Just sparkling with pride, frank opens a new restaurant at Cesar’s Palace. Frank Sr, Ron, and Frankie Jr, along with Carla (Jr"s wife and Executive Chef) have done it right. You would think you stepped right back to the corner of 114th and pleasant ave. The food divine, the wine selection is grand, the decordecore and photos make it a very comfortable restaurant to come, enjoy, relax, and savor great food. A family tradition. If you go, make sure to look for Bubbles – while his name sounds like a show girl, he doesn’t have the legs for it. Make this a must stop in Las Vegas. If you’re going to a conference, make sure you book early. And don’t forget to check out the bacci court in the back – an addition based on frank senior’s recommendation.

Thank you for allowing me to the opportunity to submit this proposal. Ever since I was a kid, I believed that one day I would be able to devote my creative energy to an artistic endeavor. Unfortunately, financial circumstances didn’t afford me the opportunity to pursue this passion. The dream never faded, however, and during my first trip to Burning Man in 2004, I conceived of an art project. I remember sharing that vision with one of my close friends who had encouraged me to go to BM. She said back then that someday I would return to BM as an Artist. Honestly, at the time, I didn’t believe her. Even after coming back to BM in 2006 and 2010, I didn’t think I would ever execute the dream. Finally, in 2011, I made the decision to go for it. I submitted an art grant proposal for The Life Cube Version 1. I was turned down for funding, but received a subsequent email offering me a few tickets if I was willing to come and build it. It was not until later in the year that I was able to put together the resources to be able to assemble a downsized, self-financed, modified version. As a result, Version 1 was a smaller and less ambitious build than what I had originally conceived. But the truly amazing part was how many people came out to support the project — first a friend suggested a master carpenter, another offered to help transport the materials, and some generous souls offered to defray some of the costs. Even my family was supportive, including my wife, Madeleine, who has never gone with me to BM, and my daughter, who understood when I missed her last move back to college, as it was on Labor Day weekend while I was at Burning Man. And then… the magic happened. I am not talking about the actual construction – yes, there are many stories about building the project in Brooklyn and Queens and “schlepping” it out to Black Rock City — but the experience of being surrounded by so many helpful people, and the number of BRC citizens during the week who expressed their appreciation for bringing art to the playa. I will never forget the first time a group came up to me and shared how they had spent hours the night before visiting and interacting with TLC. How they told me how much they liked the quotes, how they climbed on top and how they thought long and hard about their wishes, which they wrote down and deposited in TLC. They even asked for extra wish-sticks to give to their friends! And at the end of the week, there was the ultimate experience at BM as an artist: burning your art and destroying what you built. It would take many pages to describe all that happened that night, but the bottom line is that someone I had not known until a week before offered to be the project’s fire marshal; over 50 people came out that night to help celebrate the burn, and it was incredibly exciting and moving to be surrounded by so many friends old and new. Someone with an art car came and parked near the site while it burned, and put together a custom playlist of John Lennon songs for the great event. We all shared the happiness, the joy, the ecstasy, and finally, the exhaustion. TLC V1 was a top life experience. No sooner had the embers cooled, then I was already thinking about how V2 would be bigger, better, more spectacular and even more inspirational. I am happy to submit this application for a grant, and hope you will give it serious consideration and decide to help in funding its construction. Thank you in advance for your consideration and support, skeeter The Life Cube Art Project #TheLifeCube #dimestore #redtiemedia #burningmanburningman #Burningman #redtie #artatburningman #skeeter #BM2012 #redtiemedia #redtie #247media #burningman2012 #lifecube #scottcohen #artatburningman #dimestoremedia #bm2011 #liveperson #burningman2011 #BurningMan

Finished first draft of pitch — trying to get all the notes from meetings and conversations over the last month together. The pitch includes info for an advertiser, a portal, and a VC. These will need to be split into at least 2, and poss 3 different presentations. Also met with SB, who gave me advice and guidance on VC pitch. Besides the obvious "keep it simple". 14 slides, prefer 3 bullets per page, not more than 5, no sentence more than 5 words. Why opportunity should be first, what is the problem next, the market, the solution, who we are, company info (done to date, alliances, clients, etc). Market opportunity, market size, advisory board, and tech. Finish with sum. of financials. Need to get someone involve that is an operation person with a good resume for execution that can handle the office and product development and execution. Going to try and me with SE to review assumptions on portal — size, deal structure, and pricing plan.

