ydnar

First big smile of the new year, via Elliot Clowes:

1951

2009

I guess in some ways it was inevitable. A lot of people expected it, and more than a couple asked “what’s taking so long.” So a couple weeks ago, I started nb.io with Eric Case and Cameron Walters. The plan is to make it onto the awesome list. We’re bootstrapping and working on some projects that we want to use.

Tomorrow we’re heading to Mendocino to hack on our first product, away from our usual daily distractions. The plan is to do this regularly—go somewhere with a good kitchen, internets and preferably with a decent dose of outdoors. If you have a house somewhere awesome that you don’t mind sharing for our company hack-trips, email me. We’re currently officing in my house—so trading is definitely possible.

We’re eating our own dogfood—methodically iterating based on the needs of our products’ audiences. In less-buzzword-laden English, this means making stuff that our users want, and really trying hard to not waste time on stuff they don’t. Or as our friend Hans put it, aligning our interests with that of our customers.

But enough about products & companies &c. Time for the Black Kids show!

On my desk: Three Cups of Tea, an issue of The Economist, a subscription reminder for The Economist, a DMV renewal notice, a postcard from the California Academy of Sciences, my MacBook, a green wine bottle filled with water and a glass of ice.

This design, originally for Jay & Jen’s wedding, is now wearable. This morning, a Flickr search bore unexpected fruit:

Purchase Here

Played Avenue D at pub quiz last night, and they want more. Discussed the ultrarich in Monaco and the ultrapoor in Punjab over breakfast, microfinance and food supplies, wandered the ferry building and talked about biofuels and the economics of nonprofits before completing the Blue Bottle trifecta of Cento, Boulette’s Larder and Piccino.

Heard gossip about the inner workings of several of my favorite businesses from some of my favorite people. Think I met a new favorite person.

Rode motorcycle and bicycle along my favorite roads. Thought I saw someone who used to be close to me. Planning for the weekend, another away from SF. Planning September and October—Portland, New York, Boston and Amsterdam. Wishing I’d heard from a friend today, but didn’t. Taking a camera to Zeitgeist.

I wish I spoke the language you were written in.

Sold art, got invited to show in Boston in October, Eric and I are close to shipping our first alpha, and I just got an email from someone I hadn’t heard from in several years. The universe has interesting timing, I think.

Edit: And my sister emailed me a job listing from Stanford. Yay, more family in the Yay Area!

I am seriously behind on my music consumption. Toof and Dan’s unread postings in my feed reader are stacking up, I’m a week late (and counting) delivering a mixtape for July, and mainly just enjoying large quantities of doing nothing on the island.

I’m itching to remix Frank Turner:

Bummed I’m missing the Start Conference (holla @ Fort Mason!), but stoked that Eric’s there. Been filling in the gaps of time by writing bits of JavaScript and Python for our first release hack. It’s small tiny and cool and open-source and a little disruptive and hopefully useful.

Also, Obama is here tomorrow!

Edit: Someone wants to buy my art. Woot!

Two photos, separated by almost a year from my friends Lucia and Libby—both amazing, fearless climbers, one a scientist, one a nurse, both awesome. Both gonna save your life one day.