san francisco

'I tell them it's 24-7, but I am lying,' -Justin Kan

I am sitting in the San Francisco-Style Video Innovation panel at the Web Video Summit, listening to Justin Kan, who's been live-casting his life for 100 days now. As some of you may have heard, Justin turned off his video feed a few weeks into the experiment when things got hot and heavy during a date, and he received a decent amount of flack for his decision to stop rolling after pledging to stream his life 24-7. In today's presentation, Justin acknowledged that when promoting his site he, "tell[s] them it's 24-7, but I am lying." Not that I can blame the man; there are just times when you gotta have your privacy.

Next up is Schlomo Rabinowitz, who describes himself as "just another Jew in the media," and came into videoblogging after developing a career as a filmmaker. Schlomo's vlog has a very raw slice-of-life approach. He explained how this approach doesn't work for everything and demonstrated how the video work he does for CNET utilizes a more polished and professional approach.

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Ronn Owens and his cell phone obsession

Hi, I'm Ronn Owens. For more than 30 years, I've been on KGO-AM, San Francisco's No. 1 radio station. (For a full bio, just check out www.ronn.com.)

What you're reading now shows the fun part of me. I've been into cell phones since they were the bricks we lugged around to impress people. Now we're far more advanced. New styles and features are introduced daily. My hobby is learning what's new and trying out the more interesting ones.

What you'll see on this blog is not your classic review. Kent … Read more

Taxis getting greener, one hybrid at a time

If you're lucky, as I have been in several cities, you might occasionally flag down a rare taxicab bedecked by its driver with disco balls, mood lighting, tinfoil hearts, or even a menagerie of stuffed animals. This week, San Franciscans got the option to hitch a ride in a novelty taxi of a different sort, as start-up Green Cab's single hybrid Honda Civic hit the road. Next month the fleet could total five gas-electric taxis painted in low-toxic green paint.

"It's not only environmentally friendly, it's good financially for the driver," said Green Cab … Read more

World of Housecraft: Greatest apartment listing ever

Were I in San Francisco, I would proudly share a roof with these deranged nerds. In what is possibly the greatest listing Craigslist has ever seen, three roommates are looking for one more to share their rent by inviting gamers to join "World of Housecraft." $738 per month in SOMA is a pretty good price, and the apartment description makes it even harder to pass up:

"Descend into the World of Housecraft and join three mighty heroes in a world of myth, magic, and limitless adventure. Four rooms of wireless cable Internet, Xbox 360, and an epic … Read more

Portable ice rink turns yard into hockey heaven

Unless the San Francisco Bay Area gets hit by an uncharacteristic chill this winter, we on the Left Coast will be locked out of enjoying this portable ice rink sold at Hammacher Schlemmer. But that doesn't mean our compatriots in colder climes can't get in on the fun of ice skating and hockey in the backyard.

The rink, which we spotted on Luxist, can be used when temperatures dip below 32 F and stay at freezing for two to three consecutive days. In case of a thaw or rain, the frame's locking system keeps water inside the … Read more

Microsoft lets people drive in online map

In what looks like a newfangled video racing game, Microsoft is previewing new technology in Windows Live Local that shows a street-level view from a driver's perspective and includes an interactive element that lets a user "drive" down the street using a keyboard's Up and Down arrows.

On the bottom half of the screen, a cartoon car navigates the city streets in a view that combines an aerial satellite map and a road map with street names. Users can change the border of the driver's window to "race car" or "sports car,&… Read more