Top 3 Reasons To Choose Airbnb Over Hotels

Airbnb is disrupting the hotel industry. As of February 2012, 5 million guest nights have been booked worldwide since the site’s launch in 2007, with a 500% growth in the past year and accommodations in over 19,000 cities.     I’ve now stayed at two properties (one in San Diego and one in Santa Barbara) and …

The Secret To Success? You Have To Learn How To Fail

Hear the name Stacy Peralta and you instantly think either: A) I love Stacy Peralta! or B) Who the heck is she? He is the highest-ranked skateboarder of his time, turned multi-million dollar businessman, turned filmmaker. He is also the creator of, and father-figure to, the Bones Brigade, a skate team that featured the era’s top …

Got Adderall? The Great D.E.A. Versus F.D.A. Duke-Out

Maybe you heard about The Great Adderall Shortage of 2011 that impacted “millions of children and adults” who rely on the pills to help stay focused and calm? Maybe you haven’t. In terms of national crises, like joblessness and obesity, I wouldn’t rank it at the top of the list (although a country producing drug-addicted …

'Tis The Season For Pomegranates

If you live in Southern California, one fruit that’s no stranger to farmer’s markets and CSA-boxes is the pomegranate. I only recently discovered how much I enjoy this fruit, after years of watching it be bastardized and exploited by food companies. The fruit has long been celebrated for its health benefits (it’s a good source of vitamin …

‘Tis The Season For Pomegranates

If you live in Southern California, one fruit that’s no stranger to farmer’s markets and CSA-boxes is the pomegranate. I only recently discovered how much I enjoy this fruit, after years of watching it be bastardized and exploited by food companies. The fruit has long been celebrated for its health benefits (it’s a good source of vitamin …

Becoming A Soup Master

This Fall, I started doing something extremely rare and extraordinary (for me)…cooking. After months, okay years, of me partaking in (he calls it mooching off) @robotchampion‘s culinary creations, he challenged me to literally start bringing something to the table. So I have, in the form of soups. I’m a little surprised to admit this, but …

Second Life Failed Because Facebook Became Our Second Life

Slate recently did a piece on why Second Life, the virtual reality world, failed. It concludes, rightfully so, that the Linden Labs creation world lacks a clear purpose. Given how significant this factor is in the “real world” — people with a strong purpose and vision in life thrive, while those who lack direction, don’t …

World population at 7 billion and won’t peak until 9.5 billion

Sometime on Monday, October 31, 2011, a Halloween baby was born. This special tyke is the 7 billionth human being living on our planet. An incredible number that shocks, interests, awes, and scares all of us. Here are some interesting facts about this major milestone. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder all 7 billion of us would fill Los …

World population at 7 billion and won't peak until 9.5 billion

Sometime on Monday, October 31, 2011, a Halloween baby was born. This special tyke is the 7 billionth human being living on our planet. An incredible number that shocks, interests, awes, and scares all of us. Here are some interesting facts about this major milestone. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder all 7 billion of us would fill Los …

Huntington Beach’s Oil Rush from 1919 to 2010

“March 11, 1919 put Orange County in the black in more ways than one. On that day Fullerton area citrus grower Charles C. Chapman watched as his gusher came in. Thousands of gallons of crude oil flew into the sky at Chapman No. 1, his Placentia-Ritchfield District well leased to the Union Oil Co. This …