NPR Day to Day technology contributor Xeni Jardin rides with Aurelito and Shakespeare, two Los Angeles-based reggae DJs who have converted an old ice cream truck into a mobile sound system. Archive of radio show: http://snipurl.com/9rsd

radio show: http://snipurl.com/9rsd

I was working on the CBS Radford lot in Studio City around sunset today. I had a digital camera with a few minutes and megabytes to kill, so I took some quickie snapshots of abandoned TV sets. Everything you see here is life-sized, but fake (not unlike my city). The trees are painted on drywall, the houses are 3 feet deep, even the ivy is two-dimensional. Vacant studio lots emit a strange kind of sorrow and character that's not there when they're full of bodies. Like flat sketches that pop off the page when liberated from their daily human cargo. After actors depart and crews go home, the lots wake up to live moody, secret little dream lives we don't know about. LA is full of promises and lies. Here, even the studio sets lie to you about being inanimate.

Everything you see here is life-sized, but fake (not unlike my city). The trees are painted on drywall, the houses are 3 feet deep, even the ivy is two-dimensional. Vacant studio lots emit a strange kind of sorrow and character that's not there when they're full of bodies. Like flat sketches that pop off the page when liberated from their daily human cargo. After actors depart and crews go home, the lots wake up to live moody, secret little dream lives we don't know about. LA is full of promises and lies. Here, even the studio sets lie to you about being inanimate.

Snapshots from "Erotica Los Angeles," an adult industry trade show held at the LA Convention Center in June, 2004. I filed reports for Wired News here and Fleshbot here: This gallery contains some nudity (though most of it neoprene or latex), and is intended exclusively for viewers 18 and older.

contains some nudity (though most of it neoprene or latex), and is intended exclusively for viewers 18 and older.

Snapshots from the 2004 edition of MAXT OUT, an urban dance competition held at the Wilshire Ebell theater in Los Angeles. 14 hip-hop dance troupes from the Western USA competed, and the show also included a &quot;b-boy competition&quot; for the baddest male breakdancer. Link to BoingBoing post with background info: < http://snipurl.com/7vz1 > and link to NPR story, with archived audio: < http://snipurl.com/7vyz >

included a &quot;b-boy competition&quot; for the baddest male breakdancer. Link to BoingBoing post with background info: < http://snipurl.com/7vz1 > and link to NPR story, with archived audio: < http://snipurl.com/7vyz >

Playboy video game launch party at the Playboy Mansion, Los Angeles, during E3 2004. Some images presented with this Wired News story about the video game launch: http://snipurl.com/6itd. This gallery contains some nudity, and is intended exclusively for viewers 18 and older.

contains some nudity, and is intended exclusively for viewers 18 and older.

Snapshots from the inaugural edition of Wired Magazine's NextFest (http://www.nextfest.net). I programmed speakers and demonstrations on the main stage. The two-day event also included an extensive demo pavilion, as well as a showcase of the Honda Asimo robot. We expected about 10 thousand attendees, but around 20 thousand showed up.

demo pavilion, as well as a showcase of the Honda Asimo robot. We expected about 10 thousand attendees, but around 20 thousand showed up.

Photographs from travels through indigenous communities in and near Antigua, Solola, the Peten region, Puerto San Jose, and other areas of Guatemala. February through March, 2004. Most were shot with Canon EOS D30, a few with the micro-mini Canon Elph.

Canon EOS D30, a few with the micro-mini Canon Elph.

Surreal sights at the tenth annual edition of the E3 gaming convention in Los Angeles -- including a live &quot;tactical urban assault&quot; staged by the US Army to promote its video-game/recruitment tool &quot;America's Army&quot;. Some images presented with this Wired News story: http://snipurl.com/6g87, and this one: http://snipurl.com/6iuz

tool &quot;America's Army&quot;. Some images presented with this Wired News story: http://snipurl.com/6g87, and this one: http://snipurl.com/6iuz

I kidnapped Bruce Sterling in an unguarded moment when he should really have been writing a novel or something. Drove him to LACMA and forced him to see the new nanotechnology exhibit, which attempts to fuse art and science for an audience of mostly children. There were Buckminster Fuller quotes and heady particle physics books all over the place though, which was odd since the whole thing was supposed to be for kids. Perhaps eight-year-olds today are just smarter. Visit http://nano.arts.ucla.edu for more info on the show. All images shot with the nano-sized digital camera Canon Powershot SD10 Elph, which is a little smaller than a pack of cigarettes.

to fuse art and science for an audience of mostly children. There were Buckminster Fuller quotes and heady particle physics books all over the place though, which was odd since the whole thing was supposed to be for kids. Perhaps eight-year-olds today are just smarter. Visit http://nano.arts.ucla.edu for more info on the show. All images shot with the nano-sized digital camera Canon Powershot SD10 Elph, which is a little smaller than a pack of cigarettes.