Brian Merchant on the history of the iPhone

Thursday, June 22, 2017
8pm 
 
Brian Merchant
in conversation with 
Claire L. Evans
 
discussing his upcoming book,
The One Device:
The Secret History of the iPhone

Ann and Jerry Moss Theatre
New Roads School

Herb Alpert Educational Village
3131 Olympic Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90404

PURCHASE TICKETS 
$42 Reserved Section seat + a copy of The One Device
$30 Reserved Section Seat
$20 General Admission Seat

The secret history of the invention that changed everything-and became the most profitable product in the world. June 29, 2017, marks the 10th anniversary of the device that changed our world—the iPhone.

Brian Merchant is an editor at Motherboard, Vice’s science and technology outlet, and the founder and editor of Terraform, its online fiction outlet. His work has appeared in the Guardian, Slate, Vice, Salon, Fast Company, Discovery, GOOD, Paste, and elsewhere.

“The One Device is a tour de force, with fast-paced edge and heaps of analytical insight.” -Ashlee Vance, New York Times bestselling author of Elon Musk

“A stunning book. You will never look at your iPhone the same way again.” -Dan Lyons, New York Times bestselling author of Disrupted
 
Odds are that as you read this, an iPhone is within reach. But before Steve Jobs introduced us to “the one device,” as he called it, a cell phone was merely what you used to make calls on the go.
 
How did the iPhone transform our world and turn Apple into the most valuable company ever? Veteran technology journalist Brian Merchant reveals the inside story you won’t hear from Cupertino-based on his exclusive interviews with the engineers, inventors, and developers who guided every stage of the iPhone’s creation.
 
This deep dive takes you from inside One Infinite Loop to 19th century France to WWII America, from the driest place on earth to a Kenyan pit of toxic e-waste, and even deep inside Shenzhen’s notorious “suicide factories.” It’s a firsthand look at how the cutting-edge tech that makes the world work-touch screens, motion trackers, and even AI-made their way into our pockets.
 
The One Device is a roadmap for design and engineering genius, an anthropology of the modern age, and an unprecedented view into one of the most secretive companies in history. This is the untold account, ten years in the making, of the device that changed everything.
 
The One Device includes interviews with key members of the original team behind the iPhone—many of whom have never before spoken on the record, including star Apple designers Imran Chaudri and Bas Ording, as well as dozens of other Apple employees—about creating the prototypes and building the software that determines how we interact with the machines today. Merchant speaks to Henri Lamiraux, former Apple VP of software; Tony Fadell, the creator of the iPod and former head of iPhone hardware; Tom Gruber, the engineer who co-created Siri; and hundreds of inventors, laborers, and iPhone pioneers

To trace the story of the iPhone, Merchant traveled to every inhabited continent, from the Bolivian highlands to the city of Shenzhen, using “the one device” to document the effort. He took 8,000 photos, recorded 200 hours of interviews, tapped out hundreds of Notes, and had dozens of FaceTime sessions with his family back home. He went through three different iPhones: an iPhone 6, whose screen was broken and repaired three times, a black-market 4S that he bought in China but which was stolen in Chile, and an iPhone 7 he snapped up on its launch day.

Claire L. Evans is an American singer, writer, and artist based in Los Angeles, California. She is the lead singer of the pop duo YACHT. Evans joined YACHT in 2008 after sharing a “mystical experience” with collaborator Jona Bechtolt, and has recorded three albums, See Mystery Lights, Shangri-La, and I Thought the Future Would Be Cooler with Bechtolt. She also appeared as a guest on YACHT’s third album, I Believe in You. Your Magic Is Real. Known for her androgynous onstage persona as a performer, she has been called a “neo-Annie Lennox” by the New York Times.[1] NPR music journalist Bob Boilen has referred to her as “one of the most striking performers I’ve seen in a rock band.”

