Blogs – The Stanford Daily https://stanforddaily.com Breaking news from the Farm since 1892 Mon, 21 Sep 2020 04:05:12 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://stanforddaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cropped-DailyIcon-CardinalRed.png?w=32 Blogs – The Stanford Daily https://stanforddaily.com 32 32 204779320 But it’s only week one :( https://stanforddaily.com/2020/09/20/but-its-only-week-one/ https://stanforddaily.com/2020/09/20/but-its-only-week-one/#respond Mon, 21 Sep 2020 04:04:00 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1172605 Contact Helena Zhang at helenaz ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Contact Helena Zhang at helenaz ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Senate discusses committee reform https://stanforddaily.com/2019/05/15/senate-discusses-committee-reform/ https://stanforddaily.com/2019/05/15/senate-discusses-committee-reform/#respond Wed, 15 May 2019 07:01:13 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1154930 The bulk of the third meeting of the 21st Undergraduate Senate was spent discussing a bill that would reform the current standing committee system of the Senate, which organizes senators into specific committees focused on various issues. The meeting itself was kicked off with a half-hour closed meeting between senators and Financial Manager LoMo Phillips […]

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The bulk of the third meeting of the 21st Undergraduate Senate was spent discussing a bill that would reform the current standing committee system of the Senate, which organizes senators into specific committees focused on various issues. The meeting itself was kicked off with a half-hour closed meeting between senators and Financial Manager LoMo Phillips ’17. Additionally, a new bill to confirm a new Elections Commissioner was introduced.

Notably, the meeting was also extremely low in attendance. There were four excused absences, one unexcused absence and one late arrival, according to the official Senate roll call sheet. The 21st Undergraduate Senate has yet to have a fully attended meeting and some senators have missed a majority of meetings thus far.

Standing committee reform

In a continuation of last week’s debate, the Senate continued to discuss a bill to reform senate standing committees. Among other changes, the bill would abolish the Academic Affairs, Advocacy and Student Life committees and would make each Communications committee member responsible for holding weekly office hours.

Senator Micheal Brown ’22 was the first to speak up.

“One of my main issues was that we’re getting rid of all of these committees and we have no alternative for how we’re going to do anything,” Brown said. “But I understand that the project teams exist but … the language in this bill about what they are is so vague.”

Brown continued by asking a slew of specific questions about the proposed new ASSU project teams regarding their powers and membership which weren’t answered in the bill.

“I feel this bill is kind of symbolic in nature, it doesn’t do much,” Brown continued, arguing that the bill’s vagueness and its lack of a mandate for senators to participate in the new teams were weaknesses.

As a counter to Brown’s point, Senator Tim Vrakas ’21 noted that the current system hasn’t worked very well in the past.

“I think part of the assumption that you are right to make but that isn’t necessary true is that the system that’s written the bylaws now has worked in the past,” Vrakas said. “And I think that part of where this is coming from is that it really hasn’t.”

“I don’t know if we’re losing a whole lot in terms of functional system [by passing the bill],” he continued.

The debate continued with Senator Kobe Hopkins ’22 speaking up in favor of Brown’s point that the bill was too vague. Senate Mustafa Khan ’22 was more intent on “find[ing] the middle ground.”

“I’m speaking as someone who inherently agrees with the purpose of this bill, the workings of this bill,” he said. “I do believe that there is room for further fleshing out so we don’t go from one flawed system to another flawed system … While I have to agree on the direction that this bill is moving in I would definitely think that it’s necessary to propose a couple of amendments to define things like membership … accountability [and] timelines on which these committees might operate.”

The debate closed with an awkward motion to vote and, ultimately, the bill was tabled until next meeting.

Bill to confirm new elections commissioner

After a quick break for refreshments, the Senate began to discuss a new bill, introduced by 2018-19 Elections Commissioner, Jacob Randolph ’19. The bill is a routine measure that officially names the new Elections Commissioner after an application and vetting process. The 2019-20 Elections Commissioner will be Christian Giadolor ’21.

Giadolor introduced himself and said that turnout and engagement in on-campus elections would be his main focus during his term. He answered a few questions from senators regarding his personal views on various electoral systems and closed the meeting by providing senators with his phone number and email address should they have any more questions.

The bill to name him as commissioner will be voted on at next week’s meeting.

Watch the Undergraduate Senate meetings live through Tree-Span on The Stanford Daily’s Facebook page.

Contact Zora Ilunga Reed at zora814 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Stanford-developed sleep mask claims to cure jet lag https://stanforddaily.com/2015/08/18/stanford-developed-sleep-mask-claims-to-cure-jet-lag/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/08/18/stanford-developed-sleep-mask-claims-to-cure-jet-lag/#respond Wed, 19 Aug 2015 05:33:36 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1102898 A startup founded by Stanford researchers wants to use one second of light while you’re sleeping to cure your jet lag. A sleep mask developed by LumosTech emits the light while the user sleeps, which developers claim make people feel tired three hours earlier or later per use, making it easier for travelers to adjust to a new sleep schedule.

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A startup founded by Stanford researchers wants to use one second of light while you’re sleeping to cure your jet lag. A sleep mask developed by LumosTech emits the light while the user sleeps, which developers claim make people feel tired three hours earlier or later per use, making it easier for travelers to adjust to a new sleep schedule.

LumosTech CEO Vanessa Burns. (ALINA ABIDI/The Stanford Daily)
LumosTech CEO Vanessa Burns. (ALINA ABIDI/The Stanford Daily)

The team adapted the technology from Jamie Zietzer, Stanford researcher, who studies the connection between sleep and light. Through millisecond pulses of light, the masks stimulate light sensitive nerves to affect users’ circadian rhythms without waking them. Though a few other companies utilize light to treat jet lag, this is the only one that works while you’re sleeping.

“It doesn’t preclude you from getting the seven to nine hours of sleep you’re supposed to get, but we can shift when that seven to nine hours happen,” said Vanessa Burns, LumosTech CEO and Ph.D. candidate at the School of Medicine.

According to Burns, travelers naturally recover from jet lag one hour per day, and LumosTech hopes to cut that time into a third. While a stay in London, which is eight hours ahead of California could take a week to adjust to naturally, the mask claims to cure that jet lag in a few days.

LumosTech Chief Marketing Officer Biquan Luo. (ALINA ABIDI/The Stanford Daily)
LumosTech Chief Marketing Officer Biquan Luo. (ALINA ABIDI/The Stanford Daily)

The team, comprised of four women, met in an entrepreneurship seminar at the University’s Innovation Farm, where they had to create a business plan based on a technology. For the project, they decided to focus on Zeitzer’s sleep research, who currently serves as a scientific advisor for the company. His work especially appealed to Biquan Luo, Stanford Research Fellow and Chief Marketing Officer of LumosTech — she often flew to China and was well aware of the effects of jet lag.

Currently, LumosTech is beta testing locals who travel by using 15 mostly handmade prototypes. After they get more feedback, they’ll move into production.

Zeitzer’s original technology shifted sleep cycles about 45 minutes, one-fourth of the three hours it boasts now. He and the four scientists will try to further increase that number and to further cure jet lag, one second at a time.

 

Contact Alina Abidi at alinafabidi ‘at’ gmail.com.

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Thank you to our 2015 interns! https://stanforddaily.com/2015/08/18/thank-you-to-our-2015-interns/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/08/18/thank-you-to-our-2015-interns/#respond Wed, 19 Aug 2015 03:32:11 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1102875 The Daily staff would just like to take a quick moment to thank all of our wonderful interns, who participated (read: tolerated) us for about eight weeks of their summer, writing for practically all of our sections and contributed so much time and effort to help run The Daily over the summer.

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The Daily staff would just like to take a quick moment to thank all of our wonderful interns, who participated (read: tolerated) us for about eight weeks of their summer, writing for practically all of our sections and contributed so much time and effort to help run The Daily over the summer.

These bright and wonderful high schoolers hail from all across the Bay Area and came to the office every Wednesday to join us for workshops, food, and fun. The editors and I had so much content that we honestly felt like we were running a normal paper, and we definitely had a great time mentoring you and giving you practical experience on what it was like doing collegiate journalism.

You are all going to go forth and do great things in life, and we wish you the best in your journey through the remainder of high school and throughout your life! Come back to us next summer!

If you or someone else you know is interested in participating in our future summer high school internship programs, please contact Catherine Zaw at czaw13 ‘at’ gmail.com!

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Make some, save some – DIY acai bowls https://stanforddaily.com/2015/08/17/make-some-save-some-diy-acai-bowls/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/08/17/make-some-save-some-diy-acai-bowls/#respond Tue, 18 Aug 2015 03:42:33 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1102882 In the past year or so, acai bowls have been popping up on Instagram, Snapchat and in different restaurants here in Palo Alto. And though the bowls can be a sweet, filling and relatively healthy brunch option, they can get pricey at around $8 a bowl. Find out how to make them in your own kitchen!

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Try making your own acai bowl! (ALINA ABIDI/The Stanford Daily)
Try making your own acai bowl! (ALINA ABIDI/The Stanford Daily)

In the past year or so, acai bowls have been popping up on Instagram, Snapchat and in different restaurants here in Palo Alto. And though the bowls can be a sweet, filling and relatively healthy brunch option, they can get pricey at around $8 a bowl. Here’s how to make them in your own (dorm) kitchen! (Not to mention that some of these ingredients are snaggable at your local dining hall.)

(ALINI ABIDI/The Stanford Daily)
(ALINA ABIDI/The Stanford Daily)

What you’ll need for the base: an acai berry pack, a few heaping spoonfuls of yogurt, a ripe banana, a few spoons of frozen berries and a spoonful of peanut butter

You can find acai packs at Costco, Whole Foods, Sprouts and Safeway for about $1 a pack. The pack itself suggests adding juice or a non-dairy liquid (like coconut water or almond milk), but I’ve found that yogurt makes the bowl creamy and easier to blend.

Making a bowl or smoothie is a great way to use slightly overripe bananas, which add more natural sweetness. One to two bananas will work depending on your preference. Frozen berries give the bowl its rich, purple color and I always buy them in bulk for smoothies. Any frozen fruit, like pineapple or mango, would work. Finally, I love adding peanut butter for extra protein and flavor (think peanut butter and jelly), but be careful not to add too much.

(ALINI ABIDI/The Stanford Daily)
(ALINA ABIDI/The Stanford Daily)

Which toppings to use: a few spoonfuls of granola, ½ a banana, assorted berries and other fruit

Granola adds a nice crunch to the otherwise smooth bowl. If you don’t have granola, you can use cereal. Chop up any fruit you have into a bite-sized pieces for the top of the bowl, but berries are always a good option. I always use bananas, because I’ve found that their taste and texture complement the smoothie base and crunchy granola perfectly.

(ALINI ABIDI/The Stanford Daily)
(ALINA ABIDI/The Stanford Daily)

Blend all base ingredients until smooth. If you’re making this for just yourself, using a small, personal blender is easiest. The base should be a thick, smoothie consistency. If the color is too light, add more frozen berries.

(ALINI ABIDI/The Stanford Daily)
(ALINA ABIDI/The Stanford Daily)

Assemble your bowl. Add and arrange your toppings of choice and eat (or serve) immediately. Acai bowls are more filling than you’d imagine and make a great post-hike or pre-study snack!

 

Contact Alina Abidi at alinafabidi ‘at’ gmail.com.

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Startup Call9 offers immediate medical attention https://stanforddaily.com/2015/08/02/startup-call9-offers-immediate-medical-attention/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/08/02/startup-call9-offers-immediate-medical-attention/#respond Mon, 03 Aug 2015 05:12:04 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1102612 Call9, a telemedicine service that acts as an alternative to calling 911, recently brought its product out of its beta test phase and into the market.

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Call9, a telemedicine service that acts as an alternative to calling 911, recently brought its product out of its beta test phase and into the market. The startup team members—two of them Stanford alumni—created a service for businesses such as hotels and nursing homes, providing immediate medical attention at the click of a button.

Call9 ‘s product consists of two components: an emergency kit, complete with an ultrasound and EKG machine, and a mobile app that can directly contact an on-call medical professional. Participating businesses receive one of Call9’s kits and can stream all data collected with its devices to the doctor working remotely.

The system recently ran its first real-life trial, in which a nursing home resident had suddenly fallen ill. Using the app, the on-call doctor was able to obtain the patient’s medical records as well as monitor his vital signs. The doctor guided a nurse at the home through the steps of the EKG; when the test revealed the patient was having a heart attack, the doctor immediately called an ambulance to the scene. Without this timely diagnosis and action, the patient may have lost his life.

In addition to the obvious perks of direct medical care, the app also provides a more flexible work schedule for emergency doctors. Currently, these medics work 12-hour shifts, giving them little flexibility in their schedule. Call9 offers an alternative financial model, allowing doctors to add extra hours according to their needs.

Perhaps, the holographic doctors from Star Trek are a not-so-distant reality; Call9 certainly pushes medical technology further into this realm.

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Stanford startup Dishful brings home-cooked meals to the marketplace https://stanforddaily.com/2015/07/29/stanford-startup-dishful-brings-home-cooked-meals-to-the-marketplace/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/07/29/stanford-startup-dishful-brings-home-cooked-meals-to-the-marketplace/#comments Thu, 30 Jul 2015 06:29:30 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1102571 Here’s the question on everyone’s mind: what to eat tonight? Enter Dishful, a startup recently founded by Stanford and University of Southern California alums, that is introducing a novel concept to eating healthful, homemade meals, delivered to your door.

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Here’s the question on everyone’s mind: what to eat tonight?

Enter Dishful, a startup recently founded by Stanford and University of Southern California alums, that is introducing a novel concept to eating healthful, homemade meals, delivered to your door.

Dishful’s main goal is to promote a shared economy of dining that connects the home chef with customers, the “diners.” Diners choose a dish from Dishful’s website, and their order is delivered to any location from San Jose to Daly City. Chefs set their prices to cover labor and ingredient costs and diners pay this price along with a $4 delivery fee.  

According to cofounder Justin Lee ’13, Dishful, which is derived from the term, “A dish full of goodness,” hopes to capture the spirit of homemade meals that highlights both the cultural richness of the dish and the chef.

Lee sparked the idea for the company during a trip to Japan spring break. Lee wanted to bring home his culinary experiences abroad, and the idea of recruiting passionate home chefs and creating an online marketplace where diners can purchase dishes led way to Dishful.

“We’re riding that wave of the shared economy and we hope Dishful becomes the shared economy for home-cooked food,” cofounder Hunter Hunt said.

Lee and Hunt, along with cofounders Alejandro Ceballos ’15 and Megan Hansley ’15,  joined a three-month incubator program in June to develop their idea for the company. Right now, the startup is in a “pre-alpha” phase where they are testing their website and identifying the first wave of loyal Dishful diners.

“[We hope Dishful creates a culture of] food connecting people to other people [and] food connecting diners to chefs,” Lee said. “There are very few replacements for the homey food your mother or grandmother made for you. I think that’s the kind of brand we’re going for on an emotional level.”

Dishful’s appeal comes from the company’s emphasis on homemade and high-quality cooking. The team undergoes a rigorous vetting process to recruit chefs for their platform. The Dishful marketplace currently offers a diverse array of cuisines ranging from Indian curries and spicy Szechuan stir-fries to savory snacks and sweet desserts. All four founding members offer their dishes in the marketplace as well.

“[As Dishful’s founders] we love cooking,” Lee said. “It’s important that we all cook a little bit because we want to empathize with our chefs… A lot of our chefs have been thrilled when we’ve sold out their stuff or when they get some review that’s nice.”

Stanford startup Dishful brings home-cooked meals to the marketplace
Gruyere and spinach quiche from Tim Dang, one of the Dishful chefs. (Courtesy of Tim Dang)

Tim Dang ’13 recently joined the Dishful chef community and has offered spinach and gruyere quiche, blueberry streusel coffee cake and pumpkin pecan bundt cake on the site. As a busy Stanford medical student who has a passion for cooking and nutrition, Tim said the Dishful platform accommodates his busy schedule because chefs have the freedom to both cook a dish of their choosing and set its delivery times.

“The ability to play a small a part and be a part of this community as it grows … has been really gratifying for me,” Dang said.

During a trip to Dishful’s headquarters, I sampled handmade Burmese samosas made by Dishful home cook Mia Ma. The samosa had a crispy skin and a potato filling that packed a punch of spices. The essence of homemade cooking is a big selling point for the company, and their dishes have unique flavor profiles that attract diners to see cultures through food.

“You can’t really find a lot of the things on Dishful easily at a restaurant.” Lee said. “That’s the main thing: the food being unique, the food being tasty, the food definitely being homemade and all the great associations with homemade, authentic, healthy. Simple but flavorful, and affordable.”

A collection of three Burmese dishes: samosas, ohn no khao swè (a coconut chicken noodle soup), and tea salad by Chef Ma. (Courtesy of Justin Lee)
A collection of three Burmese dishes: samosas, ohn no khao swè (a coconut chicken noodle soup), and tea salad by Chef Ma. (Courtesy of Justin Lee)

However, Dishful has encountered some obstacles in attracting chefs and diners to their platform.

“We’ve done a lot of outreach,” Hunt said. “In the early stages you have to put in a lot of legwork because one of the most challenging things for a startup is getting that first initial group of loyal users, the visionaries, because a lot of people won’t want to use it until it’s cool.”

The team has faced chefs who have adamantly declined their business offers and diners who are hesitant to try their platform. Nonetheless, the site has garnered over 500 unique viewers within a few weeks of launching, according to Lee. Many diners are international students craving foods from their home countries or busy professionals who do not have time to cook themselves.

“The reception has been, as you expect…not perfect.” Lee said. “We’re not at the point where we’re building something full time where the product is the beautiful, perfect thing. We’re still in that in-between stage.”

