My Blog

Golden Gate Park

eric — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 18:46:56 GMT

I just read here (http://tinyurl.com/bmle9 ) that Golden Gate Park is the largest urban park in the U.S. Is this true? Is it bigger than central park? Also how does Golden Gate park distinguish itself from other parks or what is it known for? I've recently been taking weekend bike rides through it and I've been thoroughly enthralled with so many magnificent treats within the park. It compelled me to ask, is this known as one of the best parks in the world? Can someone tell me some secrets to enjoying this park; I bet there are a multitude of spots yet to be uncovered on my part.

Jumping through loops

eric — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 21:44:01 GMT

Well I've begun my quest for music production! All the talk and jibber jabber finally compelled me to make some first steps. Since people on the street call me "hood rich lil richie" I figure I'll just leverage that existing street credibility and focus on hip hop beats. No in all honesty I'd love to start mashing up some loops with a heavy piano and drum focus, but I don't want to limit myself before I hear the gun so I'm open to anything. Some things I learned on my quest for production: *There are programs like Reason where you actually make the loops and then mash them up. I think this is pretty tough to do without any sort of music production foundation to begin with. *There are programs like Ableton Live where you choose from a library of loops and then just mash up. I think I'm gonna start with this program, but I'm waiting from their support group for some guidance. *A great place for guidance is the community sites out there with specific expertise addressing specific questions without bias in most cases. I'll be sure to keep you updated on the quest. Announcing this publicly also puts a brick of pressure on my shoulder to actually follow through! Now I just have to decide whether to take the socially conscious route or just go thug life.

Blended Value Market

eric — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 21:37:36 GMT

My uncle has started a new blog as sort of the hub for the blended value market. Xigi.net clarified a lot for me and it's an interesting place to see this market unravel. To provide some context: "Xigi and other similar efforts are needed now because of a deep and significant shift in investor demand. There is a new appetite for blended value investments; those that do good while doing well, often within a new risk/return paradigm. Xigi is an effort to put this new investment landscape into context in order to expand the field; it’s a market formation platform. In emerging markets nothing is more valuable than finding out who is doing what in all the various categories, how they are defining it, how it compares to other new market entrants and how they are being valued. That knowledge allows the most accurate analysis and eliminates friction, mitigates risk and clarifies opportunities. Xigi wants to create a positive ecosystem of investors and entrepreneurs through analysis, research, community and events. That approach enables all players to make connections, and to learn and operate smarter better and quicker. We believe that creating an intellectual commons with timely information provided by the community will result in more deals done more quickly, more efficiently at more accurate valuations. We also think that a platform to enable discovery will help more individuals, foundations and institutions become familiar and comfortable with the concept of investing for good. Rather than a rigid typology or allegiance to a particular definition or set of definitions, xigi will serve to act as a Rosetta Stone; translating between and finding the commonalities between the various efforts to make sense of this emerging market in a fluid, continually evolving, open source method." What fascinates me is this social good zeitgeist. My roommate (hey chris) and I often discuss what needs to happen for values to change towards a more socially/eco conscientious tide. I tend to think it will happen out of genuine concern for the good and then the hopefully the big wig corporations will begrudgingly follow suit. Xigi hopefully will put a spotlight on this process.

My friend's mom thinks I talk like a coke head

eric — Fri, 05 Aug 2005 21:18:09 GMT

I was out with friends last night in north beach. Same scene but some different dynamics as two of my good friends had their mothers with us. Drinks, laughs, stories galore...you know the scene. I felt like I made my standard social contributions but I guess my style of social contribution varies from that of others as I came to find out later that Chelsea's mom asked her "Does Eric do a lot of cocaine? He talks as if he does." Now you have to understand these weren't awkward moments; all of us were basking in conviviality. All having a good time but I guess the slight difference is I seem like a coke head when I talk. After thinking about this I've concluded it's probably a good thing...I mean coke heads are somewhat entertaining huh?

Take him to the moon!

eric — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 00:07:46 GMT

Tribe 25 artist and my good friend Brad Wolfe had his music played on Alice 97.3 this weekend for the first time. I like to think that without me, he'd never be where he is (but that's just what I like to think)!!! Now let's take him all the way. Please email hooman@radioalice.com and tell them to keep playing Brad Wolfe. If the station receives 100 more emails by the end of the day, they'll continue playing his music. Also if this is done Brad assures me all I have to do is grow an afro and wear colorful bandanas and I can hang out on stage with him when he sings his least popular songs. If you want to hear this weekend's broadcast, it's posted now at http://www.bradwolfemusic.com. Thanks for turning me into the Don King of music.