She is a member of the feminist collective Deep Lab. In addition, Evans is a science journalist, with a popular science and culture blog, Universe, hosted by National Geographic’s Scienceblogs network.  She is the co-author of New Art/Science Affinities, a book about contemporary artists working at the intersection of science and technology.  She is also the author of a collection of essays called High Frontiers, published by Publication Studio, a small press in Portland, Oregon.  In August 2013, she became the editor-in-chief of OMNI Reboot, a new online version of the science magazine OMNI.[9] She is currently the Futures Editor of Motherboard, Vice (magazine)‘s technology and science website.

 

Jack Kornfield with Dan Siegel

Tuesday, June 6, 2017
8pm 
 
Jack Kornfield
in conversation with Dan Siegel
 
discussing his upcoming book,
No Time Like the Present: Finding Freedom, Love, and Joy Right Where You Are

Ann and Jerry Moss Theatre
New Roads School

Herb Alpert Educational Village
3131 Olympic Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90404

SOLD OUT
Video will posted a week after the event.

Jack Kornfield, PhD, is one of the best known, most respected meditation teachers in the world. A psychologist and founder of two of the largest Buddhist Centers and communities in America, he is one of the key teachers who introduced mindfulness to the West. His books are classics, selling well over a million copies, translated into twenty-one languages. Jack has taught at major universities and medical schools including Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, and Berkeley, teaches weekly classes to 400 at Spirit Rock, and to large crowds nationwide at retreats, conferences, and events. To learn more, please visit his website or the Spirit Rock website. 

“One of the great spiritual teachers of our time.”
— Alice Walker

“Jack Kornfield is a wonderful storyteller and a great teacher.”
— Thich Nhat Hanh, author of Creating Peace

“A consommé of goodness, heart, laughter, tears, and breath, nourishing and delicious. Rich in hope and deep wisdom for these revved up, rattling times.”
— Anne Lamott author of Grace (Eventually)

“With its incomparable blend of deep wisdom, evocative stories, and powerful meditations, No Time Like the Present is the fruit of a lifetime of spiritual teaching.  Jack Kornfield’s message is we don’t have to wait. Love, peace, freedom… it’s all available right here, in this very heart.”
— Tara Brach, author of Radical Acceptance and True Refuge

Internationally beloved teacher of meditation and mindfulness, Jack Kornfield, reveals that you can be happy now, this minute, with the keys to inner freedom.

In his first major book in several years, the inspiring author of the classic A Path with Heart, Kornfield, invites us into a new awareness. Through his signature warmhearted, poignant, often funny stories, with their Aha moments and O. Henry-like outcomes, Jack shows how we get stuck and how we can free ourselves, wherever we are and whatever our circumstances. Renowned for his mindfulness practices and meditations, Jack provides these keys for opening gateways to immediate shifts in perspective and clarity of vision, allowing us to see how to change course, take action, or—when we shouldn’t act—just relax and trust.

Each chapter presents a path to a different kind of freedom—freedom from fear, freedom to start over, to love, to be yourself, and to be happy—and guides you into an active process that engages your mind, heart, and spirit, awakens your spirit, and brings real joy, over and over again. Drawing from his own life as a son, brother, father, and partner, and on his forty years of face-to-face teaching of thousands of people across the country, Jack presents a stirring call to be here, in the power of the now, the present, as we work through life’s passages. His keys to life will help us find hope, clarity, relief from past disappointments and guilt, and the courage to go forward.

Dr. Daniel J. Siegel is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine, where he also helped to establish the Mindful Awareness Research Center.  He also heads up the Mindsight Institute, an educational center devoted to promoting insight, compassion, and empathy in individuals, families, institutions, and communities. Dr. Siegel’s books include three New York Times bestsellers: Brainstorm, and, with Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D, The Whole-Brain Child and No-Drama Discipline. As a lecturer, he’s spoken before King of Thailand, Pope John Paul II, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, at Google University, and TEDx.  He recently appeared at Live Talks Los Angeles for his book, Mind: A Journey to the Heart of Being Human. Watch the video.

