It takes a lot to make my Top 10 Favorites list. But Jay Babina’s is on it.
A year ago, I toured the Westport Tech Museum.
Most people had never heard of it. Unless you’re a family member or friend, you can’t get in.
That’s because it’s in the attic of the teenager’s home.
But there — on shelves and desks, and in display cases — I found an astonishing collection of 500 computers, video games, calculators, cameras, radios and more.
Jay has created a fascinating, educational, fun, nostalgic and very, very cool tour of American technology.
From a Commodore Amiga 1000, Osborne 1, Apple IIe and an original Macintosh, to a 1914 Victrola that still plays, 1910 Edison light bulb that still shines, and a 1905 crank telephone that still rings, Jay has scoured the world (and eBay) to find rare, important, classic, quirky and historic products.
Many of them are famous and now obsolete. Some are long-forgotten failures. All make up our technological timeline.
This wide-angle view captures only part of the Westport Tech Museum. (Photo courtesy of Jay Babina)
For those lucky enough to gain admittance, this may be the greatest attic in America. And Jay is an eager, informative tour guide.
You can read last year’s story here. For an update on what’s new since last May, read on.
One of Jay’s proudest additions is a Sony reel-to-reel tape recorder.
And not just any one. This is the same model that ended Richard Nixon’s presidency, when Watergate discussions were recorded on it.
The type of reel-to-reel tape recorder that brought down a president.
Jay points to the tape on his machine and jokes, “This is the missing 18 1/2 minutes.” (For an 18-year-old, he has a remarkable knowledge of history.)
An original Asteroids machine is enhanced by an actual game token from Arnie’s Place. Jay’s father — who grew up in Monroe — visited the Westport arcade as a youngster. (For whatever reason, he kept the souvenir.)
Asteroids amused countless kids (including Jay’s father) after its 1979 release. It’s playable today, in Jay’s museum. An Arnie’s Place token sits above the center button.
Jay found the first Polaroid camera model — in 1948, it was also the first instant camera in the world — on eBay. It cost him only $40.
He now owns the pay phone used in “Witness.” And not just the type — this is the actual phone used in the filming.
How does he know? Diligent research matched the telephone number shown in small print on it, with that in the movie.
Jay has a NeXT computer — Steve Jobs’ failed company from 1996 — as well as a bit of fabric from the Apple (and NeXT) founder’s turtleneck.
Long after it faded from memories, Jay’s NeXT computer still works.
He’s got a 1992 Motorola “brick” phone (it’s hard to believe people made calls on something like that) and a 1939 View-Master toy (it’s hard to believe people were excited by those stereoscopic images).
A 1939 View-Master. You put the disc (right) in the viewer (left), and saw — wow — a 3D image!
It’s a shame — but understandable — that Jay’s museum is not open to the public.
Fortunately, it is online. Click here to enter; then bookmark it, and return often.
Meanwhile, scroll down for a photographic tour of one of the most intriguing places in Westport — and far beyond.
And one that is on my Top 10 out of 17,000+ favorite “06880” stories ever.
(You can also find the Westport Tech Museum on Facebook; click here. And Instagram; click here.)
Hey, kids! This is how your parents (and grandparents) once connected to the internet: with a Texas Instruments monitor, keyboard — and dial-up phone modem.
A 1992 Motorola cell phone — called a “brick,” for obvious reasons.
A working Palm Pilot fits in Jay Babina’s palm.
Did you “witness” this phone in the movie of that same name?
Jay’s museum is not all about technology. An exhibit on the 1980s includes New Coke (“the biggest product flop in history”), and the much more successful California Raisins and Cabbage Patch Kids. (All photos/Dan Woog, unless noted)
(Westport is filled with intriguing people, doing way cool things. “06880” finds them, and shares them with the world. But we can’t do it without reader support. Please click here to help. Thank you!)
In the 13 months ending in February 2024, President Biden raised $3.17 million in individual contributions from Connecticut residents. Donald Trump brought in $1.4 million.
But, CT Mirror reports, Trump leads in the number of individuals who donated since last April: 31,708 to 5,925.
Westport is one of only 2 Fairfield County towns in which Biden drew more individual donations than Trump: 188 to 99. The other town is Sherman (10 to 2).
