Mar
27
A Medici of modern scientific exploration
Filed Under Discover, Technology, Recent stories | Leave a Comment
The most recent issue of Discover magazine (not yet online online here) contains a long interview I did with Paul Allen late last fall. Allen, of course, in addition to being the cofounder of Microsoft and one of the world’s wealthiest individuals, is the owner of the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trailblazers and a prolific technology investor and philanthropist.
For Discover, though, we were most interested in his appetite for scientific and exploration projects. Raised on science fiction (he opened a science fiction museum in Seattle, in fact), Allen has put huge chunks of money towards efforts like SpaceShipOne, the Allen Brain Atlas, and SETI. In the interview, he talks about how he picks his scientific spots, where he’s going next, and a few old times with Mr. Gates.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 27th, 2007
del.icio.us Digg RedditMar
25
If you want something done right…
Filed Under Events | Leave a Comment
Very late notice, but Monday night I’ll be joining five other San Francisco writers in the Porch Light Storytelling Series, at Cafe Du Nord. The theme of the evening is “doing it yourself,” commonly known today as DIY. Details:
WHERE: Cafe du Nord, 2170 Market Street
WHEN: Monday, March 26
Doors 7:00, Stories begin at 8pm
TICKETS: $12, also available at www.ticketweb.com
Unfortunately doing it yourself does not always ensure that “it” will be done right. In fact “it” often goes awry, sometimes disasterously so. My story for the evening concerns the ultimate do-it-yourselfer, a man who started over two dozen businesses in his lifetime.
UPDATE: Thanks to everyone for coming out. And thanks to Arline and Beth for inviting me to recount the tale of my grandfather and his multifarious do-it-yourself exploits.
This entry was posted on Sunday, March 25th, 2007
del.icio.us Digg RedditMar
20
From the Far East
Filed Under Japan, Photography | Leave a Comment
I’ve just returned from two weeks in Japan, where I was researching some disaster response and environmental topics in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Kobe, on a short fellowship from the Foreign Press Center. Hopefully one or more stories based on what I learned will show up — either here or elsewhere — before too long. In the meantime, there are a few photos from the trip up here.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 20th, 2007
del.icio.us Digg Reddit