 

Scott Turow with Paul Levine

Monday, June 5, 2017
8pm 
 
Scott Turow
in conversation with Paul Levine
 
discussing the writing life and his upcoming novel,
Testimony


Ann and Jerry Moss Theatre
New Roads School

Herb Alpert Educational Village
3131 Olympic Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90404

PURCHASE TICKETS 
$42 Reserved Section seat + a copy of Testomony
$20 General Admission Seat
$95 Reception (6:30-7:30pm) + Reserved Section Seat 
        + copy of Testimony

Scott Turow is the author of ten bestselling works of fiction, including Identical, Innocent, Presumed Innocent, and The Burden of Proof, and two nonfiction books, including One L, about his experience as a law student. His books have been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than thirty million copies worldwide, and have been adapted into movies and television projects. He has frequently contributed essays and op-ed pieces to publications such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic.

Testimony is Scott Turow’s most ambitious and complex work-which takes us from the gritty familiarity of his beloved Kindle County into a mysterious world of international intrigue. It’s the best kind of thriller, which stimulates the mind as well as thrilling the heart.”
Jeffrey Toobin, author of American Heiress

“Scott Turow’s new novel is the dedicated fiction-reader’s version of El Dorado: a driving, unputdownable courtroom drama/murder mystery that is also a literary treasure, written in language that sparkles with clarity and resonates with honest character insight. I came away feeling amazed and fulfilled, as we only do when we read novelists at the height of their powers. Put this one on your don’t-miss list.”
(Praise for Innocent)―Stephen King

At the age of fifty, former prosecutor Bill ten Boom has walked out on everything he thought was important to him: his law career, his wife, Kindle County, even his country. Still, when he is tapped by the International Criminal Court–an organization charged with prosecuting crimes against humanity–he feels drawn to what will become the most elusive case of his career. Over ten years ago, in the apocalyptic chaos following the Bosnian war, an entire Roma refugee camp vanished. Now for the first time, a witness has stepped forward: Ferko Rincic claims that armed men marched the camp’s Gypsy residents to a cave in the middle of the night–and then with a hand grenade set off an avalanche, burying 400 people alive. Only Ferko survived.

Boom’s task is to examine Ferko’s claims and determinine who might have massacred the Roma. His investigation takes him from the International Criminal Court’s base in Holland to the cities and villages of Bosnia and secret meetings in Washington, DC, as Boom sorts through a host of suspects, ranging from Serb paramilitaries, to organized crime gangs, to the US government itself, while also maneuvering among the alliances and treacheries of those connected to the case: Layton Merriwell, a disgraced US major general desperate to salvage his reputation; Sergeant Major Atilla Doby,a vital cog in American military operations near the camp at the time of the Roma’s disappearance; Laza Kajevic, the brutal former leader of the Bosnian Serbs; Esma Czarni, Ferko’s alluring barrister; and of course, Ferko himself, on whose testimony the entire case rests-and who may know more than he’s telling.

Paul Levine is the author of the “Jake Lassiter” and “Solomon vs. Lord” series of legal thrillers. He has won the John D. MacDonald Florida Fiction Award and was nominated for the Edgar, Macavity, International Thriller, Shamus, and James Thurber prizes. He wrote 20 episodes of the military drama JAG on CBS and co-created the Supreme Court drama First Monday starring James Garner and JoeMantegna. His newest novel is Bum Luck, described by Bookreporter as “a one-sit, must-read novel full of memorable characters and unforgettable vignettes.”

Al Franken in the news. See him at Live Talks LA, July 8 with Chelsea Handler

We’re excited to be hosting Senator Al Franken in conversation with Chelsea Handler on July 8th at the Alex Theatre. More info on the event is here.

Here’a a round up of media his new book, Al Franken, Giant of the Senate, has garnered.

