May 2013
1 post
April 2013
1 post
WatchIt’s fun to say this word. Dovaogēdys!
March 2013
2 posts
Lol best newsletter: “Today in QSRs”
Photo: This family is reaping the benefits of the best in quick-serve kitchen equipment and the latest insights in restaurant practices.
smh if u ain’t getting great QSR headlines and choice quotes delivered daily. I love QSR news, and I want to share this love with YOU!
Sign up: Today in QSRs, a newsletter by me
Why??????? I love both food and absurd marketing jargon. QSR news takes away the...
January 2013
2 posts
The 10 parts of the flip turn
Flip turn by Olympic swimmer Dana Vollmer. Photo by Ric Frazier for ESPN.
This is how I practice my flip turn.
Judge the point where you start turning. Too early = you miss the wall on the landing. Too late = you hurt yourself on the snap.
Tuck your head to start the turn. Both arms should be at your sides.
Roll your body into a somersault.
Snap your feet down hard as you finish the body...
How to design good goals
If you want to make a change or start a new project, the new year is a great time to do it. Your friends, who likely have made a new year’s resolution or two, will naturally be more supportive of your new goals too. But you’ll need to design your goals well in order to achieve them.
Why should you care what I have to say about goals?
I created a goals group, now in its third year,...
Habit design app roundup: six short reviews
After discovering habit design at the Quantified Self conference earlier this year, I decided to try a few habit design apps for myself. Using Buster Benson’s newest app GonnaTry, I set out to test five habit design apps by the end of 2012 (yes, it’s a bit meta of me to use a habit app to test habit apps). Today’s the last day of my challenge.
Over the last few months, I’ve tried out a few apps...
December 2012
7 posts
Free transit and taxi on New Year’s Eve in San...
The M can’t handle me right now. Photo by Kally Kahn
For those of you new to San Francisco, here are three transit tips for pro New Year’s partiers:
Free taxi rides home. Berg Injury Lawyers will cover your taxi ride home when you call ahead. (Details)
Free bus rides all night. Muni will offer free service from 8 pm to 6 am. (Details)
Extended BART service. BART will run more trains...
My Twitter code of conduct
Tweet the right thing for the right account. Tweet jokes mostly on the joke account and personal comments mostly on the personal account.
Likewise, favorite professional-themed tweets on the professional account and dirty-funny tweets on the joke account. People can review your favorites, so keep the professional account 100% SFW.
Favorite a lot of tweets. Don’t worry if people don’t favorite...
“He walks onstage to the roaring tumult usually reserved for rock stars and soon...”
– — It’s weird how comedians are often measured by how funny they are rather than how they are funny. As if the only thing that mattered was the magnitude of their funniness. Have you ever heard a great new band touted as the most musical band in the world?
Comedy Show: Eddie Izzard (Sōsh)
WatchBuster Benson, “Why I Track”
Surprised and amused that Benson tracked the effect that links had on his mood.
“To prepare this forecast, analysts gathered as much proprietary and secondary...”
– written by corporate marketing drones who, if they have not yet lost the will to live, will likely soon find themselves staring into a liquid abyss, whiskey or seawater, wondering what it would be like to drown in it.
November 2012
1 post
How I voted in the 2012 Election
Here’s my voting guide for the 2012 election, with passion, apathy, education, and ignorance lumped together.
Because San Francisco & California voters are deliberating on so many propositions this year, I tried to state my reasoning briefly. Looking forward to any critiques or questions that come out of this. No flamez.
San Francisco City and County Propositions
Proposition A: Yes....
October 2012
1 post
6 Ways to Game Your Health Score on The Eatery
After hearing about Massive Health’s approach to habit design and data analysis at the Quantified Self conference in Palo Alto last month, I’ve been interested in trying their app The Eatery.
Just this week, I joined the community, and I’ve found that snapping is a lot of fun. As a food-obsessed photographer and a closet Solitaire player, it satisfies both my love of visuals (taking food photos)...