Stella

eric — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 18:33:15 GMT

Have any of you seen Stella, the new comedy on comedy central Tuesday nights at 10:30. I know it's all the rage not to watch tv these days but there are some quality shows on comedy central. Stella is right up my path with their absurdist humor. If you like locally renowned comedian will franken...you'll like Stella. Anyway comedy central Tuesday line-up is pretty hard to beat: 9:30-Southpark 10:00-Reno 911 10:30-Stella 11:00-Daily Show I haven't been into tv in a while so this feels sort of good.

New Secret Coffee Formula

eric — Thu, 21 Jul 2005 20:47:03 GMT

I ran out of swiss hot chocalate packets so the new formula I fancy: 5 reese's peanut butter cups, half cup milk and whatever strong blend that wishes to contend.

Blockbuster's schizophrenic renting policy

eric — Thu, 14 Jul 2005 05:28:43 GMT

I have blockbuster online but every once in a while I need a movie and I need it now so I went to their store yesterday. For months Blockbuster has been putting up these posters "no late fees". But when you check out a movie the cashier says "okay this movie is due in 7 days but you have 7 more days in case you need them." Three confounding things: *No late fees but it is due in 7 days *What power does "due" have if I have seven more days if I need them *You are charged if you bring it back after 14 days Just take a look at the folks exiting Blockbuster...most are leaving with mouths open and a perplexed look on their face.

Who's in Front?

eric — Fri, 24 Jun 2005 00:35:51 GMT

I've always been fascinated with the positioning of band members in their album pictures or shots intended for press use. I guess I'm just trying to imagine the conversations between band members before they pose: "Why does George get to stand in front?" "Why is my image so faint it looks like I am pixelated?" I suppose a band reaches a level of acclaim and then enters an intermediary that deals with decisions such as these. But for the up and coming band I imagine it's an issue that is either out in the open or subtely ailing the band's rapport. I mean for an up and coming band you may not know who the most celebrated and acclaimed member is and as a result you may get photos where it's hard to tell whose image is more pronounced in the picture.

The Entertainer's Medallion

eric — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 02:19:26 GMT

I've always been intrigued by those three sentence reviews on the back of books or the one line masterpliece summations a band or performer uses to describe theirselves. I love analyzing words, looking up words, juxtaposing words like bumper cars to hear which ones make the coolest crash....i mean the flight that departs from brain and lands in vocalization is one that should be ridden in leather seats with plenty of leg room. Some of my favorites: "Two-fisted, whiskey-soaked rock with a post-punk edge, '50s country dipped in battery acid and broken-hearted tears." The Famous "Recently selected "Best Comedian" by the SF Weekly, Will Franken is a psychedelic collision of satire and absurdity, blind rage and delicate lyricism, highly literate, highly tangential and tailor-made for anybody who's ever hated mainstream stand-up comedy." Will Franken "Bat Makumba's show is a hip renegade carnaval party full of tropicalia tinged ska, punk influenced forro, and rock infused samba." Bat Makumba

PoP Blog

eric — Wed, 08 Jun 2005 17:27:49 GMT

Well I know I haven't been the avid blogger I once was in these last few weeks but such is life. My readership isn't attached to my blog's hip enough to write me after a few days though wondering if I'd been kidnapped, abducted or eaten alive by a beracuda. I guess that may come after a few more years of blogging. So to play catch up let me play pop blog here and give a rundown of recent events in my life: 1. Friends are thoroughly convinced that I have an obsession with midgets. It all started with me referencing the "Willy Wanka and the Chocalate Factory" musical sequences every chance I had in conversation; "He's got the winning t-iiiiii-cket....Cause he's go the winning t-iiiii-cket". Then friends noticed I thought EVERYONE and EVERYTHING looked like or reminded me of an oompa loompa. Then I started dressing like an oompa loompa to work on Fridays. Then I wrote the cambodian midget blog post and shit hit the fan. Some people have even gone as far to say that I am running an underground midget trade. 2. There was a month or two where I was really tripping out about not having an artistic outlet after work to channel my creative energies. I started thinking I should start acting, doing stand-up(there's a big niche for people who aren't funny but really think they are like me), finally start my underground hip hop career, etc. Then one day it all made sense because I realized my calling was to become a cowboy, wear the boots, the hat, even have the straw coming out of my mouth while still being able to say "howdy ma'am".....and then borrow a horse and ride across a province in Canada by myself. I consulted with some horse experts and they quickly deflated my balloon of romanticism. They told me no responsible barn owner in the world would just let an inexperienced rider such as myself just take off with their horse into the wild. I told them that at first I wouldn't be experienced but after riding for a week I would be. They didn' t see the logic. So I've compromised and I decided that each year I will get closer to becoming a cowboy. One year is the hat. The next will be for the boots. 2007 I'll always have straw in my mouth and then will come the day I buy my own horse or go out late at night and steal one from the closest barn (returning it of course after my trip). 3. I've come to terms with my blog (the one on typepad not this tribe one) becoming somewhat of a mid-twenties pop blog. I used to feel I had to incorporate an entry here and there dealing with social software or tech...now it'll just be once in a blue moon. More to come ya'll..........ya'll come back now ya hear?