This stage, called the minimum viable product (MVP), is meant to simulate the Dishful experience without the funding and engineering of a full-fledged product. After the company’s three month incubation period, which ends in August, obtaining seed funding and financial support is the next step in progressing the company.

“We fundamentally believe that our product is creating value,” Lee said. “It’s this really hard problem that we’re trying to achieve here and the [Dishful] marketplace is a chicken-and-egg problem where we have a community of diners we need to build, as well as a community of chefs we need to build, and that’s a big task.”

Dishful’s platform is constantly undergoing changes and improvements. Lee and Hunt hope to personalize the marketplace with chef bios, star ratings and dish reviews. Dishful may as well be a promising new start to answering the question, “What will you eat tonight?”

Interested in Dishful? Check it out here: dishful.co

 

Contact Alice Dai at alicettdai ‘at’ gmail.com.

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SUPost.com suffers temporary outage https://stanforddaily.com/2015/07/22/supost_out/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/07/22/supost_out/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2015 22:10:16 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1102481 SUPost.com, an online classifieds site used by the Stanford community, was found to be unresponsive as of Wednesday afternoon.

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SUPost.com, an online classifieds site used by the Stanford community, suffered an outage for a period on Tuesday and Wednesday. The page, found to be unresponsive as late as Wednesday afternoon, but was later available late evening.

SUPost, a widely-used student hub for selling used books and other items, was created by Greg Wientjes ’04 M.S. ’06 Ph.D. ’10 several years ago, and has long been a integral part of the Stanford experience. SUPost.com was restricted to members of the greater Stanford community, requiring Stanford University email aliases to post classifieds on the site.

SUPost.com as of March 20, 2015. Courtesy The Wayback Machine, Archive of The Internet.
SUPost.com as of March 20, 2015. Courtesy The Wayback Machine, Archive of The Internet.

In the interim, users intent on reaching the SUPost.com landing page can access it via The Wayback Machine, courtesy of The Internet Archive.

The Daily has reached out to Wientjes for comment.

This post will be updated.

Do-Hyoung Park contributed to this story.

Contact Nitish Kulkarni at nitishk2 ‘at’ stanford.edu

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Stanford grad founds popular Polarr photo app https://stanforddaily.com/2015/07/20/polar-ceo-borui-wang-14-created-polarr-as-a-way-to-make-professional-photo-editing-tools-available-to-everyone-inspired-by-his-passion-for-photography-and-his-desire-to-have-a-product-where-people/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/07/20/polar-ceo-borui-wang-14-created-polarr-as-a-way-to-make-professional-photo-editing-tools-available-to-everyone-inspired-by-his-passion-for-photography-and-his-desire-to-have-a-product-where-people/#respond Tue, 21 Jul 2015 01:33:19 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1102454 Polar CEO Borui Wang '14 created Polarr as a way to make professional photo editing tools available to everyone.

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polarr
(Courtesy of Borui Wang) The Polarr Team (left to right): Grace Lee, Borui Wang, Karissa Paddie, Derek Yan. Not pictured: Enhao Gong.

Polarr CEO Borui Wang ’14 created the app as a way to make professional photo editing tools available to everyone. Inspired by his passion for photography and his desire to have a product where people could draw out the beautiful images they only see in their minds, he decided to create Polarr — an app that received 250,000 downloads in its first 48 hours according to an article in Business Insider.

In this interview with Wang, the founder revealed his secrets to running a successful startup and creating a product that people truly need.

 

The Stanford Daily (TSD): What were some of the most valuable insights you took away from the experience of building Polarr?

Borui Wang (BW):  I think the most valuable insight I would say is just realizing that what we are doing is not completely completely new. Before iPhones you had older cell phones — It’s just iteration after iteration. I don’t see [Polarr] as  necessary , quite honestly. We basically do certain things a little bit better than the best. And when you have all these small things that add up, then you become the new best thing.

TSD:  Can you talk a little bit about the Stanford experience of your team and how that played a role in the success of your app?

BW:  For me, the Stanford experience means a very tight schedule. In turn it sort of helps you to develop your ability to fight with deadlines. There’s plenty of classes at Stanford  that […] have the same pace as doing a startup. These classes helps you understand how to prioritize your time, your energy, how to communicate with your team, and how to  make compromises.

TSD: Can you talk a little bit about the culture and attitude of your startup?

BW:  We are very product-driven team which means we spend most of our time trying to observe how people use our products.  Some of the process that we were doing requires days and days of thinking, testing, redesigning, reimplementing, storing away brand new ideas and starting all over again. We don’t really work for long hours. Everybody in the company has plenty of their personal time but when they come back they are very productive and creative.

TSD:  If you could talk to a programmer who is thinking about making their own app, what would you say to them?

BW:  You want to work on something that you feel really matters. Be very robust, be very careful, be very detailed about the user experience. It is important to not be biased by yourself. Sometimes people do that and they will become the only user of their app. If you’re making an app, a really good signal is if your friends start to use it. Writing code — that’s almost secondary because once you have a clear idea of what people need, coming up with features, engineering and architecting it will be a lot easier.

TSD:  What is your vision regarding the future of Polarr? Where do you see your app in a couple years?

BW:  [Polarr was]  pretty much a pro editor made for everyone — we felt like people are smart enough to use professional tools. The next phase of the company is making that process even easier. People can dream of really really beautiful things but since they are not painters, they only have that image in their mind. How can you allow software to help you draw that out? I think the next step to Polarr is thinking about how we can develop these platforms and tools that use Artificial Intelligence to understand people’s intentions.

TSD:  Any other thoughts?

BW:  First of all, I would like to say that our app only works on the later iPhones. But I do want to say one other thing. Our app — if someone were to compare our app to other apps — is not the most feature rich. The reason we are so successful is we focus on just a few very special features. So, when people are spending time with our app they feel like there are no cheesy or extra features […]  all are essential. I think that’s really why we stand out.

 

This interview has been condensed and edited.

 

Contact Riya Berry at 18rberry ‘at’ castilleja.org.

 

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On Pride, Caltrain and “Good Vibes” https://stanforddaily.com/2015/07/05/on-pride-caltrain-and-good-vibes/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/07/05/on-pride-caltrain-and-good-vibes/#respond Mon, 06 Jul 2015 05:10:03 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1102288 On Sunday, June 28, a couple of miscreant Stanford Daily interns planned to catch the 9:34 a.m. Caltrain from Menlo Park.

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On Sunday, June 28, a couple of miscreant Stanford Daily interns planned to catch the 9:34 a.m. Caltrain from Menlo Park. Sleepy, frustrated, and sore from the previous day’s ridiculous how-do-we-get-to-Bart treks (i.e. walking through the same parts of the city again and again before we realized that we could just ask someone—residents do know the city better than Google maps does), we waited for the train that was now 11 minutes late.

“Expect crowded trains,” said the mechanical voice.

A collective groan.

“Crowded” proved to be an understatement.

As the train pulled to a stop, all we could see were body parts (arms, legs, faces, torsos, everything) pressed against the sticky windows like sardines in a tin can. As we prepared our bodies for the uncomfortable, feet poised as if at the start of an Olympic sprint, a Caltrain official waved his hands in front of the open door, yelling something to the extent of “no more people on the train!”

This was dire, but a girl in a red shirt stuck her head outside and remarked that there was another train in fifteen minutes. Momentarily relieved, we stepped back and waited. The train departed. Fifteen minutes later, no train came. Girl in red was bluffing.

Tossed around were semi-joking remarks about marching on Valparaiso in an impromptu Menlo Park Pride Parade.

Finally, more than an hour later, the next train arrived.

This time, we interns were not going to take no for an answer. We pushed and shoved and found ourselves victorious, hooting maniacally as we left Menlo Park behind. We were joined by a group of guys who were supposed to be on the Facebook float, but missed it, and drunkenly shouted, “There’s another train in 15 minutes!” at every consecutive stop—an attempt to conserve space and an homage to the lying red-shirted girl.

As we looked around the congested train car, there was a sense of joy that radiated—in the cheap booze, the extravagant makeup, the sleepless yet glowing eyes of people from all backgrounds that screamed, “We’re going to have fun!”

In that moment, it was clear: The spirit of Pride would outweigh the shittiness of Bay Area public transportation.

And it did.

From what we could see, the parade itself was a wild conglomeration of nudists, rainbow flags, “condoms for trees,” and the cast of Orange is the New Black. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence also made an appearance in support of the #MyNameIs campaign, which advocates against Facebook’s “real names” policy, and for the ability for all users to express their authentic identities.

In the end, though, Pride wasn’t about any of these things. Pride was about the people. The people coming together to celebrate, to love and to experience something so starkly different from everyday life. In this photo gallery, we honor the many colorful people of Pride.

RIYA MIRCHANDANEY/The Stanford Daily
Xochitl, who works at Lyon Martin. (JUSTIN KIM/The Stanford Daily)

One of the first people we spoke to was Xochitl from San Jose, who works at Lyon Martin as a patient support associate.

Lyon Martin provides medical support for queer youth in the Bay Area at an affordable cost. Xochitl believes that mental health and substance abuse is the biggest problem the LGBTQ community is facing today. Xochitl noted that a lot of medical problems stem from lack of support from families after coming out. Often times queer youth are kicked out of their house and left unhoused. This may cause many queer youth to turn to drugs and develop mental health problems.

RIYA MIRCHANDANEY/The Stanford Daily
Sabrina Bobar and Coral Olsen. (JUSTIN KIM/The Stanford Daily)

 

These women called themselves “a mobile photobooth”. Before we interviewed them, they were enthusiastically talking and taking pictures with whomever approached them.

Both women, Sabrina Bobar and Coral Olsen, were from Santa Cruz, California. Both had been to Pride many times before.

“[At my first Pride], I was roller skating and I saw Matt Damon, so that was pretty great,” Sabrina said. Both Sabrina and Coral saw Pride as a moment to celebrate and be themselves.

In response to the Supreme Court decision on Friday, Sabrina noted, “Everyone sees that there’s a big change that happened in our country.” She was right. In that moment, even with the scent of Coachella in the air, it felt like we were at the edge of something important and historic.

“We’re looking at all these small children that don’t have memories before today, or people who are pregnant or have infants. These children won’t know a world where people of the same sex couldn’t be married to eachother. This is the world for them now.”

Coral believes that “more people are going to feel a release and open themselves…and hope” after the Supreme Court’s decision. Sabrina added on, saying, “After yesterday’s decision the climate will be such that more people will be comfortable coming out.”

Both Sabrina and Coral agreed that “there is more work to do,” but that Pride this year was a time to celebrate, especially because of the Supreme Court decision.

“We have to celebrate when there is a moment.”

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Candace and Sonia. (JUSTIN KIM/The Stanford Daily)

Both Candace and Sonia from Arizona expressed the sentiment that Pride is really about “people coming together and just having fun and relaxing.” Sonia stressed that she appreciated the lack of judgment during Pride.

When asked if she remembered her first Pride, Candace laughed and let out a resounding “nope!”

Candace felt “proud to be an American” after the Supreme Court’s decision on Friday. Sonia added, “we just want to be treated equally. That’s it.”

Both agreed that it would take time for such a decision to truly be accepted by all Americans.

“This is just the first step,” said Sonia, wistfully.

These college-aged folks were easy-going and extremely approachable. Lindsey, Carly, and Erica were from Davis, CA and Luke was from Windsor, CA.

These college-aged folks were easy-going and extremely approachable. Lindsey, Carly, and Erica were from Davis, CA and Luke was from Windsor, CA.  Both Erica and Carly cried when they found out about the Supreme Court decision. Carly said that the decision meant a lot to older people who have been fighting for gay rights for years. “I have a lot of friends who are older, like my mom’s age, who have been fighting for it for the longest time. They’ve been partners for like 45 years and never have been able to say, ‘hey, this is my significant other’ in another state, so it makes me overjoyed for them to go anywhere they want and to say ‘that’s my husband’ or ‘that’s my wife’. They can say it without it not being okay. And a lot of them have actually lost their partners since they got together… It sucks that they’re not here to see this.” “My family wasn’t supportive at all. I came out this year to my family, and it was half ‘don’t even talk to me’ and half loved me for me,” said Erica.   Erica loved pride because “It’s the one time where you’re not judged. It’s the one time everybody accepts you for who you are. It’s the feeling of being free.” Lindsey added, “Anyone can celebrate equality.”
Erica and Carly. (JUSTIN KIM/The Stanford Daily)

Both Erica and Carly cried when they found out about the Supreme Court decision.

Carly said that the decision meant a lot to older people who have been fighting for gay rights for years.

“I have a lot of friends who are older, like my mom’s age, who have been fighting for it for the longest time. They’ve been partners for like 45 years and never have been able to say, ‘hey, this is my significant other’ in another state, so it makes me overjoyed for them to go anywhere they want and to say ‘that’s my husband’ or ‘that’s my wife’. They can say it without it not being okay. And a lot of them have actually lost their partners since they got together… It sucks that they’re not here to see this.”

“My family wasn’t supportive at all. I came out this year to my family, and it was half ‘don’t even talk to me’ and half loved me for me,” said Erica.

Erica loved pride because “It’s the one time where you’re not judged. It’s the one time everybody accepts you for who you are. It’s the feeling of being free.”

Lindsey added, “Anyone can celebrate equality.”

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Venus and Jupiter converge again for their billions-year-old anniversary https://stanforddaily.com/2015/07/01/venus-and-jupiter-converge-again-for-their-billions-year-old-anniversary/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/07/01/venus-and-jupiter-converge-again-for-their-billions-year-old-anniversary/#respond Thu, 02 Jul 2015 05:15:37 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1102245 After weeks of traveling through the starry sky, Jupiter and Venus finally converged June 30.

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Venus and Jupiter, practically hugging on the last night of June. (CATHERINE ZAW/The Stanford Daily)
Venus and Jupiter, practically hugging on the last night of June. (CATHERINE ZAW/The Stanford Daily)

Did you miss Tuesday night’s astronomical phenomenon?

After weeks of traveling through the starry sky, Jupiter and Venus finally converged June 30. They were one-third of a degree apart, in other words, closer than the diameter of a full moon. NASA describes them as looking like a double star. Venus was the brighter one, about six times so, than Jupiter due to its reflective clouds and proximity to Earth, despite being just one-tenth of Jupiter’s size.

After tonight, alas, Venus and Jupiter will separate and sink towards the horizon.

But mark July 18 on your calendars! That day, a crescent moon will join the planets once more, their conjunction spanning less than four degrees. Jupiter and Venus will resurface in late August and meet again, albeit farther apart, at dawn on October 26, 2015.

 

Contact Adele Shen at shen.adele ‘at’ gmail.com.

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Best song ever? https://stanforddaily.com/2015/06/26/best-song-ever/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/06/26/best-song-ever/#respond Fri, 26 Jun 2015 23:11:31 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1101773 “I really liked Hozier, but he’s so mainstream now.”

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“So what kind of music do you listen to?”

I freeze in terror. Quickly, I run through my options, suppressing my instinct to blurt out reputation-destroying words like “One Direction” and “Top 40 Pop Hits.” I consider my interrogator, who just told me, “I really liked Hozier, but he’s so mainstream now.”

“Alternative,” I decide. That’s a safe answer, right?

I unashamedly went through my One Direction phase in high school: The posters and magazines in my room back home and my iTunes library bear witness to this. (On a side note, raise your hand if you were heartbroken when Zayn left the band.)

But I know the stigma associated with liking One Direction, so if anyone ever asks about my favorite musical artist, I generally say something like Taylor Swift — still mainstream, but acceptable. If I’m really trying to impress someone, I say that I like alternative rock, like The 1975 or Kodaline, which, admittedly, are still quite mainstream bands.

But why are we so obsessed with liking music that isn’t “mainstream”? If a song is on the Top 40s Charts, isn’t that an indicator that it’s good enough to be liked by many people? Hozier is still Hozier, even if more people like his music and are aware of it. Whether or not music is mainstream doesn’t affect its quality or its content, and interestingly, music seems to be the only commodity that decreases in value when more people know about it. (The lines at Sushirrito and the sustaining power of name brands prove that popularity can boost “coolness” too.)

By only listening to obscure bands, I think we run the risk of missing good music. I’m not saying that “What Makes You Beautiful” is the apex of musical achievement, but I also don’t think it’s a crime to enjoy listening to it. Millions of other people do.

While hanging out in my friend’s dorm room, his Spotify playlist landed on the newest One Direction song. I gaped as he started singing along. “You like One Direction?” I asked incredulously.

“Why not?” he shrugged. “I like good music.”

Maybe because of his status as an international student, he didn’t realize the American stigma of a guy liking boy bands. Or maybe he’s right. Good music ultimately should tap into your emotions; it should make you happy. And if listening to One Direction on repeat is what you enjoy, I think there’s nothing embarrassing about that.

 

Contact Samantha Wong at slwong ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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A BITE of culinary innovation https://stanforddaily.com/2015/06/15/de-me-a-bite-of-culinary-innovation/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/06/15/de-me-a-bite-of-culinary-innovation/#respond Mon, 15 Jun 2015 21:44:23 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1102144 Last weekend, a gastronomical affair hit Silicon Valley, as the food festival BITE Silicon Valley came to amaze everyone who was lucky enough to get a ticket. Restaurants from all over the Bay Area, from Palo Alto to San Francisco, offered a variety of unique and creative culinary delights. Wineries from all over northern California […]

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Last weekend, a gastronomical affair hit Silicon Valley, as the food festival BITE Silicon Valley came to amaze everyone who was lucky enough to get a ticket. Restaurants from all over the Bay Area, from Palo Alto to San Francisco, offered a variety of unique and creative culinary delights.

Wineries from all over northern California presented their wines and offered everyone a taste to go with their food. From champagne served over ice to cabernet sauvignon, merlot and pinot grigio, every variety was there to be tasted and enjoyed.

