Auction Catalog Released

Our Event Programme and Semi-Silent Auction Catalogue has been released!

The Semi-Silent Auction will proceed in three phases throughout the evening. Please come prepared with cash, check, or money card to bid on auction items. We believe you will find these items Unusual and Curious, and well worth the Cost. As with your ticket price, winning bids in the auction are donation that will directly support these fine technical organizations.

View or download it here:  Event Programme, Auction Catalogue, &cetera

Auction Catalogue

A silent auction is a variant of an English auction where bids are written on a sheet of paper. At the predetermined end of the auction the highest listed bidder wins the item.  

Our Semi-Silent auction will occur in three rounds, with the most Interesting, Intriguing, and Valuable items in the third and final round. It is “Semi-Silent” in that there is no auctioneer, but the names of winning bidders in Rounds Two and Three will be announced to the Thrill of All.

1  A Selection of Wines from Brooks Family Vineyard

A selection of wines from winemaker Larry Brooks.  2 bottles of Campion Pinot Noir From Napas Carneros District, 2002. 2 bottles of Campion Chardonay from Edna Valley, 2007.  2 bottles of Amethyst Cabernet Sauvignon from Napas Oak Knoll District, 2004.  2 bottles of Amethyst Vinalia made from Nebbiolo grapes, 2000.  8 bottles.  Donated by Brooks Vineyard.  Value: $260

2  Geek Date: Tour of the Stanford Linear Accelerator and a Piece of History

A tour of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) and the BaBar particle detector.  SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is home to a two-mile linear accelerator—the longest in the world. Join Joel in early January for a private tour of the linear particle accelerator in our very own back yard on the Stanford campus. At the end of the tour you will be presented with a piece of the BaBar detector! This is truly a unique and priceless item that has played a crucial role in expanding human knowledge about the universe.  Donated by Joel.  Value: Unstated

3  Geek Date: A Visit to the Tech Museum in San Jose with Dan

The Tech Museum in San Jose has hundreds of original, inspiring, and though-provoking exhibits.  Come check out the Tech Museum with Programmer / Web Developer Dan.  Get your thermal picture taken, experience an earthquake simulator, pilot a remote underwater vehicle and more.  Donated by Dan.  Value: Unstated

4  Geek Date: Sea Exploration with Dorota

Want a glimpse of life under the sea?  Beginning with a short drive up the beautiful highway 1, this date will be an exploratory adventure of the coastal tidepools with Dorota, a marine biologist and serious ocean nerd. Let's talk about sea creatures, algae, plankton, and maybe even burritos. Donated by Dorota.  Value: Unstated

5  Geek Date: An Evening of Firefly with Alex

This geek date with Alex will include watching three of my favorite Firefly episodes projected onto the 100" wide curtains of my living room, homemade pizza, spiced apple cider, and two fuzzy siberian huskies. Firefly was a space western television series set in the year 2517.  It follows the adventures of a small group of travelers living on the fringe of society, struggling to live under the ruthless control of the Alliance government.  Donated by Alex.  Value: Unstated

6  Geek Date: Ragtime Guitar Lessons with Arden

Learn how to play fingerstyle guitar! Impress your friends! Woo your sweetheart(s)! Woo the blues nerds in town! Woo your grandfather who says you haven't done anything with your life! You are bidding for three half-hour guitar lessons in the style of the greats of ragtime and country blues guitarists. Technique will be broken down and explained to fit your personal aspirations, previous experience or no. Redeem by 5/1/2011.  Donated by Arden.  Value: Unstated

7  Geek Date: Mushroom Hunt with Jason H.

A mushroom walk in the forests of the Santa Cruz Mountains will provide you with good company, tips on how to find certain mushrooms, and with good luck, a sack of wild mushrooms to take home.  Donated by Jason.  Value: Unstated

8  Geek Date: An Evening of Gothic Horror Text Adventures  with Wes

This geek date with Wes will offer gourmet take-out pizza and wine, candlelight and ambient music, and an evening spent playing a Gothic Horror interactive fiction together.  Interactive fiction is to video games, what books are to movies.  In the last 30 years, the genre has blossomed, offering interactive near-literary masterpieces, with rich characters, emotional depth, and complicated plot lines.  Donated by Wes.  Value: Unstated

