San Francisco

i hate it here

Mission hipsters choose Google as their new object of hate

Here we go again. New graffiti on the sidewalk at 18th and Dolores claims nothing short of "Mission Exploitation" by Google employees. A decade ago, the Mission Yuppie Eradication Project posted flyers urging Valencia Street's self-styled "artists" to vandalize luxury cars. Some did. In 2008, most Web 2.0 workers aren't rich enough to draw the righteous anger of their slightly-less-privileged neighbors. Except for Googlers who dare move into the city's youth-culture ghetto between Cesar Chavez and Market. More »

5:00 PM on Thu Jul 17 2008
By Paul Boutin
4,397 views, 21 comments

apple store

iPhone day 7: Store getting remodeled, but lines still long

A tipster snapped this late-night shot of Apple's Union Square store being overhauled. You — yes, you waiting in line with your old iPhone — send us photos of the results when the store opens at 10, willya? Separately, we've been told that Apple Store employees at the San Francisco flagship cut off would-be buyers who arrived after 5:30 p.m. Shoppers timed the morning line at 2.5 hours yesterday. That's even more time than I spend watching my BlackBerry reboot.

9:40 AM on Thu Jul 17 2008
By Paul Boutin
613 views, 3 comments

Latest by Conch: For now, I think I'll just keep pretending my old iPhone is the new one. more »

apple

iPhone, day 6: line down to 2.5 hours

The grayhaired man in a suit and the young lady in a sweatshirt agreed: They'd queued up outside Apple's San Francisco flagship store at 10:30 this morning — 30 minutes after the store opened. At 1 p.m. they'd finally gotten to the front of the line, which still crawls because of the time it takes to activate each phone at the counter. The line today is nothing like Friday's opening-day cast. No camera hogs, no activists, no TV crews or I'm-subverting-the-MSM bloggers. Just a bunch of footsore consumers patiently proving that the force is still with Steve Jobs after all. The few people I approached didn't really want to talk — they were just there to buy a phone and waiting longer than they'd expected. Did His Steveness manufacture the shortage of phones and the long wait lines to build buzz? Here's a hint: No, that'd be stupid.

2:20 PM on Wed Jul 16 2008
By Paul Boutin
1,058 views, 6 comments

Latest by Lewis: The way to do this is to do "direct fulfillment" at an AT&T store. No lines and no instant gratification, but it took seven minutes (including chit-chat time with the rep) and they'll have the device for me in-store within more »

san francisco

Disgruntled IT guy hacks San Francisco government's computers

A city employee, allegedly on the brink of being fired from his $126,735-plus-bonus job wrangling the network of computers that hold email, payroll, and confidential information, has been arrested and charged with four felony counts of computer tampering. City officials — don't those guys have names? — say that 43-year-old Terry Childs gave himself privileged access and locked out other system administrators. The computers are still usable by city employees. But Childs still has exclusive super-user access to many parts of the network, because he won't give up his passwords. [San Francisco Chronicle]

8:40 AM on Tue Jul 15 2008
By Paul Boutin
827 views, 5 comments

Latest by notyoutool: Paul -- seriously? "But Childs still has exclusive super-user access to many parts of the network, because he won't give up his passwords." What *nix system ("super-user access") doesn't support booting from media or into single-user mode and resetting the more »

Totally Gay

Tech-sector sissies hide from SF Pride weekend

The most shocking sight at yesterday's SF Pride parade wasn't the contingent of marching Googlers. It wasn't the Yahoo booth handing out temporary tattoos. It was the total absence of other tech companies, small or large, from what should have been a cheap and easy opportunity to build brand goodwill among the estimated one million attendees. Hello, Microsoft? Valleywag reporter Melissa Gira Grant helped build Float 183 for two nonprofit sponsors. More »

3:00 PM on Mon Jun 30 2008
By Paul Boutin
2,137 views, 9 comments

Wi-Fi

Philadelphia's Wi-Fi network saved, for now, but the time for citywide wireless has past

