My analog blog

I showed up late to the Pownce party and crouched into the back of the line. Since there was not much else to do, I started to write something down in my notebook, which I’ve been carrying around since my iPhone replaced my Palm T|X.

(Isn’t it ironic that we used to be able to beam people our contact information and now, seven years in the future, we have to resort to pen/paper, or a phone call/exchange. Technology, why hast thou abandoned me?)

A friend, further up in the line, made the comment, “Terry Chay is writing in his analog blog.”

“Pownce Launch Party” by magerleagues

Yeah, it’s a moleskine. Don’t shoot me.

Then ensued some Q&A about what I write down in there?

Answer: really boring stuff like shopping lists, task lists, an occasional outline for a blog entry I’ll never write…

So if you ever see me writing in “my analog blog,” you know it’s nothing interesting.

[More pownce after the jump]Continue reading →

Posted on by tychay 15

Sex talk

Someone asked me today if I plan on attending the Sex Worker’s Art Show which will be hitting San Francisco tomorrow.

The answer is no because I’m working all weekend, I just added it to my upcoming because I thought maybe others might be interested in it. But in all honesty, I’m just an introverted conservative at heart and I’m just too shy. Heck, I feel uncomfortable walking home at night.

The book, which is an analogy of stories from strippers to internet models and phone sex operators, sounds very interesting…

Working Sex

Working Sex: Sex Workers Write About a Changing Industry . I’ll be sure to buy this book after I get all my Amazon Affiliate rebates collected in one place.

See if the tour will be near you.

[More randomness after the jump]Continue reading →

Posted on by tychay 8

The editing we live

I stopped by the Lensbaby booth at Macworld and was talking to a rep there.

He let me mess with his Canon XTi and Lensbaby 2.0. Since I’ve systematically destroyed all my cameras, it has been a long while. When my hands grabbed the camera, it was electric—my hands were made for an SLR, my eyes were made to be behind the viewfinder. I snapped a couple of photos.

Lensbaby 2.0

A lensbaby is a cheap lens that turns your expensive dSLR into a really cheap lomographic camera.

He then asked me a question he had been pestered with that day, “Why don’t you just use photoshop to do the same thing the lensbaby does?”

[My answer after the jump]Continue reading →

Posted on by tychay 8

You lost me at Tony

Subject: Tried to reach you at [phone number redacted]

Morning Tony,

I saw your resume online and wasn’t sure if you were looking to leave Tagged or if you already had. Your resume was outstanding and I wasn’t sure if you were considering scientific, lead or management roles…

Hmm…

Dear recruiter,

You lost me at “Tony.”

Take care,

terry

count: http://one.sentenc.es/

(If you’re about to ask for a favor, it helps to get the name right.)

Posted on by tychay 5

…surrounded by reality

At dinner the other day, A— quoted someone saying:

“San Francisco. 14 square miles surrounded by reality.”

I thought that was rather clever as I seem to like a slight self-effacement now and again. I bothered to look up the full reference. It turns out the quote was by our very own Mayor McDreamy and he really said:

“San Francisco, a wacky wonderful place, a place of dreamers and doers. I think someone described San Francisco as ‘49 square miles surrounded by reality.’ I kind of like that.
—Mayor Gavin Newsom, Speech at the Sierra Summit

I guess they didn’t have Google in San Francisco in 2005, because Gavin is quoting a saying about Madison, Wisconsin—the Left Coast of Wisconsin.

Sometimes, reality is a big old let down.

Parting shot. I love this city.

Posted on by tychay 3

Zippers

My grandfather once told me this story:

Every day, on his way to work as a chemistry professor at the University of Utah (1948-1973), my grandfather would pass the same man walking the other way. For some reason, each never exchanged more than a tacit acknowledgement of the other. This bothered my grandfather, but as it had happened so often, it had become the protocol.

Then one day, as they were walking toward each other, the man extended his hand to my grandfather.

Finally a chance to meet this man! my grandfather thought and happily extended his hand in return.

“No,” the man said as his hand formed into a point, “your zipper is down.”

…

I mention this story, because now is the second time in two days I’ve gone hours before realizing I forgot to zip up.

My grandfather is very famous in his home country. I heard there is a statue of him at a university there and he’s buried in the national cemetery. Somehow the thought of this embarrassment of one of Korea’s most famous scientists makes mine a little less.

I miss my grandfather.

Posted on by tychay 3

Nerd cool

After the SXSWi party, a random mention of my blog caused a discussion of how—as evidenced by the popularity of shows such as The Big Bang Theory and Chuck, not to mention 21 which will be airing at SXSW this year—geeks are now “chic.”

Worst part about geeks being chic?
Right index finger gets tired from clicking “bury” on Digg.

Best part about geeks being chic?
Don’t have to change.

Worst part of the next generation growing up in geek chic?
Trauma-free angst == emo. (Hate Paul Graham all you want, the guy speaks from experience, I’ll miss that.)

Best part of the next generation growing up in geek chic?
Less body odor.

Geek girlz > *

Geek girlz > *
Citizen Space, South of Market, San Francisco, California

Leica M8, Cosina-Voigtländer NOKTON 35mm F1.2 Aspherical
1/16sec, iso 320, 35mm (47mm)

Okay, the gradual change in guy-girl ratio at tech events is also a plus.

Posted on by tychay 9