July 21st, 2007 – On the 38th anniversary of the first moonwalk, the Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California is throwing a  party to benefit the Buddhist journal Inquiring Mind (edited by my buddy Wes Nisker), and the Spirit Rock Scholarship Fund. There will be  dharma talks, live music, an  auction, and at some point they will make me tell a story. "Performers" include Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornfield, Nina Wise, Jane Hirshfield, Gary Gach, me, Wes, and many others! Please check out the Celebrate Your Mind web page for tickets.

June, 2007 – One of the most intriguing sites on the web, for the likes of me and my ilk, is the Street Use gallery posted by Kevin Kelly, a founder of Wired magazine and all-purpose visionary. Kelly recently posted three of my "vintage" photos on the site, all taken during my travels through Asia between 1979 and 1984. Check out these images of a light bulb lamp, a flashlight broom, and heroic portage of Coca-Cola bottles.

Wednesday, September 20th - It’s almost like performing at Carnegie Hall, or the Fillmore! Strange Travel Suggestions will play for one night only at this famed and fabulous Berkeley club, as a benefit for Ethical Traveler. Showtime is at 8 p.m., with doors opening at 7:30. For details call 548-1761, or visit www.freightandsalvage.org

September 8-10, 2006 - I clearly remember the day: September 8th, 1966. My father, brother and I sat on the couch in the living room, in front of a Sylvania B&W TV with a box of Mr. Salty pretzles. I was 12 years old. Vietnam was in full swing; no one had walked on the Moon. But we were about to be transported to a future in which Earthlings had evolved beyond war, and humanity roamed the galaxy with a smile and a shoeshine: The first episode of Star Trek was about to premier. From September 8th-10th, I’ll be a featured speaker  the Star Trek 40th Anniversary Gala, to be held in Seattle, WA. Fellow guests and speakers will include Nichelle Nichols, Jason Alexander, George Takei, and many others. Click on the green text above for the link, and beam yourself into the Space Needle!

Thursday, Sept 7th, 2006 - The Mechanics’ Institute Library, at 57 Post Street in San Francisco, will open their Autumn season with a one-off performance of Strange Travel Suggestions. The show starts at 7 p.m., with the box office and café open at 6:30. Tickets are $10 for members, $16 for non-members. Tickets are extremely limited to this event, so if you are interested don’t hesitate… call the MI for details at 415-393-0100 or visit their website. 

April, 2006 - The slogan of Berkeley-based Seacology Foundation is, "Saving the world, one island at a time." During March, I’ll be visiting their project to save the endangered Golden-Maned Langur on Cat Ba Island,   Vietnam. My writings and photographs from the field will appear on the Seacology website, as well as on ThingsAsian. You can also read the  dispatches I wrote last November, from Sulawesi and Bali,  on Seacology, as well as  on Ethical Traveler and Salon.