COMING UP THIS WEEK:

Purity and Pollution: Cannabis as Matter Out of Place
Trace the history of cannabis with researcher Michael Polson from pesky weed to potent weed. This is part of a series from the museum and UC Botanical Garden examining the changing cultural dynamics surrounding cannabis.
WED SEP 4, 6 PM; Hearst Museum of Anthropology, Berkeley; Free

SF Fringe Festival
The Fringe festival is an experience – part chance, part risk, definitely intriguing. There are 6-20 short shows each night at the Exit Theater over the 10 day festival. I’m personally intrigued by A Decent Negroni, Grief is Horny, Schooltown Funk, and You’re good for nothing. I’ll milk the cow myself. But part of Fringe is diving in headfirst and seeing what you get. Shows are all $13 or less.
THU SEP 5 – SAT SEP 14, Various times nightly; Exit Theater, SF; $13 and down!

Workshop SF: First Fridays – Bob Ross Night
Happy little trees are within your reach at Workshop SF’s DIY Bob Ross painting night. Beers, music, and happy accidents will abound.
FRI SEP 6, 7:00 PM; Workshop, SF; Free to attend, Donations for painting.

Re-Re-Re-Re-dedication of the Emperor Norton Plaque
Sound the Hewgag!!! It’s time to dedicate that plaque to Emperor Norton – the noted SF eccentric who envisioned the the bridging of the bay. The plaque has a storied history – traveling from the initial transbay terminal out to the cliff house and back again. After being restored by the DeYoung museum, it is being re(^4) dedicated at the new Transbay terminal. Expect a bit a pomp among the circumstance.
SAT SEP 7, 3:30 PM – 4:00PM; Transbay Terminal, SF; Free

MUNI Heritage Weekend
Muni is breaking out their vintage rides for a special weekend of rides and bell ringing. I’m a fan of the England boat tram and 1912 Tram (the first publicly owned streetcar). Hop aboard all weekend and enjoy special discounts at the railway museum (which is a treat that most San Franciscans never visit). Full lineup of trains, trams, and coaches here.
SAT SEP 7 – SUN SEP 8, 11:00 AM; SF Railway Museum, SF; Free

The Vortex Swim
Long distance swimmer Ben Lecomte decided the pool wasn’t enough of a challenge, so he went swimming in the Pacific Trash Vortex northwest of the Hawaiian Islands. Hear his experience swimming in a sea of plastic and tour the ship they used to get there.
SAT SEP 7, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM; Exploratorium, SF; Free with admission

Crucible Open House
I just finished binging Blown Away on Netflix – so naturally I fancy myself a glass artist. I think I’ll come back to reality with a visit to the Crucible’s Open House this weekend.  Blacksmithing, woodworking, glass flameworking, clay sculpting, leather, welding, stone carving are just some of the demos.
SAT SEP 7, 12:00 PM – 5:00PM; The Crucible, Oakland; Free

Agar Art
Learn how to make colorful, incubated living art in this workshop. Pick up a petri plate, some nutrient media, and get painting with bacteria.
SAT SEP 7, @:00 PM; Book, Counter Culture Labs, Oakland; $20

Robots are Creatures, Not Things with Madeline Gannon
Madeline Gannon shares her work in convincing robots to do things they were never intended to do: from transforming a giant industrial robot into a living, breathing mechanical creature, to taming a horde of autonomous robots to behave more like a pack of animals. This talk will be like Simone Giertz on robot steroids.
MON SEP 9, 6:30 PM; BAMPFA, Berkeley; Free

Odd Salon: Epiphany
Geophysicist and all around good guy Miles Traer takes his spin as curator of Odd Salon this month with six tales of acute realizations , profound insights , and life altering discoveries. Sometimes a light bulb does go off.
TUE SEP 10, 6:30 PM; Public Works, SF; $15 and up.

Astronomy on Tap SF
AoT is back from sabbatical for a night of talks, trivia, and black holes.  I can’t recommend rowdy astronomers and astronomy enthusiasts enough.
TUE SEP 10, 7:30 PM; DNA Lounge, SF; Free.

Lewis Dartnell: ORIGINS – How Earth’s history shaped human history
Journey into the planet’s deep past – when earth’s history shaped the development of humans. We seem to be back at that moment again – so there is no better time to revisit the past.
TUE SEP 10, 6:30 PM; The Interval at Long Now, SF; $25 and up.