Each of the dishes served at BITE was extremely creative and surprisingly inventive in its combination of flavors. The carrot puree with fermented curry, basil, peanut and shallot granola was bursting with spices that complemented each other perfectly. Corn ice cream covered in white chocolate and dusted in parmesan was an unexpected yet perfectly designed treat.

A delicacy at BITE Silicon Valley
   A delicacy at BITE Silicon Valley. (MAGGIE HARRIMAN/The Stanford Daily)

Some of my personal favorites were the chocolate and salted popcorn pot de crème from Mayfield Bakery, the lamb meatball slider filled with spiced yogurt and chutney from Dosa, the chocolate, coconut and macadamia tart from Craftsman Wolves and, even though I was stuffed after trying about 30 other things, the vegan cookie dough from Hampton Creek.

While the dishes were absolutely inventive and delicious, the food itself was not the primary aspect of BITE that blew me away. Coined a the place “where food and technology meet,” BITE showed how the spirit of innovation and invention, so characteristic of Silicon Valley, is changing the future of food and how we eat.

While BITE showcased exciting new food technologies such as 3D food printing, there was a special emphasis on new innovations that highlight the dynamic role food plays in our society, and the untapped power of food to be an agent of social change.

Some of the brightest and most influential social entrepreneurs in their fields attended BITE to discuss the future of food and sustainability. Tim Geistlinger spoke about creating the future of protein and his product Beyond Meat. This new vegetarian alternative provides incredible nutritional benefits without containing GMOs, animal fat, cholesterol, gluten or soy, and with minimal processing. It is also 35 times more land-efficient, 15 times more water-efficient, and seven times more feed-efficient to produce than its meat equivalent.

Renowned chef Jose Andres discussed his new solar oven, and its power to solve one of the world’s biggest environmental and health issues: classic open air-cook stoves, which pollute the air and damage the health of young women and children exposed to the smoke.

In addition to these speakers and many more, one of the most notable figures to speak at BITE was Robert Egger. Egger, a southern California native who firmly believes pureeing is the cooking technique of the future, showcases the epitome of food’s power to be an agent of social change through his work.

Robert Egger is redefining sustainable food practices, in more ways than one. Former president of DC Central Kitchen and founder of LA Kitchen, Egger has designed a culinary school that allows formerly incarcerated men and women to work side-by-side with youth aging out of foster care. Together, they learn to cook healthy meals that feed the elderly, while working to minimize food waste by using recovered fruits and vegetables from locally sourced suppliers.

But the work doesn’t end there; after the program, the culinary students are able to get jobs working in a variety of restaurants. In fact, an incredible 75 percent of the last graduating class of DC Central Kitchen got jobs on graduation day.

Egger notes a profound truth: Hunger is not about food. It is about inequality and waste. Through his work, Egger embodies his belief that neither food nor people should be wasted. LA Kitchen, opening in July, will soon be one of the biggest food hubs in America. Egger is bridging the generation gap and, as they work side-by-side, the older mentor the younger, each one inspiring the other.

Egger claims that there is nothing more powerful than watching the President of the United States cooking with an addict or someone who spent time in prison. As they stand side-by-side, the difference between them is erased, and it becomes clear that everybody has a role and is a valuable part of the community.

In addition to fostering these interpersonal relationships, helping the students get jobs and reducing food waste at his kitchens, Egger is dedicated to changing the way Americans view nutrition as well.

In order to influence Americans to eat healthy nutritious meals, we can’t be “nutritional imperialists,” trying to shove a specific view of healthy food down other people’s throats. It is about making small changes that add up in a big way, and the meals cooked at DC Central Kitchen and LA Central Kitchen reflect this idea in their use of unprocessed and ethnically diverse ingredients, alternate proteins and healthy remakes of classic favorites.

Egger offers extremely beneficial insight to the next generation of social entrepreneurs: Entrepreneurship is evolving from the service model to the empowerment model. As Egger states, “too often charity is about the redemption of the giver, and not about the liberation of the receiver.” With this in mind, we can orient ourselves to the future of social enterprise. Egger proves that true sustainability lies in investing in our community, in both its resources and its people. By doing so, we reinvest the profits back into growing and strengthening the community, while empowering and supporting the people.

Food has power. And as shown at BITE Silicon Valley, we have the power to be the next generation of innovators and creators, the generation that changes the way we eat, changes our environment and grows our communities and reaches a more sustainable future.

Contact Maggie Harriman at mpharrim ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Air Conditioning on Campus: Where to stay cool https://stanforddaily.com/2015/06/08/air-conditioning-on-campus/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/06/08/air-conditioning-on-campus/#respond Tue, 09 Jun 2015 03:48:23 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1102062 Summer weather is finally upon us. If you’re not done with finals yet, then the fountains aren’t an option to cool off. The Daily is putting together a list of place on campus that are well air-conditioned so that you can study in peace for your last few finals. Check out our map below for […]

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Summer weather is finally upon us. If you’re not done with finals yet, then the fountains aren’t an option to cool off. The Daily is putting together a list of place on campus that are well air-conditioned so that you can study in peace for your last few finals.

Check out our map below for all the places on campus where you can beat the heat. Got more places? Tell us in the comments!


Using Google Custom Maps

Contact Nitish Kulkarni at nitishk2 ‘at’ stanford.edu

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Product design majors think outside the box https://stanforddaily.com/2015/06/07/product-design-majors-think-outside-the-box/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/06/07/product-design-majors-think-outside-the-box/#respond Sun, 07 Jun 2015 14:48:33 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1102022 These days, when we think about purchasing new toys, we usually look to Apple or TechCrunch. But three product design engineers are changing the way both kids and adults play by taking their customers back to the basics. Through their capstone product design class, the goal of which is to design a product and bring […]

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These days, when we think about purchasing new toys, we usually look to Apple or TechCrunch. But three product design engineers are changing the way both kids and adults play by taking their customers back to the basics. Through their capstone product design class, the goal of which is to design a product and bring it to the market, Sasha Spivak (’15), Carolyn McEachern (’15) and Alicia Seta (’15) have created Boxly, a 100-percent recyclable fort-building kit. Originally the tag line had “for kids” tacked on the end, but when adults were demanding to play with it, too, they dropped the age qualification.

Spivak, McEachern and Seta decided to explore the toy space when they realized they shared a passion for kids, games and puzzles. They were frustrated by the status quo in the industry. “So many kids toys now come with a set of instructions and there’s one right way to use them or they are on an iPad and it’s the same every time you play,” says McEachern. “As product designers we are building with our hands everyday and that’s how we solve problems. So we wanted to come up with something that allows kids to do that at a young age.”

The next step was figuring out what to make. After talking to kids and their families, it became clear that fort building is a popular past time. But the problem with this hobby, to which many parents could attest, is that it takes over the whole living room and kids become attached to the obstructive structure because of the effort they have put into it. “So we wanted to make something that’s quick to put up and take down and let’s them get over this fear of failure and makes them curious instead,” explains Spivak.

They began to think about what families have lying around their houses and after considering toilet paper and wrapping rolls they settled on cardboard, thereby connecting the love of forts with the love of the cardboard box. And, thus, Boxly was born, a kit with cardboard pieces that users can put together with connecters; Boxly also allows people to incorporate any standard one-ply cardboard they might have lying around.

“The sustainability aspect was really important for us,” says Seta. “We wanted to make something sustainable that emphasizes reused materials. Kids toys are destined to be thrown away after they grow up, so why put it in the trash can when you could put it in the recycle bin?” One of the team’s design principles was that they wanted to create and package a product that creates no waste. “There is nothing in the Boxly kit that does not have a purpose,” explains Seta. “Even the box it comes in could be part of the form.”

As for the feedback so far, it has been overwhelmingly positive and supportive. “One of the most pleasant surprises is that kids want to do this on their own so parents can go do other things,” says Spivak.

“It was amazing to see kids playing with the product,” says Seta. “You show kids how to connect two panels together and then let them go crazy. It’s clear they’re having fun but it’s also really gratifying to see them get better at building the longer they play with it.”

(Boxly/The Stanford Daily)During one of their user tests they even managed to have seven kids entertained for an hour and a half, which, as anyone who has spent time in the company of a person under the age of 10 can agree, is no small feat. They have even created, with the help of a Mashup Grant from the Arts Institute, an enlarged version called Mega-Boxly, a 150-percent scaled version, so college kids can also get their fort building fix.

In addition to enhancing the general toy-scape, Boxly has partnered with Camp Kesem to offer backers the option of donating a kit to Camp Kesem on Kickstarter. “We started out just wanting to make something fun,” says Seta. “But when we contacted Camp Kesem it turned into a project that could be impactful for a lot of kids.”

Two weeks ago, the Boxly team launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $30,000 to send Boxly to market. They have currently raised two-thirds of their campaign goal, and have two weeks left. In the beginning, there was a huge influx of support and they were halfway funded in just four days. They have since reached out to family, the Stanford community, education professionals, design firms, after-school programs and even mommy clubs and mommy bloggers, which, apparently, is “a world of its own.”

The Boxly team has already reaped some rewards from the project. “One of the best parts has been the team. We have the same vision but different strengths so we complement each other really well,” says Spivak. For McEachern, the best part so far has been watching the kids play with it. “We have a chalkboard panel they can draw on and they will start with that because they’re comfortable drawing and then they’ll slowly start to build and then they’ll just fly with it and keep building bigger things. Watching them get comfortable with that process has been so rewarding.”

(from left: Sasha Spivak, Alicia Seta, Carolyn McEachorn)
(from left: Sasha Spivak, Alicia Seta, Carolyn McEachorn)

They have also gained business skills that evade many students until after their college careers. “This experience taught us how to start a company, how to work with manufacturers locally and overseas and how to take an idea through development all the way to production,” says Seta.

But no project is complete without a few glitches. When the team first looked at shipping costs, they were appalled by the prohibitively high costs. Essentially, they would have to charge each person $40 for shipping. But like true design thinkers they brainstormed and found a company, which was already shipping products expansively and agreed to take them on as a sort of child account. As seniors, it has also been challenging for them to pursue this project through graduation when everything else is wrapping up. But they are insistent on seeing Boxly all the way to relived parents’ living rooms.

“We’ve been trying to dream big. Everyone who has seen it and knows about it loves it but now the challenge is to get the people we’ve reached to spread the word,” says Spivak. “In an ideal world we get funded on Kickstarter, fulfill the orders over the summer and license the idea to a major company,” adds Seta.

Kickstarter is designed so that if a campaign doesn’t reach its goal then no transaction takes place. “That’s heartbreak,” muses Spivak. June 18 is their deadline. They need $10,000. But can you really put a price on limitless creative potential and childhood wonder?

To purchase a Boxly kit, go to: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/boxlyinc/boxly-the-cardboard-fort-building-kit.

 

Contact Michaela Elias at melias23 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Heads Up: New film ‘Prisoner’ screening this week https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/21/heads-up-new-film-prisoner-screening-this-week/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/21/heads-up-new-film-prisoner-screening-this-week/#respond Thu, 21 May 2015 23:37:46 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1101287 Cardinal Studios’ new student film premiers on campus this week! Written by Alexander Kucy ’17 and directed by Rebecca Aydin ’18 the film follows a man (Daniel Johnson’ 16) and a guard (Carlos Valladares ’18) trapped in a space together. It packs psychological reflection, physical aggression and intense glassy gazes into a 15-minute narrative. Watch […]

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Cardinal Studios’ new student film premiers on campus this week! Written by Alexander Kucy ’17 and directed by Rebecca Aydin ’18 the film follows a man (Daniel Johnson’ 16) and a guard (Carlos Valladares ’18) trapped in a space together. It packs psychological reflection, physical aggression and intense glassy gazes into a 15-minute narrative. Watch the trailer here, reserve tickets before they run out and prepare to be jolted out of your comfortable chair for a few minutes. Run time is 30 minutes with Q&A. This is Cardinal Studios’ first fully-produced short film. Support the arts!

 

Playing across campus Week 8.

May 20, Roble, 8 p.m.

May 21, Haus Mitt, 8 p.m.

May 22, Kimball, 8 p.m.

May 23, FloMo, 7 p.m.

Contact Lora Kelley at lkelley ‘at’ stanford.edu

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Chopsticks in Your Hair: Cultural Appropriation at the Met Gala https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/19/chopsticks-in-your-hair-cultural-appropriation-at-the-met-gala/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/19/chopsticks-in-your-hair-cultural-appropriation-at-the-met-gala/#comments Tue, 19 May 2015 07:24:41 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1100850 Just last week, on May 5, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute held its annual fundraising event, the Met Gala. It’s one of the highlights of the season in the fashion world, as A-list celebrities walk the red carpet in all their finery. However, this year, controversy mingled with the sequins and ball gowns. […]

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Just last week, on May 5, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute held its annual fundraising event, the Met Gala. It’s one of the highlights of the season in the fashion world, as A-list celebrities walk the red carpet in all their finery. However, this year, controversy mingled with the sequins and ball gowns.

Per tradition, the Met Gala’s theme corresponds to whatever the Costume Institute’s annual fashion exhibit is. This year, the exhibit was “China: Through the Looking Glass.” And according to tradition, attendees of the ball are encouraged to dress by the theme.

A simple glance on Twitter during the day of the event exemplified the outrage experienced by many people. Using #MetGala, some Twitter users accused attendees of cultural appropriation — one even wrote, “Met gala 2015: upscale versions of most racist Halloween costumes?”

Although Andrew Bolton, a curator of the Costume Institute, emphasized that the exhibit and the theme were meant to portray the “collective fantasy of China,” commentators from news sources such as Business Insider and Huffington Post to Fashionista blog and even People Magazine relayed concerns of Orientalism and cultural appropriation. After all, how do you condense an entire country with thousands of years of culture and history into a piece of eveningwear?

As I watched articles recounting the 50 best looks of the night flash across my computer’s news feed, I winced at the chopsticks in hair buns, the sexualized cheongsams and the inevitable kimono or hanbok interpretation (both of which belong to cultures that are not Chinese). Interestingly enough, Rihanna’s splashy gold cape-gown, which became an Internet meme, was one of a handful of dresses made by a Chinese designer.

So when does dressing for a theme cross the line into cultural appropriation? In this case, a celebration to commemorate an exhibit that portrayed the ways that Western fashion has interpreted Chinese culture lost its nuance in execution. The Costume Institute was careful to say that “China: Through the Looking Glass” was not an exhibition about Chinese couture, but rather the ways Chinese culture has influenced and will continue to influence fashion.

Many of the attendees at the Met Gala avoided controversy with discreet homages to Chinese embroidery or culturally revered colors of red and gold. Some promoted Chinese designers by wearing their dresses — though not aesthetically overtly “Chinese,” these celebrities certainly kept to the theme of celebrating Chinese fashion.

But when an entire culture, race and history is simplified to a caricature, from vaguely Asian-inspired headdresses to a purse in the literal shape of a “China doll,” an event meant to celebrate Chinese culture and fashion ends up mocking the very culture it intended to respect.

Contact Samantha Wong at slwong ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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3D Printing and Raspberry Pi: Why Stanford students should take notice of Microsoft again https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/18/3d-printing-and-raspberry-pi-why-stanford-students-should-take-notice-of-microsoft-again/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/18/3d-printing-and-raspberry-pi-why-stanford-students-should-take-notice-of-microsoft-again/#respond Tue, 19 May 2015 05:50:56 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1101134 Conventional criticism aside, there’s a lot of reasons why Stanford should be taking the “New Microsoft” (as they call it) in a different light. The company has long been trying to shed its image of archaism and lethargy, and this time around, it seems like they’ve finally figured out how to shake it off. There was […]

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Conventional criticism aside, there’s a lot of reasons why Stanford should be taking the “New Microsoft” (as they call it) in a different light. The company has long been trying to shed its image of archaism and lethargy, and this time around, it seems like they’ve finally figured out how to shake it off.

There was a time when what Microsoft did had little bearing on the lives of students at Stanford, especially engineers and computer scientists. That’s no longer the case. The new Microsoft ecosystem, highly based on interoperability and incorporating open-source technologies for the first time, is something that students should take note of.

One of the most talked-about products at Build 2015 is Microsoft’s “Universal Platform,” which is a common platform incorporating applications for Windows, Xbox and Hololens. The platform allows developers to write code once and have it be deployed across the entire Microsoft ecosystem.

“How can Windows 10 let you take the code you have today and reach a billion users?” was the common refrain at Build, and we got a taste of what that meant.

More interesting about this, though, is the “Universal bridge” that Microsoft unveiled during today’s keynote.

The company created multiple pathways to the Windows 10 platform, including conduits for iOS, Android and Web applications to be automatically parsed and converted into applications compatible for the entire Windows 10 ecosystem, which includes Phone, Desktop, HoloLens and Surface.

“There is one design language and control set across the platform,” we were told at the keynote on day 2.

What is more interesting, though, from a development point of view, is that the new universal platform makes developing natively for the Microsoft platform a far more favorable option, especially if Microsoft’s parsing capabilities from Windows to iOS and Android projects is as good as they say it is.

The system performed well in what they stated was a live demo, turning a Visual C# project into Android and iOS solutions automatically, though we didn’t get the chance to run performance metrics on what the iOS and Android versions ran like.

Another cool new feature that Microsoft touted at Build was the new diagnostic setup in Visual Studio that lets you see section-specific CPU and memory utilizaion without having to run a separate profiling tool. This is definitely something that would be useful for a lot of students, though word’s still out on whether this would create issues with the Honor Code.

Development solutions aside, let’s get into what will really interest the broader Stanford community: integration with Raspberry Pi and Arduino. With Windows 10 capable of running on the new Raspberry Pi, development opportunities are endless — it’s super easy to build code for the Raspberry Pi and push it to the Windows 10 install that’s running off of it. Microsoft didn’t go too far into the details but promised to show us lots more in the coming months.