9  Geek Date: An Afternoon of Tarot and Tea

This geek date with Jen will include fancy tea and atmosphere at Asana teahouse, and a lesson in Tarot Cards and their use as a tool for for personal insight. The lesson will include a review of the history of Tarot cards, basic deck structure and image/archetypal meanings as well as your very own personal Tarot reading. Donated by Jen.  Value: Unstated

10  Geek Date: An Afternoon of Cross-Country Adventure, Mushroom Hunting, and Picnic

An afternoon cross country run or mountain bike ride through the Santa Cruz mountains.  Followed by some mushroom hunting at a secret location for Craterellus or black chanterelles.  Then a picnic before sunset with programmer and bioinformatics student Jeff.  Donated by Jeff.  Value: Unstated

11  Geek Date: Wilder Ranch Machine Shop Exploration

Personal tour of the Wilder Ranch machine shop including a working demonstration of the original 1890 vintage machine tools powered by a 19th Century Pelton Water Motor with Mike, a Wilder Ranch docent authorized to operate the shop tools.  Donated by Mike Dalbey.  Value: Unstated

12  Voucher for the services of a Thankless Task Inspirationalist

Many of us have certain tasks we despise doing.  Among these are dental and DMV visits, running errands, and cleaning out the refridgerator.  Ms. Gabriella offers her help and companionship in performing any dreaded duty needing to scratch off your to-do list.  Donated by Ms. Gabriella Ripley-Phipps.  Value: $15-135 Depending on task

13  Beer and Boxing with Thomas Edison

Set sail on a voyage upon the high seas of malt liquor, and claim your rightful place among the legions of broke-ass unappreciated pugilists. Join famed southpaw Thomas Edison, AKA Finn, for a one on one boxing lesson with a bottom-shelf 40oz beverage of your choice.  2 hour lesson.  Donated by Finn.  Value: Unstated

 

14  A Charlie Brown Christmas Tree and Curious Gift of a Sustaining Nature for Off Planet Travels

Good Grief. Charlie Brown's Freaky Fantastic Christmas tree. This Uncertain Tree is an exact replica of the tree from the famous cartoon, made of bendable wire branches and plastic needles with a criss-cross wooden base. It comes with one red ornament. Under this Distinguished and Inconceivable Tree you will find a Curious Gift for Off Planet Travels that only the Winning Bidder can unwrap. Will it be you?  .  Donated by Joyce Anderson,  Mysterious Benefactor.  Value: Unstated

15  Limited Edition Woodcut Print: Lewis Caroll

He reveled in the mathematical, the cryptic, the nonsensical, the whimsical, and the fantastical. He stammered, maintained a disdain for little boys, and created fantastical, puzzle-filled stories that have charmed boys and girls for a few hundred years so far. He was Lewis Carroll, and his portrait can be yours with this reductive woodcut print by Bonnie Jean Primbsch.  Donated by Bonnie Primbsch.  Value: $350

16  Limited Edition Woodcut Print:  Alice Through the Looking Glass, as the Queen of Hearts

Display your admiration for Victorian nonsense with this woodcut homage to a "children's literature" source of steampunk inspiration, Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There. Reductive woodcut print by Bonnie Jean Primbsch.  Donated by Bonnie Primbsch.  Value: $275

17  Tattoo Design Consultation

A 30 minute consultation towards an original tattoo design and a professional quality drawing of the design so that the auction winner can walk into a shop with their design ready to go. this will be most useful for people who do not want a chinese character, american flag, or tweety bird. this is a really good deal for people who want something naturey like botanical subjects, birds, or bones.  Donated by Jessica Bender.  Value: $100

18  Blender 3D Tutoring

Blender is an exciting and free software package available to anyone with computer access and an imagination, and can be used to create short films, special effects, 3D models, games and more. The learning curve is steep: but with the help of experienced Blender animator Kathleen K, you can get a head start on learning this unique program, or enhance your skills!  3 Blender lessons 1 hr each, plus ongoing support for questions and crises.  Donated by Kathleen K.  Value: $90

