February Favorites
Tyson š Share the Cool
Itās been almost three years Iāve lived in San Francisco. A city filled with culture, Iāve been shaped by my surroundings. As we head into the spring, let me share with you parts of my lifestyle that I find refreshing. I hope that you will be inspired!
š² Commuting by Bike
Ever since I was eight years old, Iāve been using my bike to travel from place to place. Whether it was to a friendsā house, or though the treacherous Wisconsin blizzards, Iāve always enjoyed the freedom and flexibility that a bike has given me. Now that I live in San Francisco, a bike has never been more practical.
I truly think the best way to wake up is with fresh air and a little exercise (maybe a cup of coffee too š). Each morning as I commute, I simply feel more connected to my surroundings. Unlike sitting in the back of an Uber, Iām able to smell the fresh cut grass or feel the morning dew. Iām also impervious to the morning traffic! Nothing feels better than to fly by a line of honking cars. At night, itās an awesome way to transition away from the screen and into an evening routine. Fun fact: bike commuters lose on average 12 pounds (5.5 kg) their first year of biking!
Over the past few months, San Francisco has installed public bike stations throughout the city. The Ford bikes are decent, but if youāre looking to have some fun, I recommend renting a red Jump bike. Scattered throughout the city (use the app to find one), they have a 250W pedal assist to help you feel like a boss climbing SF hills. When youāre done, just lock it up on any public bike rack.
Next time you have a short trip within the city, resist the urge to take an Uber and instead take a bike! I promise that youāll have more fun and start to look at the city in a different way.
āļø Third Wave Coffee
The last ingredient for a perfect morning is delicious coffee. In order to understand what āthird waveā coffee is, letās talk about the first two waves.
- First wave: You can think about the first wave as ācoffee for the massesā. This coffee is generally easy to brew and can be found in offices and homes. Manufactures like Folgers push quantity-over-quality, leading to a weak, acidic brew, often covered with lots of cream and sugar.
- Second wave: Basically, Starbucks. However, it was Berkeley based Peetās coffee that inspired the original vision for Starbucks. Higher quality roasts and espresso drinks, along with specialty drinks made running coffee shops a big business. Starbucks made coffee āsocialā, by introducing a coffee shop experience. However, it wasnāt long before the social experience became more important than the artisan experience of producing coffee.
- Third wave: Third wave coffee is a response to the lost vision of the second wave. With third wave, production and marketing take the back seat, and the product takes center stage. There are many roasters / cafes in San Francisco that are great examples of this. Sightglass and Flywheel exhibit roasting equipment in front of their customers while giving a detailed story about where their coffee came from. Innovative brew methods such as Syphon and slow drip make for a theatrical display. Third wave is very much about painting a picture of the farmer, importer, roaster, and barista. Luckily for us, we can now paint this picture inside of our own homes. With basic equipment (like a grinder and cone), itās possible to make the same coffee thatās found at Blue Bottle, at a quarter of the price. This morning routine has become important for me. After 10 minutes of preparation, my girlfriend and I are able to start the day around a warm, delicious cup of coffee. This is often one of the most serene moments of the day, before heading into a grueling day of work. After awhile, you truly feel like an artist, noticing subtle differences in the coffee and methods used to brew!
- Fourth wave? What could a fourth wave of coffee look like? Coffee in different forms? A deeper understanding of coffeeās chemistry and biology? Let me know in the comments!
ā Crypto / Blockchain
Cryptocurrency has been a hot topic this year, but it really is more than a game of speculation. Yes, bitcoin is a novel solution in the world of distributed systems (see the Byzantine Generalsā Problem), but in order to appreciate its magnitude, you need to understand an underlying philosophy that drives the movement. My favorite author / speaker in this field is Andreas Antonopoulos. Here are a few of my favorite talks that seek to illustrate the disruptive world of distributed ledgers:
What is Bitcoin?
This a great introductory talk that explains bitcoin as a protocol (āsaying bitcoin is digital money is like saying the internet is a fancy telephoneā). He touches on the importance of decentralized consensus, financial neutrality, and āthe internet of moneyā. Start here!
Innovators, Disruptors, Misfits, and Bitcoin
Itās possible to find common patterns relating to the adoption of innovative technology. One is that criminals are often the first to adopt such technology (due to high profit margins and high risk). Another is media ridicule. When the first automobile was released, it was called a death machine and required three people to operate. People revered Edison as a genius but thought of electricity to be nothing more than a science experiment. No one used Linux except geeks, but now nearly everyone runs it on their device. All of these products eventually won, simply because they were better than the previous iteration. The same will happen with bitcoin.
Visions, Part 1: The Value of Blockchain Technology
Written by Vitalik Buterin, part alien and creator of ethereum, this is one of the most sobering, insightful pieces about the future of blockchain that Iāve read. He talks about the advantages of blockchain based architecture against normal servers, underlying value of blockchain, and applications that are most suited to run on top of the blockchain, including voting, identity, and decentralized organizations. I also recommend Part 2: The Problem of Trust.
š San Francisco Urban Adventure Club
Moving to a new city can be overwhelming ā especially when you realize that your old friends wonāt be there to help you unpack. Moving to San Francisco three years ago was exhilarating, but also a bit terrifying! I didnāt know anyone and had to completely rebuild my social circle. I went to a few random events that I found on Meetup or Facebook, but nothing really clicked. Even if I met a lot of people, it was difficult to get to know them in a short amount of time or to see them on a regular basis. Luckily, I came across SFUAC, which was created in response to these problems. Their goal is to schedule unique events that allow people to discover the city, but also while making meaningful connections. Within a couple of months, I had a solid group of friends and was engaged in a wide variety of activities; I was finally starting to feel like a local! Along with the unique, daily activities, more grandeur experiences were possible with an organized group. Renting extravagant houses in Napa, or throwing big New Years parties were only possible with the organization that SFUAC provided.
SF is a very diverse city, with people who have different perspectives and experiences to ours. I grew a lot by meeting people who were refreshingly different, and learned how to widen my comfort zone. I was able to show up to a party alone and live the moment to its fullest. If youāre looking to take a new adventure, learn more about the city, or to break out of your bubble, I highly suggest checking out SFUAC on Meetup and also their IG.
Merci Sabrine for allowing me to open a window into my life to your readers! If anyone has questions feel free to reach out to me or leave a comment below. Hope to see you on the next adventure! š²āļø
