Why Berkeley Should Ban Natural Gas Hookups, Now
I’m a businessperson. I have a businesslike approach to life. I don’t generally believe government should be micromanaging our lives
Photoessay: My Private Tour Of The New York Times’ Morgue
Today I spent a couple of hours in a basement archive belonging to the New York Times. It was a
The Five Questions Tech Funders Will Ask About Your Journalism Venture
Think these over before meeting with potential funders from the tech world. More and more journalist-entrepreneurs are looking to Silicon
Flashback To A Very Young Netflix, Climbing The Wall of Worry
Check out the first five Netflix annual reports (2002-2007), which for some reason I saved and have now scanned: 2002
Save Those Rejection Letters
“You don’t seem cut out for business.” That’s what some guy from Harvard Business School essentially told me when I
Notes From The Day Larry And Sergei Pitched Us On Google
This morning I found the notes from my memorable early-1999 meeting with Google’s Larry Page and Sergei Brin. I was
In The Recording Studio With Dad (Grandpa Harry)
Dad and I finally got into a professional recording studio last week, at U.C. Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism. I
Celebrating The Early Quizlet Team
The early Quizlet team was awesome. We bootstrapped the company for almost a decade, with a small, scrappy, team that
What Does Berkeley Get When We Spend $20 Million?
$19 million for 23 affordable housing units, and $22 million for a seismic retrofit. Update: After I published this post
Don’t Do Journalism For The Money… But Do It.
In January 1984, I got offered a summer reporting internship at the Virginian Pilot in Norfolk Virginia. On hearing about it,
What Local Journalism Needs Now
The recent Online News Association event in Austin was great – full of passionate, committed local journalist-entrepreneurs all trying to figure
Are Mannequins Running Pensacola’s Biggest Newsroom?
I recently spent 24 hours in Pensacola, and stumbled across a ghostly reminder of how far local journalism has fallen
Are Teachers And Journalists On The Same Wild Ride?
They’re facing a lot of change, and the same tough questions. Google ‘what do teachers and journalists have in common’
Paywalls Are Killing Local Journalism. Could A Robin Hood Model Save The Day?
Paywalls have dramatically failed journalism. In an attempt to adapt to the Internet, American newspapers of all sizes have erected
For A Fun, Educational Project, Build This Cardboard Pinball Machine
What can America do with its mountains of recycled cardboard? Make educational toys, that’s what! Last week, in Burlington, Vermont,
What’s Holding Back The New York Times?
Why does The New York Times only have two million digital subscribers, when there are two billion smartphone users on
Berkeley’s Wall For Peace, Revisited 30 Years Later
How long can a symbol of hopeful activism last? A long time, in the case of Berkeley’s Wall For Peace,
Introducing ‘Watch Berkeley Gov’
Note: due to low viewership, I’ve decided not to go forward with this experiment… its not worth the time. While
Life Advice From Letterpress Artist Amos Kennedy Jr… ‘It’s a Joy To Make Stuff’
If you’re a creative person and want to get inspired, watch this talk with Detroit letterpress artist Amos Kennedy Jr.
Running For Berkeley City Council Is Now Easier Than Ever
Thinking about getting more involved in Berkeley? It’s never been easier to run for City Council: there are four seats
Why Run For Berkeley City Council?
Thinking about running for Berkeley City Council? You should! There are four seats open in this year’s election, and there’s
Deflation Is Tightening Its Grip On Us All
Why so many people are feeling squeezed. What’s the United States’ biggest export? iPhones? Airplanes? Nope – it’s deflation. For
Bruce
His book is worth reading – and his second act worth considering. A friend snapped this cell phone picture of
Local Music Moments, Caught on Video
Wurlitzer Organ at Berkeley High School, Jan 13, 2018 Was walking by Berkeley High today and saw the door to
The Best Lap Swim Pools in the East Bay (Updated)
Looking to swim laps in the East Bay? We have some awesome pools here. Here’s my roundup so far, after trying
Homelessness: A Reading List
Want to learn more about homelessness in the United States? I spent a couple of days trying to find the
Bay Area Artists I Like (Updated)
Here’s a list of local (Bay Area) artists I’ve discovered – and liked – for one reason or another. I’ll
Electric Cars’ Low Operating Costs, Confirmed
Finally some research is coming out about the real cost of owning electric cars – confirming that while they cost
Capitola Sea Wall Tiles Project
I was in Capitola last weekend and came across this awesome public art project, on the boardwalk downtown, from 2008. What’s
What If We’d Spent $1.7 Trillion On Education, Instead Of The Iraq War?
Fourteen years after the war in Iraq started, the New York Times is now reporting that Iran has essentially taken over
My House Concert Experiment Was a Hit
Just wanted to post a few pictures and a video from my house concert this Saturday featuring the awesome bluegrass
Why I Admire Khan Academy
Quizlet CEO Matt Glotzbach and I visited Khan Academy today to have lunch with their new COO Ginny Lee, who
A Few Local Bluegrass Jam Resources
Here’s a few resources I’ve come across (or am developing myself), that may be useful for people getting more into playing
Caught Secretly Doing the Right Thing
The above security camera photo shows members of the Quizlet team hustling patio furniture inside to protect it from a
My Dad’s Post-Election, Optimistic Poem
My dad wrote this poem shortly after Trump’s election. He was trying to process and think positive about a seemingly
The Power of Unlocking Alternative Solutions
I spent today working on some home-improvement projects, mostly involving locks and metal fitting of various types. At one point
Hour By Hour, See the Excess Solar Power
California already has more mid-day solar power than it knows what to do with. The above graph, published yesterday in
What I Learned From My Swim Goggles Today
What you’ve always believed is true, may not be true. This morning the strap on my swim goggles broke right
Mystery Bronze Fixture (With Ring)
In many years of going to the Alameda antiques market, I’ve stumbled across some unique and mysterious items, but nothing
Cobalt Blue Sign From the Dawn of Global Banking
I bought this sign at the Alameda antiques market after noticing it a few months in a row. I’m into
Abbey Rents Folding Chairs
For years I’d been searching for a matched set of vintage wooden folding chairs. Recently, just as I was about
Songs About Pollution, 50 Years Later
Most songs about political issues aren’t very good songs. But check out these tunes written in the 60s and 70s,
Is It Possible To Prioritize The World’s Problems?
How do you prioritize solving the world’s problems? Can this even be done? Last night, I heard a guy speak,
Songs From The War on Coal
Every good fight needs some fight songs, but the climate change battle doesn’t have many. People don’t sing much about car
Hungry, Foolish, Hitchhiking.
“The frame of mind of the young hitchhiker is one of the freest frames of mind there is,” Stewart Brand
Words to Work By, Revisited
Just came across this list I wrote for the Quizlet company handbook in 2010. I was trying to convey some of
Marketing Ideas For Electric Cars
Electric cars in 2017 are selling at a snail’s pace – in the tens of thousands per year. At this
Welcome, Champ!
Got a puppy this week, after many years of wanting a dog. And he’s awesome.
An Afternoon of Design Ideas
Just went to a very cool afternoon of presentations at the Jacobs Institute for Design Innovation on the Berkeley campus.
Post-Election: What to Work on Now?
It took me a while after the election to come up with anything to say. The outcome didn’t surprise me,