— “Al Franken Has Been Sitting on Jokes for a Decade. Now He’s Ready to Tell Them.” New York Times, May 29
— “Sen. Al Franken Embraces ‘The Funny’ Again In New Book,” All Things Considered NPR, May 30
— “Al Franken on humor in a politically “grim” time.” CBS Sunday Morning, May 29
— “Stuart Smalley Is Not Dead: See What Has Sen. Al Franken Laughing These Days,” People, May 27
— “Al Franken: By the Book,” New York Times, May 25
— “Sen. Al Franken On Comedy, Trump And The ‘Curdling’ Of Washington” on Fresh Air with Terry Gross on NPR, May 30
— “Al Franken: The Happy Warrior. Franken discusses the “depressing” Trump era, doing acid as a Deadhead and rediscovering his sense of humor in Congress. Rolling Stone magazine, May 30
— ” Al Franken, Absurdity Expert, Is a Man for Our Political Times: The Minnesota senator’s SNL roots are coming in handy. Esquire, May 30
— “Al Franken: What He Learned From SNL That Made Him A Better Politician,” Forbes, May 30
–“Senator Al Franken Answers the Proust Questionnaire. The Minnesota lawmaker and comedian, who has a new book out, reveals what factual accuracy, grandchildren, and a sense of humor mean to him.” Vanity Fair, Summer 2017

 

 

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with Bill Walton

Wednesday, May 24, 2017
8pm 
 
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
in conversation with Bill Walton
 
discussing his upcoming book,
Coach Wooden and Me: 
Our 50-Year Friendship On and Off the Court


Ann and Jerry Moss Theatre
New Roads School

Herb Alpert Educational Village
3131 Olympic Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90404

SOLD OUT
Video will be posted a week after event 

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 50 years of friendship with Coach John Wooden — brought together by the game of basketball — formed one of the most enduring and meaningful relationships in sports history.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee. Since retiring, he has been an actor, a basketball coach, and the author of several New York Times bestsellers. Abdul-Jabbar is also a columnist for Time magazine, writing on a wide range of subjects including race, politics, age, and pop culture, and his essays and columns have also appeared in the Washington Post, in the Los Angeles Times and on Esquire.com, among other publications. In 2012, he was selected as a U.S. Cultural Ambassador and in 2016 Abdul-Jabbar was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award which recognizes exceptional meritorious service. 

In 1965, 18-year old Lew Alcindor, who would later change his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, left New York City to play basketball for Coach John Wooden at UCLA. It was the beginning of what was to become a 50-year long relationship that ended with Kareem sitting at his 99-year old coach’s bedside on a June evening in 2010, holding his hand, just before he died. This is the story of their enduring friendship, both on and off the court. 

On the court, Abdul-Jabbar led UCLA to three national champions, and was named the Outstanding Player in the NCAA for each of those years-a feat that has yet to be matched in college basketball. Wooden coached UCLA for 27 seasons and won more NCAA championships than any other coach in history. 

Off the court, they transcended their athletic achievements to gain even wider recognition and tremendous national respect. They came together at the height of the civil rights era, and Coach Wooden made sure that every player on his team got the same opportunity and was treated equally. Even when Kareem controversially adopted the Muslim faith, and changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wooden was there to support him. 

Abdul-Jabbar will intimately reveal the lessons Coach Wooden taught from putting your socks on right, to the philosophies in his famous “Pyramid of Success”, and how they shaped his life, and more generally take you back to the basics of what a coach should be. 

Part memoir, and part inspirational, Coach Wooden and Me is filled with untold stories about the famous pair; private correspondence; exclusive interviews with other teammates and coaches, friends, and even family, on Coach Wooden’s impact; and much more. 

Bill Walton was NCAA player of the year at UCLA from 1972 to 1974, when UCLA set an NCAA record eighty-eight consecutive-game winning streak. A former NBA Champion and MVP, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame and selected as one of the NBA’s Fifty Greatest Players ever. He has also had a successful award-winning broadcasting career with ABC, ESPN, NBC, MSNBC, CBS, Turner, and Fox, among others. He currently resides in his hometown of San Diego with his family. Visit his website.

*Interviewer subject to change in the event of television assignment.

