Could food be a thing of the past?

I'm only partially fluent in "nerd."  

Therefore, I just found out that Soylent, a Kickstarter project which promises to "free your body from food," derived its name from the sci-fi movie Soylent Green.

In the movie, it's 2022 (which, now isn't that far off), and the world has turned to shit.  

You've got the usually list of villains:

Overpopulation

Pollution

Poverty

Dying oceans

Depleted resources

Climate change

[Insert Al Gore speech]

Most people in this dystopian future survive on "Soylent Green" food rations, which are advertised as "high-energy plankton."  As the movie unfolds, you discover that Soylent Green is actually made from -- Corpses.

Well, luckily, the Kickstarter namesake is NOT made of corpses.  That's be weird.

Website Envy: www.squarespace.com

I'd really like to create my own website.  BUT, I need to some good stuff to put on there first.

Until then, I'll just look through some good, website eye candy.  I discovered this site, www.squarespace.com, today with some BEAUTIFUL website templates.

Here's some of my favorites.

Our Kitchen

As mentioned, we are one of the Singapore "test kitchens" for Plate Culture (i.e., Airbnb for food).  Last Saturday, we threw out first dinner party: Drinks & Dumplings.

Note: It was for real friends... but, once Plate Culture launches, you can sign-up for a home-cooked meal at "Aleatory."  

"If you really want to make a friend, go to someone's house and eat with him... the people who give you their food give you their heart." - Cesar Chavez

Here's some photos from the photographers that came by our apartment.

Making Any Noise You Can Imagine

"I haven't made this machine so I can emulate things that already exist.  I have made this so I can make any noise I can imagine."

I few weeks ago a random thought popped into my head: "Why haven't we created any new instruments in the last century?"

I post, therefore I am

I work in tech; therefore, my livelihood comes from people spending more and more time online.  Despite this, I've been known to question its impact on society -- whether it be Pinterest, Facebook or Smartphones.

In the video above, the creator makes the point that "Instead of building real friendships, we are obsessed with endless personal promotion"

Book Review: Steve Jobs

(Source: Charis Tsevis) 


While reading Steve Jobs last month, I oscillated between love and hate for the man. 

I loved is healthy disregard for the rules.
I loved his excitement, energy, and focus.
I loved that he experimented, whether it be with tech or buddhism or drugs.

I hated the way he treated people.
I hated his arrogance and narcissism.

Inspiring: 180 websites in 180 days

I live in a bit of an alternate world where coding skills are valued more than sportz skills.  At Google, engineers are treated like gods.  The rest of us make money to enable those gods to make cool shit.

I'm okay with this.  

I don't have any grand delusions that I'll one day become a Google engineer.  That being said, I've been hemming and hawing the past 2+ years about learning basic programming.  I even forfeited $600 for a Berkeley "Intro to Python class" that I never got around to (I did, however, start dating my "study buddy" for the class, Alan).

All that being said, I've been super inspired by this artist's self-learning journey.

Sous Vide Made Easy

A few months ago, our lives changed...

Plate Culture: Airbnb for Dinner Parties

As I've mentioned before, I really like the concept of shared tables & chance encounters.

Well, last night, at a Women Media Networks event, I met a woman working on a start-up called Plate Culture -- homemade happiness :)

It's a bit like Airbnb for dinner parties and pop-up restaurants.  It's been such a success in Kuala Lumpur that they're looking to expand to Singapore next.

And, guess what...

Tip: How to Declutter your Gmail inbox

(Source: The Lisa)

Hate opening your gmail because of all the Groupon-clone & E-harmony emails you're receiving (I get it... I'd want to send some cheeky emoticons to you too)?

Well, here's how to prioritize your gmail inbox in 2 steps.

My Introduction to Pop Culture

I'll admit it.  I live in my own world - a little "Tamara" world created in my brain.

