Spammers Already?

Are you kidding me?

Amazingly, I'm already getting consistent spamming attempts on the site.  I have to say I'm a bit surprised as I've done very little yet to market or advertise the new kpasa.co so far, since I've been mostly focused on its technical aspects.

Though its web framework has a few countermeasures built-in, in the interest of making the site as easy and user-friendly as possible, I decided to allow anonymous comments.  The only requirement is that they have to be approved before display.  In fact the comment form warns you of that in simple language.

Even if one was able to get their garbage shown, links in our comments are automatically marked nofollow and therefore give no link-fu whatsoever.  In addition, an as-yet-unknown site gives no appreciable boost to search engine rankings anyway.

So, kpasa offers spammers nothing, nada, zilch.  Their actions are a waste of time for everyone involved.  Please die in a fire.

I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but I thought I'd share the work of these clowns in case it can help others, or others can help us.  ;)  Click below to view.

Site is Now Live!

Believe it or not, after toiling over many nights and weekends we'd like to announce that kpasa is officially live and running somewhere in Amazon's data centers.

What is kpasa?  Well funny you should ask...  Personally, I've always wished there were a site like reddit that allowed its community to vote on fun things to do in the city.  All the event sites we've seen (and believe me there are many) don't allow much collaboration, look boring, corporate, and to be squeezing the fun out of everything.

kpasa is our attempt to change all that, and I hope you'll like it.  We'll "soft launch" in the next few weeks and be ready to serve Angelenos for Independence Day weekend (June 30th to July 4).  If there's any support for this kind of site, we'd like to bring it out to other cities.

So go check it out already!  ;)

Feedback welcome, of course.

Coming Soon

Sorry about the delay, but we're working hard on a new site which should be up shortly.  Stay tuned.

Descanso Gardens

Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

 
Both kid and date friendly are the lovely Descanso Gardens, northwest of Pasadena in La Cañada.  Like most botanic gardens there are a large selection of plants, rose and Japanese gardens.  Unlike most of them however, this one is more natural and in parts less developed, eschewing artificial landscaping for hiking trails.

The miniature train ride is cute and fun, although it gives off fumes as it runs.  The Boddy house is currently closed but will be open soon just in time for prime time at the gardens, Spring!

To get there take the 2 North or 210 Freeway East to Verdugo Drive and follow the signs.

New Year's Eve Party #1

I just received this flyer from a friend ... New Year's Eve "Multi-Party" for those of you who'd enjoy bar hopping Downtown.  We've done this pilgrimage before on our own and had a lot of fun.  My favorites are the Broadway, the back room at Cole's, and Seven Grand.

If you find yourself over on Spring Street another great choice is the bank vault under the Crocker Club as well, across from Down 'N Out.  (Not included with this deal, just sayin').

Downtown Art Walk

Get this map in PDF here.

Another of Los Angeles hidden jems is the Downtown Art Walk.  Held every second Thursday of the month, it is a free community event put on by local Art Galleries, Restaurants, and Bars.  Enjoy LA's Historic Core, Art exhibitions, have a nice dinner, and meet interesting people too.

Although its been going on for years you may not have heard of it if you live in another part of the city.  The walk has become more popular every year, and has been growing to the point that it may become a victim of its own success.  Come and experience this unique evening before it's gone!

Regarding the walk tomorrow, I have this special announcement from BringingBackBroadway:

ENJOY A HOLIDAY HAPPY HOUR
THIS THURSDAY DEC. 9 WITH
BRINGING BACK BROADWAY
AND THE DOWNTOWN L.A. STREETCAR PROJECT

Celebrate a great year of success for
Bringing Back Broadway and the Downtown L.A. Streetcar!

Mix and mingle - bring your friends or meet new ones.
Enjoy Downtown Art Walk afterwards, too!  All are welcome!

Patty Wagon Food Truck will be outside serving up good stuff, and there will be a new gallery show "To Assume Bodily Form" across the street at the Eastern Columbia Building for Artwalk later that evening!

Whether you're involved with these projects, supportive of a great and revitalized Downtown or just curious about what's happening with these important efforts,
stop by the Broadway Bar on Thursday December 9th for a casual
Holiday Happy Hour between 5:30-7:30pm (during Art Walk!)

$3 beers and $2 off all other drinks.
@The Broadway Bar, 830 S. Broadway

411:

• When:  2nd Thursday of every Month, roughly Noon to 9pm.
• Where: Centered on Spring and Main Streets between 4th and 9th
• Metro:  Pershing Square Station (Red Line)

LA Auto Show

If you're a car buff and haven't heard about this year's LA Auto Show, it starts today(!) and runs through Thanksgiving and the last weekend end of the month.

Given that LA is car central you can expect it to be one of the best in the country if not the world.  See the new concept cars, electrics and hybrids, exotic sports cars and everything in between at this immense exhibition held at the prestigious Convention Center Downtown. If you've paid any attention to energy situation you'll know there is a lot  of new technology in the works and this is a great way to see it up close and personal with your own eyes.  You may even get your kiester into a few of these. 

While not exactly a gear head myself, I've been to the show in the past and enjoyed it quite a bit.  I've got to admit however you'll be askin' for a foot massage the after ya get home ... still fun though.

Tip:  Take the metro Downtown (7th, Pico stations) and save on parking($$$) and traffic shenanigans.

Links:

•  Main Site
• Wikipedia Article 
• LA Times Coverage