Palo Alto Weekly 02.24.2012 - Section 1

Page 7

Upfront

Neighborhoods

! ROUNDUP OF NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS EDITED BY 3UE $REMANN

AROUND THE BLOCK

BIKE THEFTS ... A series of bicycle thefts took place throughout Palo Alto between Feb. 14 and 20, according to police. Approximately eight bikes were snatched, five on Feb. 14 and 15. Palo Alto police are reminding the public to lock up their valuables and keep bikes in locked garages or storage areas. DONKEY DENTIST ... When someone needed a dentist for their pet donkey recently, Barron Park residents knew where to send them. Neighborhood star donkeys Perry and Niner get their teeth worked on by veterinarian Dr. Gary Hanes at Briarwood Equine Clinic in Woodside, donkey handler Bob Frost said. SAME OLD, SAME OLD ... The meat salesmen who were featured in a Nov. 15 story in the Weekly appear to be back — this time in Crescent Park. Several residents have reported the men claim to have sold seafood or meat to a neighbor, but on inquiry the neighbor had not purchased any products. Police suggest calling the department at 650-329-2413 to report unwanted solicitors, who are required to have a permit for doorto-door soliciting. N

3END ANNOUNCEMENTS OF NEIGHBORHOOD EVENTS MEET INGS AND NEWS TO 3UE $REMANN .EIGHBORHOODS EDITOR AT SDREMANN PAWEEKLY COM /R TALK ABOUT YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS ON 4OWN 3QUARE AT WWW 0ALO!LTO/NLINE COM

Kelsey Kienitz

COMMEMORATING GEORGE ... George, the beloved centuries-old Cowper oak, has been cut down after city officials and a consulting arborist determined it was a hazard. The tree had a hollow core large enough to seat a full-grown man inside. But residents and city officials are looking for ways to preserve the tree’s legacy. A working group of residents and staff are studying having pieces of George repurposed into benches and other objects for the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo and other locales. The hollow stump might be added to the popular tree-stump garden that already exists at the museum, according to city Planning Arborist Dave Dockter. A memorial is also planned that would include a preserved cross section of the tree, with 12 rings marked with noteworthy events that occurred during George’s lifetime.

.EAL /RMOND PREPARES TO HIT THE ROAD IN HIS @"ADONKADONK ,AND #RUISER A VEHICLE THAT GOES ABOUT THE SPEED OF A GOLF CART

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South Court’s gadget guy !RTIST AND DESIGNER .EAL /RMOND CREATES FLAME THROWERS ARMORED VEHICLES IN HIS BACK YARD by Sue Dremann T WAS A WARM FALL EVENING ON THE 3TANFORD 5NIVERSITY CAMPUS SEVER AL YEARS AGO AND STUDENTS WERE CEL EBRATING THE &ULL -OON ON THE 1UAD 3TANFORD S ANNUAL BACCHANALIAN WEL COMING RITUAL WHICH PAIRS INCOMING FRESHMEN WITH SENIORS .EAL /RMOND SOARED UP IN THE *, "ADONKADONK ,AND #RUISER FLAMES SHOOTING OUT FROM THE ARMORED TANK HE BUILT BY HAND 3TUDENTS CHEERED AND THE 3TAN FORD -ARCHING "AND NOISILY CAVORTED AMONG THE CELEBRANTS )T WAS AN AWESOME SIGHT THE STU DENTS AGREED 4HE STRANGE LOOKING VEHICLE WITH SLIT WINDOWS WHICH LOOKS ALIKE A CROSS BETWEEN A SUBMARINE AND AN I2OBOT h2OOMBAv ROBOTIC VACUUM CLEANER IS -IDTOWN RESIDENT /R MOND S OWN CREATION !N ARTIST AND OWNER OF .!/ $E SIGN /RMOND CUSTOM DESIGNS AND FABRICATES HIGH END PROTOTYPES AND LIMITED EDITION PRODUCTS IN AUTOMO TIVE DESIGN ARCHITECTURE PYROTECH NICS BIOMECHANICS PNEUMATICS LIGHTING FURNITURE ELECTRONICS SIG

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NAGE AND GRAPHICS (IS CREATIONS MIGHT NOT BE FOUND IN A 3HARPER )MAGE CATALOG BUT THEY DO CARRY THAT hAWESOMEv FACTOR %VER WANT A PERSONAL FLAMETHROW ER /RMOND HAS MADE TWO !ND HE KEEPS ONE OF THE BRASS CONTRAPTIONS OVER THE FIREPLACE THE WAY OTHER MEN HANG HUNTING RIFLES (E HAS EVEN CONSTRUCTED AN OB SERVATION PLATFORM FROM WHICH GUESTS CAN "UNGEE JUMP INTO THE BACKYARD POOL !ND IF THOSE ITEMS MIGHT SEEM A LITTLE LESS THAN PRACTICAL /RMOND DOESN T FRET (E S ELEGANTLY DESIGNED 3WISS TUBE HALOGEN LAMPS AND TOWER LAMPS ˆ hTHREE STAINLESS STEEL SIDES EACH PERFORATED WITH HUNDREDS OF HOLES AND LINED ON THE INTERIOR WITH HANJI PAPER v (E ALSO CRAFTED A BIPLANE TABLE WHICH IS DESCRIBED ON HIS WEB SITE AS hTWO CANTILEVERED PLANES OF BIRCH INTERSECT A CENTER SPIRE OF RED WOOD 'LASS SURFACES COVER PLATES OF MACHINED ALUMINUM THROUGH WHOSE HUNDREDS OF HOLES SHINES A SOFT GLOW FROM THE LIGHTING WITHIN v

