SLUG REPORT > Collaboration was key to new open sourced surgical robots

“The story about Raven is actually the story about collaboration.”

These words rang out long after my recent interview with Jacob Rosen, an associate professor of computer engineering in the Jack Baskin School of Engineering at UC Santa Cruz. Rosen and his research group have been working alongside Blake Hannaford, director of bio-robotics of the University of Washington (UW), to create Raven II, a robotic surgery system that relies upon Rosen's choice word: collaboration.

Zachary Frandeen says he can’t really afford to live in Santa Cruz, but that he loves it too much to live anywhere else. It was this sentiment that inspired him to create the “Cantaffordit” stickers that have been cropping up around town since he released them in 2011. “’Cantaffordit’ is how I feel about Santa Cruz, but I live here because it’s the best place on Earth, and I feel like that’s why people can relate,” he says. The Santa Cruz County native has been a photographer since 1992 (“I have been a starving artist ever since, and love it,” he says), and thought up the sticker—his first adventure in adhesive art—while taking graphic design at Cabrillo College last year. The stickers can be found for $2 (plus tax) at DJ’s Mini Mart (Frandeen’s place of employment), Streetlight Records, Bill’s Wheel’s, and a handful of other local establishments. Frandeen’s goal? To sell enough stickers to launch a “Cantaffordit” T-shirt line.

SCOTTS VALLEY > Scooters may soon be allowed at Scotts Valley Skate Park

On the night of Thursday, Jan. 19, the Scotts Valley Parks and Recreation Department held a public meeting to determine whether or not to officially allow scooters in Scotts Valley Skate Park. Over the past couple months, the issue came to a head as older skaters expressed annoyance over the park being crowded by younger kids on scooters.

SANTA CRUZ > Although Election Day is still months away, local residents are beginning to get educated on the issues that may land on ballots come November. On Tuesday, Jan. 17, the Santa Cruz chapter of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) co-sponsered a meeting with the Santa Cruz chapter of the ACLU and Health Care for All, an organization dedicated to bringing universal healthcare to California.

Fill up your passport without breaking the bank by taking a tour of Santa Cruz’s many wineries

This Saturday, Jan. 21, the Santa Cruz Mountain Winegrowers Association (SCMWA) will hold their winter Passport Day. For just $40, participants gain access to 50 different wineries throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains with tastings available at each stop. Simply present the winery with your special purple passport and receive a taste of their latest offerings. At each winery, passport will be marked with a stamp to indicate completion of another leg of the trip. Though the journey is the fun part, participants who fill their passport will receive a special gift to commemorate their completion.

Santa Cruz teens qualify for national battle of the bands competition

The four local teens who make up Almost Chaos will get their second chance to take home the gold at this weekend’s SchoolJam USA Battle of Bands competition. The band will travel with their families to Disneyland to participate in the annual competition for the second time since 2010. Almost Chaos beat out thousands of other entrants to secure a place as one of only eight bands selected to perform at this weekend’s event.

SANTA CRUZ > Electric car documentary, charging stations come to Santa Cruz

This Friday, Jan. 13, Santa Cruz will join the ranks of the few U.S. cities selected to stage a public viewing of the 2011 documentary Revenge of the Electric Car. The film is directed by Chris Paine, who will be on hand at the event to field questions, and is a follow-up to his widely viewed and discussed 2006 documentary Who Killed the Electric Car?

Revenge of the Electric Car chronicles the resurgence of electric vehicles (EVs) by documenting the efforts of four individuals who are making waves in the automobile industry. A General Motors executive, the heads of Nissan and Tesla, and an independent car converter are each profiled, highlighting the effort that goes into bringing a viable EV to market. The film is a departure from Who Killed the Electric Car?, which largely focused on the destruction of several thousand EVs.

She's the go-to Scandinavian textile artist. Need some inspiration? Check out jansdotter.com, Lotta Jansdotter's original website that offers a slew of beautifully created designs by Jansdotter. There, she sells everything from tissue boxes to coin purses to large scale totes. And the best thing yet? She's now selling a new line of fabric at $11 a yard. These inspired designs are whimsical, colorful, and will make a stunning shirt, bag, quilt or other sewing project all that much more alive. This month, Hart's Fabric in Santa Cruz will receive their first stock of Jansdotter's fabric.