Folks, just want to let you know that VideoAdGames (www.videoadgames.com) has signed their first client last night.  I am so excited, and want to thank you for your input, ideas, and support.  The launch is with a company, serving over 150,000 impressions per day in the US, and over 425,000 worldwide, with over 3.6 million unique users .

I have joined PLAXO Preium service to try and figure out a way to update contacts.  First line of contact with Plaxo was INDIA – I do not speak India.  Have emailed the CEO and Head of Client Service.  Below is the online chat.  Will see what happens.

I just learned that my close friend, Shlomo Silberberg (ref Shlomo Zilberberg), died yesterday in a tragic plane crash in Namibia.  My heart goes out to his wife and two sons.  Shlomo was a phenomenal individual who had a heart of gold and the energy of several men.  We enjoyed many times with him and his family.  I spoke with him just a couple weeks ago and wished him a happy birthday and a happy New Year.  Many things happen that make one take a step back and think about how precious life is on this earth.  But above all, at this moment, I will miss my friend. Shlomo and I met when our daughter Natasha and his oldest son, Aloni, were in nursery school together in Manhattan.  It was one of those rare times when the kids became friends, and the parents became good friends as well.  Our families did all sorts of things together.  A few years later, they moved to Israel, and we went twice to visit.  Shlomo was so proud of his country!  We toured from the Golan Heights to Eilat.  We swam and dove in the Red Sea, floated in the Dead Sea, rafted on the Dan River, and stayed in a kibbutz.  We flew in a buck-eye parachute plane (he made sure the Israeli Air Force knew it was us – so we did not get shot down), landed on the shores of the Sea of Gallilee, and stripped down and ran into the water.  He even arranged for both families to take a day trip to Jordan, where we visited Petra, toured the ancient ruins and rode donkeys and camels back to the bus. About eight or ten years ago, we convinced him to take a week with us up on Cape Cod.  We (both families) rented a condominium on the bay side – wandered the tidal flats (one of my favorite places in the world), spent a day in Provincetown, and went whale watching.  Although he always said that Israel had every sight and activity you could want, he had to admit that Cape Cod was special. In NY, Shlomo took me to the Diamond Exchange where I watched him buy stones.  He was a shrewd negotiator – but had a reputation for fair dealing, knowledge, judgment and integrity rarely seen in any business.  The respect of his peers and associates was evident in NY, as well as when I had the privilege of going with him to the exchanges in Tel Aviv and Antwerp, too. On subsequent trip to Israel, Shlomo had invested in a fishing boat (I think it was just another thing to do with his friends).  We got up in the early AM, as you need to get out there and pull in the nets before the fish spoil.  We heaved and hoed, and pulled and brought up lots of fish from the Mediterranean.  There were also octopus, but he was adamant that although I had a wonderful recipe, they were NOT KOSHER, and threw them back.  We went for long walks on the beach and he shared a lot  about his family, his life, his business, and his dreams. Shlomo bought a beautiful piece of real estate in Ramat Poleg (near Natanya), which was expansive enough for a horse ranch.  He started going to the US to buy horses, and the barn was nicer than many houses.  Sadly, though he had plans to build a house, he and his wife Marjorie did not get a chance to construct it.  Once, on a trip out to the American West for a horse show and buying expedition, Shlomo found a taste for Oklahoma steaks, and many of us enjoyed them on his backyard barbecue grill, while trying not to question how they got there. Shlomo was umbilically attached to his cell phone.  He also was an early adopter of technology, having designed and contracted a Web site to sell diamonds.  He was patient and fair with many of my friends that I sent to buy a stone for that special girlfriend or wife.  It was always tough to figure out how to do something for him – but if you needed anything, all you needed to do was ask.   