I like going to airports. When waiting for a plane I’m isolated. I have limited battery life on my gadgets. I have time to think without having obligations to other people or things. I catch up on reading, work emails, and general thoughts about life.

Airports are the ultimate people watching location. I get to see people I admire, people I don’t want to be, the type of people I desire to be with. All of this is a catalyst for me to take action in my life. What is it that I really want? How do I get there? What do I need to do right now to make a quick fix?

via: The Stringer

Google started out as part of Californian graduate student culture around San Francisco’s Bay Area. But as Google grew it encountered the big bad world. It encountered barriers to its expansion in the form of complex political networks and foreign regulations. So it started doing what big bad American companies do, from Coca Cola to Northrop Grumman. It started leaning heavily on the State Department for support, and by doing so it entered into the Washington DC system.

The thing I wonder is if Larry Page and Eric Schmidt see eye to eye on ingratiating Google with the government or is Schmidt just that smarmy? Schmidt has a laundry list of perverse quotes around user privacy meanwhile Page is a little quieter.

I’ve organized a SXSW 2014 Interactive panel proposal.

…will discuss key solutions to get African and Latino Americans in more notables positions within the technology world without segregating them from the conversation: breaking out of your ethnic comfort zone, dismantling ideas about democratization, playing a rigged game, and identifying patterns from successful minorities in STEM fields.

Consider this proposal a solution getting more minorities involved in technology before the minority/majority inflection point. We’ll be frank and to the point.

The voting period for SXSW 2014 Panel Picker is from August 19th to September 6th.

Below I’ve included some detail on the the involved speakers and examples of public speaking.

Two days ago this happened on Twitter. The online Women of Color (WOC) feminists broke off into African American feminists, reloaded their guns and aimed at another target. Both the #solidarityisforwhitewomen and #blackpowerisforblackmen conversations are ongoing but both have plateaued in media mindshare.

It’s 1am on a Friday night and I just watched Jay Z’s Picasso Baby “Performance Art Film” bullshit. The video encompasses everything I dislike about Jay Z’s character in Hip-Hip music. This art project is littered with cameos from various actors and actress. It’s an indulgence in celebrity, much like Jay Z’s music so I can understand.

Jay’s latest album effort, Magna Carter Holy Grail (MCHG) is a terribly weak album. Lyrically Jay seem incapable of delivering anything meaning outside of his new fascination with esoteric fashion labels and well known artists. Some of the beats are alright but as a whole the album falls into the underwhelming categories like Jay’s last 3 or 4 albums.

After taking a class on infusions and experimenting a bit I’ve decided to write some brief notes on the idea of alcohol infusions.

Back in March ago I attended SXSW Interactive in Austin, TX for the 2nd time. Many of the sessions occurred at the Austin Convention Center or surrounding hotels in downtown Austin. Here is a list of some of the sessions and panels that I attended:

From time to time I will see an online comment or overhear a poor joke about Nigerians and scamming. I really have no empathy for people who get scammed by infamous 419 style fraud but admit that the act is objectionable. If you believe what’s written on the Internet, social engineered scamming that claims to have originated from Nigeria is so popular these days that any type of scamming is labelled Nigerian Scamming. Kind of how certain crimes are attributed to certain gender and ethnic groups by the US media.

On my old blog I would provide an annual list of my favorite Hip-Hop song and albums of the past year. I’ve been listening and analyzing the Hip-Hop genre long enough to develop a refined palate without being some asshat that writes for Complex Magazine. Previously I would categorize my lists into best songs and studio albums. These days in the Hip-Hop world your aren’t judged by your albums but by any “project” you release. This definition of project means that if an artist or group releases a mix-tape or collaboration that is not label approved, this can contribute to the newfound criteria.