Disclaimer: I worked for the SHAH tester program for Windows 7 when I was in high school. My opinions of Microsoft and its relevance to Stanford students in this piece are based solely on my experiences at BUILD 2015.

Contact Nitish Kulkarni at nitishk2 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Throwback Thursday: Stanford cornerstone laid on this date in 1887 https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/14/throwback-thursday-stanford-cornerstone-laid-on-this-date-in-1887/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/14/throwback-thursday-stanford-cornerstone-laid-on-this-date-in-1887/#respond Thu, 14 May 2015 07:05:10 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1100909 May 14 is one of the most important dates in Stanford’s history. Today is the 147th birthday of Leland Stanford Jr., for whom this university was named. Three years after Leland Stanford Jr.’s passing — he died of typhoid when he was 15 in 1884 — the cornerstone of the university was laid by Senator and […]

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May 14 is one of the most important dates in Stanford’s history. Today is the 147th birthday of Leland Stanford Jr., for whom this university was named. Three years after Leland Stanford Jr.’s passing — he died of typhoid when he was 15 in 1884 — the cornerstone of the university was laid by Senator and Mrs. Leland Stanford to honor their son’s 19th birthday. As part of the ceremony, Board of Trustees President Judge Lorenzo Sawyer gave a foundational speech on what values the university should hold. This Daily article from 1952 recalls the speech.

Stanford Cornerstone Laid Sixty-five Years Ago Today

By SALLY SHALER

Sixty-five years ago today, May 14, 1887, the cornerstone of the University was laid by Senator and Mrs. Leland Stanford. It was the nineteenth birthday of Leland Jr., whose monument the University was to be.

The ceremony was simple, but impressive. Judge Lorenzo Sawyer, president of the Board of Trustees and a renowned orator, gave the address.

Describing the University, he said: “Its nature, that of a university, with such seminaries of learning as will make it of highest grade . . . directed to the cultivation and enlargement of the mind.

“Its object, to qualify students for personal success and direct usefulness in life.

“Its purposes, to promote the public welfare, by exercising an influence in behalf of humanity and civilization; to teach the blessings of liberty, regulated by law; and inculcating love and reverence for the great principles of government as derived from the inalienable rights of man to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Following the laying of the cornerstone. building operations were energetically started and the University opened in 1891.

The cornerstone bears a large gold plate with this simple inscription: “Leland Stanford Junior University. May 14, 1887.”

Curiously enough, few students know the location of the cornerstone. It is on the Mathematics Building, next door and to the west of Memorial Church.

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Throwback: ‘Stanford’s next big Internet start-up?’ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/13/throwback-google/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/13/throwback-google/#respond Thu, 14 May 2015 05:35:28 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1100807 The Stanford Daily has always been cautious about startups and their trajectories. Back in 1999, The Daily had the chance to speak to Sergey Brin MS ’95 Ph.D. ’98 and Larry Page M.S. ’98, about their (new at the time) venture Google. At the time, Google featured a Stanford-specific search feature. Anthony Chiu ’02, Contributing […]

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The Stanford Daily has always been cautious about startups and their trajectories. Back in 1999, The Daily had the chance to speak to Sergey Brin MS ’95 Ph.D. ’98 and Larry Page M.S. ’98, about their (new at the time) venture Google. At the time, Google featured a Stanford-specific search feature. Anthony Chiu ’02, Contributing Writer at The Daily at the time, asserted that “[w]hile the future is not certain for the company that proclaims itself as “Stanford’s next big Internet startup,” Google has a good chance of success because of its flexibility.”

From the archives, 22 January 1999. The Stanford Daily, Volume 214, Issue 64.

Hoping to follow in the footsteps of other successful Stanford Internet startups such as Yahoo! and Excite, two former Stanford doctoral students recently launched a new search engine company, Google.com. Google’s founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, discussed both the technical and business sides of their new company before about 40 people in the Gates Computer Science Building on Wednesday night. Frustrated by the irrelevant results that Internet searches often produce, Brin and Page worked for three years to find a better solution.

They came up with PageRank, a procedure that estimates the importance of Web pages by analyzing the link structure of the Web. “Every single Web page can affect every other Web page,” Brin said. “We consider not only [what pages] point to you, but how important they are.” With the rapidly increasing amount of information that is being added to the Internet, better search solutions are in high demand. As a result, Brin and Page saw the potential for a new company, which they have stopped out to pursue. “We had something really good at Stanford and we wanted to bring it to the world,” Brin said. Other unique features include a “Stanford Search,” which looks through Stanford Web pages, and a large number of cached pages. Cached pages are comparable to backup copies of sites, so that a user may still access the page even if it is not currently available. “Cached links are useful because if the page goes away or the server’s down, you can still get to it,” Brin said.

While the future is not certain for the company that proclaims itself as “Stanford’s next big Internet startup,” Google has a good chance of success because of its flexibility. “Fortunately, we’re not locked into any position,” Brin said, meaning that they have not yet had to decide, for example, whether to maintain a search site themselves or license their technology to others. Google is being backed by “a number of excellent ‘angels,’ only some of which we have made public,” Page said. These sources of funding include Andy Bechtolsheim, the cofounder of Sun Microsystems, as well as Stanford Computer Science Prof. David Cheriton. In addition, Google plans to go public, ideally making its initial public offering within a year. This is ambitious, as companies usually take two to four years to reach that stage, according to Brin. The site is still resolving several problems. “Duplicate links … are the biggest problem we face right now.” Brin said. “That’s something that is going to have to be reworked in the next version.”

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Stanford students ditch the small screen at BASES Demo Day https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/10/bases-demo-day-2015/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/10/bases-demo-day-2015/#respond Mon, 11 May 2015 01:33:38 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1100670 The BASES Challenge Finale took place in the Arrillaga Alumni Center on the afternoon of Friday, May 8. The rows of tri-fold poster boards at the event’s Public Showcase might remind a viewer of a high school science fair, but the presenters here were pitching innovative business and socially-oriented product concepts. The event’s mass-attendance spoke […]

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The BASES Challenge Finale took place in the Arrillaga Alumni Center on the afternoon of Friday, May 8. The rows of tri-fold poster boards at the event’s Public Showcase might remind a viewer of a high school science fair, but the presenters here were pitching innovative business and socially-oriented product concepts. The event’s mass-attendance spoke to the continued strong interest in innovation on this campus. A more novel insight, however, can be gleaned from examining the types of companies presenting.

Of particular note amongst the companies in attendance is the relative abundance of products not based on a smartphone app. Given the preponderance of this type of product to the point of cliche, it was refreshing to see entrepreneurs exploring the world of opportunities available beyond a 4.7 inch screen. Smartphone apps have a lot of potential, and some of the more impressive displays at the event were indeed apps, but it is healthy for an innovative community to pursue opportunities across a broader array of possibilities.

Perhaps one reason for the diverse set of products on display this year is the BASES Challenge’s new consolidated competitive structure. While in past years business and social ventures competed in separate, siloed competitions, this year all ventures are entered into the same competition. At this point, the teams are judged based on two sets of criteria: one for overall venture viability, and one for social impact.

Audacy, a company that aims to provide uninterrupted communications to commercial spacecraft operators, was the overall winner of this year’s BASES Challenge. The winner in the Social Venture category was Evimed, which built a port protector device that attaches a needleless connector on a catheter hub to reduce central-line associated bloodstream infections.

Contact Jason Lopata at jlopata ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Your Weekend–May 8 https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/08/your-weekend-may-8/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/08/your-weekend-may-8/#respond Fri, 08 May 2015 14:52:37 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1100587 Your Weekend: May 8 It’s May, and chances are all of your friends from home are already finishing school for the year. Have you been getting non-stop snapchats of your friends at the beach? At Taylor Swift concerts in your hometown? Hugging your other friends from home with captions like “Reunited and it feels so […]

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Your Weekend: May 8

It’s May, and chances are all of your friends from home are already finishing school for the year. Have you been getting non-stop snapchats of your friends at the beach? At Taylor Swift concerts in your hometown? Hugging your other friends from home with captions like “Reunited and it feels so good”? Me neither. My friends aren’t that basic. Even so, the FOMO can be real. Fight the FOMO this weekend by checking out these dope (FREE) events on campus and in the bay area.

 

ALL WEEKEND:

 

Stanford PowWow

WHAT: Stanford’s incredible annual celebration of Native American cultures, with dancing and vendors and food.

WHERE: Eucalyptus Grove, Campus Drive, Galvez Drive

WHEN: Friday, Saturday and Sunday

$$: FREE


FRIDAY:

Berkeley Poetry Review Release Party

WHAT: Readings and reception for Issue 45

WHERE: Moe’s Books, Berkeley

WHEN: Friday @ 7:30 p.m.

$$: FREE


The African Culture Show

WHAT: A celebration of African culture on campus (with a free Somali dinner!)

WHERE: Cemex, Stanford

WHEN: Friday @ 6 p.m.

$$: FREE

 

SATURDAY:


Jack of All Trades Flea Market

WHAT: Indie art fair with craft beer, live music, food

WHERE: Jack London Square, Oakland

WHEN: Saturday @ 11 a.m.

$$: FREE


SF Porch Fest


WHAT: Every genre, everyone

WHERE: Stoops/porches across the Mission and Noe Valley neighborhoods

WHEN: All day Saturday

$$: FREE


SF Porchfest After Party


WHAT: More music after a day of music

WHERE: The Chapel Bar

WHEN: Saturday @ 6 p.m.

$$: FREE


SUNDAY:


Sunday Streets Festival

WHAT: Massive block party

WHERE: The mission, SF

WHEN: Sunday @ 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

$$: FREE


Lit Performance: Pagan Neal and Alan Shearer


WHAT: Music//poetry reading//storytelling

WHERE: Nomadic Press, Oakland

$$: FREE

Contact Lora Kelley at lkelley ‘at’ stanford.edu

 

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Real Questions, Real Answers: Admit Weekend 2015 https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/07/real-questions-real-answers-admit-weekend-2015/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/07/real-questions-real-answers-admit-weekend-2015/#respond Fri, 08 May 2015 00:06:27 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1100371 During Admit Weekend 2015, we asked six ProFros the question, “If you could ask a Stanford student any question, what would you ask?” Here, we’ve assembled a diverse group of Stanford students, a panel of current and experienced Trees, to answer these questions in their own words.   Meet Our Panelists Scott Reid: Scott is […]

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During Admit Weekend 2015, we asked six ProFros the question, “If you could ask a Stanford student any question, what would you ask?” Here, we’ve assembled a diverse group of Stanford students, a panel of current and experienced Trees, to answer these questions in their own words.

 

Meet Our Panelists

Scott Reid: Scott is from northern Virginia. He is a sophomore studying physics and thinking about a minor in creative writing. He plays the French horn in a variety of student orchestras, rock climbs recreationally and interns in an astrophysics lab.

Emily Kohn: Emily is a senior majoring in economics and minoring in English. She is a Hume Writing Center tutor. She is currently working on her honors thesis and is involved with student theater.

Kidi Basile: Kidi is a freshman from Cameroon. He is planning to major in electrical engineering with a minor in international development. He is also involved in FCLT and Stanford Quidditch. He loves dancing and music and is passionate about social development.

Ellen Tsay: Ellen is a senior and co-captain of the varsity women’s tennis team, and she is majoring in biology, coterming in biomedical informatics and planning on going to medical school. She is a volunteer scribe, tutored a summer computer science camp and helped develop an online health education curriculum. In her spare time she enjoys running, practicing yoga and reading Tolstoy.

Evan Lin: Evan is a sophomore double majoring in computer science and music (piano performance). He is involved in the music scene at Stanford as a member of two chamber music groups. In addition, he paddles on the Stanford Dragonboat team.

Real Questions and Answers

What is one item that students wouldn’t think of bringing but should definitely bring to their dorm rooms? —Fiona Maguire, Los Angeles

SR: I’m always glad that I have a few Tupperware [containers] and basic silverware. It makes it much easier to make guacamole with friends or spread cookie butter on cookies while studying for midterms.

EK: Oatmeal, tea — [there’s so many] things you make with hot water. A tea kettle is a total godsend and you’re allowed to bring them.

ET: A hand towel. By bringing your own towel to the bathroom, you not only save tons of paper but [also] avoid that icky wet-paper-towel smell when you wipe off your face.

EL: Two of the items I find myself using the most are my stapler and my whiteboard. The need for a stapler is self-explanatory. As for the whiteboard, you’ll probably find writing in dry-erase a lot easier than looking for a clean sheet of paper every time.

 

How easy is it to get involved in clubs on campus? —Kai Klocke, Portland, Oregon

SR: It is much too easy to become involved in clubs. Particularly during fall of freshman year, you’ll be hearing left and right about things you can become involved in. The most difficult thing is definitely parsing through all of the options to find the activities that speak to you the most.

KB: I feel like it’s not easy, because clubs are not very well advertised. You need to be proactive to be really involved. They don’t come to you.

EL: It’s really easy! Just keep an eye out for the activities fair at the beginning of the year, hit up every booth that interests you and sign up for all the mailing lists!

 

What do I do if I don’t know what I want to do in the future? —Dylan Treger, Paradise Valley, Arizona

 KB: Maybe take one year off to work for a community group or a nonprofit, or work in a field that you love so you can find your passion. I know a couple of people who did that, and it helped them to really know what they want to do in the future.

ET: Start by eliminating what you don’t like. Then, if you still can’t decide, just pick a direction and go from there. You have to start somewhere. Also keep in mind that career decisions don’t have to be forever — you can always change your mind and switch careers later on. No experience is wasted; there is always something you can learn from an abandoned career or path and apply to a different career or path later on.

EL: It’s okay! You’ll eventually realize that no one really knows what they want to do (unless they’re premed).

 

What are courses that you can take that would let you explore and let you fit in your WAYS/GER requirements? —Thomas Nguyen, Houston

SR: I’ll take this moment to advertise a really amazing class that I took freshman spring called Human Behavioral Biology. It doesn’t sound like anything special, but the professor, Robert Sapolsky, is amazing, and the class has changed how I view the world on a fundamental level. A biology class where you get to learn about chaos theory, a Nazi who became the mother to many ducklings and the roots of human and animal behavior? Why not?

EK: If you’re interested in the humanities, take SLE. CS106A — that’s really cliche, but it’s a really good class, especially with Keith Schwarz. Introsems are also a good way to explore subjects.

ET: Look for courses that double-count towards two requirements. More importantly, never choose courses that look easy; always choose courses that you are genuinely interested in. Easy courses always end up being hard, because it will be more difficult for you to engage with the material.

 

Do you have suggestions on how to combine both a humanities perspective and a technological perspective? —Manasi Patwa, San Jose

EK: Stanford definitely wants you to do that, and I can’t speak specifically to any program, but a lot of majors let you [combine the two perspectives], such as Science, Technology and Society (STS) and Symbolic Systems.

KB: I think if someone is interested in technology, [he or she] should consider minoring or double majoring in the humanities. When you are just focused on tech things, you don’t have a broad perspective of the world. Taking humanities classes lets you learn more about how the world functions and what people are thinking.

ET: Become an expert in one of the two fields while keeping up with the other, and it will carry over in invaluable ways. For example, continue exercising your writing skills while delving into biology research or engineering projects. Later on, you’ll have amazing experiences from these activities that will give you a unique perspective to write from.

EL: It’s funny because I’m double-majoring in both fuzzy and techie fields, and I have absolutely no idea how to combine them. There are majors that combine them (CS+X and MST [Music, Science and Technology], for example), but I’d rather appreciate the two fields for how different they are.

 

And the final question, from Lomita: Why should I choose Stanford?

SR: In my time at Stanford, I have had many moments of complete awe and pride from the work of my peers. For example, a theater group recently put on a production of “Hairspray.” There were a few exhilarating moments when I could sense that everyone in the audience was in complete agreement about how talented the performers were and how enormous the production was. Your peers at Stanford will be thoughtful, creative, talented and human. And no matter what you want to do, Stanford will have a world-class department for it.

EK: Because you’ll get great opportunities at Stanford that you would never get anywhere else.

KB: First of all, Stanford has an amazing [program] for almost any major. Second, people are very, very open-minded, and people are always willing to help you, especially professors. The curriculum isn’t too different than most universities, but the way it’s taught here is different. That being said, I could add the prestige the Stanford education gives you, especially back in my home country, Cameroon.

ET: There are too many reasons. The first few that come to mind are: humble students who are willing to collaborate with and help each other learn, a vast amount of resources and funding to engage in research or kickstart a project into a company, and beautiful weather.

EL: Come here because it’s great! You’ll meet some of the world’s most impressive, humble and fascinating young adults here. At Stanford, you’ll make awesome friends, and they’ll be sure to give you an experience of a lifetime.

 

Contact Samantha Wong at slwong ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Throwback Thursday: Thefacebook vs. CampusNetwork https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/07/throwback-thursday-thefacebook-vs-campusnetwork/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/07/throwback-thursday-thefacebook-vs-campusnetwork/#respond Thu, 07 May 2015 07:05:33 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1100529 This Daily article (initially published on Oct. 20, 2004) details how "thefacebook" began to take hold in college campuses.

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This past week marked the passing of one of Silicon Valley’s influential leaders, SurveyMonkey CEO David Goldberg. The funeral was held at Stanford University, where many Silicon Valley leaders, including Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, were in attendance. Silicon Valley wouldn’t be the tech tour de force it is now without the success of initiatives such as Facebook, and The Daily article below (initially published on Oct. 20, 2004) details how “thefacebook” began to take hold in college campuses.

 

 

Thefacebook vs. Campus Network

Is there room for more than one?