My Bay to Breakers and RIP Cambodian Midgets

eric — Tue, 17 May 2005 19:48:11 GMT

Get ready for a blog entry that hopes to incorporate the bay to breakers, the 28 cambodian midgets who died fighting a wild lion, and how this relates to my Sunday B2B experience. I got my first dose of bay to breakers here in san francisco this Sunday. What I expected: a lot of nudity, costumes galore, tortilla warfare, drunken debauchery and a very early start. What I didn't expect: the SF police countenancing keg stands passing right in front of their eyes, seeing the 1986 NY Mets (sort of), and then there was me at hour 5 seriously considering wrestling a bison for a free meal. For those of you who don't know there are several bison fenced in "the paddock" at Golden Gate Park. This brings me to the Cambodian Midget portion of the blog entry. Now I must admit I wasn't exactly designated driver material at hour 5 of B2B, but I was rational enough to realize wrestling bison wasn't an affair in which I'd walk away with all limbs. Lucky for me I had some good friends near by to fuel that rationale. The Cambodian government however, in a cold, collected, composed state, offered their entire midget fighting league to the whims of a wild lion. The result: 28 of the 42 league members dead while theother 14 sufferred serious inuries ranging from head injuries to severed limbs. There are two ways to look at this: One, the more optimistic and forgiving view, is the Cambodian government feels like I did at the Bay to Breakers 365 days out of the year. That would be pretty cool...pretty cool but pretty dangerous for any other fighting leaugues that the government still has in their arsenal. Two: the Cambodian government is absolutely fucking insane. I mean I don't know if you have to watch Willy Wonka and the Chocalate Factory to have an appreciation for midgets and oompa loompas but if it works I'll send them my copy today. In conclusion we'll have some major problems if the Cambodian government ever decides to run the Bay to Breakers. By the way I'm a bit eager to get my hands on any available CMFL (Cambodian Midget Fighting League) jerseys. If you have any information that will result in me wearing one please email me.

Join a motorcycle gang near you

eric — Tue, 03 May 2005 01:55:54 GMT

I was driving on the 680 this weekend and saw a group of 8 motorcycle riders going the opposite direction as me. The first thing that went through my head, whether I actually believed it or not, was "motorcycle gang". Here's where things might get a bit confusing for you. The following theory was presented to several people over the weekend and to my dismay most thought I was bonkers: Let's assume that motorcycle riding is an organized function. Other organized functions are baseball teams, chess clubs, bay area hikers, etc. Now of all the organized functions I can imagine, the only one where an association with gang is commonplace in society is that of motorcycle riders. I mean even Homer started one. It should be noted that organized functions where a third party, gender, ethnicity, or race are a requisite for membership are invalid examples by my measures. For instance a "prison gang" relies on a third party, the prison, for its sustenance. You still with me? Okay so let's assume that paragraph one is a cogent argument for the uniqueness of motorcycle riding and its association to gangs. There could be hundreds of possibilities for why motorcycle riding is an impetus for a group to form a gang or be a self-proclaimed gang. Roving through towns and freeways could reignite our primitive DNA of nomadic aggression and protection. Who knows? Here's where I may stretch it a bit. Let's assume there is some intrinsic bonding dynamic involved with motorcycle riding, something that evokes camaraderie. Then why not incorporate it into the workout regimens of other organized functions to see if it can assist in uniting teams and clubs? I mean what if the LA Lakers last year just went on a freeway motorcycle crusade down highway five? Would it bring Kobe and Shaq together as one, together at last? Okay so maybe not the best example but it can't be the magic pill, it must be incorporated into the workout regimen from the very beginning. Who's with me? *Mountain/road bikes also allowed