I don't like: 

- TV (except for Girls, Jon Stewart and Arrested Development)

- Top 40 hits (goodbye Taylor Swift)

- Most movies (you've got to play at Sundance or be super depressing to catch my eye)

I'd choose a good book over People magazine any day, and I don't get the Kardashians.

I sound like a TON of fun, right?

Anyways, I'm on a rotation to the YouTube team, so I've been ramping up my Pop Culture knowledge.  Here's some very popular videos that are news to me.

Long-form advertising for your brand

I'm familiar with long-form journalism.  I even like to indulge myself in http://longreads.com/ every now & again when I have the attention span.

But, I've never thought the concept could apply to advertising.

Be Clever or Be Skipped

I'm starting a rotation with the APAC YouTube team next week (yea!).  Therefore, I've been paying a lot more attention to online video lately (see here).  My pre-reading for the rotation + this awesome book have led me to believe it's more important than ever to be clever.  

People now have more choices about the ads they watch -- whether it be through TiVo or TrueView Ads.  

Therefore, if you can't entertain your audience, be prepared for that audience to go elsewhere (or for them to be photoshopped on the street).

WTF, Tynon

This ad just popped up on my Grooveshark playlist (not sure why playing Miles Davis brings up this ad).

Dear Tynon: The female anatomy does NOT look like that.  Please try again.

Cool Corporate Culture (and, I'm not talking about Google)

(Source: Paul Smith's office by David Baird)

When I think of corporate culture, I think about Google.  I'm biased.  I work there.  I know the culture inside and out.  The media reports on it all the time.  It makes work life so much better.

But, I do realize that Google's not the only unique culture out there.

Here's a few awesome ones I've stumbled upon recently:

Neat: Nubook (pre-designed website in minutes)

Want to make a beautiful, well designed website without taking a TON of time?

Check out Nubook!  Need more convincing?  Check out their examples

I hate powerpoint

It's true.  I wish it would die.  I think it's a cancer growing in the business world.

Why you may ask?

Hot Searches

(Source: Visualization of "Hot Searches") 

Have you ever erased the history on your computer before letting someone borrow it?  If not, you must be very trusting. 

Alan (my boyfriend) and I have been dating for 2 years and living together for 1 year.  I'm just now letting him borrow my computer "raw."

I'm not searching for anything juicy (it's anything but).  It's just very personal.  It's direct access to my thoughts.  That's why I find Google Search trends so interesting.  For better or worse, it's the collective thoughts of a country.

Here's the top 10 in the USA today:

1. Teen Wolf: Season Premiere
2. Bruins: 2-0 lead over Penguins
3. Miley Cyrus: New single, "We Can't Stop"
4. Linked In: Updated "Who's viewed my profile" section
5. Jiah Khan: Bollywood star commits suicide
6. Jason Kidd: Ends basketball career
7. Frank Lautenberg: NJ senator dies
8. Pia Zadora: Broadway star chokes son
9. Vine: Video app now on Android
10. PNC Bank: Robbery in Carlisle

If I were an alien that dropped in on the US, I'd think Americans are obsessed with sports, celebrities, vampires, death, crime and apps.  Seems pretty accurate.

Cool Chicks: Regina Dugan

(Source: All Things Digital)

This article hit the nail on the head.  Regina Dugan is a bad ass .

PhD in Mechanical Engineering.
First Female Director of DARPA (the super crazy R&D department of the US government)
Google Executive for Motorola
Demo-er of Jetson-like electronic pills & tattoos (start this video at 14 minutes)
Sassy.

She did a lot of "epic shit" at DARPA & wants to do the same at Motorola.  

She believes boredom is the enemy of innovation.  Good thing she looks to be anything BUT bored.  Here's the more "epic shit" in the future under Regina Dugan.

Cool Chicks: Mary Meeker

KPCB Internet Trends 2013 from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers

In university, we were asked to tell a guest speaker our career plans; I said I planned on working in consulting.  The professor told me in front of the class to "enjoy being single forever, drinking beer & eating takeout alone in a hotel room" (to be fair, there was some truth to the statement).