Woody 100: This Land Is Your Land

2012 marks the centennial of Woody Guthrie's birth. Woody was an author, a singer, a dustbowl refugee, an activist, a radio performer, and the composer of some of America's best known folk songs, including Do Re Mi, Grand Coulee Dam, Union Maid, Deportee, Biggest Thing, and the iconic This Land Is Your Land. To honor Woody's 100th birthday, PBS American Masters, with the support of the Woody Guthrie Foundation and Archives, is creating "an interactive documentary to record us all singing Woody Guthrie's 'This Land Is Your Land.'" This video is my contribution to that project.

Hannukah and Advent Time

My YouTube friend, Martin (aka theSwedishLad and PrinceWord), does an annual Advent video series with a different guest vlogger each day leading up to Christmas talking about their holiday traditions. This year Martin asked me to participate, and this is the result:

Republican Tax Policy Explained and Debunked

It must be an election year, 'cause I got a political one for you... How can Mitt Romney promise a 20%  tax cut for all Americans and somehow claim that it will be "revenue neutral?" Through the magic of the Laffer Curve. This video explains who Arthur Laffer is, what his economic theories are, and how they have shaped Republican tax policy more than 30 years.

Stirring the Zin

What do I like to do with my weekends? I like to visit local wineries. Here's a short clip I shot yesterday at Villa del Monte Winery, just a couple of miles up the hill from my house:

Alzheimer's Walk 2012

This past Saturday, my wife and I took part in the 2012 Walk to End Alzheimer's. We raised over $350 to go towards research to help end this disease, as well as support and comfort for those currently suffering. Learn more (and donate) at alz.org. As you can see from the video, it was a beautiful morning in Aptos, and a great day for a walk.

Hair Today, Gone Today

I started growing my hair out just about the same time I started on YouTube, at the end of the summer of 2006. Now, six years later, I've decided to do something about it:

You Call These DNA Results?

Last month I took a DNA test through ancestry.com as part of my continuing genealogical research. The results are in, and they pretty much only confirm what I already knew. While it doesn't extend the family tree back any further than it already was, it was an interesting experience. Here's the vlog:

The DNA Test

I've been working on my family tree and genealogy for a couple of years now, but it's been very difficult to get past my great-grandparents (and a couple of great-great-grandparents). A new tool being offered by ancestry.com is a DNA test that will - hopefully - give me some detail on where my family came from before that. This vlog is about that test:

Vinyl Voyage, Volume II

Last month I did a vlog going through four large boxes of LPs and a box of singles. I've finally got around to doing part two....

Playing with Fire in Santa Cruz

Sunday night, after dinner on the Santa Cruz Wharf, we saw spinning flames in the distance. We went to check it out and found a group of fire dancers practicing by the lighthouse, accompanied by a drum circle. Here's the video:

The Pioneer Cemeteries

When I was a kid in Boston, we'd regularly see the graves of Revolutionary War heroes, such as John Hancock and Sam Adams, and it helped to instill in me an appreciation for history and those that paved the paths we now walk. These photos are a somewhat random collection of shots I've taken of the graves of the western pioneers; those who came to California by wagon train to start a new life in a new land. (A couple of the graves are newer than that, but were worthy of inclusion for other reasons). Oh, and it's set to original music.

The locations are: St. Teresa of Avila Church, Bodega, CA, Evergreen Cemetery, Santa Cruz, CA, Valley of the Moon, Glen Ellen, CA, Carmel Mission, Carmel, CA, Joshua Tree National Park, Twentynine Palms, CA, San Ramon Chapel Cemetery, Santa Barbara County, CA, Pioneer Cemetery, Portland, OR, Pioneer Cemetery, Watsonville, CA, Oak Hill Cemetery, San Jose, CA, Madronia Cemetery, Saratoga, CA

Revivolution! It's Chongo for President 2012

Santa Cruz is full of quirky characters, and Richard C. Linnemeyer, creator of political art cars, is a prime example. Here Richard talk about his creation of the Revivolution Party, and the Chongo for President Campaign.

Vinyl Voyage Vlog Volume 1

From the moment I was born until CDs overtook vinyl as the preferred medium for music delivery, I collected records. In this vlog I flip through some random selections from about 1/2 of my collection.

Winter Scene

Not much to say here... two short experiments... one in all-digital music composition and recording, the other in time lapse videography on the iPhone. And it's short.

Game Show Ken

The story of my appearance as a contestant on the Comedy Central game show, Win Ben Stein's Money, back in 2000. Yep, they let me on the TV, but it was only basic cable.

Another Vlog About Vlogging

Martin from Sweden, aka TheSwedishLad, has asked for input from vloggers for a documentary he's making about vlogging. So, here, is a very vloggedy vlog about vlogging for another vlogger. Enjoy!

Sh%# I Say

One of the latest memes that's been going around YouTube for the last month or so is the "Sh%* [blank] Says" videos. There's been Sh&% Hipsters Say, Sh*% New Yorkers Say, etc., etc. So, here's my attempt to jump on the bandwagon, with the only topic left to cover... Sh%# Ken Says. Many thanks to my friends who helped out on this: Andy, Curt, Steve, Mike, Michael, Marc, and Jennifer.