September 2012
1 post
Get Chris Brown’s New Tattoo on Your Face...
Now YOU can be as cool as Chris Brown. Get his new tattoo on your face! Just download this png file and overlay it on your favorite user icon.
Download Chris Brown’s New Tattoo and Stick It on Something
Back story:
One news item that was overshadowed by yesterday’s iPhone 5 announcement was a bizarre development on Chris Brown’s neck.
Let me begin by apologizing for posting...
July 2012
1 post
“The debate ignores bigger problems, economists said. Most of them favor a major...”
– Carolyn Lochead, Comparing the Obama and Romney tax plans
June 2012
2 posts
Local tweets done well: a vignette
A funny thing happened while a friend and I were talking on Twitter about a party.
Summary: acquaintances who work in the same industry in the same neighborhood often get lunch and catch up on things. Networking, baby.
But a crab shack thought this was a good time to interject with an idea.
@skipzero When you and @vnaylon decide to do lunch, some see us for some delicious crab and seafood....
Who Is Bruce Dackler?
Did you see a burst of tweets earlier today about someone named “Bruce Dackler” and wonder who that was?
Bruce Dackler: Behind the Music
Earlier today, people were passing around a “Repeal Obamacare” online petition with a live feed of a laser printer printing copies of the petitioners.
Some funny people on Twitter found it and started bombing the video feed with funny names. Among them:
...
May 2012
1 post
Swim Report, 2 Years
Hard to believe it’s been (only? already?) two years since I started swimming. Since my last proper report, I carried on and took my excitement for swimming further. In one of the highlights of 2011, I created a sprint triathlon to celebrate my birthday. My friends had the grace to let me come in second.
Tons of Competition (Yeah, Too Much)
Also in 2011, I committed to compete in seven...
April 2012
4 posts
The next time somebody argues the private sector...
Everyone scratched their heads recently at a reading comprehension question on a standardized test for New York State schools. Here’s an excerpt of the question:
The pineapple could speak English too. “I challenge you to a race! Whoever makes it across the forest and back first wins a ninja! And a lifetime’s supply of toothpaste!” The hare looked at the pineapple strangely, but agreed to...
“Slut” is how we vilify a woman for exercising her right to say “yes”....”
– (via buildingmosaicsoutoflife)
“That the money to pay for the service comes from venture capital, which seeks a...”
– Paul Ford, “Facebook and Instagram: When Your Favorite App Sells Out”
Not being snarky here — if you hate seeing your favorite apps get bought by big companies or make sacrifices to IPO, don’t let VC-backed projects become your favorite apps. Venture capital whips companies and their founders down...
“Who’s more annoying to deal with: tech vendors or ad folk?
Tech vendors, no...”
– Josh Sternberg, Confessions of a Publisher
March 2012
2 posts
Mystery fish smell
Time to live tweet the search for the source of the fish smell in my apartment.
— V. Naylon, SQL PhD.(@DrNaylon) February 18, 2012
Step one: enter with a clean palate. Mind clear, bold with purpose, ready to sniff deeply.
— V. Naylon, SQL PhD.(@DrNaylon) February 18, 2012
Initial sniffings yield nothing. In my zeal, I knocked over a bamboo plant.
— V. Naylon, SQL PhD.(@DrNaylon) February 18,...
Why Amex + Twitter Won't Last
American Express lately made strides in social — Foursquare users recently noticed Amex specials popping up during checkin. Now, Amex has teamed up with Twitter to bring more coupons to social:
Just tweet the branded hashtag and get the deal on your Amex card.
Widespread deal-tweeting won’t happen. Two hints.
Tweet #AmexMcDonalds, get $5 back 1x on next $5+ in store purch w/synced Amex...
February 2012
1 post
“Having worked for & with a # of celebrities, I am left with this: Being...”
December 2011
2 posts
Kind of amazing.
I took my first swim lesson a year and a half ago.