By SARAH LUSTBADER

(JOSEPH BERGEN/The Stanford Daily)
(JOSEPH BERGEN/The Stanford Daily)

Given the recent proliferation of online social networks like Friendster and the ever-expanding ranks of young people joining up, a safe assumption might be that these sites play an integral role in student life.

When asked, however, students who use these sites consistently list one arguably essential use for these networks: procrastination.

Senior Alicia Dantzker said that she used thefacebook — the network that is available at more than 175 colleges nationwide — “for procrastinating.”

“It’s a shockingly engaging waste of time.”

Nor do students at other schools necessarily find better uses for online social networks.

Oberlin senior Nick Arioli said, “I feel like I should have something profound to say, as I spend a lot of time studying social and political networks, but I think people just do it out of boredom.”

Given the innumerable procrastination tools available on the Internet — students can listen to music, read e-zines or shop — the fact that more than three-fourths of Stanford’s undergraduates have signed up with thefacebook shows that there might be more to online social networking than just putting off homework.

This week, a Web site similar to thefacebook. called Campus Network, became available at Stanford — raising questions about whether there is a market for several such online communities among college students.

Thefacebook, the leading online network at Stanford and among college students in general, began at Harvard University but now has about 500.000 users. The Web site’s creator, Mark Zuckerberg, set out to create an online database that would encourage social interaction at Harvard.

The network that emerged greatly resembles other online databases such as Friendster in that users create personal profiles, find friends at their school and at others and exchange messages.

“We started the site at Harvard, not really thinking that it would go much further than our school,” explained Harvard student Chris Hughes, who works as “The Press Guy” for thefacebook.

“After so many people signed up, we realized pretty fast that students at other schools might enjoy using the site …. We want every student who wants to be a member of thefacebook to be able to be a member of thefacebook. To that end, we’re trying to add as many colleges as quickly as possible to the network.”

Hughes reported no specific plans for the future of thefacebook apart from continuing the expansion to new campuses and adding new features, such as a partnership with a filesharing network.

Zuckerberg and co-founder Dustin Moskovitz have stopped out of Harvard for the semester to work on the Web site, and six people are currently on the payroll, which is generated by advertisements.

Hughes noted that the Web site itself is not making a profit, and denied that the team is motivated by its financial prospects.

“For now at least, we’re doing it because it’s fun,” Hughes said. “It’s nice to see something you’ve created be so popular — it gives us energy to keep revising and expanding the site.

Some Stanford students, however, suspect that money plays a bigger role.

“Maybe not now, but if it keeps spreading it might be the new Google, and those [Google] guys are billionaires,” said senior Nicole Marquez, whose comparison is striking given Zuckerberg and Moskovitz’s recent move to the Bay Area.

While some students regard thefacebook simply as a distraction from scholastic obligations, others find practical uses for it. This reporter, for one, has found thefacebook a far more useful tool for tracking down sources than Stanford’s online directory.

Some have more frivolous ends in mind. Many students said that they look for other attractive and single students on the network.

The creators of Campus Network launched their Web site at Columbia University during the summer of 2003, before thefacebook was created.

Columbia student Wayne Ting, one of the two designers of Campus Network, distinguishes it from thefacebook by emphasizing its substantive value.

“Facebook focuses on browsing and adding friends, but users who are looking for journal weblogs, to upload their pictures and rate their professors [will find that] those things aren’t available on facebook,” he said.

Columbia student Carrington Lee agreed that Campus Network offers a more diverse range of options than thefacebook.

“I use Campus Network like a blog, a photo album, instant messenger, and bulletin board,” she said. “I can post journals about the parties I went to over the weekend, the fact that I have a stereo for sale, or which songs are on repeat on my iTunes, and people are always ready to comment on whatever I happen to write.”

The question now is whether students at Stanford and elsewhere will express interest in another online social network. One indicator that there might be room for another network is the prevalence of both thefacebook and Campus Network at Columbia.

“A lot of people at Columbia use thefacebook as well,” said Columbia student Eva Colen. “Thefacebook. however, is completely different — there is no community whatsoever, it’s more like a classifieds section.

“You can build relationships and express your personality on Campus Network, whereas thefacebook only allows you add friends and stalk crushes.”

Stanford students are generally more skeptical of Campus Network’s potential elsewhere.

“It’s kind of lost its novelty, and I’m not sure if people will feel like signing up for yet another network,” Dantzker said. “CampusNetwork actually sounds like a much better idea. Too bad it didn’t start here first.”

Like thefacebook’s creators, Ting claims that the prospect of financial success has not been the principal motivating factor, but he does not rule out the possibility in the future.

“We have a few volunteers and none of us are getting paid,” he said. “We’re doing this for the same reason that we started it initially. It’s an extracurricular hobby.

“If it’s a way to make money in the future, fine. But we’re not making money right now.”

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The Relentless Ann Miura-Ko https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/04/the-relentless-ann-miura-ko/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/04/the-relentless-ann-miura-ko/#respond Mon, 04 May 2015 07:26:42 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1100032 Public speaking was Floodgate co-founder Ann Miura-Ko’s, Ph.D. ’10, biggest fear. During her junior high piano recitals, she struggled to say her name or the name of the piece she was performing. “I was a painfully shy student,” Miura-Ko said. In eighth grade, Miura-Ko’s older brother had to accompany her on stage to announce her […]

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Public speaking was Floodgate co-founder Ann Miura-Ko’s, Ph.D. ’10, biggest fear.

During her junior high piano recitals, she struggled to say her name or the name of the piece she was performing. “I was a painfully shy student,” Miura-Ko said.

Ann Miura-Ko, Floodgate cofounder Courtesy Ann Miura-Ko
Ann Miura-Ko, Floodgate co-founder, did her Ph.D. in the Quantitative Modeling of Computer Security at Stanford
Courtesy Ann Miura-Ko

In eighth grade, Miura-Ko’s older brother had to accompany her on stage to announce her name.

“This is ridiculous,” Miura-Ko thought. “I need to get over this.”

As a freshman at Palo Alto High School, she joined the speech and debate team – entirely a personal decision.

Throughout her freshman and sophomore year, she didn’t win a single tournament. Her protective parents didn’t believe a child raised in a Japanese-speaking family could compete with English-speaking household children. In fact, before Miura-Ko’s junior year, her parents told her she had to quit the team if she lost the first two tournaments.

This motivated her even more.

In the summer, Miura-Ko immersed herself in books to prepare for the upcoming year. She convinced Stanford undergraduate students to coach her since the high school lacked funds.

She didn’t have to quit after junior year. She won the first two tournaments and eventually the Tournament of Champions in Lincoln Douglas debate.

“I think if I hadn’t taken speech and debate, I wouldn’t have gotten over it,” the now confident and articulate Miura-Ko said.

Like overcoming her fear of public speaking and winning the National Debate Championship, Miura- Ko does everything relentlessly and with “world class effort”. Growing up, her father consistently asked her and her older brother, “Is that world-class effort?” Whether it was asked during household chores or while completing a book report, the question resonated with her.

“It’s a question I ask myself almost every day on a lot of different dimensions,” Miura-Ko said. “It helps me figure out not only if the effort was good enough, but also what are they ways I would improve it if I were to do it over again.”

Miura-Ko’s world-class effort is evident. Since co-founding Floodgate in 2007, she has made successful investments including Lyft, Ayasdi, Xamarin, Refinery29, Chloe and Isabel and TaskRabbit.

An Entrepreneur From Day One

Raised by a father who was a NASA rocket scientist and a mother who encouraged exploration, Miura-Ko was an intensely curious child.

When Miura-Ko was six years old, her father bought her a PCjr. She didn’t just use it as a normal computer. The young Miura-Ko wanted to dissect it and see how it functioned. In the third grade, she realized there was no Japanese font for the PCjr. For her science fair, she created her own. This was the start of the determined entrepreneur.

“I would develop interests and I would be relentless about pursuing them,” Miura-Ko said.

As a four year old, Miura-Ko would play on the piano until her parents told her to stop.

“There are certain things if I wanted to do it, I would be relentlessly persistent in asking my parents for help in doing it,” she said. “And then also doing it myself.”

Recognizing Potential

Throughout her childhood, Miura-Ko didn’t have a set a career path. She dreamed of being many things such as a farmer. She also wanted to be a doctor, but she soon learned she was afraid of blood and hospitals.

During her junior year at Yale University (B.S. Electrical Engineering ‘98), she had a chance encounter with Hewlett Packard CEO Lew Platt. Platt offered Miura-Ko the opportunity to shadow him for a week over her spring break.

After the externship, Platt sent Miura-Ko two photos: one of Platt sitting on a white couch and talking with Bill Gates, the other of Platt sitting on the same exact couch talking with Miura-Ko. [see photo]

“I don’t know if I saw Bill Gates so much as a role model as much as almost a pivot in how I saw the potential in myself,” Miura-Ko said. “It took someone like Lew Platt, CEO of Hewlett Packard, to allow me to see that in myself.” Miura-Ko aspired to create her own Bill Gates success story.

PhD Student, Venture Capitalist and Mom: Making it All Happen

The odds were against Miura-Ko when she had to make the decision to co-found a venture capital firm. It was 2008 and the nation was in the midst of a financial crisis. She was also still competing for her PhD in Quantitative Modeling in Computer Security at Stanford University — all while she was pregnant with her first child. Miura-Ko had originally wanted to become a technical founder of a company, but found the opportunity to be an investor alluring. She was determined to have it all.

“Knowing what the rewards are of doing all of those things… How could you not do it? So what would you actually leave out?” Miura-Ko said. “There was no part of it I wanted to leave out. I wanted to be a mom. I wanted to found Floodgate. I needed that PhD. I devoted so many years of my life to it. I needed to finish it.” To this day, Miura-Ko sees this as her proudest accomplishment.

Floodgate cofounder Mike Maples still doesn’t understand how she it handled it all. “If she decides something is important to her she doesn’t go halfway ever,” Maples said. “She has this incredibly strong will to overpower the subject of her interest and relentlessly get better and smarter at it. It takes incredible amount of mental stamina to do that.”

“You make it happen by doing the things that you need to do like waking up whenever you needed to. But then, also asking for help in the right places,” said Miura-Ko. She learned to be unafraid of asking for help and often reached out to her husband, parents and friends for support. “It was a whole cheerleading section and a support structure that allowed me to do it.” Her support system allowed her to take the risk to pursue her dreams.

Miura-Ko is now a mother to three children. Maples admires Miura-Ko’s drive to manage the work-life balance. “She has crazy high energy like a hummingbird,” Maples said. “You have to film that a thousand frames a second.”

Whether it’s reviewing a startup pitch, advising portfolio companies or raising her three children, Miura-Ko is sure to do it with tenacity and “world-class effort.”

Contact Kasey Quon at kquon ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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The Pentagon’s attempted tryst with Silicon Valley https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/04/the-pentagons-attempted-tryst-with-silicon-valley/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/05/04/the-pentagons-attempted-tryst-with-silicon-valley/#respond Mon, 04 May 2015 07:18:11 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1100171 Cemex Auditorium was filled to the brim on the morning of Thursday, April 23, with an audience eager to hear the recently appointed Secretary of Defense, Ashton Carter, deliver this year’s annual Drell Lecture (the Drell Lecture, named for the first director of the Center for International Security and Cooperation, is an annual public event […]

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Cemex Auditorium was filled to the brim on the morning of Thursday, April 23, with an audience eager to hear the recently appointed Secretary of Defense, Ashton Carter, deliver this year’s annual Drell Lecture (the Drell Lecture, named for the first director of the Center for International Security and Cooperation, is an annual public event addressing a critical national or international security issue). The audience knew Secretary Carter well—Carter has long been a part of the Stanford community, most recently as a visiting scholar at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) immediately before assuming his present role—and the attendees read like a who’s who list of the departments based in Encina Hall. But Secretary Carter did not come back to Stanford just to reconnect with old friends: He came to Silicon Valley with a mission to attract technological talent which can help the US government adapt and respond to the new range of threats it faces on the cyber front.

Secretary Carter outlined the new profile of threats the United States faces. The development of Internet technology has brought incalculable economic benefit to America and many other places around the world, yet our new-found reliance on Internet technology has led to “real liabilities.” As more of our world becomes connected to the Internet, the potential for harmful agents to use the Internet to inflict lasting economic or physical harm grows. The United States government seeks to mitigate that risk as much as it can, while balancing security measures with a commitment to maintaining the spirit of freedom and privacy that is essential to America’s character.

Secretary Carter stressed that a closer partnership between the government, private businesses and academia is crucial to keeping up with the threats we face. He cited WWII as an example of a time when this partnership was very strong, and noted the critical role that government defense spending has had in initiating and sustaining Silicon Valley as we know it. Yet Secretary Carter would also acknowledge that, at times, the dynamic between these three has not been so mutually amicable. He thinks that the bond right now could be stronger.

The main thrust of Secretary Carter’s speech came as he outlined his plan for “Rewiring the Pentagon,” the title of this lecture. This “rewiring” essentially consists of adjusting the means through which young people can work with the Pentagon, so as to improve the innovative talent it can bring on-board. The Department of Defense recognizes that young people today want flexibility, and are less inclined to want to be bogged down on a single career path. Thus, the Pentagon will pursue initiatives such as exchange programs and set-time fellowships that will allow people to “try” working on a government mission; the Pentagon hopes that some who try will like their experience enough to stay.

Additionally, the Pentagon recognizes that it is unable to offer the same financial incentives to its employees as would be available to a person with similar talent working in Silicon Valley. To address this question, the Pentagon hopes to be able to attract people through the strength of its mission—along the lines of being a part of something bigger than yourself—and the unique, complex challenges defense research offers.

In general, Secretary Carter seemed to offer a “rotating door” of sorts. Those with innovative talent can bounce around the private sector, the public sector, and academia. This type of interplay already exists a fair bit at the higher levels—Secretary Carter is himself a perfect example. Now he would like to extend this arrangement to greater numbers of people, fostering sectors that more directly feed off one another. Such initiatives by the Pentagon may open new types of job opportunities for Stanford graduates, amongst others.

Secretary Carter went on to describe in more detail his department’s approach to cyber-security. He outlined his objectives as defending DoD systems, protecting American civilians from cyber threats that could cause loss of life or lasting economic damage and developing offensive cyber capabilities so as to deter potential attackers. Intriguingly, this set of objectives sounds quite similar to the Pentagon’s objectives with respect to conventional threats. Perhaps, as was the case with defending our skies at the outset of the Cold War, the Pentagon will need to add a new means of defense to its arsenal so as to respond to a threat on a new front brought about by global technological advancement.

If it is indeed the case that the development of cyber-warfare mechanisms in the 2010s and 2020s plays a similar role as did the development of air power during the 1940s and 1950s, we may expect to see a lot more than exchange programs out of the Pentagon on this front; we may expect to see large-scale direct investment in technologies which help the Pentagon keep American cyber systems safe. Aspiring entrepreneurs, take note.

Contact Jason Lopata at jlopata ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Need an app idea? We’re here to help! https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/30/need-an-app-idea-were-here-to-help/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/30/need-an-app-idea-were-here-to-help/#respond Fri, 01 May 2015 02:36:11 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1100034 To hear it from the mainstream media, Stanford is basically a giant tech incubator with a few classrooms attached. If this doesn’t jive with your experience of university life, tough. Hate to break it to you, but that’s apparently our thing now, because news outlets from the New Yorker to Buzzfeed have said so, and those […]

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To hear it from the mainstream media, Stanford is basically a giant tech incubator with a few classrooms attached. If this doesn’t jive with your experience of university life, tough. Hate to break it to you, but that’s apparently our thing now, because news outlets from the New Yorker to Buzzfeed have said so, and those two don’t agree on much. Your classes in biology or history are nice and all, but turns out they’re mostly for accreditation purposes. Stanford is actually a vocational program — call it the “Arrillaga Institute of Technology” — that gives students the skills we need to drop out and cash in. Those world-class departments in other, less profitable fields are just a convenient front, like a guy from Jersey who says he’s in “waste management.”

Truth is, if you’re not building a company, you’re wasting your time here. Soon enough, admission will be asking for app ideas along with an artistic portfolio on the application. In fact, if you don’t already have at least a few prototypes and minimum viable products, statistically speaking you’re lagging way behind. Soul-crushing amounts of work and a lack of interest in entrepreneurial ventures are no excuses — what are you trying to do, get an education? You’ve got a sensationalist media narrative to align with! Build something, darn it!

With that in mind, Lomita is sharing a few killer company ideas to get the ball rolling. The next Facebook could be waiting right here on this list, and it’s all yours, pending a 60-40 equity split with us! You’re welcome. Don’t forget to mention us in a TED Talk someday:

  • Pyl: Tired of the same old Soylent grind? (We know, who could ever get tired of an off-white slurry you consume instead of food that positively screams, “I’m normal and have many friends?” But give us the benefit of the doubt). With Pyl, you can live the space-age dream of consuming all your meals in pill form! In just 1,437 easy installments, you can swallow all your daily nutritional values and avoid all that tiresome chewing and sipping. Order today and we’ll throw in some Adderall for free. And yes, before you ask, we do offer suppositories.
  • Dossier: Picture this — you’ve met somebody, and they seem like a promising friend/significant other/FWB/nemesis, but you have to go through all that conversational rigmarole to see if you click. That can take forever, and in today’s world, who has time to get to know anybody anymore? With Dossier, all you need to do is type a person’s name, and we’ll give you access to their Facebook, Twitter, blog, personal email, Tinder profile and sixth-grade book reports. You’ll know exactly who they are without looking up from your phone or engaging with them in any way! We know what you’re thinking: Is that legal? Great question! We’re glad you asked.
  • Wipr: Apps that take care of all those troublesome things we don’t want to do, like laundry, shopping and driving, are a huge emerging market. Lomita’s seen the trends, and that’s why we’re proud to offer Wipr, a service that connects you with the personal ass-wiper closest to you. Those are precious seconds you can spend doing literally anything else — why hinder your creative freedom by cleaning up stray bits of poop? Just get someone else to do it for you and don’t think about the consequences for society at large. For an extra fee, our assperts will administer your Pyl suppositories for you.
  • Skool: This one has real potential, but it’s kind of large in scope, so bear with us. It’s a virtual reality simulator. We bring in the world’s foremost experts in a staggering array of subjects and have them teach classes, give lectures and host events. It’s like you’re actually there in the room with them! What’s more, thanks to improving Oculus technology, you get to experience the perfect weather, memorable social bonding and invaluable personal growth of a real dream-college lifestyle! We know that all sounds too good to be true, but the tech is there. Wouldn’t you like to leave whatever it is you’re doing and turn this dream into reality? All you have to do is drop out and build it.

