Tag Archives: Arcata

The Best Things In LIfe Are Free – at Bug Press

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Last weeks’ Mad River Union, an indispensable paper if there ever were one, featured an announcement from Arcata’s venerable Bug Press that in celebration of the National Parks Service centennial and in view of the budget cuts with which the NPS is struggling, “Bug Press is sharing restored National Parks and Works Progress Administration posters as a gift to the community, and a plea to help support parks. Donations to help NPS can be made directly at http://nationalparks.org/support-parks.

To encourage donations, Bug Press is offering  restored National Park posters through Friday, June 17.  A selection of 11 original WPA designs, including those for the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Zion and Lassen will be available daily at the front counter at 1461 M Street in Arcata. Quantities are limited. (707) 822-2001.

FREE!  I found the Bug Press office on a quiet street kind of near Arcata High and walked in. It was a peaceful scene.  There didn’t seem to be anyone there.   I scored five GORGEOUS posters including one of the Castillo at  St Augustine during the period when it was renamed Fort Marion.  That’s going to my brother in Jacksonville. I left $10, probably should have left more. 

Anyway, get over there before the 17th.   And thanks, Bug Press, for a truly great gift to the community.

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Streamguys Takes it Further

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The latest from our premiere internet player:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Press Contact:
Brian Galante
Dimension PR
(207) 494-8428
brian@dimensionpronline.com

StreamGuys Turnkey Streaming Network Elevates Online Radio Presence for Cox Media Group

SaaS platform integrates multiple cloud-based products and services to support live and on-demand streaming, targeted ad delivery, audience metrics and more for 60 stations

BAYSIDE, CALIFORNIA, February 1, 2016 — StreamGuys, a pioneering content delivery network and streaming media provider, has partnered with Cox Media Group to roll out a turnkey SaaS streaming platform for live ad-supported broadcasts, on-demand podcasts, and detailed business metrics and reporting across its entire radio network.

Now live across all 60 Cox Media Group radio stations in 11 markets, StreamGuys has built a rich toolset around its robust, reliable cloud-based content management and delivery network in alignment with the broadcaster’s goals. The company’s SaaS approach cleanly and cost-efficiently integrates several recent, innovative StreamGuys SGsuite products and services into the network that enrich streaming player data, accelerate podcast creation, enhance royalty reporting, and monetize streaming initiatives.

“In StreamGuys, we have found an ideal technology partner that understands the same opportunities we see to evolve our radio products,” said Tim Clarke, senior director of digital audience, Cox Media Group. “Their infrastructure and technology, along with competitive pricing and expertise in broadcasting, gives us incredible flexibility in the management and delivery of our network-wide streaming initiatives.”

Clarke emphasizes that Cox Media Group’s key goal is “ubiquity,” and StreamGuys’ open architecture assures delivery across all web and mobile platforms to support all listener preferences. The streaming experience is further bolstered through SGPlayer, an HTML5 multimedia player that is custom-skinned for each station. SGPlayer’s rich metadata support delivers the relevant information that online audiences seek along side the audio stream, including song/artist data, album art, recently played tracks and social media links for sharing the experience with other listeners. SGplayer is also an approved Nielsen SDK player, delivering client-side analytics that offer greater insight into online listener demographics than what was possible before.

Beyond live streaming, Cox Media Group is managing its ever-growing stable of on-demand podcasts using StreamGuys’ SGrecast software. SGrecast empowers multiple operators to quickly turn linear broadcasts into Podcasts and side channels of any length, with near-immediate turnaround to consumers. Clarke notes SGrecast has been “a phenomenal success,” and is used for brief news, traffic and weather in every market; and 24/7 rebroadcasts of high-profile shows after initial airings.

StreamGuys’ advertising portfolio also allows Cox Media Group to intelligently strategize local and national online ad campaigns. In addition to local video and audio insertions, Cox Media Group integrates ads for out-of-market listeners using StreamGuys’ connectivity to AdWave, a leading ad marketplace warehouse.