Our love for the raw

eric — Wed, 27 Apr 2005 00:20:23 GMT

The signs are all around us. It's happening in advertising, the media, and it's happening to me. We all have a soft spot for pure unadulterated content and entertainment. I was having breakfast today at the Dolores Park Cafe when my friend left to go to the bathroom. Let's just imagine the next five minutes of this experience as two different radio stations that were on opposite sides of the dial but for whatever odd reason complimented each other very well. First radio station one (850 AM): Aahh serenity...the view of twin peaks, birds chirping, tennis balls being hit to and fro by the cute old couple across the street in Dolores park. Radio Station two (92.7 FM) 310 lbs, 6'3", tattooed up the kazoo man comments to his friend "you know...I mean I need a sponsor that's been pipe hitting with the mafia, that's waken up in whore houses trashed and confused, that's buried 36 of his friends like I have". 850AM: School kids playing on the slide...the tap tappity tap tap of people typing on their laptops, latte scents permeating the air. 92.7FM: "I mean I've been doing dope since I was 11. I know shit that no one wants to know. I've got some supreme knowledge man. I mean my girlfriend knows all about common sense...I don't know shit about that man. 850AM: A soft wind caresses my face. 92.7FM: "That's why I want Jaime as my sponsor. He's talking about Buddhism and merging with Zen. He told me about the journey to the edge of the precipice, the jump off and the realization that he had jumped way before he ever got to the precipice. It was at this point that my friend and I were ready to leave. The least I could do was tell the guy "you know I eavesdrop on a lot of conversations but this has to be one of the best ever. Thanks man." And it was back to 850AM.

Noe Valley

eric — Thu, 14 Apr 2005 19:33:00 GMT

In the interest of blog posts pertaining to the SF Bay Area I figured I'd write one for my part of town: Noe Valley. I've taken it upon myself to insert a sign that you can see when entering the neighborhood that says "Welcome to Noe Valley! The walking your dog or baby while carrying a yoga mat capital of the world".

You know you're from San Francisco when....

eric — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 00:38:52 GMT

Had this forwarded to me from a friend...some of these are right on... You've been carrying on an affair of "intense eye-contact" for two years with a person who rides home on the same bus and gets off one stop before you. You do not know their name. You bitch constantly about how hard it is to meet people in the city. You take a bus and are shocked that 2 people are carrying on a conversation in English. Someone says TENDERLOIN - you don't think of steak. You never bother looking at the MUNI line schedule because you know the drivers have never seen it. A really great parking space can move you to tears. You know that anyone wearing shorts in July must be visiting from Ohio. You were born somewhere else. (ohio?) You assume every company offers domestic partner benefits. You experience "commitment issues" when deciding who to hang out with next weekend. You feel prudish for never having had a threesome. . . You're tan in spring and fall, pale in summer. You'd like to spend more time exploring Berkeley, but its just so damn far away. You found your current aparment, car, couch, running pals, bookgroup, girlfriend/boyfriend, and booty call all on Craigslist. Your boss runs in "The Bay to Breakers"....and it's not the first time you have seen him/her nude. You are thinking of taking an adult class but you can't decide between yoga, aroma therapy, conversational Mandarin or a building your own website class. You haven't been to Fisherman's Wharf since the first month you moved to SF and you couldn't figure out how to drive to Coit Tower if your life depended on it. Left is right and right is wrong. Your monthly house payments exceed your annual income. You dive under a desk whenever a large truck goes by. You can't find your other earring because your son is wearing it. Your family tree contains "significant others." Your cat has its own psychiatrist. Smoking in your office is not optional. You pack shorts and a T-shirt for skiing in the snow, and a sweater and a wetsuit for the beach. Rainstorms or thunder are the lead story for the local news. Gas costs $1.00 per gallon more than anywhere else in the US A man gets on the bus in full leather regalia and crotchless chaps.You don't even notice. Your car insurance costs as much as your house payment. You give a "thumbs up" gesture to a car with a "Free Tibet" bumper sticker and you mean it. When you drive under an underpass - for one moment you think "earthquake". You realize the only Republicans you know are your Aunt and Uncle in Texas. You realize there are far more Rainbow flags in the city than California State Flags. You go to your office manager's baby shower - the parent's are named Judy and Becky. You've lived in the Marina for three and a half years and you've been to the Mission once for drinks. You're main impression is that it's "dirty". You won't go back. You've lived in the Mission for three and a half years and you've never been to the Marina. You consider "Tom Kha Gai" a staple food. You consider hamburgers a "rare treat". Through years of practice, you have perfected the art of the helpless looking "sorry, i'm broke" shrug that you use when someone asks you for change. You wear foam trucker caps and cowboy hats out regularly in San Francisco, but you wouldn't be caught dead wearing one in Stockton. At any given time, you are carrying three or more tiny electronic devices, some of which emit noises and/or buzzing at different frequencies, and all of which "simplify" your life.