He helped many people of his acquaintance, both friends and relatives, and relatives of his friends, too.  In fact, many of his closest friends were Israelis with whom he had grown up since childhood, who had served together with him in the Israeli Army.  Shlomo’s military service sheds a little more light on his character – he was in the explosives ordinance disposal unit, going into captured tanks and vehicles to ensure that they were safe for others in his unit.  He was brave, and a real risk taker, always laughing off any chance of a problem or complication. A couple of years ago I called him, and said that I wanted to get away during the winter holiday time.  He told me to come to Israel and we would go on a little road trip.  That time, we spent a few days in Israel, then flew to South Africa to visit De Beers (a rare and unbelievable opportunity to see how rough stones are acquired,) and then went on to his manufacturing plant.  He told me of his plans for expansion into other markets in Africa.  We left Johannesburg, and went to Belgium, where I met his partners there.  I saw more diamonds than you would see in several lifetimes, and he was incredibly enthusiastic about the opportunities that existed in his industry in Africa and other venues around the world.  It is ironic and so sad that he lost his life in one of these exotic locations, when he had expended so much time and energy creating business opportunities there. On one of our visits, we attended Alon’s Bar Mitzvah, which took place shortly after a series of bombings close to where they lived in Netanya.  We were struck by the family’s courage in moving forward with the party, and with Shlomo’s appreciation for the joy that such occasions brought to him, his family and friends.  Just a few short weeks ago, they celebrated Eytan’s Bar Mitzvah as well, and we are certain that Shlomo was equally proud of his younger son on that special day.  We have lost a very good friend.  Our love and sympathies go out to all of Shlomo’s friends and family, but particularly to his devoted wife Marjorie, and his two sons, who are so special to us:  Alon and Eytan. News story below. Namibia: Plane Crash Victims Identified The Namibian (Windhoek) Posted to the web 17 January 2008 Denver Isaacs THE process of officially identifying the five foreign victims of a plane crash that happened in Windhoek last week was concluded yesterday. The bodies of the five Israeli men were expected to be transported back to their country of origin last night, following a memorial service that was held for them last night at the Avbob Funeral Parlour in Windhoek. The deceased are Shlomo Silberberg, Avihay Abaro, Ilan Adadi (45), Amit Cohen and Zigdon Shmuel. They had been in Namibia as technical partners of the NamGem Diamond Manufacturing Company at Okahandja, and were employed as executives in the New York-based Lazare Kaplan International diamond manufacturer. An Israeli team of police officers, pathologists and religious inspectors have been in the country since Monday, assisting the Namibian Police in the investigation of the plane crash. Police spokesperson Chief Inspector Angula Amulungu said this week that the Israeli team had brought with them DNA samples and dental records to help with the identification. The Israeli ambassador to South Africa, Ilan Baruch, has been in Namibia since the weekend to try and resolve the matter of identifying the five foreign bodies. Israel does not have an embassy in Namibia. The five Israelis and the South African-born pilot of the Cessna 210 aircraft that they had been travelling in died after the plane crashed into a house in the Olympia residential area on Friday afternoon. All the bodies were burned beyond recognition. The cause of the crash, which happened minutes after takeoff from the Eros Airport, remains under investigation. —————— Source: HAARETZ.com, Last update – 18:38 14/01/2008 Israeli delegations land in Namibia to identify plane crash victims –By Yigal Hai and Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondents and Haaretz Service Tags: Israel, Namibia, ZAKA Delegations from the Israel Police and the ZAKA rescue and identification organization landed on Monday in Namibia in order to begin the process of identifying the five Israelis who perished in a plane crash near the southern African nation’s capital on Saturday. The delegation members will meet with the local police commander in order to coordinate their work.  