“Our listeners want access to our content on demand and on the devices of their choosing; SGrecast allows us to extend the life of content beyond the live linear broadcast,” said Clarke. “We can now provide content such as news, traffic and weather in an on-demand audio format that is easily consumable in our apps and on our websites. Additionally, we can offer a more advanced level of targeting to our advertisers, giving them more meaningful opportunities to reach our collective listeners.”

The StreamGuys SaaS architecture also integrates the company’s leading business software platforms, including a custom package for enhanced royalty reporting. This allows Cox Media Group to deliver information to the RIAA and SoundExchange about when and where songs were played in an automated manner—eliminating the time-intensive manual data entry and paperwork previously associated with ensuring artists are fairly compensated. The business software package also includes SGreports for in-depth audience analytics and stream metrics; SGalerts for e-mail-based notification of performance issues network-wide; and detailed logging and reporting for ad playout and exposure.

“Cox Media Group has deployed a highly progressive streaming architecture that StreamGuys will continue to scale and evolve in partnership with their internal teams, ensuring they remain on the leading edge of digital media delivery for many years to come,” said Jason Osburn, executive vice president, StreamGuys. “We are elated to deliver a comprehensive SaaS service that, along with our turnkey support, will at once help Cox Media Group solve problems and generate new ideas to push online radio and podcasting forward.”

About StreamGuys, Inc.
In business since 2000, StreamGuys is an industry-leading service provider of live and on-demand streaming, podcasting delivery, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) toolsets for enterprise-level broadcast media organizations. The company brings together the industry’s best price-to-performance ratio, a robust and reliable network, and an infinitely scalable cloud-based platform for clients of any size to process, deliver, monetize and playout professional streaming content. StreamGuys supports many of the world’s largest Podcasts, global TV and radio broadcasters, video and audio production companies, houses of worship, retail and hospitality businesses, government organizations, medical and healthcare services, and live venues for sports and entertainment. The company excels in developing and deploying technologies for business growth and revenue generation, including dynamic ad insertion, mobile streaming and detailed business and data analytics.

# # #
StreamGuys, Inc – info@streamguys.com – www.streamguys.com – 707.667.9479
P.O. Box 828 Arcata, California 95518 – fax 707.516.0009

 

The Tragedy of Toni’s

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Over New Year’s we had occasion to revisit Toni’s 24-Hour Restaurant.  This is a terrific establishment, especially at 2am when I will never see it, but we experienced the same flaw as on our first visit-stale frying oil. This time it was the chicken-fried steak , which otherwise would have been wonderful,  which had been fried in oil that should have been changed.   I brought it home for LouLou but it was really a shame. On the other hand, the onion rings were great. Go figure. The burgers continue to be superb. My companion ordered a triple and almost finished it.

My chicken-fried steak came with a choice of breads including a home-made biscuit, which was delicious  and served with a huge gob of soft butter.

I guess in order to avoid the tragedy and heartbreak of stale oil, you could just order carefully, staying away from  anything  fried.  “I’ll have a blue cheese burger and a biscuit”. Nah, doesn’t work. I’ll keep playing the cooking oil roulette at Toni’s because when they do get it right, it’s glorious.

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Your Handy Clip-and-Save Guide To Dollar Stores and Dollar General Stores And So On

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Do you get irritated by those Dollar General ads that show up in the paper with NO info as to where you can actually access the vaunted bargains?  Help has arrived, but to straighten this out, we need to discuss as well as the regular old Dollar Stores the fact that these stores are sometimes doing business under names like Family Dollar. You see a lot of those in the South.

It helps that the plain old “Dollar Stores” are the ones where everything really DOES cost a dollar.  The following is a locator for the honest-to-God  Dollar Stores in Humboldt currently:

Dollar Tree, Valley West Center in Arcata, phone 825-8401

Dollar Tree, 1111 Myrtle, on the CVS/Starbucks side, phone 443-5515

Dollar Tree, 800 W Harris, the Eureka Mall,

Dollar Tree, 721 S Fortuna Blvd, 726-7850, Redwood Village, Fortuna

Bigfoot Dollar, 76 Country Club Drive, Willow Creek, 530-629-2100.