This week, my swim coach asked me if I wanted to sign on as an assistant swim coach for the high school team he coaches.
I’ll have to pass an interview and a background check and ultimately be selected, but…how cool to be invited! Wow.
October 2011
2 posts
“Her daily routine is unswerving. From 6 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. she swims. Afterward,...”
– US Masters Swimming 2002 profile of Laura Val. She was 50 then. Earlier this year she broke 6 Masters records for the age 60-64 age group. Damn.
great headline for iPhone 4S / nice fully-animated takeover for Yahoo! Mail gaddafi hitting the bong chicks being freaky
September 2011
3 posts
DIY Sprint Tri, 10/1
I’m hosting a sprint triathlon on Saturday, Oct 1. Want to join?
Overview:
Distance: 0.8 mile swim, 3.7 mile bike, 1.4 mile run
Start point: Aquatic Park, San Francisco
End point: Golden Gateway Tennis & Swim, San Francisco
Estimated cost of participation: $8
Rules:
The event is self-timed and on the honor system. Transitions do not count against your time. There is no official...
Funemployment Wish List: Deep Clean Edition
I rarely have time to deep clean my house, because I’m too busy. If I had all the time in the world, this is what I’d do for a week.
apply wd-40 to door and cabinet hinges
arrange, organize
clean counter tops
clean doors, doorknobs
clean exterior cabinets
clean exterior refrigerator
clean floor behind refrigerator, stove
clean glass and mirrors
clean interior closets
clean...
August 2011
4 posts
The Unofficial 140 Proof Core Principles
Make everyone look good.
Take risks, and support people when they stick their necks out.
Be solutions-focused or be ignored.
“The match was won on two goals by Lionel Messi of Barcelona. Lionel Messi is...”
– “There Are Only Two Types of Athletes”
“A highly complex and largely discrete set of laws and exemptions from laws has...”
– An Investment Manager’s View on the Top 1%
This SQL query mystifies and awes me.
SELECT SUM(num_imp), fsc.name FROM (SELECT count(*) AS num_imp, i.ad_id FROM impressions_month i WHERE i.verified = true AND i.created_date >= ‘2011-08-02’ AND i.created_date < ‘2011-08-03’ GROUP BY i.ad_id) ad_imp, (SELECT campaigns.id, campaigns.name FROM advertisers, campaigns WHERE advertisers.kind =...
June 2011
3 posts
“Uncontrolled search and seizure is one of the first and most effective weapons...”
– Justice Robert H. Jackson, recently quoted in “Free to Search and Seize”
May 2011
5 posts
Suggestions for counting laps in the pool (Rhyming...
Twenty-five. Rev up for the drive!
Done with fifty, pretty nifty.
Seventy-five, now back to the hive. [back to the first wall to claim the full 100 yards]
Done one hun, but you’ve just begun.
Two-fifty, keep the breaths thrifty.
Three hun — y’all, don’t poke fun.
Three-seventy-five and you’re still alive.
That was four hundred! Showin’ up those who wondered.
Arr, five hundred! This pool be...
Teach me the ways of good works
What do you think are the best causes to support, and why are they important?
There are many good works to choose from. Do you help people far away, people who are close, future people, little people, suffering people…?
I have been dipping a toe into the sea of good works (by giving small amounts to organizations or friends’ pledge drives) and now wonder where to devote more time or...
Swim Report, 1 Year
Above: the start of the Lake Berryessa 1-mile open water race, where I’ll be swimming in 3 weeks.
Let’s face it: the first time you get excited about something is possibly the most excited you’ll ever feel about it. The rush of the new is a peak that’s hard to match. So I’d like to take this moment to capture my feelings about today marking 1 year since I started...
April 2011
4 posts
“This is a patio table that the glass broke, so if you have a piece of glass and...”
– Craigslist, because I keep spare crap around in case someone can’t take care of their own shit
“The transition was going to be arduous and complicated. This was particularly...”
– Eric Snider, “Leaving in a Huff”