Diamond industry officials have identified five passengers killed when their light aircraft crashed in a residential suburb of Namibia’s capital Windhoek on Saturday as Israeli diamond dealers. Family members of the five casualties – Shlomo Zilberberg, Shmuel Zigdon, Amit Cohen, Ilan Hadadi and Avichai Abarov – arrived Sunday at Abu Kabir Institute of Forensic Medicine, in Jaffa, to provide DNA samples and dental records of their relations, to help in identifying the bodies. The five Israelis died together with four other local workers who were also aboard the plane. The crash occurred on Friday afternoon, shortly after the chartered Cessna-210 took off, after a refueling stop in Windhoek. The deceased were apparently headed to a lodge in the Etosha National Wildlife Park in northern Namibia. About two minutes after takeoff, the plane crashed, as it was attempting an emergency landing in a residential suburb of Windhoek. The men were in Namibia to oversee the construction of three new diamond-cutting facilities in South Africa. The project was initiated by Zilberberg, who was a leading figure in the Israeli diamond trade. The trip to Etosha was meant to provide his employees with an opportunity for rest and relaxation. Zilberberg, 54, is survived by his wife, and two sons, aged 13 and 18. He lived with his family in Netanya, and meant to move to Udim, a moshav nearby, where he owns a horse ranch. Amit Cohen, 26, from Herzliya, is survived by his wife, Sivan, whom he married several months ago. She is five months pregnant. Cohen’s uncle, Mordechai Halfon, said that his nephew, who worked for Halfon, had planned to buy the apartment he was renting with his wife. Shmuel Zigdon, 53, is survived by his wife, and four children, aged 16, 18, 24 and 30. He also lived in the Sharon region, in Moshav Porat, where he was born and raised. He began working in the diamond industry at the age of 14, slowly working his way up through the ranks before opening his own cutting plant in Ramat Gan. The fourth Israeli casualty, Ilan Hadadi, 44, from Netanya, was single. He met Zilberberg as an electrician, and the latter hired him to work on the the Udim horse ranch. The fifth casualty, Avichai Abarov, a gemologist, was supposed to run one of Zilberberg’s plants. ——————————————————————— 5 Israelis die in Namibia plane crash Light plane crashes into home near Namibian capital Friday afternoon, killing six people; Israeli officials arrive at crash site Saturday, five Israeli passports found at scene; Efforts underway to identify bodies (01.12.08, 21:36 / Israel News) Disaster in Namibia: Five Israelis and a local pilot were killed Friday afternoon after a light plane crashed in Namibia shortly after takeoff. Israel’s Ambassador to South Africa, Ilan Baruch, arrived at the crash scene Saturday morning along with Israeli Consul Sharon Dadon. Five Israeli passports were found at the crash site. Officials who are dealing with the incident told Ynet that the task of identifying the victims is a very difficult one because the plane completely disintegrated.  Moti Ganz, president of the Israel Diamond Manufacturers Association, said that all five crash victims are members of the diamond industry. "In recent years, many diamond factories have been established in the southern section of Africa, and about 50% of Namibia diamond factories are under Israeli ownership," Ganz said. Up in flames The accident occurred after the plane attempted to perform an emergency landing near the capital. Local police investigators, who are looking into the circumstances of the crash, said the plane belongs to Atlantic Aviation. "I was on my way back home from the store when I saw a plane flying above our heads at very low altitude," a local resident said. "Suddenly the plane crashed right into a home." The eyewitness said the plane was up in flames immediately after it crashed. A Namibian police spokesperson confirmed that six people were killed in the crash, including five foreigners. A senior Namibian aviation official told AFP the plane crashed "five minutes after takeoff." Press is listing Shlomo ZILBERBERG