Click here for the full story, including an interactive map.
Donation map, showing which candidate had more donations in each Connecticut town. Biden is blue, Trump is red.
Just in time for Easter, the full soundtrack for “Dante: Inferno to Paradise, Part 2: Resurrection” is available for streaming.
Emmy- and Grammy-winning composer (and Staples High School Class of 1971 graduate) Brian Keane scored the music — his latest success, in a wide-ranging career of writing, producing and recording.
Matthew Modine (“Oppenheimer,” “Full Metal Jacket”) will be at the Westport Library for a free screening of his new documentary, “Downwind” (April 11, 6:30 p.m.)
He’ll be joined by his producing partner, Adam Rackoff. They’ll discuss the movie afterward, then answer audience questions.
“Downwind” tells the story of what happened after the events depicted in “Oppenheimer.” It focuses on Mercury, Nevada, the testing site for 928 large-scale nuclear weapons from 1951 to 1992.
Featuring members of the Shoshone Nation and many others affected by the radioactive fallout from those tests, the documentary “uncovers the US government’s disregard for everyone and everything living ‘downwind.’”
“Downwind” currently holds a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Dr. Alice Paul was one of the early 20th century’s most prominent women’s rights activists.
She was one of the keys to the passage of the 19th Amendment, and in 1923 introduced the Equal Rights Amendment.
Dr. Paul was a 40-year resident of Ridgefield.
On April 13 (2 p.m.), the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport hosts a talk with Darla Shaw, who worked with Dr. Paul for many years, here in Fairfield County. The public is invited.
Last year’s 1st-ever National Drinking with Chickens Day was such a success, Wakeman Town Farm is bringing it back.
Next months event (May 23, 6:30 p.m.) features live music by Luke Molina, light bite including pizza by Tony Napolitano, craft cocktails by mixxed.by.ed, and guest appearances by the WTF flock.
Tickets to the hen party are $100 each. Click here to register … then shake a tail feather.
Bobbi Essagof spotted this dove — today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature — on her Saugatuck Avenue deck.
“Peace ahead?” she wonders.
From her lips to …
(Photo/Bobbi Essagof)
=============================================
And finally … speaking of chickens (see story) above:
(“06880” is your hyper-local blog — and your source for everything Westport-related, yesterday, today and tomorrow. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Posted onMarch 21, 2024|Comments Off on Roundup: Athletic Field Lights, Jewish Broadway, Staples Tuition Grants …
In November of 2011, High Point Road residents reached an agreement with Westport’s Planning & Zoning Commission and Parks & Recreation Department regarding the hours that lights at the Staples football stadium (now called Paul Lane Field) could be used. Noise regulations were included too.
The agreement included any other lighted fields in town (the only other one is PJ Romano, behind Saugatuck Elementary School. (Click here to read it.)
The agreement has now expired. Next Thursday (March 28, noon, Zoom), the P&Z’s Recreation Committee will discuss lighting policies for all town athletic fields.
It will also review “Dark Sky compliance and sports field lighting.”
Paul Lane Field at Staples High School. (Photo/Robin Wolfe-Scheffler)
=================================================
The Westport Country Playhouse has just added 2 intriguing events.
“A Place For Us: A Celebration of Jewish Broadway” features Ari Axelrod, as part of the new “Mic in Hand” series.
The May 8 cultural celebration honors the songs and stories of Jewish composers, and their crucial contributions to the American musical.
Axelrod says, “Our history is not only about how we survived, but also about how we thrived. ‘A Place for Us’ highlights this in its exploration of Jewish Broadway.”
The show was presented first last year to a sold-out house, as the first Mic in Hand (a spin-off of the Playhouse’s popular Script in Hand series). This year’s show will include more songs and musicians. Click here for tickets, and more information.
On Saturday, March 30 (2 p.m.), “table-top puppetry meets pro wrestling meets a rock show; high art meets low art meets Samuel Beckett.”
Kayfabe — an hour-long “frenetic frenzy of puppet wrestling action,” is “a semi-autobiographical meta-fictional love letter to professional wrestling, written, directed and designed by aspiring wrestler and inspired puppet artist Josh Rice.”
