CAL performance in Berkeley presents tech guru, columnist and savvy guy David Pogue in conversation. Cinequest the film and creativity festival takes place in Silicon Valley in a few weeks with creations that will have you saying whoa. The Fashion Incubator in the city presents an evening about infusing sustainability into fashion. Just what we need! An immersive design summit is coming up with a full slate of immersive experiences, happy hours, meetups and workshops. Listen in this week’s Happy Hour Podcast – it could save your life. And join me in NYC on May 1! ENJOY!

Feb. 27. David Pogue at Berkley

Coming up for one night only in Berkeley, David Pogue leads a journey through the pleasures and pitfalls of our technological world. Pogue was once and is again, a New York Times columnist. He spent several years at Yahoo finance and is a five-time Emmy winner for his stories on “CBS Sunday Morning,” as a tech correspondent. And he hosted science specials on “NOVA” on PBS. 

Pogue’s talk covers subjects as serious as smartphone-driven medicine and as fun and frivolous as e-mail etiquette and is modeled after his popular advice-driven columns in the Times’ “Smarter Living” section. The word “talk” doesn’t fully describe Pogue’s playful and free-ranging appearances. Don’t be surprised if this former Broadway conductor and arranger concludes his talk at the piano by performing tech-industry song parodies such as “Don’t Cry For Me, Cupertino” and “I Got an iPhone” (to the tune of “I Did It My Way”).  Get the details.

Be Proactive about Your Health (and your loved ones too!)

Today’s podcast features a most important message for everyone! It’s about empowering yourself to take control of your health. I chatted with Joan Peckolick, Director and Founder of Self-Chec, an organization that helps save lives by raising awareness of the importance of early detection and preventative action that help keep us healthy. Listen in here or wherever you listen to podcasts.

March 10. Fashion Incubator Sustainability Summit

The Fashion Incubator presents another informative evening of discussion. This time around -how the fashion industry can infuse sustainability into the whole lifecycle of the product, including packaging, shipping, and end of use. Meet founders, change makers and the insiders of the fashion world for a discussion on what is happening now and how they are changing the future of sustainability in fashion.

As now more than ever the fashion world hopes to develop and promote sustainable practices, reducing environmental and social damage, raise awareness and make more conscious buying decisions. The panelists and keynote presenter will speak to how they are moving the sustainability forward, how they’re driving next-gen customer conscious and will share the stories behind building products we love. There will also be a pop-up where established and emerging sustainable fashion designers will show their creations. A great way to infuse your wardrobe with care and concern for our planet. MARCH 10th    5-8 p.m.  $25 | Bloomingdales 845 Market St. SF fashionincubatorsf.org

March 27-29. HERE Summit

The global immersive & experiential creative community will gather in Pasadena this March. The HERE Summit is a three-day event bringing together the fields of embodied experience design, weaving together practices and creators working in immersive theater, mixed reality, game design, theme parks, and escape rooms. More than your typical conference HERE goes beyond keynotes and panels — although we have those too — to forge a true community. Check out the latest programming announcements HERE. The HERE Summit at the Pasadena Playhouse, is a three day event that will carry on the tradition of the Immersive Design Summit that was started by Adventure Design Group, Epic Immersive, and No Proscenium.

March 3-15. Cinequest

Cinequest is a film festival, unlike the others hosted in the area. Focusing on Film &Technology, the fest also includes additional creative experiences such as virtual and augmented realities, fashion, writing, television, dance, art & design, and more. The idea is to empower global connectivity between creators, innovators, youth and audiences. Located in Redwood City and San Jose – Peninsula tomatoes make plans now. You can attend over 150 films, see 950 presenting artists and innovators, attend 55 special events and indulge in 60 creative experiences.

Their Maverick Spirit awards are bestowed upon intriguing creatives. Closing night award goes to ruth Weiss (not a typo, she prefers her name all lower case), a tomato who was a huge force and influence in SF in the beat generation. A poet, who at 93 years young, sports bright green hair and is a force and inspiration to women of all ages. The Chronicle dubbed her “The Beat Goddess”. This is a festival that will leave all of your senses heightened. Cinequest.org

Join Me in NYC on May 1

Our Renewal Summit will be an awesome and inspiring day and we’re inviting Tomatoes everywhere to join us. I’ll be moderating a panel on “Aging Backwards”. We have a block of hotel rooms reserved and we will help you plan a fun weekend in the Big Apple too. So grab your BFF and join us. Get the details.