Now, lets talk about Dollar General.  They carry stuff which costs  from $1 to $25. They are at:

650 South Fortuna Blvd, no phone listed and

44 Davis Street, Rio Dell , 764-1734.  

The Dollar General stores are more upscale (comparatively) and carry things like Tracfones.  I assume they are intendIng to expand in the county because otherwise I can’t understand why they  publish an expensive supplement to the Times every Sunday for only two stores. 

Obviously (to me,’cause I’m a cheapskate)) the only ones worth patronizing are the REAL dollar stores. They’re great for wrapping paper and picture frames, also dishes if you check the labels carefully. 

Let me know if you see any more of these critters.  The world of discount retail is shadowy and ephemeral.  Only a few months ago there was a Dollar store of in Bayshore Mall, near the credit union. Just browsing online, it seems to be gone.  And I’m not willing to brave the rain to go check.  Meanwhile, you can print out our handy-dandy guide and keep it in your wallet.   It still works even when ATT goes out.

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JOBS! JOBS! JOBS!

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TWO major hiring opportunities are coming up RIGHT NOW.  The first is at Arcata’s Wing Inflatables, which has announced in the Mad River Union that it is expanding its facilities and recruiting for approximately 77 positions.  “The company seeks highly motivated general manufacturing workers with strong attention to detail.  Interested prospective employees may email a resume, cover letter, and contact details to Wing Inflatables’ Human Resources Department at employment@wing.com .”

AND the Mendocino and Humboldt Redwood Companies are holding a  “Hiring Event” on Saturday, 8:00 am -1:00 pm at the Humboldt Redwood Company Forestry Office, 125 Main Street, Scotia.  Their announcement in the Times-Standard states, “Bring your resume,  application and interest.  We will conduct on-site interviews, share giveaways and more!”   For advance applications contact Recruiter@Hrcllc.com or call (707 485-6701.

GO FOR IT!

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How To Gain Five Pounds In Two Weeks; Eating Out At Brick, Kyoto, Toni’s and the Benbow

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Had a crowd of summer visitors? At least they’re a excuse for eating out. Here are some meals we enjoyed recently.

Brick & Fire- this is everyone’s favorite restaurant and if you haven’t been,  do yourself a favor and go.  Go now.   They’ve had a good run and nothing lasts forever.  Yes, it’s spendy but you could have a Wild Mushroom Cobbler ($9) which is pretty darn filling. Add a salad for $7 and you’ve got a nice meal. Add WINE  and your costs increase exponentially. If you order the brick-pressed bird, ask for it well done. ($22, enough for two meals.) The Italian Mac’n’Cheese ($15- also so rich it’s two meals) is so good I ordered it for my birthday dinner. We came back the next week and I ordered it again. We are so luck to have a bistro of this caliber I don’t even mind calling it a bistro.  Their website is HERE.

Masaki’s Kyoto- We wanted to see how the Kyoto was holding up without Eric Masaki, now with the HCSO and good for him. The answer is : just fine. We walked in on a Friday night with no reservations, ordered dinners and sushi-  lemon and Eureka rolls and something with eel. Service was quick considering  we were ordering sushi.  I’ve always loved the Kyoto but one of our group is a Shanghai native who has lived in Japan, is a damn picky eater and has an encyclopedic knowledge of Asian food. He pronounced the meal excellent and we all agreed. No website.

Toni’s 24-Hour Restaurant – is just that, a real restaurant, not a burger stand.  I didn’t take Toni’s seriously because all I ever heard about it was that it ‘s a great place to go when you’re drunk, hungry and it’s 3am. Also I could never figure out to get there. With someone else driving, and headed  for a movie in Arcata, we got there at around 7pm and found only a short line. The menu goes ‘way beyond burgers. The folks across from us were all eating chef salads and they looked good. I had a blue cheese burger on ciabatta and really liked the way they grilled the ciabatta. The onion rings, unfortunately, were cooked with oil that tasted stale,but I would try them another time. The burgers and shakes were excellent, but I would definitely think about getting the chicken-fried steak next time. Cozy atmosphere. Their website is HERE.

