The largest B2B Solar Power get together lights up the Convention Center this week and it's not just for engineering geeks, policy wonks, and solar contraptioneers. From 5:30-8:30 tonight, the entire event and exhibit hall opens to the general public for free and it should be worth taking advantage of whether you're curious about the latest solar-powered gadgets or just want the down-low on the latest renewable energy trends and policies. more ›

When it comes to best costumes, West Hollywood wins the award during Halloween. Any other time of the year, the honor goes to San Diego (perhaps Los Angeles in the future) where the annual Comic-Con was held last weekend. more ›

Dwell on Design, self-touted as the largest design event on the West Coast, is back this weekend at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Although solely focused around the theme of home and design, the event itself cannot be described by one activity. From home tours to expert panels to the exhibition floor, we present you with LAist's favorite activities, as based on experiences at Dwell over the past couple years. more ›

Microsoft has decided on Los Angeles for next year's Worldwide Partner Conference, which will bring around 15,000 people to the city, generating 50,000 hotel room nights and $45 million local spending, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced today. The move comes as the city tries to also woo Comic-Con. more ›

NAMM (National Assocoiation of Music Merchants) holds an annual convention in Los Angeles. For a few years it was held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, but soon moved back to its home at The Anaheim Convention Center. There are over 1500 exhibitors, who are there launching new products, hosting signings, and organizing jam sessions. The thing about NAMM is that it is not open to the public--not for any price. It is industry only. So it is common practice to hit up friendly guitar shop owners, PR reps, and your sound guy's second cousin to try to get a pass. Last year press passes were only given on site. You had to show up with proof of past NAAM coverage and didn't even know if you were in until you had already hassled with driving and parking. more ›

To find what gadgets we'll want in our living room, car, and back pocket over the course of the year, we needn't look further than The 2010 Consumer Electronics Show last weekend in Las Vegas. more ›

“With nearly a half million Angelenos employed by the technology and hospitality sectors, Los Angeles is a perfect fit for E3,” Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said earlier this week welcoming the expo back to Los Angeles and touting how it and its 41,000 attendees bring $15 million to the local economy. Ironically enough, he said that below a banner advertising a game that has players build their own street gang and kill the competition. more ›

Here's a little of what we saw this afternoon at E3, otherwise known as the Electronic Entertainment Expo, where new video games and technologies are being shown off. Yesterday, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr helped introduce 45 Beatles songs to Rock Band. more ›

The stage is set for Barack Obama to accept the Democratic Party nomination for president | Photo by Rocky Mountain News via flickr. more ›

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Sen. John McCain will appear in Los Angeles later today -- first mucking it up with Jay Leno in Burbank then at a fundraiser in Beverly Hills -- following persistent questions about his noticeable absence from the Southland. more ›

This was taken on Friday at the Los Angeles Anime 2008 convention. more ›

For this evening, a selection of gentle acoustic guitars to assist in warming your bones by the fire. Acoustic instruments made of wood just fit the theme - the yule log, the Christmas tree, toy horses, and now, the wood stove where Sufjan Stevens' presents end up - oops! more ›

Read our exclusive LAist interview with G4TV's Olivia Munn to find out how she feels about playing Gay Chicken with Kevin Pereira, living in Los Angeles, and making out with her spray-tan lady more ›

Fire up your Nimbus 2000 and fly to the Biltmore! more ›

The WGA has just announced that they will go on strike beginning first thing Monday morning. The WGA West is currently holding a press conference and its members are in the midst of being notified. Last night, over 3,000 members of the guild crowded into the Los Angeles Convention Center for a standing room only meeting at which they were told that the negotiating committee was unanimously recommending a strike. A council of the... more ›

Hollywood remains in a state of flux as it waits to see whether or not writers will trade in their pens in favor of picket signs. The contract between the WGA and the AMPTP expired at midnight last night with little fanfare other than continued antagonistic rhetoric between the two negotiating parties. Discussions yesterday were again fruitless, and mired in the contentious atmosphere that has been a constant since bargaining commenced. The day began... more ›

Today's Daily News discusses yesterday morning's Congress of Neighborhoods where city's 89 neighborhood councils met in a convention style environment to learn skills such as media relations and working with city departments. Throughout the day, one major focus of chatter surrounded how to "wield their increasing influence." The Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council recently succeeded in a community effort in halting a Home Depot from coming to their neighborhood. The Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council is... more ›

This sounds fun... or not: the Apartment Owners Association Convention is this week at the convention center downtown. more ›

Those of you who've been following the presidential race as closely as I have (and, really, who hasn't?) are no doubt aware of the conventional wisdom surrounding Hillary Clinton's candidacy – namely that she now appears unbeatable. Pundits and reporters alike have been buzzing about her insurmountable lead – often clocking in in the high double digits – over her next two closest rivals, Obama and Edwards, for what has seemingly been weeks now.... more ›

Hear that sucking sound? The media's commitment to learning from its many recent mistakes in reporting ethics and the semantics thereof is again being sucked out of the collective memory hole. Two years ago, Hurricane Katrina survivors were initially referred to by numerous media outlets as "refugees." While "refugee" can be inferred to be descriptive of one who "takes refuge," the fact is that -- at least since the 1951 approval of the UN Convention... more ›

Guitar Hero was in full-effect at E-For-All more ›

Ninitendo Wii demonstration units at the 2007 E for All Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center Nintendo extended an invitation for a female writer from LAist to meet Perrin Kaplan , VP of Marketing for Nintendo at the E for All Expo. I sent my R.S.V.P. and planned to check out the latest games and technology that Nintendo has to offer. Now I should tell you that I know next to nothing about... more ›

Sure, the inaugural E For All doesn't really hold a candle to the bloated spectacle of old E3, but then again, the new low-key Santa Monica-based E3 doesn't hold a candle to the old E3 either. more ›

Brady Westwater at the blog, LA Cowboy, asked some fair questions on his blog yesterday about the former head of the city’s transportation department, who was fired last week: “Why Did The Press TOTALLY Fail Us On The Gloria Jeff Disaster?” After some research, he found that “not a word was ever printed about her past” – if that’s true, Gloria Jeff is in the wrong business. Get this woman to a PR firm... more ›

Wired Nextfest in Los Angeles. more ›

Don't forget to enter our Arcade Fire ticket giveaway contest for their Thursday appearance at the Hollywood Bowl. Lobster Festival in San Pedro continues through tomorrow, as well as WIRED Magazine's NextFest at the convention center. Immigrant experience, community and the "delirious noble dream." LAist Editor-At-Large Carolyn Kellogg reviews 'The Last Chicken in America: A Novel in Stories' by Ellen Litman for the LA Times. Long Beach is the first to begin mandatory water... more ›

Starting today and running through Sunday, WIRED magazine is kicking off NextFest, a four day festival of technology, business, and innovation at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The festival will feature a series of exhibitions and events featuring all things tech. From the website: "WIRED's vision of a new World's Fair, WIRED NextFest is a four-day festival of innovative products and technologies that are transforming our world. This year's NextFest in Los Angeles features... more ›

It has been two days, and the dust still hasn’t settled from the embarrassing MTV Video Music Awards, which both the media and public seem to agree was the worst one ever. The reasons for the disastrous show range from the lackluster performance of Britney Spears to the confusing jumble of special performance spaces to the unhinged antics of Kanye West, Kid Rock, Tommy Lee, et al. But I know better. I also know... more ›