Contact Alex Rawitz at arawitz ‘at’ stanford.edu

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BadbadSOgood https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/30/badbadsogood/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/30/badbadsogood/#respond Fri, 01 May 2015 02:29:11 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1100176 Last Saturday, Badbadnotgood played an outrageous set at XOX hosted by Stanford Concert Network (SCN). This trio from Toronto, Canada came and rocked the co-op playing old and new songs, and even a tremendous cover of Flying Lotus’ “Putty Boy Strut.” The band includes Matthew Tavares on keys, Chester Hansen on bass and Alexander Sowinski […]

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Last Saturday, Badbadnotgood played an outrageous set at XOX hosted by Stanford Concert Network (SCN). This trio from Toronto, Canada came and rocked the co-op playing old and new songs, and even a tremendous cover of Flying Lotus’ “Putty Boy Strut.” The band includes Matthew Tavares on keys, Chester Hansen on bass and Alexander Sowinski on drums. They are a jazz trio on paper, but are more of alternative, infinitely creative masterminds of hip hop and electronic beats at heart. Along with them was a tenor saxophonist, Leland Witty.

Opening with “Triangle,” they had the crowd engaged and entranced. The set had a variety of lows and highs as they went from swaying jazzy melodies to earth-shattering hip hop bass. “Kaleidoscope,” one of my favorite songs, started with a lully melody and then took the crowd for some crazy turns. Similar to “Kaleidoscope” in the way that it starts slow but revs up with the voice of drummer, Alexander, who yells into the crowd “Are you guys ready? I want to see you guys ten fucking feet in the air!!” was Badbadnotgood’s cover of “Bugg’n,” originally by TNGHT. “Bugg’n” was possibly one of the most insane bangers of the night. The front row was pounding and lunging as the beat dropped on count and mosh pits began to form, launching masses of bodies all over the room.

Badbadnotgood played old songs like “Confessions,” with Witty playing out of his mind, rocking the tenor like an extension of his body and soul along with the trio who added more of a hip hop undertone. They mixed it up, adding in “Sour Soul” from their newest album. The crowd started large, with people from all over campus, but clearly people had no idea who Badbadnotgood was and did not realize the talent in front of them. They also did not recognize the uniquely imaginative and alternative nature of Badbadnotgood. As the night progressed the crowd diminished. Those who remained were the true lovers of creativity, of difference, and of jazz, hip hop and electronic craziness.

The set ended in a chaotic yet blissed-out mosh pit to the song “CS60” in the middle of the XOX lounge. It was a night to remember and in my opinion the best show I have ever seen at Stanford, and maybe even ever.

 

Contact Kristina Bassi at kbassi ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Throwback Thursday: Swastikas upset students, University improves response time to offensive graffiti https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/30/throwback-thursday-swastikas-upset-students-university-improves-response-time-to-offensive-graffiti/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/30/throwback-thursday-swastikas-upset-students-university-improves-response-time-to-offensive-graffiti/#respond Thu, 30 Apr 2015 15:00:19 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1100124 The swastika found at SAE this weekend was not the first instance of anti-Semitic graffiti at Stanford. The symbol was found multiple times on campus in 1988; in one instance, the University took two weeks to remove the swastika. Students reacted to this delay in the Daily article below, initially published on Nov. 10, 1988.  […]

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The swastika found at SAE this weekend was not the first instance of anti-Semitic graffiti at Stanford. The symbol was found multiple times on campus in 1988; in one instance, the University took two weeks to remove the swastika. Students reacted to this delay in the Daily article below, initially published on Nov. 10, 1988. 

By Laura Jacobson, Senior staff writer

Nov. 10, 1988

It took 10 minutes yesterday for a University worker to respond to a report of a year-old swastika in Lambda Nu and paint over it — a marked contrast to the two weeks it took the University to react to a report last month of a swastika on an East Lagunita basement wall that had also gone unchecked for over a year. Yesterday’s prompt action is a result of community pressure on the Housing Facilities Office to respond immediately to complaints of offensive graffiti. In recent weeks students have grown angry and frustrated with Housing Facilities because of its seeming lack of concern about the East Lagunita swastika. In addition, students are dismayed that such a frightening symbol could remain visible for so long in common areas on campus.

“It’s disgraceful that Stanford students can walk by these, and other offensive graffiti, and not take any action,” said junior Jessica Mahlab.

The University delayed two weeks before it painted over the East Lagunita swastika, which Mahlab reported to Housing Facilities on Oct. 6. It was not painted over by the end of the week and, when Mahlab reported again, she was told that Facilities Manager Rich Lang would personally paint over the swastika. When the swastika remained unpainted the following Friday, Oct. 14, an assistant in Lang’s office offered Mahlab a bucket of paint and told her she could paint it over herself, Mahlab said. But the paint was not delivered to Mahlab by the following Wednesday, Oct. 19, and Mahlab told her resident assistant, Kim Coleman. The next day Coleman asked Lang to paint over the swastika by noon.

“I just forgot to paint it — it wasn’t an intentional delay,” Lang told The Daily yesterday. “I had the paint and the brushes available and I told her [Coleman] that if the student wanted to do it right now, she could,” Lang said.

Coleman then called Lynn Glick, Lang’s boss, who asked that the swastika be painted over immediately. It was finally covered two days later. The delay outraged several students, and since then the University has tightened its policy to repond to racially offensive graffiti. Student Housing Manager Suzanne Tamiesie said managers and assistant managers in Housing Facilities have been trained in the appropriate response to offensive graffiti.

Not only must such graffiti be painted over immediately, Tamiesie said, but a photo must be taken. The photo will allow facilities to “share with [the Office of] Residential Education what has occured and to find patterns and evidence of where things happen,” Tamiesie added.

When Mahleb reported the Lambda Nu swastika to Housing Facilities at 3:45 p.m. yesterday, it took only minutes for a Facilities worker to arrive with paintbucket in hand. He photographed and painted over the graffiti by 3:55 p.m. Mahlab said the University’s prompt response to the swastika in Lambda Nu was “very positive and commendable.” The two graffiti incidents have sparked grave concern among Jewish students here, who only last week were shocked to find fliers distributed on campus by an anti-Semitic political action committee.

“The swastika is a painful and a scary symbol,” said senior Susan Buseck, a Jewish student. “The Nazis killed an entire branch of my family. They caused a massive disruption of Jewish people’s lives and their culture.”

The swastika in the Lagunita basement had been there for more than a year, residents said. The Lambda Nu swastika and the words “white power” were scrawled on a third-floor bathroom door there after the annual Big Game Bonfire last November, according to house residents. White supremists calling themselves “Skinheads” and “members of the white master race” allegedly defaced the door, said senior Thorn Hayes, a third-year Lambda Nu resident. Lambda Nu is located near the Lagunita lakebed where the Bonfire celebration is held.

“It wasn’t anyone from the house — it was random,” said another resident, Daniella Evans. “We all knew it [the swastika] was there,” she said.

Evans, a senior, said she told Lamda Nu house manager Michael Furlong about the swastika last year. The University said the swastika was not reported, and Furlong, who has graduated, could not be reached yesterday.

Responding, Director of Housing Keith Guy said, “I find it difficult to believe that if it were officially reported that there was not an immediate response.”

“It concerns me,” Guy added, because the swastika was “relatively old, not new stuff.” Not everyone in the house knew of the swastika because the coed bathroom is on the third floor and serves eight residents, said Lambda Nu RA Matt Schwartz. Schwartz said he was told about the swastika yesterday.

“The University should have removed it at the end of last year,” he said. “People this year attempted to cover it over with pen … but they did not try very hard,” Schwartz said. He added that last spring residents covered the swastika with artificial snow spray, but he thought a cleaning crew washed off the paint at the end of last year.

Daily Photographer: Michael Topolovac; Caption: Project Custodian Jeff Hines applies paint to the swastika in Lamda Nu. The swastika originally appeared Nov. 19, 1987.

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High fashion descends upon Stanford: Part 2 https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/27/high-fashion-descends-upon-stanford-part-2/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/27/high-fashion-descends-upon-stanford-part-2/#respond Mon, 27 Apr 2015 20:32:24 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1099784 Jay Fielden: In contrast to Zac Posen’s jovial, animated demeanor, Jay Fielden, in his sleek black suit and wavy burnt orange hair, stylishly unstyled, manages to strike that elusive balance of being simultaneously wild and controlled, authoritative yet casual. I was immediately struck by his extremely distinct and very arresting presence. He has that look […]

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Jay Fielden:

In contrast to Zac Posen’s jovial, animated demeanor, Jay Fielden, in his sleek black suit and wavy burnt orange hair, stylishly unstyled, manages to strike that elusive balance of being simultaneously wild and controlled, authoritative yet casual. I was immediately struck by his extremely distinct and very arresting presence. He has that look that says he knows something and is at least slightly humored by it. He is poised and self-assured yet also exudes a natural eagerness. Without demanding, Fielden demands respect, but is was duly reciprocated.

In his early teens in San Antonio, Texas, Fielden discovered his passion in writing and reading. His early loves included Salinger and Cheever, both of whom wrote for The New Yorker, so at 14 he subscribed. “I won’t pretend I was reading The New Yorker at 14, it was way too much for me to handle, but I at least I was buying it and carrying it around with me.”

From the beginning Fielden was fascinated by the intersection of impressive writing and impressive style, embodied by writers such as Bellow, Hemingway and Fitzgerald.

“I was interested in how those things could coexist; one wouldn’t necessarily make you take the other less seriously, which I feel like is something that goes on today, but it wasn’t the case back then,” he said.

Fielden attended five different colleges, but finally ended up graduating from Boston University and then landed a job at The New Yorker as a typist, remaining at the magazine for 10 years. At that time, fashion was still not an obvious professional trajectory.

“I did not study women’s fashion in high school or college,” he said. “I didn’t think about Christian Dior or Coco Chanel or Bill Blass, but I was interested in men’s clothes specifically the clothes I was wearing.”

It was at The New Yorker that Fielden became truly comfortable with an approach to ideas and writing that was serious and at the same time fun and distinct.

“That’s when I woke up as a journalist, in the sense that I liked almost anything as long as it was interesting,” he said. “You never know where the story will be that will reveal the deepest thing about the way we all live or what it means to be us. The New Yorker taught me you have to be willing to look.”

Then reality hit: After 10 years Fielden, was married and making $30,000 a year, and decided that wasn’t a way to build a life. His next career stop was arts editor at Vogue, where he stayed for six years, followed by a four year stint at Men’s Vogue. He then moved to Town and Country, where he has held the title of Editor and Chief for the past four years. Fielden views this as a sensible career path.

“I think Town and Country is part Vogue, part New Yorker,” he said. “At The New Yorker I learned about writing and entertaining people with your voice. About turning anything, no matter how boring it may be, into something you have to urgently tell someone. Vogue was about the visual power a magazine can exercise. I hope Town and Country can live up to both those standards.”

Fielden’s creative and editorial inspiration lies in great literature; it informs his passions.

“There’s a Spretzzatura quality to great English academics or writers,” he said. “They can get up on their hind legs and mesmerize you with what it is they are talking about in a way that has such depth and breadth.”

So who makes it to the top of Fielden’s list of favorite writers? Admitting the difficulty in picking a favorite, he nonetheless admitted that he always returns to Saul Bellow.

“He was an amazing writer, who had such an urgent voice. When you’re reading him it’s like he’s sitting right next to you talking in your ear.”

Given Fielden’s passion for literary excellence and his career in fashion writing, I had to ask is it just about the clothes or is there more to the essence of the fashion industry?

“Oh man, it’s about so many things,” he shook his head, making it clear this wasn’t just a PR-approved response. “I mean, fashion is such a weird rich tapestry of life on earth right now. People who think it’s just about choosing what to wear and spending too much money are missing the point. It’s a theater where things are being revealed about human nature and personality and desire and taste.”

On days off, when Fielden is not immersed in Lagerfeld or Dior, he spends time with his kids and attempts to stay in bed until noon, something he admits is rarely a successful endeavor. It’s difficult to sleep when you have unlimited interests.

As Fielden explains, “I can get so immersed in something, and then that’s all I think about except for my job and my children, and then suddenly another things comes up. I move very quickly from one thing to the next. That’s the nature of the job, as they say, I’m a professional dilatant. I’m supposed to know a little about a lot and that’s the rhythm of it, but I can sometimes run around like my hair is on fire.” So that’s why it’s burnt orange…

 

Contact Michaela Elias at melias23 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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High fashion descends upon Stanford: Part 1 https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/27/high-fashion-descends-upon-stanford-part-1/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/27/high-fashion-descends-upon-stanford-part-1/#respond Mon, 27 Apr 2015 20:30:44 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1099783 A quick glimpse at my daily attire would tell you that I don’t know anything about fashion. But as I sat there waiting for the arrival of Zac Posen, fashion designer phenomenon, and Jay Fielden, editor and chief of Town and Country, the oldest continually published general interest magazine in the United States, I was […]

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A quick glimpse at my daily attire would tell you that I don’t know anything about fashion. But as I sat there waiting for the arrival of Zac Posen, fashion designer phenomenon, and Jay Fielden, editor and chief of Town and Country, the oldest continually published general interest magazine in the United States, I was relieved that I had made a last minute decision to switch my Birkenstocks for something more fashionably appropriate. Arriving at Dinkelspiel auditorium, five minutes early, I was advised by the Arts Institute, which was hosting the event, that Posen and Fielden were running a little late, fashionably late of course.

LAUREN DYER/The Stanford Daily
LAUREN DYER/The Stanford Daily 

Zac Posen

Posen breezed in wearing an expertly fitted three-piece tweed suit. There was no moment of arrival, no pause or confusion. He wasn’t there and then he was and he was, and as soon as he crossed the entranceway he was already mid-laugh. Appropriately he had a woman on each side; after all it is women who drive his design motivation and inspiration. When asked about his role models he ultimately settled on Roy Holston because he “celebrated women,” concluding “at the end of the day the people I love are great celebrators of women.”

“When did you know you wanted to be a designer?” I began.

“My love of fashion came from my father’s use of fabrics in his photo realist paintings that were done before I was born,” he explained. “My great love of costume and fashion came from there and the theater and film that my parents exposed me to.”

Posen currently works on 18 separate clothing lines a year, including his own collection, his bridal collection, his secondary line and what he creates for Brooks Brothers (and that doesn’t include all the other different projects he takes on, such as judging Project Runway).

And it all starts with “draping”. “I pick fabrics and color and we put together mood boards but then I don’t really follow them. I just take it in as an overall feeling and then I put on my creative music and drape.”

According to Posen, he was born to drape.

“You learn your own process,” he insisted. “I always say I was born with a glue gun in my hand. I have always been tactile and I am inspired by nature. You can’t surpass the forms of nature. The geometry of it and the break of geometry of it are absolutely wild and beyond the imagination and it’s in us. It’s all there.”

By age 16, Posen was already working in the fashion industry, interning with fashion designer Nicole Miller. At 18, he was accepted into Saint Martins College of Art and Design at the University of Arts London.

“My college experience was very different from an American college experience,” chuckled Mr. Posen. “I skipped a year of college and moved to London and it was a complete unknown. St. Martins is considered the most competitive art school in the world and I was much younger than everyone I was going to school with and it was scary and intimidating.”

St. Martins only had one academic class requirement a week and students were expected to devote the rest was time to creative work.

“You start your professional career the day you walk into that school and it’s make or break or not get your clothing cut up or stolen by your classmates. Your grades get posted on the front doors and you would get critiqued every time you did a project in front of the whole school. This was like fame on speed for fashion.”

So what drives Posen? “Artists are driven by a sense of fear, of performance, of the creative process and fear of death,” he said. “Does your work have longevity? That is what a real artist’s asks. “

When asked who he would dress—anyone–past, present or fictional, Posen suddenly looked distressed and for the first time at a loss for words. “Well that’s not fair, I didn’t do my homework!” he retaliated, but recovered quickly and added, “well I would have loved to dress Rosalind Russell” and then cited Rita Hayworth the Marquis Casati, Elsa Schiaparelli and Diana Vreeland.

“Those are the typical fashion icons,” he admitted, sounding slightly disappointed in what he deemed to be a standard responses. But as I began on he brightened, cutting me off and exclaiming, “I would’ve loved to dress Isadora Duncan!”

My interview allocation was up but when I was reminded of that, Posen’s eyes glimmered with mischief, “Fight back, you’re a journalist!” he asserted with a grin. “Ok one more question,” I acceded happily. The “time bouncer” just shrugged. Posen, who has boldly challenged the fashion world on so many occasions, was going to get his way.

So I proceeded with my final question. “If there’s one thing you could’ve told yourself as a young person, what would it be?”

“So much!” He exclaimed, letting the inquiry it hang for a second before recalling the drama of his younger years. “I certainly enjoyed myself. But I would tell myself that things are going in cycles. You don’t understand that when you’re young because you thrive on the immediacy and the fear of loss.”