It is recommended for ages 13 and up. Click here for tickets, and more information.
Ari Axelrod
=============================================
A snafu with FAFSA — the Free Application for Federal Student Aid — has delayed college financial aid decisions for many high school students.
As a result, applications for Staples Tuition Grants — the 81-year-old program that last year awarded $407,000 to more than 100 members of the Class of 2023, and other graduates already in college — are down from this time last year.
STG officials urge students to submit applications before the April 22 deadline — even without knowing specific aid packages from universities.
Also down this year: contributions to the STG General Fund. The organization relies on donor support — along with endowed funds — to help close the gap between what college costs, and what students’ families can afford
More than 500 individuals, families and organizations donated to Staples Tuition Grants in the 2023 fiscal year. To help reach that number again, click here.
=================================================
Westport Police made 2 custodial arrests between March 13 and 20.
A man was arrested for assault, and intimidation due to bias/bigotry, after a fight at St. Vincent’s Behavioral Health. The incident was unprovoked, and occurred because of the victim’s race.
A woman was charged with issuing a bad check over $2,000, following a complaint by a local business owner.
Westport Police also issued these citations:
Failure to obey traffic control signals: 5 citations
Speeding: 3
Traveling unreasonably fast: 3
Operating an unregistered motor vehicle: 3
Improper use of markers: 3
Operating a motor vehicle without a license: 2
Failure to renew registration: 2
Operating a motor vehicle without minimum insurance: 2
Assault: 1
Breach of peace: 1
Distracted driving: 1
Failure to drive in the proper lane: 1
Failure to obey stop sign: 1
Failure to obey state traffic commission regulations: 1
Operating a motor vehicle under suspension: 1
Failure to renew license: 1
=================================================
Sorelle Gallery’s newest exhibit opened yesterday. Abstract artist Teodoro Guererra will be featured through April 10.
Guererra uses impasto techniques, with thick coats of paint layered over each other for a light 3-dimensional effect. Click here for more information.
Teodoro Guererra’s works, at Sorelle Gallery.
=================================================
La Plage’s Mother’s Day menu is set (click here to see).
It’s May 12 (noon to 7 p.m.; $95 3-course prix fixe; $55 for young adults). Reservations are required: 203-684-6232.
=================================================
We’ve all heard the tale that it’s only possible to balance an egg upright on the spring equinox.
That’s not true. There is no gravitational change that day; if you have the right egg (and a ton of patience), you can do it any day.
But Marie Gross tried Tuesday night (technically, the day after this year’s equinox). Here’s the result:
(Photo/Marie Gross)
=============================================
Dana Kuyper was the first Westporter to photograph the 2024 ospreys, at Fresh Market. We posted her image yesterday.
Today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature shows the first close-up of the magnificent raptors:
Couch Potato Salad was created right here in Westport. And with its clever premise, compelling graphics and daily addictive/social/creative buzz, it could be the next thing to break the internet.
Just click on CouchPotatoSaladGame.com. You’ll see an image. The correct answer will describe it using 2 common phrases, linked by a shared middle word.
For example:
It’s “Shrimp Cocktail Party.”
Try this:
Of course, it’s “Smart Cookie Monster.”
The game is the brainchild of Zack Gross. The 2001 Staples High School graduate moved back to Westport last year, with his wife and 2 young children.
He enlisted current Staples senior Joshua Jordan to turn the idea into a web-based reality.
(Full disclosure: I got the 2 together. I coached Zack in soccer back in the day. And Josh developed the very successful “06880” app last summer. Zack calls Josh “the smartest 18-year-old on the planet.” That’s low-balling it.)
In about 2 months, Josh created the website. Zack made the graphics. And last week, they soft-launched Couch Potato Salad (get it?) on the world.
Zack Gross
The game’s genesis dates back more than a decade. Zack and Lauren McCabe — also a Westport resident — hashed out the idea on a couples’ trip. They played occasionally, using words only, over the years.
But Zack always thought the game would work well as a visual puzzle.
“The best phrase couplets are amusing because they create a silly image in your mind,” the University of Pennsylvania and New York University School of Law graduate says.