This AM I got to experience the pain of trying a new airline that does not have their act together.  Let’s document the facts: 1 – Tried to print boarding pass last night in NY, did not work (ERROR) 2 – Called the VA customer service line (20 minute hold) 3 – Spoke with customer service rep who told me to log off elite account and try and just log in with confirm number 4 – Still not able to print boarding pass, asked to have it faxed (NO Can Do – they don’t do that!) 5 – Asked about advance notification since I needed to leave for airport 2+ hours ahead — They no can do that either 6 – Left for airport at 5 AM for a 7:30 flight 7 – Swiped credit card but did not work at kiosk 8 – Put in Res Number and got boarding pass 9 – Went to go to gate and told flight was canceled 10 – Stood in line, and finally asked for supervisor 11 – No supervisor available (note this is a FC Ticket) 12 – Insisted they get a supervisor when the person at the counter could not offer any solutions 13 – Called travel agent and secured FC res on AA 14 – Supervisor finally came and said they could book coach or Jet Blue.  I indicated this was not acceptable – that I had a seat on the next AA from my travel agent.  Told "Virgin’s FC is not up to the standards of other airlines" 15 – Made them aware I was not happy, that they should expect me to blog and mention this at the conference I’m speaking at (Media & Tech in LA) 16 – AA Flight to LAX got me here. WARNING:  VIRGIN AMERICA AIRLINES IS NOT GOOD.  THEY ARE NOT WELL STAFFED, THEY HAVE LIMITED NUMBER OF PLANES, THEY DO NOT HAVE SUPERVISORS ON STAFF TO HANDLE PROBLEMS, AND THEY HAVE NOT EMPOWERED MANAGERS TO HANDLE OR AUTHORIZE SOLUTIONS.

This has been a phenomenal year for The Life Cube Project, and it could not have been possible without the help of so many supporters and friends.  I’ve been back from Burning Man a little over two weeks, and every time I try to list all the individuals who contributed:  workers, designers, vendors, planners, vision executors and partners in virtually every phase of the project, it occurs to me that there are many more that I almost forgot. In an attempt to recognize these fine folks, I would like to document the list as best I can, and hope to add to it as my memory gets better or friends help me remember.  With literally hundreds of contributors who helped in one way or another, this is likely to take a couple of entries to get right. Starting Off:  First, none of what I did, do, or hope to do in the future would happen without the support of my wife and daughter, Madeleine and Natasha.  From there, I’d like to start at the beginning; many of the team that has worked with me over the last four years were originally introduced to me and the Life Cube project by my good friends, Tigger and Niobe.   And the first Fire Safety Experts included Gordy and Christian, along with the support of many of the friends from Camp Titicaca who celebrated the first burn and made a perimeter to insure that nobody was hurt. Lighting:  Post the first Cube, Trevor made the Cube come alive with spectacular lighting and donating his time and experience in lighting and SFX. (Trevor is known for lighting concerts and festivals.) Design and Build:  On the construction side, Mark was our chief carpenter and a magician with wood in both 2012 and 2013, and this year brought on Aaron and Toby, who are master carpenters and worked both pre-Burning Man and on the playa to build a very strong, stable, and solid installation.  And there was Jerry from Texas who added his outstanding carpentry skills too. We’re grateful to Courtney, a last minute add to the Cube team, who not only brought her welding skills for rebar bracing, but was always on site to help whenever someone needed an extra hand.  And to Mike, who was on the team in 2012, and stepped up to be an amazing add to the construction crew this year. Kevin and Cristina of dsb+ Architecture & Interiors were enthusiastic Life Cube boosters, who donated their time, architectural creativity and knowledge, taking what was in my head and putting it into formal plans, blueprints, and CAD drawings. The Burn: Christian, Gordy, Elliot, and Jay took major responsibilities this year in helping burn the Cube in a safe and stunning fiery blaze.  