None of your dusty stuffed animal cases and worthy educational displays here, this is a digital paradise of green screens and 20-ft high webcam doodling walls, with the only paintbrushes found in the icon bars of graphics programs.
The computers were, naturally, where Meg started off, before graduating to writing, acting in, and producing her own toothpaste commercial. There was then a break for some "old skool" (or current school, for her) sticking and gluing before we moved on to glowdoodle. This is a huge cylindrical hall where a camera tracks your movements with a lightstick and projects them several storeys high in front of you. With the press of a button you can upload them to view later. Click for a selection of our best!
After a thoroughly creative day we returned to the WC via a BART that had been thoroughly soaked and therefore shorted out. Most of downtown Oakland had lost electricity, and so we waited in a dim station until a train arrived that didn't even bother stopping at the next one. Luckily the Creek hadn't faired quite so badly and we polished off the evening with a pizza. Ian even tried a Guinness. Not like it tastes in Ireland, his inevitable verdict.
I forgot! There was some old fashioned tech in the shape of the Yerba Buena Gardens carousel. I got to go with Meg the first time. After that I was banished to the outside like an embarrassing uncle (wait...)
Special effects.
Recording our commercial (see below).
Robot man.
Sticking and gluing? When there are so many computers here? And your Dad works for Sony?
The awesome glowdoodle.
Mouse control, more impressive at four than I can manage at...a significantly higher age.
One moment of girliness was allowed during the day, but the princess dress (a prop for the music video studio) was swiftly and impressively discarded for being "too sparkly".
Ok, some more last-century playthings. I came third in a Frome Lego-building competition when I was five. Did I ever tell you?
The end.
And Ian's holiday finally starts.
For your enjoyment, our under-rehearsed, mostly improvised commercial. Not helped by the fact that one of the microphones wasn't working :(
I blame the writers and producers.
