beautification:
• The Gold Building (55 S market)
• CityView Plaza
• Orchestria Palm Court
• Aavid Design Corp is moving its nine employees from Cupertino to Downtown San Jose.
• San Jose's Department of Transportation officially opened the green, buffered bikeways along San Fernando from Cahill to 11th.
• The San Jose Civic Auditorium was rebranded the City National Civic.
• Essential Travel, a travel magazine based in the UK, said Christmas in the Park is one of the top 10 Christmas displays in the world.
• A new Business Coaching Center for those looking to launch or expand a business in San Jose is available at: sanjoseca.gov/index.aspx?NID=3457
• Ike's Sandwiches is open at 75 E. Santa Clara.
• Brix Nightclub at 349 S. First has been remodeled into the "Metropolitan" [Josh: I'm getting the impression that it is either no longer a gay club, or is at least trying to be more inclusive of those attracted to the opposite sex]
• Caffe Frascati owner has turned a 3-wheeled utility van into a portable espresso station (it premiered during the last South First Friday).
• 8 Treasure Restaurant is now open at 150 S. First, replacing Asian Gourmet.
• Power Bowl is open at 132 E. San Fernando and features authentic acai bowls and detox drinks.

To read the full newsletter, click here!

Caffe Frascati Named One of the Best Coffee Shops in the World!

Huge congratulations to Caffe Frascati for making it to an international list of best coffee shops on BBC Travel. The quote is priceless "In my opinion, the coffee is, without a doubt, the best in both the US and the UK" [Josh: okay I did fix a small typo in there]. I have to agree that it is a super cool coffee shop with a quality product, loads of character, and a friendly owner that is passionate about what he does. The live music at night is a nice touch (Opera on First Fridays).

Source: I Heart SJ, BBC

Downtown San Jose Development Projects Map

There are so many big projects kicking off in Downtown San Jose, that we need a map to keep track of them all. Below is a nice one put together by the city that shows all projects that are under construction, in planning, and even goes so far as to highlight key areas for future infill development. You can click the map below to enlarge or access a PDF version right over here.

DOWNTOWN SAN JOSE - CURRENT DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

1. North San Pedro - 408 Units, Est. Completion 2016
2. Little Italy Developments
3. Santa Clara County Family Justice Center - Est. Completion 2015
4. St. James Towers - 612 Units, 10,000 SQFT Retail, Est. Completion 2016
5. Centerra - 347 Units, 7,000 SQFT Retail, Est. Completion 2015
6. Fairfield Mid-Rise - 195 Units, Retail
7. Hampton Inn & Suites - 197 Rooms, 5,900 SQFT Retail, Est. Completion 2015
8. Symphony Development - 127 Units (Student Housing)
9. One South - 312 Units, 6,000 SQFT Retail, Est. Completion 2015
10. Post & San Pedro Tower - 156 Units, 4,100 SQFT Retail
11. San Jose Convention Center $130 Million Expansion
12. Balbach Condos - 100 Units
13. The Pierce - 234 Units, 9,400 SQFT Retail, Est. Completion 2015
14. Parkview Towers - 197 Units, 5,000 SQFT Retail

Whiskies of the World 2014 @ SPSM

If you are a fan of whiskey, the San Pedro Square Market is hosting a substantial whiskey event with food pairings, a seminar, and of course tastings. Ignore the Christmas references below, I wanted to post this a bit closer to the event date of March 27th! For details and links just keep on reading.

~~~

Mark your calendars and save the date of March 27th, 2014 for a very special event at the San Pedro Square Market in Downtown San Jose!

We are pre-selling tickets right now for this exclusive engagement (can someone say stocking stuffer!?)

Check out the eventbrite ticket link by clicking HERE.



Whiskies of the World Expo will treat both the whiskey connoisseur and novice alike with hundreds of the world’s most renowned whiskies. Coming in March, sample Scotch, Irish, American, Canadian, Australian, and Indian whiskies, bourbons, single malts, blends, and many other styles of liquid delicacies.

• Pair dishes with your favorite whiskies.
• Meet and share a dram with the whiskey stars, master distillers, blenders, and nosers.
• Attend a fun and informative whiskey seminar to learn first-hand and mouth from the whiskey experts.
• Come and be among the first to learn and experience a night of delicious spirited fun!

Don't forget to purchase tickets as a last minute Christmas gift for the Whiskey lover in your life by clicking HERE!

Robots Taking over the Tech Tomorrow

Cutting-Edge Robotics Take Over The Tech Museum of Innovation

Museum hosts entire day of human-robot interaction activities on MLK day

SAN JOSE, CA –Bust out moves to your favorite tunes alongside a humanoid robot as your partner. Hear from experts leading the social robot evolution. Build a robot comedian and laugh out loud. There may soon be a day when robots are integrated into our everyday lives, and even be able to anticipate and adjust to human preferences.

For an entire day, The Tech showcases a variety of social robots and guest speakers at the forefront of their field. NAO, a programmable humanoid robot from France’s Aldebaran Robotics, will perform dances to popular hits throughout the day. Guests can also program Play-i' Bo the Robot to play a xylophone, as well as engage with Furby and Pleo and see how they respond to actions.

Over in the RoboTheater, visitors can try their hand at design by programming a human robot to perform a variety of tasks before heading into The Tech’s Social Robots experience to design and build their own robot that makes them laugh. The museum will feature a special theme in the experience that day – Robot Comedians.

Special speakers include Intuitive Automata’s Cory Kidd and Professor Andrea Thomaz. Thomaz is an Associate Professor at Georgia Institute of Technology and an innovator in the robotics field. Published in the areas of Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Human-Robot Interaction, she is radically redefining how robots and humans interact.

WHO/WHAT: Special robot programming and special guests throughout the day featuring Georgia Tech’s Professor Andrea Thomaz, Intuitive Automata’s Cory Kidd, Play-i founders, NAO, and a bevy of engaging social robots. Free with Museum Admission.

WHEN: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. MLK day, Monday, January 20

WHERE: The Tech, 201 S. Market St., San Jose, CA

For more information and programming schedule, visit: http://www.thetech.org/