And the fire-spinners that practiced their craft at the Cube last year and this year pre-burn were just spectacular. Inspiration:  I will never forget Maggie (sunshine) and Jason, who were so inspired to write down their goals, dreams, wishes, and aspirations that they got engaged at the Cube in 2012, and married in 2013.  Their love and commitment was an inspiration to us all.  (They were both a terrific help during Playa construction and Jason managed the perimeter during the burn, too!) Burning Man:  The people involved in the Life Cube project now number well over 100, and that is not including the 800+ donors who contributed money, equipment, time, and materials.  And none of what happened at Burning Man could have happened without the help, encouragement, and growing support of the Burning Man organization, specifically including Bettie June, Maria, and Brody, the Artery, DPW, Heavy Equipment Group, Artist Support Services, and the FAST Team. Ben at the Artery helped us coordinate resources, took late night and early morning calls, and worked out some last minute problems; his counsel was invaluable.  Also, many of the other BM artists helped out in a pinch with tools or materials, advice and expertise. The Generator:  This year, we especially have to recognize The Generator in Sparks, NV, which offered our project a warm welcome and generous space for pre-playa construction. There were Matt, Andy, Ira, and Roger at the Generator, and the many other artists who made it easier for us with their referrals, suggestions and encouragement.  Special thanks go out to Trevor for taking on additional responsibilities to coordinate volunteers and vendors. Photography:  Niobe volunteered her time and professional expertise to work with all the photographers that donated their amazing photos of Black Rock City, going all the way back to the first Burning Man, including Scott London, Tomas Loewy, Stewart Harvey, George Post, Barb Traub, Tom O’Neill, Kim Roseberry, and Matt Freedman, plus some of Niobe’s own fantastic work.  And thanks also go out to Mayumi, who helped organize and lay out the photos for the printer.   Many of these, and other photographers and videographers as well, recorded special moments during the many phases of this year’s Cube.   Special note to Andrews (Jov), who has taken enormous time and made use of his extraordinary talent to document (both with still photos and video) the burns over the last three years. Some day, we might make a documentary about the Cube in these early years, and his footage will be instrumental in telling the story. Visual Arts:  Angelina Christina, a fantastic muralist, with her team Jessica, Heather, and Richard, created a spectacular addition to the Cube in 2013.   And there were over 120 friends and artists from around the world, who each painted a panel for the Tapestry Wall, too many to name individually (and I don’t even have everyone’s name!), but who created a mosaic that was so beautiful. Navid was invaluable working with us on documenting & assembled the Tapestry Wall and photo-boards (along with Thomas and Linda).  JT and Susan introduced sacred geometry, which both added to the design and attracted even more people to interact with the Cube. Party and Provisions:  I can not begin to thank Jay and Donna for all they did this year – including both electrical skills to assist Trevor, artistic talent to help with signs and design, and the abundance of delicious food they brought and prepared to feed volunteers on the playa construction team. We’re grateful to Lori, David, and Kim, who worked on the Cube pre-Burning Man, and helped with the Cube Party at the Sands.  Lori made sure there were supplies and a plan for the party, and was also invaluable in decorating the Cube this year. Web and Graphic Design: Thomas redid The Life Cube website (now that was a pleasant surprise!), and assisted with the Cube’s Facebook page.  Dan created a new logo and the design for this year’s official wish-sticks this year; Julio created the Cube’s aesthetic exterior design and our wish-sticks in 2012. Our Vendors:  Among the most supportive of all the vendors were RB Technologies, which printed our wish-sticks, and Truckee-Tahoe Lumber Co/Home Concepts, which sold us materials for the project at cost.  