19  Professional Photo Portrait by Insurgent Photo

A professional photo portrait from a local social documentarian and photojournalist.  With a highly personal style that dramatizes his subjects, Nick relies on strong compositions, a dark, high-contrast style of printing, and the traditional full-frame approach to both embolden the image and invigorate the viewer's bond with the themes.  His work illustrates his affinity for and intimacy with the subjects of his photography.  Donated by Insurgent Photo.  Value: $80

20  Deep Tissue Massage

A one and a half hour deep tissue massage. Amy Courtney has studied at Twin Lake College of the Healing Arts and Esalen Institute. Her best work is deep and slow.  Donated by Amy Courtney.  Value: $80

21  Navman N40i Portable GPS Navigator

Never get lost again as you navigate the suburban and urban wildlands.  This Clever and Improbable Device communicates with "satellites," flying machines circling high above the Earth, to find out where it is and you are.  It also has built in cartographic capabilities.  Donated by Weird Stuff Warehouse, Sunnyvale.  Value: $75

22  The Architectonic Voltaic Lantern by Benjamin Osen

A fine example of upcycling, this handsome electric lamp finely crafted from discarded materials  and evokes the forms of its industrial origin. What mysteries lay hidden in the strange designs and deep black pools of its four sides? Only a lengthy meditation in its soft smokey light can reveal the true nature of this pillar of light.  Donated by Benjamin Osen.  Value: $70

23  A Selection of Wines from Brooks Family Vineyard

A selection of wines from Brooks Vineyard.  2 Bottles of christian/meese cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2007  2 bottles.  Donated by Brooks Vineyard.  Value: $70

24  "The Girl Particle," Art by Jennifer Fleming

Web developer and graphic designer Jennifer Fleming offers this pen and ink illustration entitled "The Girl Particle."  Paint and Mixed Media on Wood Panel; 11x14".  Donated by Jen Fleming.  Value: $60

25 & 26  Dr. Thunder's Peachy Fire Whiskey

Mfg. since 2001 and inspired by a fever dream, Dr. Thunder’s Peachy Fire Whiskey is made with the finest Kentucky Bourbon, Georgia peaches, and Thai dragon or Habanero chilies. Like a sweet lingering punch in the mouth.  One bottle per auction item.  Donated by Wes.  Value: $30

27  Christina's Dreamy Walnut Wine

Walnut wine is the perfect belly warmer for those cold nights. Traveling from the Gallic states into Mediterranean Italy and France this peasant wine has passed through the generations educating babies, providing free healthcare and preventing poor craftsmanship from proliferating. Made with green walnuts and fine cabernet sauvignon, organic demarara and vodka allow the wine to decant normally though it is ready to drink from the bottle. Treat as a port.  1 bottle.  Donated by Christina.  Value: $30

28  "Absorption of Varying Degrees" Limited Edition Intaglio Print by Vince Waring

This print was created through the Intaglio process of printmaking. The image is incised into a protective film on a copper plate which is dipped in acid to etch the metal in the exposed areas. The bitten areas allow ink to fill into when spread across and then wiped off. When damp paper is applied to the plate and sent through a press, the ink is drawn from the grooves and the surface by the pressure and moisture onto the paper to create a mirror impression from the copper plate.  7.5"x11.25".  Donated by Vince Waring.  Value: $30

29  Cosmofactory Gift Certificate

Travelling the seas and wrenching on that steam engine can really screw with your hair! Use this gift certificate for all of your hair, skin, waxing, and nail needs.  2 x $50  in envelopes.  Donated by Cosmofactory.  Value: $50/each

30  Techno-Destruction: Nuke-rowave an IPOD

Remember that old IPOD you had?  The one that had like an hour of charge and Apple wouldn't replace the battery for less than the cost of a new one?  The one the kept rebooting inexplicably and suddenly?  We do.  What happens when you microwave an IPOD?  Well, we'll find out and you get to throw the switch.  Donated by Wes.  Value: $50