“Crab Walk of Shame” works because you imagine a hungover crab stumbling home on the beach. But he had no way of generating the hundreds of images he needed for the game.
Then came Artificial Intelligence.
Now — with the right prompt — he can create endless images. AI generates “The Wicked Witch of the West Wing” or “Drunk with Power Rangers” at a tiny fraction of the time — and cost — it would take an illustrator.
“The images are amazing,” Zack says. “Embarrassingly, I have several hanging in my house masquerading as ‘art.'”
Try this beauty:
Of course, it’s “Elephant in the Room for Improvement.”
Even with AI, of course, capturing the right image is not easy.
“You can’t just type ‘Bachelor Pad Thai’ and get a workable puzzle,” he notes.
He first figures out the necessary visual elements and style, then explains it to the program.
From there, it’s a lot of trial and error.
For the “Couch Potato Salad” image — on the website’s home page — Zack generated over 100 options. A professional illustrator revised it further.
What’s especially cool, Zack says, is that the game was created, tested and developed entirely by Westporters.
Josh Jordan
After developing it with McCabe, he sent it to high school classmates Will Downey, Mike Carey, Jordan Schur, Everett Boyle and Jim Wolf (some of whom, like Zack, have returned here to live).
Josh — the Staples senior — took care of all the back end tech work. As with the “06880” app, he worked quickly, efficiently, creatively and very professionally.
Now Zack and Josh — 23 years younger, and a soon-to-be fellow Staples grad — have shared Couch Potato Salad with the rest of the world.
What a great Brain Food Chain!
(Where else but “06880” can you find a story like this? When you finish downloading Couch Potato Salad, please consider a contribution to your hyper-local blog. Click here — and thank you!)
Is Staples High School the Jeep capital of the world?
Dave Briggs wanted to find out.
The well-known Westporter — a national broadcaster with CNN, NBC Sports, Fox News and Turner Sports; marketing executive with Cann Social Tonic, the micro-dosed THC and CBD drink; Westport Library board member and, later this month, Fashionably Westport MC — took a tour of the school’s parking areas, including Bedford Middle School where juniors park.
Of 133 cars, he counted 33 Jeeps. That’s almost exactly 25% — 1 in 4.
(Does content like this — and everything else we post — “drive” you to support “06880”? To make a tax-deductible contribution, please click here. Thank you!)
Here’s an interactive — even fun (!) — way to make your voice heard.
A new online map-based survey is the first chance for residents to provide feedback on of Westport’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Safety Action Plan project.
Users easily zoom in on a particular place in town. The map has 3 options to drop a pin, and offer feedback: “Safety Concern”; “Safety/Improvement Idea”; “Good Example.” There’s a chance too to like a previous comment (and see how many other residents agree).
One suggestion that’s already been made: Adding a left-turn signal from Compo Road South (leaving the beach) onto Bridge Street.
Two examples of concern, both at Parker Harding Plaza and the Post Road: It’s confusing for pedestrians, and drivers must nose out slowly exiting the lot, to see past Starbucks.
A “Good Examples” example? The new stop sign at the Greens Farms Road/New Creek Road intersection (near the train station) drew praise (though, the commenter noted, it was probably done to help the school buses parked there, rather than normal vehicles).
The project is led by Westport’s Traffic and Pedestrian Task Force. Consultants Tighe & Bond were hired — with funding from a federal grant — to design a road safety improvement plan.
Click here to take the survey. Click here for the “Traffic & Pedestrian Safety” page on the town website.
=================================================
The Board of Finance agenda for March 6 (7:30 p.m., Town Hall auditorium; livestream at www.westportct.gov; Optimum channel 79. ) is jam-packed.
Among the agenda items:
1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker will present the town budget for fiscal year 2024-25.
Superintendent of schools Thomas Scarice and Board of Education chair Lee Goldstein will present the BOE’s operating and capital budget for fiscal year 2024-25.
A request from Parks & Recreation Department director Jen Fava for $186,590 for a comprehensive beach resiliency planning study.
A request from Fire Department deputy chief Nicholas Marsan for $110,000 for work to update and merge FD conceptual plans to include the Police Department and Emergency Medical Service in a new concept analysis for a joint public safety facility.