Ben Falcone with Melissa McCarthy

Sunday, May 21, 2017
7:30pm 
 
Ben Falcone
in conversation with Melissa McCarthy
 

discussing his essay collection,
Being a Dad Is Weird: Lessons in Fatherhood from My Family to Yours

Ann and Jerry Moss Theatre
New Roads School

Herb Alpert Educational Village
3131 Olympic Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90404

SOLD OUT
Video will be posted a week after event 

 
Ben Falcone is a film director, writer, and comedic actor. He made his directorial debut in 2014 with Warner Bros.’ feature film Tammy, which he also wrote and starred in alongside real-life wife Melissa McCarthy. Falcone’s upcoming projects include the feature film Life of the Party (New Line) which he co-wrote with McCarthy and will direct. The Boss is Falcone’s recently released directorial effort which he also wrote and produced with McCarthy, who starred in the film. Falcone was last seen in Fox Searchlight Pictures’ feature film Enough Said alongside James Gandolfini and Julia Louis-Dreyfus for Director Nicole Holofcener, and in Jason Bateman’s directorial debutBad Words. Falcone also recently guest starred on FOX’s comedy hit New Girl and in NBC’s A to Z. Currently, he can be seen as a regular on the television series Nobodies(TV Land) which he executive produces.
 
Falcone’s additional feature film credits include The Heat, Identity Thief, Spy, What to Expect When You’re Expecting and Bridesmaids. 
 
Melissa McCarthy received an Academy Award nomination for her role as Megan in the hit comedy Bridesmaids, directed by Paul Feig and produced by Judd Apatow. She also received BAFTA, Critics’ Choice, and SAG Award nominations for this role and won the MTV Movie Award for Comedic Performance of the Year. 
 
McCarthy recently starred in The Boss which she co-wrote. In 2015 McCarthy starred in the hit film Spy for which she received a People’s Choice Award for Favorite Comedic Movie Actress, as well as a Golden Globe Award nomination, and Critics’ Choice Award nomination. In 2014 McCarthy starred in St. Vincent opposite Bill Murray and in Tammy which she co-wrote with her actor/writer husband Ben Falcone. McCarthy’s previous film credits include The Heat, Identity Thief, This is 40, The Hangover Part III and Ghostbusters. She will next star in Life of the Party which she co-wrote with Ben Falcone and wrapped production on the Fox Searchlight film Can You Ever Forgive Me?
 
McCarthy’s additional feature film work includes The Back-Up Plan, Life As We Know It, Pretty Ugly People, Just Add Water, The Nines, White Oleander, Pumpkin, and Go.Additionally, she starred in John August’s short film God, as a young woman having a gossipy phone conversation and short-lived spat with the Almighty, and also appeared in The Life of David Gale, starring Kevin Spacey.
 
On television, McCarthy starred as the clumsy culinary genius Sookie St. James in Gilmore Girls and Dena in the series Samantha Who? McCarthy won an Emmy Award and People’s Choice Award for starring as Molly on the hit CBS comedy Mike & Molly and has directed several episodes. She has also received Emmy nominations for guest hosting Saturday Night Live, which she has hosted multiple times. McCarthy recently returned to Stars Hollow for the Netflix reintroduction of Gilmore Girls. Currently, she can be seen making guest appearances on the television series Nobodies (TV Land) which she executive produces along with husband Ben Falcone.
 
Being a Dad Is Weird: Lessons in Fatherhood from My Family to Yours is a funny and intimate look at fatherhood that combines stories about his own larger-than-life dad and how his experiences raising two daughters with his wife, Melissa McCarthy, are shaped by his own childhood.
 
Ben Falcone isn’t a big shot movie star director at home. There, he’s just dad. In this collection of stories, Ben shares his funny and poignant adventures as the husband of Melissa McCarthy, and the father of their two young daughters. He also shares tales from his own childhood in Southern Illinois, and life with his father—an outspoken, brilliant, but unconventional man with a big heart and a somewhat casual approach to employment.
 
Ben is just an ordinary dad who has his share of fights with other parents blocking his view with their expensive electronic devices at school performances. Navigating the complicated role of being the only male in a house full of women, he finds himself growing more and more concerned as he sounds more and more like his dad. While Steve Falcone may not have been the briefcase and gray flannel suit type, he taught Ben priceless lessons about what matters most in life. A supportive, creative, and downright funny dad, Steve made sure his sons’ lives were never dull—a sense of adventure that carries through this warm, sometimes hilarious, and poignant memoir.