31  Techno-Destruction: A Perfect Phone for Masochists

I've owned a dozen phones over the years and this is by far the worst phone ever.  Ever. This phone is nearly impossible to use. From interface design, to performance, to features it is a giant FAIL. Imagine using a dumbed-down version of Windows complete with a microscopic start button on a screen the size of a credit card that mis-calibrates every time you use it with the non-functional stylus. Here you have the opportunity that I was looking forward to for half a year -- you get to protect humanity from the LG Incite with your choice of a sledgehammer or a microwave.  Donated by Wes.  Value: $50

32  Techno-Destruction: Office Space Fax Machine Revenge

"PC LOAD LETTER" is the nonsensical term popularized by the  film Office Space. The error message appears frequently, frustrating the characters of the film to take revenge on the malfunctioning FAX machine by destroying it in a vacant field with a baseball bat, spawning a gazillion youtube parodies and remakes.  Here you get to feel how good it is to be a gangsta.  Donated by .  Value: $50

33  Dinner for Two at India Joze

A dinner for two at Santa Cruz' beloved India Joze.  Over the years, Jozseph Schultz has covered immense culinary territory. His favorite dishes span the world and the history of cooking. Lesser known is his tremendous support for radical projects and the social justice movement.  India Joze has recently re-opened at 418 Front St and generously offered this dinner for two.  Donated by Joe Schultz.  Value: $50

34  Copper and Turquoise  Pendent

The maker of this talisman traveled via caravan deep into the deserts of Arizona, where she searched amongst the gathered rock mongers for the highest quality stones. Charged with healing light energy, this hand polished free-form cab is wrapped with aged copper for an Old World feel with an American West touch.  Donated by kai.  Value: $45

35  Medu Hydromel from Eight Eleven Cellars

Medu (Old English for honey) Hydromel (Greek for honey-wine or mead).  This is the favored drink of the gods. Bubbly and slightly sweet, like an awesome champagne, but made with honey. Brewed for one and a half years.  Perfect for sealing unbreakable pacts. 3 bottles.  Donated by Cask.  Value: $40

36  Hard Apple Cider from Eight Eleven Cellars

Let these bottles of liquid sunshine bring some light to your winter days. Each drop of this hard apple cider was pressed from the glorious golden fruit of an abandoned orchard near Sebastopol. This tasty local libation perfects any occasion.  3 bottles.  Donated by Cask.  Value: $40

37  A Selection of Wines from Brooks Family Vineyard

Vinalia (Nebbiolo) is a Napa Valley wine that resembles a classical Italian hillside wine like Barolo. Fermented with yeast used in Italy and age the wine in double barrels so it can mature for two years while keeping it's freshness. 1 bottle.  Donated by Brooks Vineyard.  Value: $35

38  Art by Russell Brutsche

Santa Cruz artist Russell Brutsche loves socio-cultural ironies.  Works such as this make painfully apt juxtapositions that expose the social injustice of our everyday world.  Donated by Russell Brutsche.  Value: $30

39  Handknit Hat by Jenn

Intricate ranks of knots and purls will encase your crown in hand-made glory once you are the proud occupant of this fine knit bit of millinery. Each strand of sheeps'  wool woven into this arcane pattern pulses a verdant wildwood green, and its supple weave will accommodate many cranial amplitudes.  Donated by Jenn Vicious.  Value: $30

40  Enchanting Picnic with the Affected Ant

All the elements for an Enchanting Excursion with Affected Ant. This Brave and Reluctant Hero will take you down the road less traveled while recounting his Wet and Woeful Adventures of Peril and Triumph. Food, wine, wine glasses, coffee, a picnic blanket, an Affect Ant autographed copy of Moby Dick, and a fantastic haircut included.  $50 Cosmo Factory cert; $15 Bagel Bucks + shirt; $20 Firefly Café cert.  Donated by Bagelry, Firefly Cafe, Cosmo Factory, and Thomas Hobbes.  Value: $30

41  Dramatic Photographic Portrait of Your Feline Friend

A framed photograph of your cat by a local amateur photographer. Dramatic lighting with grainy, black & white film. Other pets considered.  Donated by Bryan.  Value: $25

42  Bent Spoke Bangles

Each of the bicycle spokes used to create this bangly wingding lived a long and perilous life of  revolution. Wear each proud steel curve as a monument to epic journeys and struggles past. This remembrance was crafted entirely from materials bound for the refuse heap.  Donated by kai.  Value: $20