A request from Public Works director Pete Ratkiewich for $630,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Fund for design and permitting of the redevelopment of Jesup Green and the Imperial parking lots.
A request from Public Works director Ratkiewich for $1,295,000 for parking lot repaving, curbing and sidewalk improvements at Staples High School.
A request from Public Works director Ratkiewich for $253,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to replace the cooling tower and 2 heat pumps at the Senior Center.
How resilient are our beaches? Parks & Rec is requesting funds for a study.
The Weston History & Culture Center host a tasting fundraiser. It will be led by Gregg Glaser, publisher/editor of Modern Distillery Age. Diageo will provide the spirits.
The event includes a silent auction. Tickets are $100 each. Click here to buy.
Tequila!
===============================================
Meanwhile … when you’re working on the Saugatuck River, you want to make sure that when nature calls, you can answer properly:
Christa Lawrence died Sunday, after a long illness. She was 55.
Born in New York City, she grew up in Westport and attended Staples High.
She moved back to New York at 17, and immediately knew she was home. Her family says: “She loved everything about the East Village — the people, the energy, the music — and it loved her back.
“She soon became a mainstay of the East Village and in the rock and roll social scene, where she made many friends and was always part of the fun.”
In nearly 40 years in New York, Christa worked as a bartender and manager in bars and restaurants. She later entered the real estate industry. She worked most for Bond New York.
Her family adds: “Christa was an unforgettable person. Everyone who crossed her path, either growing up in Westport or in her adult life in the East Village, loved her and is quick to tell a story and share a laugh about their time with her. Christa’s quick wit, unique sense of humor and one-of-a-kind laugh will never be forgotten.”
She is survived by her close friends Jay Clark and Mary Rodriquez, and her sister Andrea Lawrence Moore. Visitation is set for February 27 (2 to 8 p.m., Peter Jarema Funeral Home, 129 East 7th Street, New York). The funeral will be held February 28 (11 a.m., St. Stanislaus Church, 101 East 7th Street, New York). Christa will be buried at Eagle Cemetery in Milesburg, Pennsylvania, alongside her parents.
Christa Lawrence
================================================
“Westport … Naturally” photographer Tracy Porosoff hopes that birds return this spring to this now-abandoned nest, and lay eggs.
And finally … in honor of the Weston History & Culture Center’s upcoming fundraiser:
(From traffic surveys to tequila fundraisers, “06880” is your hyper-local source for news. If you’d like to support our work, please click here. Thank you!)
“We did it! We have reached our goal of inspiring (over) 150 Westporters to make a gift in support of Sustainable Westport.
“We deeply appreciate every individual who participated in our first-ever Community Giving Challenge.
“Your support helped us raise money to expand our programming in 2024, demonstrated our community’s continued commitment to sustainability, and helped us unlock an additional $10,000 challenge grant from a generous Sustainable Westport donor. When we come together, even small actions have an incredible impact! Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Jake Thaw is going to the College Football Playoff championship.
His University of Michigan Wolverines edged Alabama 27-20 in overtime yesterday, at the Rose Bowl. They’ll face the University of Washington next Monday in Houston (January 8, 8:15 p.m., ESPN).
It almost didn’t happen, though. The only punt that came the 2020 Staples High School graduate’s way was muffed, at the 5-yard line. Thaw did a great job of avoiding a safety, under intense pressure.
Jay Harbaugh — the UM special teams coordinator, and son of head coach Jim Harbaugh — was heavily criticized on social media for allowing Thaw to attempt the catch inside the 10, and not simply letting it bounce.
Bridgewater Associates — the Westport-based world’s largest hedge fund, and the object of so much interest and mystery in that world — is under the media microscope again.
Not long after the publication of Rob Copeland’s tell-almost-all book “The Fund,” a Bloomberg story examines charges against the company of favoritism, age and sex discrimination.
The article includes this description of what goes on inside the office:
Because many employees at Bridgewater are in their 20s and 30s and work long hours in the Connecticut suburbs far outside New York City, romantic relationships are common, people who have worked there said….
And the togetherness extends beyond work. There are almost 100 clubs where employees can do everything from play softball to rescue pets.