Posen’s career is nothing if not sensational, from his rapid rise to fame at such a young age to the accolades and critiques he has accrued since.

“Because the trajectory of my career was pretty insane and immediate and overwhelming, it all seemed incredible but also phony because I was probably my worst critic. So all of a sudden it gave this disillusion to my industry. I wish I had the ability to have a little more time to ease into it before I was suddenly in some perceived idea of the top.”

The next round of interviewers were shuffling, ready for their turn, waiting for Posen to take a breath so they could cut in and salvage their rapidly unraveling schedule. But Posen wasn’t done yet. He was speaking from experience, and at the age of 34 his experience is extensive.

“Take your time,” he advised. “Creativity is a life long pursuit. That’s the real key. The commerce part of it comes with it. If you create clear work, if you’re prolific with your work, you’re set…because then you can just edit it.”

And then, just when I thought he was done, Posen added on last thought. “And I would’ve said don’t try so hard.”

Contact Michaela Elias at melias23 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Remembering Larry https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/24/remembering-larry/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/24/remembering-larry/#respond Fri, 24 Apr 2015 22:32:33 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1099684 Larry Zaroff came into my life on a Thursday afternoon, the first week of my freshman year at Stanford. I walked into Larry’s class, “Becoming a Doctor: Readings from Medical School, Medical Training, Medical Practice,” apprehensive but excited. I had been pre-med ever since I could remember, but the year before, I had gone through […]

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Larry Zaroff came into my life on a Thursday afternoon, the first week of my freshman year at Stanford. I walked into Larry’s class, “Becoming a Doctor: Readings from Medical School, Medical Training, Medical Practice,” apprehensive but excited. I had been pre-med ever since I could remember, but the year before, I had gone through some serious soul-searching (or as serious as it could be for a 17-year-old), questioning my ability to become a good doctor or even get to medical school.

(Courtesy of the Stanford Humanities Center)
(Courtesy of the Stanford Humanities Center)

But here was Larry, with his ever-present green Elmo cap, who told us that it was ok to question ourselves, that we had potential. Larry, who made us stand up in front of the class, and pushed us to answer enigmas like, “What is the meaning of life?” and “What makes a good doctor?” Larry, who invited a panel of successful women doctors to attend a class, acknowledging the unique obstacles faced by women in medicine. And most of all, Larry, who taught us the importance of empathy, of doctor-patient relationships, of being attuned to our mental health — skills essential to becoming a good doctor, but also to becoming a good person.

It was the only class I ever had where we were not allowed to take notes, but I believe that I have never learned so much about myself and about medicine anywhere else.

My favorite part about the class, however, was that Larry asked for three papers, and he insisted that they all be fictional. I had dreamt of becoming a novelist for as long as I had dreamt of becoming a doctor. But throughout my academic experience, creative writing had largely been traded for pragmatic persuasive essays or literary analyses, and I never had time to write for fun. Larry gave me the opportunity to write for myself, once again, and I was amazed when he actually liked the poetry and short stories I turned in. I admired Larry as a writer, particularly his stint as a New York Times columnist, and his praise of my writing validated the hopes I had always carried.

I only met with Larry one-on-one once, because he required that all of his students have a short private meeting with him within the first few weeks of class. I met him in his office and we talked about our favorite books. He asked me how I was doing, what classes I was taking. I told him about chemistry, and he cringed sympathetically, reflecting, I supposed, on decades worth of pre-med students complaining to him about chemistry. My first college exam and first Chem 31A midterm was the next week, and I told him how nervous I was. He reassured me, “Plenty of my students have struggled with chemistry and become great doctors. There is no correlation.” Before I left, he asked me to email him my exam results.

I got my results back the next Friday, astounded at the A- I had managed to pull. I emailed Larry, and he wrote back in his familiar, punctuation-less, short syntax: “I am proud of you. Don’t let up in chem.”

I nearly cried.

I was always told that Stanford would be this amazing place, where I would make strong faculty-student bonds and lasting relationships. No one ever told me about the freshman angst of struggling to keep up in college-level classes and awkward attempts at making friends. But every Thursday, I could count on Larry asking questions that were important to me and teaching me about medicine, ethics and the humanities — everything that I always wanted to learn. In Larry, I found a mentor and a teacher who truly cared about me, when I had never felt so alone in my life.

This quarter, I am in another of Larry’s classes, “Novels and Theater of Illness.” I was supposed to meet with him for another required meeting the day after I received news of his passing. I wish that I had met with him beyond the required meetings; there are too many questions I have left unasked.

While writing this post, I Googled Larry, hoping to know more about him, realizing belatedly that I didn’t know enough. The results were amazing. From an artist’s blog to his New York Times articles, Larry has left his permanent mark on the Internet. Everywhere, I came across stories and poems that his past students wrote for his class, as well as achievements and awards garnered with thanks to Larry.

Compared to the many students that Larry has taught over the years, I didn’t know him for very long. But I do know that Larry has left an indelible mark on me and on the world, and I was so, so lucky that he accepted me into his Introductory Seminar class last fall. His complete faith in my potential, as both a doctor and a writer, pushed me to reach for my full potential. I would not be writing for Lomita if not for him.

During our class last fall, we spent a day, during our unit on “Death and Dying,” discussing how to lead good lives. At Stanford, it is easy to forget, amidst the palm trees and sunshine, that the real world awaits. The “bubble” is very real. Larry’s passing, and the amazing life he led, reminded me to not get lost in 20-unit quarters and the fear of not becoming “successful.” Rather, the ultimate goal should always be to lead good lives, leaving positive legacies and kindness in our paths.

I am certain that Larry led a good life, and I am so grateful and lucky to have had his presence in mine.

 

Contact Samantha Wong at slwong ‘at’ stanford.edu

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On not owning a bike at Stanford https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/24/on-not-owning-a-bike-at-stanford/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/24/on-not-owning-a-bike-at-stanford/#respond Fri, 24 Apr 2015 22:28:23 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1099685 Before you ask, no, I’m not doing it to be different or special. It’s not a statement. I’m not trying push for divestment from Schwinn. I don’t think I’m better than you — at least not because I don’t own a bike, anyway. Not saying I am better, not saying I’m not. Just saying it’d […]

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Before you ask, no, I’m not doing it to be different or special. It’s not a statement. I’m not trying push for divestment from Schwinn. I don’t think I’m better than you — at least not because I don’t own a bike, anyway. Not saying I am better, not saying I’m not. Just saying it’d be a pretty lame reason for thinking so.

Nor do I do it for the glamor. You might think that not owning a bike at Stanford puts one in a pretty exclusive club within a pretty exclusive club, like the private backroom at the Freemason Lodge where membership is conditional on your walking everywhere. But there’s no esprit de corps amongst our members (since this is a culture blog, I’m contractually obligated to hit y’all with some French once in awhile).

Which is odd, given how exclusive we really are. If bikes truly do outnumber people on this campus, which anyone with a 10 AM class can probably believe, then by definition there are only several hundred of us. And once you consider that about 25 percent of non bike-owners are just in that category because their last bike was recently stolen, the figures for our kind look even grimmer.

Our rarity is understandable, what with that whole ‘people want to get places quickly’ thing. But sometimes I feel they’re missing out on an awesome way of life — for bikelessness is nothing if not a way of life. Consider:

I don’t have to worry about being tried for murder in a Chinese court because I just took out a tourist.

I’ve never accidentally sat on a wet bike-seat. Yeah. No, I know, it’s great.

I don’t grapple with the whole helmet-or-no-helmet dilemma. (Strangely, this is actually kind of a drawback — in a twist of cruel irony, I look amazing in a helmet).

I didn’t even know how much bikes cost until I looked it up just now to see if I wanted to include expense in this list. Based on my findings… let’s just say I do.

When I walk places, it gives me time to consider and reflect. I can notice the buildings and landscapes and admire their beauty, instead of dimly noting them as they blur by me. I can better appreciate how lucky I am to be here. If I see someone I know and want to talk to, I have the time to process it, or even have a conversation, while if I see someone I know and don’t want to talk to, I can change direction easily. I can mentally prep, unwind, or wander freely without a care.

When I walk places it might take longer, but it’s my own time. And no one here has enough of that.

But hey, you’re a Stanford student. Obviously you have better things to do. Besides, I wouldn’t be surprised if our kind is wiped out soon enough. This place prioritizes efficiency — they’ll probably start handing out custom-made Arrillaga brand bikes to profros over Admit Weekend.

Which leads me to think that we the bikeless should do something. Unite, mobilize. Take pride in our difference, celebrate our way of life. Reach out and find each other, before it’s too late.

That’ll probably never happen though. It would just take too long — seriously, this campus is freaking huge.

Contact Alex Rawitz at arawitz ‘at’ stanford.edu

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Throwback Thursday: Oak Creek too expensive for faculty https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/23/throwback-thursday-oak-creek/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/23/throwback-thursday-oak-creek/#respond Thu, 23 Apr 2015 15:00:05 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1099583 It was announced earlier this week that the infamous Oak Creek apartments will not be included in this the coming school year’s housing draw. Back in 1970, when the Oak Creek Apartments were first built, one Daily writer scorned the University for expecting University employees to pay the lavish rent to live there. By Lee Herzenberg […]

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It was announced earlier this week that the infamous Oak Creek apartments will not be included in this the coming school year’s housing draw. Back in 1970, when the Oak Creek Apartments were first built, one Daily writer scorned the University for expecting University employees to pay the lavish rent to live there.

By Lee Herzenberg

Have you had a chance yet to drive by and see the Oak Creek Apartments on Stanford land? What do you think it is that makes it worthwhile to pay $240 per month for a one bedroom apartment? Is it the trees, the 5 swimming pools, the 4 tennis courts, the putting green, the services available (e.g. maids at a small extra cost, internal TV station), or is it the general poshness of the construction, the prestige of the address, the security of knowing that the neighbors can all afford to live in a place like this and aren’t ashamed to say so?

Maybe it’s the desire to live close to Stanford or the Welsh Road office area, so that driving to work will be easy. Take your pick. The reasons don’t really matter. The fact is that one good look at Oak Creek and anyone knows, as Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof” put it, that “here lives a wealthy man.”

Well, all right. Wealthy is a relative adjective. Let’s look at the figures. The FHA, most banks and the Stanford Business office for that matter, when it is negotiating with faculty over construction in the faculty housing area, state that a maximum of 25 percent of real income should be budgeted for housing.

This means that a single person, or a couple (perhaps with one small child) renting a one bedroom apartment at Oak Creek should be earning a minimum of $11,520 a year alter taxes, or somewhere upwards of $16,500/ year gross income. About 5 percent of Stanford employees are in that salary range, and most of them are faculty, who probably need more than one bedroom anyway.

All this not withstanding, Boyd Smith, Stanford Real Estate Manager, in an article in Monday’s Daily castigating “Grass Roots” for “inaccurate and misleading statements” tells us that Oak Creek Apartment “rents reflect moderate cost housing without subsidy at today’s prices.” With a series of figures sufficiently incomplete so as to make checking them impossible, he claims to show that because of interest rates and subsidies, a $240 rent for an Oak Creek one bedroom apartment should be equated with the $125 rent for an Escondido Village apartment of the same size.

If that’s the case, Escondido residents ought to organize immediately to demand their swimming pools, tennis courts and built in dishwashers before someone gets away with the money! But this isn’t a joking matter.

Boyd Smith is playing fast and loose with the Stanford Community on an issue which is crucially important to the lives of people in this community—lives of people who have a hard enough time buying food and clothing with what’s left after they pay inflated rents for roofs that leak, rooms that are too small in apartments that are far enough away that when the car breaks down it’s a major catastrophe —and lives of people who may not be struggling themselves, but who care enough about what’s happening to their brothers to try to inform themselves so they can pressure for a just and equitable solution to the housing problem.

How can a housing committee, for example, function in an atmosphere where the Business office of the University feels free to make such absurd public statements?

If the Oak Creek Apartment story raises serious doubts as to Boyd Smith’s credibility, the rest of his article does nothing to allay our fears. His discussion of Coyote Hill politely fails to tell us that a group of permanent local citizens have filed suit against Stanford of dodging the subdivision law and against selected members of the Palo Alto City government, including Stanford Married Student Housing Director Frank Gallagher (who is also a Palo Alto City Councilman), naming Gallagher for conflict of interest. Presumably this oversight is due to the fact that Stanford is contesting the suit.

The discussion of the Dillingham project fairs no better. Smith erroneously states that “the City Council of Palo Alto thoroughly examined traffic surveys and projections. In fact, the Dillingham project was approved without consideration of the traffic contribution of the Coyote Hill project (not to mention the Syntex project currently going up), even though all three projects feed onto the same major artery: Page Mill Road. And the list could go on.

No doubt Smith’s article has redeeming features, and perhaps some of his criticisms should be taken to heart by Grass Roots. But -his irresponsible juggling of “facts” cannot be ignored. By putting out a smokescreen of calculated invective and misleading financial information, Boyd Smith and the Business office for whom he speaks are guilty of making a mockery of even the inadequate decision-making procedures operant in the community today, and those people involved in such procedures should be put on their guard. Then again, perhaps compared with what has already been done to the mid-peninsula by the Business office, Fred Terman and the Stanford Trustees, Smith’s heavy-handed manipulations don’t really matter very much, anyway.

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Beyond Starbucks: The ‘Third Place’ for work and socialization https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/22/hanahaus-breather/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/22/hanahaus-breather/#comments Thu, 23 Apr 2015 05:00:10 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1099468 Starbucks has grown to become a near-ubiquitous feature on the American urban landscape since its initial expansion in the late 1980s, because of the space it provides for people, not because of its coffee. Starbucks pioneered what it calls the ‘third place’, a place less formal than a workplace and more intimate than a person’s […]

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Starbucks has grown to become a near-ubiquitous feature on the American urban landscape since its initial expansion in the late 1980s, because of the space it provides for people, not because of its coffee. Starbucks pioneered what it calls the ‘third place’, a place less formal than a workplace and more intimate than a person’s home, opening coffeehouses in the Italian tradition in the United States. Over the past week, I’ve had the chance to learn more about two new public spaces in our area.

Starbucks' creation of a 'third place' set the tone for many emulators. Ashley Westhem/The Stanford Daily
Starbucks’ creation of a ‘third place’ set the tone for many emulators.
(ASHLEY WESTHEM/The Stanford Daily).

On March 17, while Stanford students were preoccupied with final exams for Winter Quarter, HanaHaus, a new coffee shop and collaborative workspace opened up in the historic New Varsity Theater building on University Avenue. Set in a 15,000 square-foot space comprising the mission-styled courtyard of the old theater and the building’s interior, HanaHaus occupies the former home of the Borders bookstore which closed in 2011.

HanaHaus' Main Entrance on University Avenue Jason Lopata/The Stanford Daily
HanaHaus’ Main Entrance on University Avenue
(JASON LOPATA/The Stanford Daily).

It is difficult to describe what kind of a place HanaHaus is using straightforward categories. On one hand, HanaHaus is a cafe, with food and beverages supplied by the Blue Bottle Coffee Company and a picturesque courtyard. Yet affixed to the cafe is a large workspace which resembles the basement of the Huang Engineering Center on the Stanford campus. HanaHaus charges clients by the hour for usage of its open work space and private meeting rooms.

The relationship between these two halves may not be immediately clear to customers of either, but when I visited, HanaHaus had the foresight to station a friendly greeter at the main entrance to explain how this unorthodox arrangement worked.

Generally speaking, HanaHaus appears to have good prospects for doing well down the road. The food and drinks compete well with other cafes in the area–though the menu is fairly limited in breadth–and it seems reasonable that many people in the vicinity of Palo Alto would be willing to pay for flexible office space on an hourly basis, particularly at a location as central as that of HanaHaus.

That being said, I think that there are a few hitches that HanaHaus will need to overcome in order to be successful in the long-run. First, their website does not paint the picture well of what a customer will experience at HanaHaus. HanaHaus articulates its three main ideas as Work, Learn, Play–and inexplicably connects these three concepts to a red square, a yellow triangle and a blue circle, respectively.

HanaHaus' Courtyard Jason Lopata/The Stanford Daily
HanaHaus’ Courtyard
Jason Lopata/The Stanford Daily

The website describes the “Work” component well, but it certainly falls short on the other two categories. HanaHaus claims that it will be hosting events regularly where “entrepreneurs can come together to meet, socialize, share ideas and connect with experts.” This sounds like a really cool idea! But when you follow the link to find out more about these events, the Eventbrite page shows zero past or upcoming events. In terms of “Play,” the website gives no further explanation than “There are plenty of fun things to do at HanaHaus,” accompanied by a picture of a foosball table. Based on my visit, their picture selection was apt; the single foosball table they had in a corner was the only obviously fun thing to do at HanaHaus.

Beyond the website, there are some issues on the ground which call into question the viability of HanaHaus. While the convenient access of an affixed cafe is nice for a work station, the associated kitchen noises certainly are not. During my visit, the clanging of the dishes and the whirring of the coffee machines were loud to the point where I had to actively focus even to hear the ambient music playing overhead. This issue may well deter clients who need to minimize distraction and focus on getting their work done.

Additionally, HanaHaus will need to make sure that they get people to book their private meeting rooms, for which they charge substantially more than the general access fee. The general access fee is rather inexpensive, so it is hard to see HanaHaus making much of a profit from their workspace unless they can bring in the greater revenue streams which come from the private rooms. I grant that it was a Sunday, but when I was there the open workspace was pretty busy but not a single private room was in use. With these issues taken care of, however, HanaHaus may well become a permanent fixture on the downtown Palo Alto setting.

