Life

The Real Story of JPG Magazine

In Business, JPG Magazine, Life on 14 May 2007 with Comments Off

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about community-building, it’s this: Do Not Lie. People are too smart and well-connected to believe a lie anymore. So, with that in mind, the story I’m about to tell is absolutely true as I experienced it.
How JPG Began
In September, 2004, Heather and I went for a walk in Buena [...]

In Praise of the Inappropriate

In Family, Life, Stories on 3 April 2007 with 42 comments

There’s an art to saying the wrong thing at the right time. And the older I get, the more I think there’s a gene that causes it. If there is, I know this: it’s passed on the mother’s side.

My maternal grandmother, Gert, was a master of the art of the inappropriate comment. With me, a cherished grandson, she was a sweetheart. With my mom, she was … less sweet.

Quitting Smoking. Again.

In Life on 10 December 2006 with Comments Off

People are often surprised to find out I am, or was (depending on when you catch me), a smoker. I’ve never been a pack-a-day kinda guy - more like a pack-a-week - but still enough for me to feel it in my lungs when I’m smoking, and feel it in my gut when I’m not.
Right [...]

I can’t complain.

In Life on 11 October 2006 with Comments Off

I talk to my grandma most weekends. She’s an amazing woman. She lived through the horrors of the Holocaust, and yet, every time I call her and ask how she’s doing, her answer is, “I can’t complain.”
She probably said the same thing when she was homeless in Siberia. In winter.
I think, for her, to complain [...]

Come with me to Denmark

In Life on 19 September 2006 with Comments Off

I’m going to be in Denmark for the next few days. I’m speaking at the ubercool Knock Knock conference all about community-powered media and what we’re up to at 8020 Publishing and JPG Magazine.
Wanna follow along? I’m going to try to post updates to Twitter and photos to Flickr in a kind of realtime travelogue [...]

The Kid Always Gets the Last Word

In Life, Stories on 3 September 2006 with Comments Off

My nephew Hugh is two years old. And, as the husband of the sister of his mother, it is my duty to impress him. I am determined to be the Cool Uncle.
Heather and I are in Chicago for a family visit. We’re all gathered at a nice restaurant for dinner - Heather’s sister Claire, [...]

Love and Penguins

In Life, Love, Stories on 25 August 2006 with Comments Off

There’s an old story. I don’t know if it’s true, but it goes like this. Penguins mate for life. And there’s a moment when some boy penguin is looking over that infinite expanse of black and white when one female penguin stands out. And he stands out to her. And then, well, that’s it. Of [...]

Booma

In Life on 22 August 2006 with Comments Off

When I was 16, I became a vegetarian. Years later, I spent the summer in Alaska. When my friends and I went fishing, I decided that if I could catch one, I’d totally eat it. So that’s what I did. I figured, once you take a fish’s life with your own two hands, you’re allowed [...]

New Photo Book: Apple Sweat

In Books, For Sale, Fray, Life, Photography, Travel on 8 August 2006 with Comments Off

What do you do when your trip to New York City just happens to coincide with the biggest heat wave since 1936? Make some photos, of course!
I took my favorite Lomo shots and put them together in a book I’m calling Apple Sweat: The 2006 Heat Wave from NYC Streets. Take a look!

The Etiquette of Modern Communication

In Geek, Life, Technology on 29 July 2006 with Comments Off

The other day I found myself needing to contact a friend. This friend and I, we’re both bleeding edge technology nerds, so it got me thinking about how many ways there are for people like us to contact each other, and what the unspoken rules of etiquette are for each one.
Here were the options, in [...]