Click here for the full story. (Hat tip: Allan Siegert)
Bridgewater’s Nyala Farm headquarters, where romance blooms. (Photo/Nico Eisenberger)
Bassist/composer/producer Harvie S and guitarist Sheryl Bailey kick off the 2024 Jazz at the Post year this Thursday (January 4, VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399; shows at 7:30 and 8:45 p.m.; dinner from 6:30 p.m. on).
The two highly regarded musicians will be joined by saxophonist Greg “The Jazz Rabbi” Wall and drummer Steve Johns.
Reservations are highly recommended: JazzatthePost@gmail.com
For the past 4 years, Santa has posted on a Westport Facebook page. Parents can request him to come to their home. He visits as many as possible — greeting kids personally — on Christmas Eve (presumably before he does his chimney thing).
It’s amazing how much this Santa resembles Josh Philip — the Westport dad who volunteers his time as a PAL football commissioner.
Come to think of it, the Santa who appeared at the WestportMoms holiday event at The Porch at Christie’s looked a lot like Josh too.
The temperature was in the mid-50s. There was not a snowflake in sight.
Merry Climate Change Christmas!
=================================================
Sorry to get all grinchy, just the day after the holiday.
But this was a “gift” someone left yesterday at Winslow Park:
(Photo/Mark Mathias)
Really, someone? This is what you think of your park, your town, and everyone in it?
Too bad there are 364 days left until Christmas. Santa really needs to bring you some decent human values, and the basic concept of understanding that the world does not revolve around you alone.
Dozens of volunteers headed to Assumption Cemetery on Greens Farms Road yesterday, to lay wreaths on 400 veterans’ graves.
The event — part of the national Wreaths Across America program — was organized by the indefatigable Patty Kondub. She’s vice president of the VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399 Auxiliary — and her father John, a World War II veteran and VFW Post 399 member, is buried in that cemetery.
Scouts from Troops 39 and 139 aided the effort.
Volunteer Johanna Keyser Rossi reports, “As we placed our wreaths, we thanked each veteran personally.”
Volunteers carefully lay wreaths, at Assumption Cemetery. (Photo/Johanna Keyser Rossi)
Our median age is 45.2. That’s older than the median for all of Connecticut: 40.9. Overall, the American Community Survey says, our state is the 7th oldest in the country. (Maine is the oldest, with a median age of 44.8. Utah is the youngest: 31.4).
As for the Land of Steady Habits, the oldest town in Connecticut is Sherman. Its median age is 58.2. The youngest is Mansfield: 21.1. Of course, Storrs — where the University of Connecticut is located — is part of Mansfield.
Here’s something we haven’t seen in a while: gas below $3 a gallon.
Bob Weingarten spotted this sign at the Cumberland Farms near Stop & Shop:
(Photo/Bob Weingarten)
Of course, what’s good for the consumer is not always good for the planet. The cheaper it is to fill our tanks, the more we drive.
=================================================
Ed Gerber is one of Westport’s most noted preservationists. From his 93 Cross Highway home to his work with local homeowners, he’s a gem at keeping local gems.
But he’s well known in the larger resetoration world too, for his work with Preservation Connecticut and as a trustee of Historic New England,
Now he’s gotten national recognition. The Woodrow Wilson House Museum recently presented him with a medallion from President Biden, as thanks for Gerber’s 50 years of volunteer service.
The Washington, DC home where the 28th president lived after leaving office, and where he died in an upstairs bedroom, is a National Historic Landmark. It is owned and operated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Ed Gerber and his president medallion, with Woodrow Wilson House Museum director Elizabeth Karcher.
Click here to help support “06880” via credit card or PayPal. Any amount is welcome, appreciated — and tax-deductible! Reader contributions keep this blog going. (Alternate methods: Please send a check to “06880”: PO Box 744, Westport, CT 06881. Or use Venmo: @blog06880. Or Zelle: dwoog@optonline.net. Thanks!)
GET THE “06880” APP
The “06880” app (search for it on the Apple or Android store) is the easiest way to get “06880.” Choose notifications: whenever a new post is published, or once or twice a day. Click here for details.
