Category: Events

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 19, 20267:28 pm

Apple Store Turns 25

Twenty-five years ago today, the first Apple Store opened at Tysons Corner Center in McLean, Va. I was there, covering the event for CNET News. Four days earlier, then CEO Steve Jobs briefed journalists and a handful of bloggers (an oddity back then) across the way at upper-scale Tysons Galleria. Skepticism hung heavy in the air, with respect to Jobs’ ambitions. Recession gripped the country and rival Gateway was in process of shuttering more than 400 retail shops. Everyone knew: Jobs was either genius or crazy.

But companies that take big risks during economic downturns are most likely to reap rewards later. Retail would be Apple’s third walk across the tightrope during 2001. The others: iTunes (January); OS X (March); iPod (October). I’ve said before that these four are foundation for all the company’s successes that followed, including iPhone.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 12, 20269:39 pm

Party on Park in Black and White

Among the many tactile features I find beneficial on Nikon Zf, the monochrome switch is one of the most useful. In about one second, I can go from capturing color to black and white, which is super handy when street shooting—no post-production tweaking required.

On Saturday (May 9, 2026), University Heights hosted Party on Park, which was billed as a community block party, with live music, various vendors, and specials from street-side eateries. I walked through twice, first with DJI Osmo Nano—my first outing with the action camera (footage not yet processed). Later, I hauled up with the Zf and attached NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR lens.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 13, 20259:50 pm

Better Off Dead

I am a big fan of repurposing. Take that thing and use it another way. Even when buying something new, I look first for multi-purpose uses. What else can this thang be used for?

But I don’t know about this! I see the rationale, though, and can’t argue with it. One of my neighbors repurposed his Halloween decorations for Christmas. The Featured Image and companion tell the story.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 15, 20259:43 pm

Comic-Con: The Return

On Oct. 14, 2025, Comic-Con International sent email that Open Registration for the 2026 San Diego event would commence today, at 9 a.m. PST. It’s a wickedly wet day here in Southern California, which put me uncharacteristically inside. So, I pulled out the laptop, meandered over to the badge sale webpage, and joined the queue—where I was warned my wait would be more than an hour.

I puttered about my office, while waiting to see if maybe my chance for a Golden Ticket would come. The passes sell out fast, and I haven’t attended the Con since 2017, I did secure a pass for San Diego Comic-Can Special Edition during Thanksgiving 2021. But I couldn’t attend, for not meeting SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2)/COVID-19 requirements. Seriously?

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 2, 20259:52 pm

University Heights Fall Festival 2025

According to the Camelot Climate Index, San Diego has the best weather in the United States. San Francisco and Los Angeles follow close behind. But even with three seasons of Summer, October can prove to be unpredictable. Cooler, cloudier days are common enough to spoil outdoor public events.

Organizers of the University Heights Fall Festival, and all the locals attending, lucked out on Oct. 18, 2025. Blue skies, drier air, and pleasant 28 degrees Celsius (83 Fahrenheit) made the annual gathering the outdoor destination of the area. Families abounded, and I wondered where hide all these young parents and kids. I don’t see many about otherwise.

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 24, 202512:23 pm

Your Pet is Not Your Child!

Cue the music. I had a Twilight Zone moment today. While walking into PetSmart, I heard the cashier tell a customer about weekend festivities. The store will welcome self-described pet parents to celebrate Halloween. There will be “treat stations set up throughout the store”, the checker said. Oh, and of course, humans are encouraged to bring their animal(s) dressed in costume. Seriously? What alternate universe have I unexpectedly entered?

Trick or treat will be Sunday, that’s Oct. 26, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Don’t have a costume for fido or frisky? No problem, PetSmart sells them. Treats are free (I presume), assuming your animal is smart enough to find any. The trick is for those beasts unable to sniff out any, I guess.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 18, 20258:13 pm

Classic Cars Meetup

This afternoon, I walked over to unbeloved Hillcrest to mail a package at the United States Post Office. The postal workers were friendly and helpful, but the place was surprisingly not crowded. Plausible explanation: This is a holiday weekend for some people, particularly leading into Monday events.

Jan. 20, 2025 celebrates Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday, and the day will also be the inauguration of Donald Trump as 47th president of the United States. If Microsoft Copilot can be trusted for accuracy, Trump will only be the second President to serve non-consecutive terms (Grover Cleveland is the other).

Photo by Joe WilcoxAug 9, 20246:46 pm

Supper Ladies

Looking out my home office window, on any given day, a steady stream of healthy, skinny women and men flow by—some exercise run, others casually walk, and even more tug leashed dogs. They are the stereotypical San Diego young and fit. Photographers love them, because who wouldn’t want to look at beautiful people?

California liberals can’t cry enough about diversity, equity, and inclusion. Okay. Let’s be inclusive—equitable and diverse. That’s what the Featured Image is all about—including big, white women, who might otherwise be excluded from any photographic montage.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 28, 20246:42 pm

I Boycott the Paris Olympics

I am more than a little surprised to be writing this post. But here we unexpectedly are. I stand with those people criticizing the 2024 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony’s mock Last Supper as mocking Christianity—and the almighty God, for that matter. In what appeared to be a live reenactment of the famous painting by Leonardo DaVinci, the actors were either drag queens or some simply dressed as such.

The Summer games officially began in Paris on July 26. Today, spokesperson Anne Descamp apologized to anyone offended by the, ah, banquet scene. If BBC reporting is accurate, explanation is as offensive, if not more. From the story: “The ceremony’s artistic director, Thomas Jolly, said there was no intention to ‘mock or denigrate anyone’ and explained the scene in question was designed to reference pagan gods”.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 19, 20249:17 pm

Swing to the Beat

For the first time this month, I hauled down to Old Trolley Barn Park for the third Friday night of summer concerts. Performing this evening: San Diego Funk All Stars. I more or less sauntered through, taking a few quickies using Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

I carry Leica Q2 less often than ever and seriously consider selling it. I love the camera, but the smartphone is convenient and the photos are increasingly good enough, particularly as artificial intelligence-enhanced software makes magic happen to most any shot.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 16, 20249:04 pm

More Music in the Park

The day’s mild weather got me looking at past outdoor photos of people gathered together. The Featured Image is a discard for post “Bluegrass and Monochrome“. The close-crop comes from Leica Q2 Monochrom on July 22, 2022. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/4, ISO 200, 1/160 sec, 28mm; 7:33 p.m. PDT.

Setting: Old Trolley Barn Park in San Diego neighborhood University Heights. The community sponsors a concert series for four Fridays every summer—but interrupted during SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2)/COVID-19 restrictions.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 19, 20249:02 pm

Uglydoll to the Stars

For no particular reason, we spend another day looking back on San Diego Comic-Con 2015, where Star Trek-themed Uglydolls went where no plushie has gone before—sold out, if I rightly recall, before the convention ended.

In the Featured Image, Power Ice-Bat rises above a sea of OX. The companion capture presents Ice-Bat as Scotty—and the Red Shirt who defied the odds episode after episode during the three seasons. Red Shirt has become a euphemism for a pulp-media character who is killed soon after his or her introduction. On Star Trek the Original Series, they dressed in a specific color.