Lisa and Ferenc at the Sands Hotel were incredibly supportive as well, providing us with rooms for our crew’s overnights and space for the art party in the weeks leading up to Burning Man.  Neil at Skyline art supplies gave us a link and special pricing for canvases, and there were numerous other vendors and suppliers for lighting, paint and hardware, beads and crafts, chimes, and a million other elements that went into creating this year’s Cube. More Helpers: Jeff offered his contacts and advice.  Arthur, Yaniv, and Ryan led the clean-up of the site and made sure that we LNT.  Others that have been involved in no small part in making the Cube a success included the original build team (2011) of Ben, Eric, and Anastasiya.  And that first year, Arthur and Dominique carried the message far and wide throughout Black Rock City, for its citizens to write down their wishes, dreams, or aspirations and deposit them into the Cube. I can’t forget Hank and Swami for adopting me into the Camp Titcaca family.  Many added thanks for a variety of good works and contributions go out to Curtis, Charlie, Matt, Roger, Ben, Dave, Jeff, Elliot, Adam, Barb, Beer, Benjamin, Betsy, Chris, Duff, Dennis and his 53’ flatbed truck, Eric, Arlo, Erik, Mimi, Frank, George, Jennifer, Kathy, Joe, John, Kirk, Susan, Kit, Kristie, Ladd, Lori, Lauri, Leah, Linda, Marc, Toby, Mimi, Tom, Mike, Maria, Christian, Christopher, Ryan, Chip, Jeff, Rick, Steven, Jake, David, Ty, Masha and her First Wednesday crew, Jodie, Brian, Lisette, Aaron, Annie, Ariel, Todd, Alan, Stephen, Jeff, Pamella, Michael, Joe, Andrew, Stu, Ron, Leah, Raymond, Abbie, Tizzle, Sally, Josh, Brian, Justin, Jason, Lior, Karl, Richard, Pani, Sara, Danny, Elisabeth, Lee, Pam, Alan, Mia, Jerry, Nancy, and the many more as yet unnamed that I know that I have inadvertently failed to remember or acknowledge in this post. Last, those of us on the Life Cube project team are all grateful to the Citizens of Black Rock City – for without their contributions, interaction, and participation – the Cube would have never have succeeded and grown beyond our wildest expectations. To all the above, every one of you, I want to say thank you!  Thank you for your time, your friendship, your help and your dedication to making The Life Cube a dream come true. Love, skeeter #TheLifeCube #ENVISIONTheLifeCube #BM2013 #Burningman #thelifecubeartprojectatburningman #lifecubeproject #artatburningman #wishcube #skeeter #cargocult #brc13 #blackrockcity #artprojectatburningman #lifecube #artburningman #lifecube #lifecubeprojectlifecubethelifecubeprojectlifecubeprojectart #TheLifeCube #BurningMan

Many have asked: what’s up with this art project at Burning Man, and why are you so passionate about it? I conceived The Life Cube as an aesthetic interpretation of my belief that if you write down your goals, wishes and milestones, you will have a better chance of achieving them.  I started setting goals to paper early in life, and been fortunate to accomplish many of the things I set out to do.  Over the years I have had the privilege of working with and mentoring many wonderful and successful individuals.  There is a consistent theme to my counsel, and every year I email about ten of them, reminding each one to write down their goals and ambitions. Over the weekend, I had dinner with some friends and one of them mentioned how he wrote down what he wanted to accomplish in 2012.  He is on track in work and in life to accomplish his goals. This Burning Man installation is just the beginning.  If you know me, you know that I think big, and will devote my energy, enthusiasm, and passion to taking it to the next level.  Stay tuned. By the way, today we had the 50th person contribute to The Life Cube project on Kickstarter.  It makes me so happy to have friends support this endeavor. One more thing, “Write down what you want to do in your life and it will happen!” #artatburningm #TheLifeCube #Burningman #artatburningman #wishcube #bm2012 #skeeter #lifecube #bm2011 #BurningMan

