Perhaps not literally, but we do need something to draw people here other than our business casual and leisure activities. A while back Japan started building giant robots and it seems to have been drawing a lot of locals as well as tourists to the city of Tokyo. So why can’t the tech capital of the world, Silicon Valley, build something to capture the hearts and minds of our imaginations as well? Sure we have the tech museum, but it’s no giant robot, and while we have spectacular feats of strength and ingenuity like the Golden Gate Bridge, what, if anything, exists n the South Bay to draw people in in-kind?
Let’s see, what if we developed the open hill side areas around where the 101 and 85 join near Bernal and built ourselves a symbol of technology. Perhaps a Green tech park where we integrate trees and shrubbery with wireless computer stations all networked so people could enjoy a day in the park, but still get online via their devices or a terminal sticking out of a eucalyptus tree? Maybe we could get some funding for the project through companies like Panasonic, makers of the Toughbook systems, to incorporate their weather proof technologies into this ecosystem? What if Subaru could build little golf carts to tour the park, or perhaps a train of some kind to ride around in.
It’s thoughts like this that come into my mind often and bug me, as I mention them to the people around me and yet I’m met with blank stares or snide remarks. However, those who are interested in the projects usually find themselves in the same predicament as me, with no one we know who can “make this happen” and with my own funds and sphere of influence being limited to the budget of a single income families, it’s not something I can develop myself.