Sweat Lodge

eric — Thu, 31 Mar 2005 00:49:09 GMT

I had a buddy in high school that used to tell me these stories of going in the mountains with indians and sweating it out in tp's. For some reason over the last month or so the idea of it sounds really appealing. I'm wondering how authentic of an experience I can get. I'm also wondering about the evolution of the activity and how sweat lodge loops today view the experience vs. say native americans. "The Native Americans used the ceremony to cleanse themselves physically and spiritually within the steamy mist of the Sweat Lodge and to reconnect themselves with Mother Earth. The Sweat Lodge was also used as preparation for the Vision Quest, Hunt, Sun Dance, and many other important undertakings. It prepared the Native Americans for a higher, deeper plane, or dimension. "Physically" the Sweat Lodge is similar to a steam bath."

relaxation techniques

eric — Fri, 18 Mar 2005 01:20:51 GMT

well im averaging a comment for every four blogs which pretty much means my mom seems to have found my blog. i have a high systolic pressure at 25 believe it or not but I seem to be in denial about the causes. I don't want to alter my diet so I'm looking for relaxation techniques that seem to work for ya'll. When people meet me they seem to think I am a really laid back guy but I think internally I'm sort of ready and on edge a bit.

Transforming

eric — Fri, 11 Mar 2005 21:30:11 GMT

I suppose I'm a country boy by nature so I feel the need to detach myself from chaotic city life here and there by escaping to twin peaks. By no means a secret spot but a respite from utter immersion nontheless. I seem to have a different metaphoric intake of the view each time I go. Attesting to the fact that I work in tech my metaphors seem to ever increasingly incorporate websites. Yesterday I said 'this is the site map of the SF Bay area website, it all suddenly becomes clear".

Other blog

eric — Thu, 03 Mar 2005 20:00:10 GMT

my blog ive been writing for over a year now can be found at: http://ebjones.typepad.com

Beating the State of California...

eric — Thu, 03 Mar 2005 19:58:02 GMT

Positioning and our justice system go hand and hand. I got a carpool violation six months ago and decided to contest it. When I got the letter in the mail notifying me of my court date I suddenly was a bit intimidated. Bam! There it was clear and positioned by itself on the top of the page, “The State of California vs. Eric Jones." After thinking about all the different opponents I had had over the years I quickly decided “The State of California” was my most formidable yet. So I arrived today at the courtroom and sat down among the masses of the “allegedly guilty”. I wondered how many others had read the 'free advice forums' online for assistance in winning in court. 1:15 struck and 10 cops casually walked through the doors laughing and tapping each others shoulders in approval of their last joke. They obviously knew where they were meant to sit and quickly walked there. The cops are instructed to sit on benches perched above the floor near the judge, who obviously with his elevated seating demands the most pronounced veneration of all. So with the “5th largest economy in the world vs. Eric Jones” factor coupled with the spatial discrepancies of my opponent, the pain of inequity was transforming from dull to acute. I mean why not just place a bale of hay and a trough in front of us and require that our testimony be done using animal sounds. I did win the case however and as I walked out of the courtroom my fellow livestock peers gave me thumbs up and looks with raised eye brows. I’m pretty sure my case won’t be referenced as much as Roe vs. Wade or anything in the future but you can bet it will be just as familiar among my friends and family.

Boo!

eric — Tue, 01 Mar 2005 01:42:52 GMT

Hello... ..is there anybody out there? Well I have another blog that I will be importing here when that feature is available but I like idea of building a blog out of a community site. This type of blog platform I can already tell will promote a community...this is what i did today...im dating rachel....billy's got two cavities...there's mice in my house...type of place. I like that coming from typepad.