The Benbow Inn- Our family has always loved the Benbow and it just gets better and better. We lost a family member earlier this year 

and a reunion at the Benbow just seemed like the right thing. Actually, my parents spent the first night of their honeymoon there and I thought that perhaps the reason I love the place so much is that I was conceived there. HA! Probably not since it would have involved a two year gestation. Yes, its spendy but they’ll negotiate, especially for groups. We had nine, in three rooms and two KOA “cabins” and they gave us a rate of $175 for Terrace Rooms, which are much nicer than some of the “historic” building rooms and are located on the other side of the building. The Terrace Rooms are a lot better for anyone who wants to avoid that godawful staircase going up to the front entrance. The food was perfect as always. They were featuring a white gazpacho ($7) with grapes which was pretty wonderful and very refreshing.  (The temperature was 95 and it didn’t start cooling off till 8pm.) The salmon ($32) was great, the linguini with vegetables was a big hit ($19) and the crab cakes ($15) are good and substantial  enough for a main course.  If you drive down for lunch , which is a nice excursion, you can have sandwiches and that gazpacho. You won’t spend any more at the Benbow than you will at Jack’s and some other mediocre places in Eureka. Benbow is especially nice for lunch around the holidays, when you can eat in the lounge near a roaring fire. And you feel like a millionaire. The website is HERE.

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OYSTER FESTIVAL-Too Big For the Plaza?

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It was only a couple of days before Saturday’s Festival that I took a really good look at the festival map. I discovered to my horror that the powers-that-be at Arcata Main Street had decided to eliminate the parking lot/shuttle stop on Samoa Boulevard down around K Street “due to not enough use”, as the staffer told me when I called to complain. Their revised plan was to cut off access to the Plaza from the North so that anyone who rode the shuttles and got off at their stops on 11th Street had to walk all the way down to 7th Street to get access.

I know three extra blocks doesn’t sound like much, but when you’re (hopefully temporarily) disabled as I am that’s a real issue. I’m using a cane due to a recent knee replacement and three blocks is beyond my comfort zone so I called Arcata Main Street and spoke with a nice person who directed me to their “ADA parking” off 7th Street. Those dear folks, with all the good intentions in the world, had set side a big fat 16 parking spaces for a festival expected to attract 16,000 oyster fans. Even the person I was speaking to realized how silly that sounded. I don’t recall the actually ADA setasides for outdoor Festivals but it’s a helluva lot more than 1 in 1000. 

So we ended up showing up at before 8am in order to get a closeby parking space. In a way, it was great because by the time the Plaza got hot and crowded, we were ready to go home. On the other hand, when you leave at noon you miss a lot of stuff.  I found myself wondering WHY the Festival is on the Plaza in the first place. There’s no connection between the Plaza and the Oysters and the Festival disrupts the Farmers’ Market every year. Moving it to the Community Center would lost the “Festival” aspect. The Festival should be held on the BAY!!  Woodley Island isn’t part of Arcata Main Street’s domain plus it’s too small and getting everyone on and off the island would be a nightmare.  But looking ahead to an era when lots of interesting developments are coming up in Samoa, I hope that one day the Festival will expand its footprint,  reducing the congestion.  We can only hope.

Congratulations to AMS and their volunteers for another successful Festival, but let’s put a little more thought into the arrangements next year. 

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Have Kids? Take Them to ACV June 9th.

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In a local version of the Harmonic Convergence, our still NOT renamed airport will host BOTH the Wings of Freedom air meeting AND the Goodyear blimp on Tuesday June 9.  The Wings of Freedom event offers a chance to tour vintage Word War II aircraft,  and the blimp!! Well, what can you say about the blimp other than that it is the most recognizable American icon, apart from the Statue of Liberty. 

The festivities actually start on the 8th and the exact date of the blimps’ arrival is unclear (it takes several days to get here from Long Beach) .  Check the papers or  the Fly Humboldt Facebook page for updates.

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