Sam Sifton named Restaurant Critic for The New York Times (NYT). I will miss Frank Bruni as I did Ruth Reichl, Frank Rich & William Grimes – did I mention I do not like change? August 5, 2009, 12:18 pm Sam Sifton Is Named Restaurant Critic for The TimesBy The New York Times In an e-mail message to the staff, Bill Keller, executive editor of The New York Times, announced this afternoon that Sam Sifton will be taking over the job of the paper’s restaurant critic, starting in early October. Later today, Mr. Sifton; Pete Wells, the Dining editor; and possibly other members of the newsroom will be answering selected questions from readers. Please leave questions in the comments section below. Here is the text of Mr. Keller’s announcement: To the Staff: In the weeks since the announcement that Frank Bruni would be hanging up his napkin, we’ve received numerous applications for the job of NYT restaurant critic. We narrowed the list, and then narrowed it some more. We had some really impressive candidates, writers who know their food and have interesting things to say about the way we eat. Then we threw out the list and drafted Sam Sifton. The choice is both obvious and eccentric. It is obvious because, as a brilliant editor of the Dining section, as an occasional essayist on food for our magazine, and as a writer of discernment and wit and erudition, he is the best candidate any of us can think of. This is a marquee job for The Times, and our next critic will have the unenviable job of following Frank Bruni. It is an obvious choice, too, because the prospect of reading Sam on a regular basis brings big smiles to our faces. Joe Lelyveld used to ask of any prospective appointment or promotion, “Where’s the lift?” On this one, the question pretty much answers itself. It is eccentric because we are stealing one of our finest editors from one of our most important departments. This is certain to be a cause of anguish and anxiety in Culture, where Sam has run things with great skill, imagination, energy and good humor. Everyone understands that Sam the Culture Editor will be as hard an act to follow as Frank the Restaurant Critic. We’ve set ourselves the task of finding a new Culture Editor who will give us a lift, too. And we expect the anguish and anxiety to be short-lived. For the record, it is our expectation that this will not be the end of Sam’s career as an editor/manager/entrepreneur/mentor. He has run two departments exceptionally well, and nobody would be surprised to see him running something in the future. For now, though, his running will be on a treadmill at the gym. After some overdue vacation and a few weeks of warmup eating, Sam will take over the critic’s chair in October. Best, Bill

google plus project -- google+ Google announced their latest entry or should we say re-entry into social networking space. #gooogle #google #Facebook #socialmedia #googleplus #googleplusproject

The Life Cube Project is currently being featured in an exhibit at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport in Nevada. The exhibit, “Burning Man: Igniting Nevada’s Creative Fire”, is open from August 4 to October 20, 2014. As Burning Man becomes more and more an ingrained part of Nevada’s culture, we are seeing an increase in its presence outside of the world on the playa. “Burning Man: Igniting Nevada’s Creative Fire” features stunning photography of the art that has been constructed, worked on, and placed in different parts of Nevada by Burning Man artists and participants. The Reno Airport exhibit provides a unique glimpse into the lives of those affected by Burning Man as well as a look at the art, community, and stories that have come from it. The Life Cube Project can be seen in the following photos, taken by our dear friend Tigger, who helped make the Life Cube possible. She has been a Cube-ist from the beginning and an immense help before the Life Cube even became an installation at Burning Man in 2011. We would also like to extend our gratitude to the Downtown Project in Las Vegas as well as Maria Partridge and Elizabeth “Bettie June” Scarborough who curated this exhibit and chose to include The Life Cube Project. To read the exhibit’s text on the Life Cube, click here. For more information on the exhibit, please visit the Reno-Tahoe International Airport’s art and entertainment website. #thelifecubeproject #downtownlasvegas #lasvegas #TheLifeCube #RENO #renoairport #renotahoeinternationalairport #nevada #burningman2014 #Burningman #downtownlasvegas #DowntownProject #dtp #LasVegas #dtlv #renotahoeairport #thelifecubeproject #lifecube #renonevada #lifecube #burningman2014 #renonv #TheLifeCube #nv #BurningMan