43  "How to Seduce a Brazilian" Music Compilation

A classy and stylish compilation of more than a 1GB of mp3s titled, "how to seduce a Brazilian".  This collection features mostly Brazilian bossa nova tunes, but also some soothing and deeply beautiful, political folk songs from Uruguay and a few other random tidbits. The compilation contains 25 hours of outstanding chillout/makeout music in Portuguese (and some in Spanish).  Donated by Jessica Bender.  Value: $20

44  ComicDrive: A Immense Compilation of Dark, Intense Graphic Stories

A poor student's compilation of Gigs of dark and intense graphic stories.  "I love comics, but I'm picky.  I never got into superhero comics, and I don't really enjoy stuff unless I think the art is good.  I generally like things that are in some way dark.  Intense.  With  a good story and characters. Thanks to the internet, I've been able to explore the realm of graphic stories to my hearts content!"  A flash drive with Travis' favorite comics and instructions on how to get more.  Donated by Travis.  Value: $20

45  "Desert Rain" Moustache Wax

Made from the finest healthful constituents, this firm wax is guaranteed to keep a "Stiff Upper Lip".  Stored in a unique hexagonal glass vessel, 2oz of this naturally scented balsam will easily fulfill your whiskery needs for months. Ingredients: Beeswax of local extraction, oil of virgin olives, creosote bush ethically harvested from the wilds of Arizona.  2 oz.  Donated by kai.  Value: $10

46  A Can of Four Loko

A liquid representation of the end of an era. Safeguarded in the backrooms of liquor stores across the city due to political tension, this caffeinated alcopop has started a culture war. For the first time since Prohibition, a fresh malt liquor is being sought after for nearly sixteen times its market value, with people offering to pay upward $50 for a 24-ounce can at Benicio's liquor store.  artificial lemonade flavor.  Donated by Bryan.  Value: $50

47  "The Thinking Machine" Secret Inner Workings Are Revealed!

An original colour lithographic work, printed by hand from limestone block and ball-grained aluminum plate on fine hand dyed paper. Presented in a handsome hand-crafted wooden frame, direct from a local tradesperson to you.  10"x11"  Donated by Ann Altstatt  Value: $65

48  An Excursion for Two on a Steam Railroad

Ride the Roaring Camp and Big Trees Railroad with a friend through an old-growth Redwood forest to Bear Mountain and back.  Two Tickets  Donated by Roaring Camp Railroad  Value: $45

Benefit Auction Rules

Before the Auction

·        Register for the auction at the door when you come in.

·        The number on your ticket is your Bidder Number, so keep ahold of that.

During the Auction

·        This is a Thee Round Auction

1.     Round One bidding begins at 6pm and ends at 7pm.

2.     Round Two bidding begins at 6pm and ends at 8:15pm

3.     Round Three bidding begins at 6pm and ends at 9:15pm

·        Each item is clearly marked 1, 2, or 3 to indicate the Round in which bidding closes.

·        Anyone may bid and may bid on as many items as they wish.

·        Bid sheets are displayed near each item. Print your Bidder Number legibly on the first available blank line. Please remember to read the descriptions carefully. Some items have restrictions (i.e. age).

·        The first bid must be at least the minimum. Use round dollar amounts.

·        To raise the bid, it must be by at least the minimum increment on the bid sheet. Use round dollar amounts.

·        Be sure that your bid is always the highest. Write new bids on the next available line.

·        If the bid sheet fills up, additional sheets will be provided by auction monitors.

·        As each Round of the bidding ends, make sure your final bids are made by then.

After the Auction

·        In each Round, some of the auction winners will be announced.  Please be aware that winning bids are neither anonymous nor private.

·         After the end of each Round is announced, check the board near the entry door to see if you your bids have won.

·        Pay for items at the end of the evening (about 9:45pm). Go to the cashier table in the hall. Payment may be made by cash, check, or credit card.

·        Wining auction items will not be available for pickup until after the last auction item in the third and final Round is announced.

·        Payment in full is required before you may receive your items.

·        Be sure to read the back page of this catalogue for the fine print and important tax information.

Your generosity supports radical tech collectives Riseup and UBEW.