4HERE IS ALSO THE 04 A RECUM BENT TRICYCLE WITH JOYSTICK STEERING AND A hCOMFY SEAT THAT ACTUALLY LEANS INTO THE TURNS FOR YOU v ! GIANT WALL HANGING OF ,EONARDO $A 6INCI S h5NIVERSAL -ANv HANGS IN HIS 3OUTH #OURT HOME ,IKE $A 6INCI S CREATIONS HIS WORK COMBINES PHYSICS ART AND MECHANICAL AND ELEC TRICAL ENGINEERING TO CREATE hELEGANT DESIGNS v WHETHER A VERTEBRATE LAMP OF WHITE ,YCRA STRETCHED OVER CIRCULAR FIBERGLASS RIBS OR hLIGHT GOGGLESv FOR ILLUMINATION IN A DARK SETTING /RMOND HAS WORKED ON SET DESIGNS FOR $RAGON 0RODUCTIONS 4HEATRE #OMPANY IN 0ALO !LTO AND HAS DONE STAGE PRODUCTION JOBS (IS CLIENTS RANGE FROM WEALTHY INDIVIDU ALS TO PERFORMANCE GROUPS (IS INFLUENCES HAVE INCLUDED #IRQUE DU 3OLEIL AND THE "LUE -AN GROUP 4HE PYROTECHNIC PROJECTS CAME OUT OF HIS ATTENDANCE AT "URN ING -AN HE SAID "UT HE DOESN T REALLY KNOW WHERE THE IDEAS COME FROM HE SAID (E LIVED IN A HOUSE WITH STUDENTS WHO WERE WORKING ON SEVEN START UPS HE SAID h"USINESS WAS NEVER BOOMING BUT WHEN IT WAS LOOKING LIKE ) D HAVE TO GET AN OFFICE JOB THINGS WOULD COME THROUGH v HE SAID h4HE BEST DESIGN IS THE MOST EL EGANT -OST THINGS ARE OVER ENGI NEERED AND CLUNKY ) LOOK FOR SIMPLE ELEGANT SOLUTIONS v HE SAID !S A CHILD /RMOND SAID HE CRE ATED BIG ELABORATE DISPLAYS AT THE

FAMILY HOME -ANY OF HIS SKILLS ARE HONED FROM TINKERING AND INFORMA TION HE PICKED UP ON THE )NTERNET (E ALSO COUNTS HIS LANDLORD AND NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR 6ICTOR 3CHEIN MAN AS A MAJOR INFLUENCE h4HERE WAS A LITTLE BIT OF FATE IN VOLVED v HE SAID NOTING THAT 3CHEIN MAN IS A MECHANICAL ENGINEER WHO TAUGHT /RMOND EVERYTHING HE KNOWS ON THE SUBJECT h(E S ALWAYS BEEN AMAZINGLY SUPPORTIVE OF THE LARGE PROJECTS v /RMOND SAID /RMOND S HOME IS SURPRISINGLY NEAT (E WORKS IN HIS ROOM OR THE BACK YARD AND KEEPS HIS PROJECT PARTS IN A SHED h) HAVE REACHED A GOOD MEDIUM WITH MY NEIGHBORS v HE SAID ADDING THAT HE STRATEGIZES HIS WORK HOURS TO AVOID UNDULY LOUD NOISES FROM GRINDERS AND AIR COMPRESSORS 4HE MOST EXTREME DISTURBANCE OC CURRED WHEN HE WAS WORKING ON A PYROTECHNIC DESIGN 7HEN HE FIRED THE FLAMING ROCKETS ALL AT ONCE THEY CREATED A WALL OF SOUND h)T CREATES A LOW FREQUENCY SHOCK WAVE &OLKS FROM WAY DOWN THE STREET CAME UP 4HE WINDOWS WERE RATTLING WAY DOWN THE STREET v HE SAID "UT THEY WERE MORE INTERESTED THAN ANNOYED HE SAID !ND THEY ARE OCCASIONALLY ENTERTAINED WHEN A NEW PRODUCT COMES CRUISING OUT OF THE HOUSE !ND THAT IS WHERE THE "ADONKA (continued on page 10)

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