Breather, a startup with roots in Canada which launched 15 months ago in New York, takes a dramatically different approach to the ‘third place’ from HanaHaus. Where HanaHaus seeks to foster collaborative work by bringing people together to a common workplace, Breather aims to fulfill a different market niche by allowing users to rent private rooms in central urban locations on an hourly (or even sub-hourly) basis. Operating under the tagline “peace and quiet, on demand,” Breather believes that often times people want a place which is not in public but where they can meet others or get work done on their own. I was invited by Breather to sample a couple of their 16 San Francisco locations.

View from the Breather at 703 Market Street, San Francisco Jason Lopata/The Stanford Daily
View from the Breather at 703 Market Street, San Francisco
Jason Lopata/The Stanford Daily

Armed with free and fast Wi-Fi, comfortable furniture, and people to clean the locations after each use, Breather rooms accomplish their mission of providing a quiet, well, ‘breather’ from the pandemonium of the urban streets. Yet given their privacy, Breather locations may well accomplish missions other than those for which they were intended; nefarious minds might think of many uses for a totally private space booked by the hour, “on demand.” Such total privacy may also make Breather rooms less attractive for certain types of seemingly wholesome meetings as well, as the guest of the meeting who may never have met the host cannot rely on the security of the public gaze.

Breather Interior, 9 Kearny Street, San Francisco Jason Lopata/The Stanford Daily
Breather Interior, 9 Kearny Street, San Francisco
Jason Lopata/The Stanford Daily

Yet Julien Smith, the CEO of Breather, assures me that although almost every investor and critic has raised similar concerns, they are more imagined than real. Smith claims that illicit activities have not caused much issue for his company, and that the bigger problem he is facing at the moment is to expand the amount of space Breather has on offer to meet the overwhelming demand. Critically, Smith points out that Breather’s target market is slightly different from that of competitors like Starbucks or HanaHaus. While coffee shops and cafes may be good places to work for an hour or two on your own or with a small group of people, when you want to really dig into a big project for a longer period of time with a larger group of people, you need a more spacious and private workplace. As such, Breather has seen a lot of business from start-ups or even bigger companies who need a quick, temporary expansion of office space to tackle a particular project. Thus, he sees places like Starbucks more as complements to his product than competitors.

Indeed, the increasing variety of ‘third place’ locations available in the Bay Area can only be seen as a boon to companies and individual professionals. While no location is good for all purposes, the diversity of locations, each offering its own advantages and disadvantages, add up to create a whole which gives people here the flexibility to choose different settings for different types of interpersonal objectives.

[justified_image_grid ids=1099584,1099585,1099586,1099587,1099588,1099589,1099591]

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Good reads: The Lomita’s picks for this week https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/22/copy-oh-good-reads-the-lomitas-picks-for-this-week/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/22/copy-oh-good-reads-the-lomitas-picks-for-this-week/#respond Thu, 23 Apr 2015 03:15:53 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1099509 Check out Lomita’s favorite reads from the web this week.   Cheese experts challenge the conventional origin myth of this dairy product in How a Massive Environmental Crisis Led to the Invention of Cheese (Mother Jones). The Magna Carta Myth (The New Yorker) highlights the uses (and, often, perversions) of the Magna Carta in the […]

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Check out Lomita’s favorite reads from the web this week.

 

 

Contact Lora Kelley at lkelley ‘at’ stanford.edu

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XPRIZE: Funding solutions for tech-enabled learning https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/21/xprize-funding-solutions-for-tech-enabled-learning/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/21/xprize-funding-solutions-for-tech-enabled-learning/#comments Wed, 22 Apr 2015 06:33:39 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1099496 "There's 60 million kids around the world who don't have physical access to teachers. Can we make technology and content that is so intuitive that children can teach themselves and each other?" Covering a competition that's trying to find out the answer to that question.

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Over the past 20 years, the XPRIZE Foundation has become famous for sparking private sector innovation in space technology and exploration. Their latest challenge, the Global Learning XPRIZE, doesn’t literally reach for the stars, but is just as ambitious: it aims to bring education to every child in the world, especially the 250 million children around the world who cannot read, write or do basic math. Blending technology and education is not a foreign concept to Silicon Valley: entrepreneurs have been creating MOOCs (massive open online courses, for the uninitiated), code camps and teaching tools for years. However, Matt Keller, Senior Director of the Global Learning XPRIZE, assured me that this challenge wants to create something different.

xprize website

“There’s 60 million kids around the world who don’t have physical access to teachers. Can we make technology and content that is so intuitive that children can teach themselves and each other?” Keller asked.

Keller’s background as Vice-President of One Laptop per Child makes him perhaps one of the most qualified people to discuss technology-enabled learning – the Global Learning XPRIZE’s mission statement reads almost identically to One Laptop per Child’s: to bring software and content to children in developing countries in order to spark self-empowered learning. Supporting this lofty goal is a $15 million prize, with $1 million awarded to each of the five finalists and $10 million awarded to the ultimate winner.

While registration ends on April 30, 2015, competitors have until Nov. 2016 to work on their open-source software and content solutions, which must be offered in both English and Swahili. This initial round of submissions is vetted by judges until five teams remain. The solutions of these five finalists then undergo an 18-month pilot program: each solution is given – along with Android tablets – to approximately 3,000 children in a developing country (likely in Sub-Saharan Africa). The ultimate winner is selected by the results – whichever solution produces the largest improvements in reading, writing and arithmetic proficiency will be the winner. Post-competition, all five finalist solutions are released to the world as open-source.

Keller encourages anyone interested in transforming education to apply immediately. The Global Learning XPRIZE helps individuals find team members from around the world. It’s clear that this challenge can’t be tackled alone. Keller estimates that “a good team size is probably around 10 people.” Even if someone doesn’t have a programming background, they can bring meaningful impact to a team.

“Teams need programming expertise, but teams will need many other backgrounds, especially neuroscience, graphic art, gaming, local content and storytelling,” Keller speculated.

“Proving that kids can really teach themselves without adults is a big if,” Keller added. “But if we can prove it, we’ll have discovered something huge. It can be an answer to a real, global crisis.”

And just as Keller believes that children will use this technology if given the opportunity, he’s betting that – if the Global Learning XPRIZE confirms that software and content can enable self-education – hardware innovation will follow.

The Global Learning XPRIZE is an opportunity to be a part of what Keller labels “a civilization-wide transformation.” Keller urges “anyone with even an inkling to get involved,” as it is a competition open to students and working professionals alike.

Registration and additional information can be found at http://learning.xprize.org/. The registration deadline is April 30, 2015.

 

Contact Kendrick Kho at kkho207 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Throwback Thursday: ‘Row’ and ‘Hall’ political parties dominated ASSU from 1934-42 https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/16/throwback-thursday-row-and-hall-political-parties-dominated-assu-from-1934-42/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/16/throwback-thursday-row-and-hall-political-parties-dominated-assu-from-1934-42/#respond Thu, 16 Apr 2015 07:01:27 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1099158 The Daily article below, originally published on April 30, 1936, describes student discontent with the Row/Hall caucus system, which ended in 1942.

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In recent years, controversy regarding ASSU elections has typically surrounded endorsement groups on campus. But beginning in 1934, Stanford’s political scene revolved not around endorsement groups, but around two political parties — “Hall” and “Row” – based in residential life. The Daily article below, originally published on April 30, 1936, describes student discontent with that caucus system, which ended in 1942. An early history of ASSU politics, published in 1949, can be found here.

 

Rouble Leads Denouncing Of Caucuses

‘Power Too Great,’ Says Ex Committee; Women Plan Special Election

By DAVE BOTSFORD

In what was described as a “move toward democracy in Stanford student government,” Ex Committee last night officially denounced the political power wielded by organized partisan caucuses.

Members of the Hall caucus discuss "Hall-Row cooperation" in the ASSU elections process in 1936. (Stanford Daily File Photo)
Members of the Hall caucus discuss “Hall-Row cooperation” in the ASSU elections process in 1936. (Stanford Daily File Photo)

Though the committee has no power to outlaw Hall and Row nominating meetings, the legislative body made it clear that “no candidate should feel honor-bound to caucus tickets nor voter to living group affiliation.”

 

Rouble Leads

Graduate Member Larry Rouble, a power in Hall politics, instigated the action because, he said, “these caucuses allow small groups to force out good candidates and are therefore a detriment to student government.”

Even though Rouble and Joe Weiner, another graduate member, favored a joint Hall-Row caucus when the idea was suggested at the Toyon meeting Monday night, both agreed last night that a general nominating assembly would not solve the current, problem.

 

Caucuses Defended

“Caucuses tend to distribute good men all down the line,” Student Manager Chuck Fontius argued. “If there was no previous agreement, all the best men would run for student-body president.” Rouble did not agree.

“People aren’t satisfied with the way nominations are running now,” he said.

The “rat” or “bad boy” feeling against nominees who run without caucus sanction was hit as “undemocratic.” The Committee, in its attempt to break the power of the caucus, advised anybody to “go ahead and run. The power of the few must be broken.”

 

Power ‘Too Great’

Jack Calderwood, junior man, argued that the caucus system would not be eliminated by such a decree because the factions needed some method of nominating candidates. Ex Committee, however, felt the present power of the caucuses was “too great.”

The fact that nearly every member of Ex Committee was elected through the power of a caucus at a previous election was brought out by Rouble when he admitted that “maybe this is stabbing somebody in the back.”

 

Supervision Suggested

Official supervision of caucuses through the election board was suggested momentarily by Bill Quade, Men’s Council chairman, but Fontius declared such was outside Ex Committee’s power.

“This Hall-Row feeling is just a state of mind drummed up before every election,” Barbara Kimball, Women’s Conference chairman, declared. “It’s unnatural and these caucuses make it worse.”

Meanwhile, the rest of the campus’ politicians were busy up the Row knifing and counter-knifing candidates for the Row ticket.

Other student-body business included:

WOMEN’S ELECTION: Instead of electing a vice-chairman and secretary of Women’s Conference next Tuesday, women voters must first pass an amendment empowering them to elect these extra officers.

Previously elected by the Confercnce itself, the two posts will be filled at a special women’s election within two weeks. A constitutional technicality prevents putting them on the general ballot.

B.A.C. REPRESENTATIVE: Larry Rouble will fill the vacant B.A.C. post until a successor to Roger Munger is elected next week. Munger did not return to school this quarter.

ASSEMBLY REGULATION: The ‘Student-Faculty Relations Committee was handed the job of working with the Administration’s Public Exercises Committee in planning Tuesday evening lectures, and other group meetings.

DATES GRANTED: Inter-club Council, exchange dinner and jollyup, tonight; Pi Delta Phi, motion picture, April 14; Toyon Club dance, April 17; Phi Lambda Upsilon, smoker, April 21; Oaks spring formal, April 24; Dramatic Council spring play, May 1.

Glee Clubs concert, May 5; Sigma Nu baby party, May 7; Class of ‘40 informal, May 7; Phi Sigma Kappa dance, May 7; Union Club informal, May 8; Japanese Club jollyup, May 8; Delta Upsilon informal, May 8.

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Fashion report: You got a little something on your neck https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/15/fashion-report-you-got-a-little-something-on-your-neck/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/15/fashion-report-you-got-a-little-something-on-your-neck/#respond Thu, 16 Apr 2015 03:52:26 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1098978 Chokers have recently, for better or worse, made a comeback on our necks and in our hearts. How did this happen? Who started it? Where can chokers be purchased if you don’t have time to drive to the nearest Claire’s or Limited Too??? In the ’90s, fashion icons ranging from Princess Diana to the incomparable […]

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Chokers have recently, for better or worse, made a comeback on our necks and in our hearts. How did this happen? Who started it? Where can chokers be purchased if you don’t have time to drive to the nearest Claire’s or Limited Too???

In the ’90s, fashion icons ranging from Princess Diana to the incomparable Olson twins rocked chokers. Hilary Erhard* Duff kept the trend alive for a while before she aged out of Lizzy McGuire and began pursuing more serious roles like a sister in Cheaper by the Dozen 2. Chokers, like jelly sandals and embellished jeans, floated out of the popular imagination and into obsolescence by 2009.

Or so I thought. In the last few months, though, chokers have started turning up everywhere from Fashion Week shows to the necks of Stanford students.

To get to the bottom of this, Lomita sat down with Caroline Doyle, trendy sophomore and recreational ironist, for comment. Doyle shared that she started wearing chokers in February 2015 after repeatedly encountering the trend on Tumblr. She has since ordered both a black and a multi-colored choker from online vendors. Although Doyle has faced adversity since purchasing two chokers, largely due to the choker’s historical associations with prostitution, she feels this necky fashion statement is, ultimately, worthwhile. Chokers make her feel empowered to be her own person! Rock on, Doyle!

Want to join Doyle in the fun of feeling an itchy adornment on your neck all day? Either go to the Gap and buy a woolen turtleneck or order a choker (or two!) online: good places to look are Etsy, eBay and Nasty Gal’s online shop.

 

*Wikipedia says this is her real middle name. Also did you know she dated Joel Madden?** the things you learn on Wikipedia.

** When I first read that, I thought it said Steve Madden. I was like “whaaat?!”

 

Contact Lora Kelley at lkelley ‘at’ stanford.edu

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Neighborly: Invest money in social good https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/12/neighbrly-invest-in-social-good/ https://stanforddaily.com/2015/04/12/neighbrly-invest-in-social-good/#respond Mon, 13 Apr 2015 04:47:29 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1098753 Doing well while doing good may become easier in the near future. Neighborly is a financial startup with offices in Kansas City and San Francisco focused on allowing citizens to fund local government projects and make money in the process. By making instruments called “municipal bonds” more readily accessible to individual investors, Neighborly will enable retail investors – people like you and me – to invest in relatively secure, tax-free securities while funding the communities that they care about.

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Doing well while doing good may become easier in the near future. Neighborly is a financial startup with offices in Kansas City and San Francisco focused on allowing citizens to fund local government projects and make money in the process. By making instruments called “municipal bonds” more readily accessible to individual investors, Neighborly will enable retail investors – people like you and me – to invest in relatively secure, tax-free securities while funding the communities that they care about.

Municipal bonds help local governments finance development

Put simply, municipal bonds are a way for local governments to borrow money when they need to finance projects, such as the construction of water facilities, playgrounds, hospitals, educational facilities, etc. When they issue municipal bonds, governments borrow money and pay that amount back in the future, plus interest. On Neighborly, you can currently choose to invest in projects related to “Education,” “Green Spaces,” “Transportation,” “Environment,” “Urban Spaces,” “Healthcare,” “Housing,” “Sports” and, soon, “Technology.” Municipal bonds are an especially attractive investment because their returns are tax-exempt.

Jase Wilson, a technology entrepreneur who holds degrees in urban planning and design from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, co-founded Neighborly after spending a decade studying cities and speaking with countless community builders. It was during a breakfast with a municipal bond trader in which the idea for Neighborly became clear.

“There were a lot of middleman that made you wonder how much money would actually get to the ground… Why isn’t there a Lending Club or AngelList for cities? Why isn’t there a Kickstarter for municipal bonds?” he said at the breakfast.

Neighborly has since evolved from its original concept of donation-based crowdfunding for local governments toward becoming an actual investing platform dealing in securities. On Neighborly, users can view a list of prospective municipal projects, follow along with  the developments of a bond deal, and provide financial capital to the projects that they care about.

Current projects on Neighborly’s beta platform include new housing facilities for Indiana University and St. John’s University, a bond refinancing deal for Yucaipa Valley’s water filtration facilities, new sewer systems for Sacramento, California, for example. Those projects are examples of what Wilson calls the first phase of Neighborly, addressing the municipal bond market “as is.” Eventually, Neighborly will allow issuers of municipal bonds to post deals directly, optimized for individual investors in their community. In that long range vision, smaller community-scale projects that used to lack financing options will be enabled, such as neighborhood wireless mesh networks, charter schools, community solar, skate parks and more.

Simplifying investing for retail investors

The current municipal bond system is complex enough to deter the regular retail investor. The process varies from project to project, but often takes this form: When a local government has an idea for a project, they create a proposal for a loan and hire one or more underwriters to help them find retail investors and institutional buyers to fund the loan. The issuer then publishes a preliminary official statement (a POS) that includes information about the bonds being offered and about the financial health of the issuer. Interested investors can then express interest in investing in the deal by submitting an indication of interest (an IOI), which is a non-binding indication to the broker-dealer that an investor would like to receive updates on the bond deal. During the order period, investors can confirm their intent to buy the bonds with an order to the broker-dealer, who then submits the order to the underwriter. Once this period has closed, the underwriter allocates the bonds to each investor based on order priority. The bonds are then transferred to the investor’s accounts and an official statement with the finalized price and interest rate of the bonds. Investors then receive regular payments of the interest on the bonds, which, in the case of municipal bonds, are usually tax-free. The investor receives these payments until the bond reaches it maturity, at which point the issuer pays back the original amount borrowed.

Where does Neighborly fit in? The average retail investor normally wouldn’t be able to access these bonds until after the price has been considerably bid up on the secondary market. By increasing accessibility to the bonds when they are first being originated, Neighborly allows retail investors to buy bonds earlier, at better prices, and opens up an entirely new capital base to local governments.  By helping issuers optimize for retail, Neighborly also enables more people to participate in the market, thus increasing liquidity in the market.

When asked about Neighborly’s long-term vision, Wilson said “municipal bonds are a gateway drug.” Neighborly hopes to make the broader fixed-income (bond) market more accessible to the average investor. Whereas stocks have enjoyed innovations in market infrastructure that have given retail investors access, the fixed-income market has been left in the dust, and Neighborly hopes to take its innovation in technology and market infrastructure to other types of bonds as well.

Neighborly is looking for strong developers with experience in data science, who are interested in helping cash-strapped communities through technology. Reach out via https://neighborly.com/contact if you are interested in joining the team.  

Contact Andrew Han at handrew ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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