After EarthLink abandoned a citywide Wi-Fi project for Philadelphia after only 6,000 customers signed up for the $20/mo. service. Now local investors Derek Pew of Boathouse Communications and Mark Rupp, a former Verizon executive, are planning to take over the network, which will be free and ad-supported. When first announced, the project was on of the largest Wi-Fi buildouts proposed. But after being completed, few users signed up because it was slow, didn't reach far into the city's signature row houses if at all, and was not much cheaper than adding Internet to your cable or phone connection. Earthlink had previously attempted to hand the network off an Ohio-based non-profit. But Wi-Fi was never a particularly good technology for these projects, and it's high time to abandon the pipe dream. More »

5:00 PM on Tue Jun 17 2008
By Jackson West
706 views, 3 comments

Latest by n/a: The key to designing successful ad supported wi-fi models is to ensure adequate inventory availability that is aligned with advertiser needs. I agree that ³landing page² or ³ads for access² models will never produce meaningful revenues but companies like ours more »

cleantech

Mayor wants Israeli electric car startup to setup shop in San Francisco

On our hunky God-mayor's "Gavin Newsom for Governor" tour that included stops in donor-rich New York and Los Angeles, a stop in Israel got the excitable pol talking about Israeli startup Project Better Place. The company's plan is to build a network of charging stations for a fleet of electric vehicles in Israel. Of course, there's no actual money behind bringing the idea to our shores yet, so you can probably expect it to become a reality about the same time San Francisco turns on the free Wi-Fi network Gavvy-Gav promised. Can't get enough of the hair? Video after the jump. More »

6:00 PM on Tue May 13 2008
By Jackson West
642 views, 4 comments

Latest by Jackson West: Ah, Fidel, have you not embraced post-modernism? Worked so well for the East German government. more »

geek love

Craig Newmark angles to take Phil Bronstein's livelihood, woman

At the party for Jonathan Zittrain's new book, The Future of the Internet and How to Stop it, Craigslist founder Craig Newmark couldn't settle for destroying San Francisco Chronicle editor-at-large Phil Bronstein's profession — he may be after Bronstein's woman, too:

Craig told my wife she was out of my league. I know that! This is the guy who destroyed newspapers? Master of the obvious. But he's come a long way himself from the days when he was his own best browser in the Craigslist "Missed Connections" section.

(Photo by AP/Benjamin Sklar)

2:00 PM on Tue May 13 2008
By Jackson West
658 views, 10 comments

Latest by n/a: @Wikipedophile: LOL because this is obviously another one of Rachel Marsden's accounts. Looks like a poor man's Ann Coulter to me. Got the mannish features and everything, and batshit insane to boot. more »

events

Secret Facebook event at the Metreon tonight

While out and about, a possibly over-enthusiastic Valleywag correspondent heard rumors of a Facebook "prom" being held ~~at the highly anticipated, but as yet unopened, new San Francisco branch of New York's famed Tavern on the Green~~ within the Metreon in SOMA. Those lucky few on the inside remember: Pics or it didn't happen! Update: There is indeed a private Facebook party on the fourth floor of the Metreon, but of course the Tavern on the Green won't take over the space until at least next year.(Photo by Shiny Things)

9:54 PM on Fri May 9 2008
By Jackson West
1,770 views, 6 comments

Latest by Fidel on the Roof: Here's a secret... The janitorial service in my building is having an employee outing at Six Flags. You didn't hear it from me though... more »

conferences

I went to San Francisco for JavaOne, and all I got was this Norovirus

Giving every junketeer who might have over-imbibed a good excuse to blow off chores and work once they get home, conference organizers at Sun's JavaOne developer fest at the Moscone Center are now warning attendees that the City has released a public health warning about a virus on the loose.

Testing is still underway to identify the specific virus in question, but they believe it to be the Norovirus, a common cause of the "stomach flu", which can cause temporary flu-like symptoms for up to 48 hours.

Full alert after the jump so you can study up on symptoms if called on to fake them for getting a spouse or boss off your back. More »

6:00 AM on Fri May 9 2008
By Jackson West
1,391 views, 6 comments

Latest by BobDope: I guess I'll wash my hands. Thanks, news you can use. more »

crash this bash

Google's fight for the right to party like sagging, middle-aged rockers

Google has asked San Francisco for permission to host a "picnic-style dinner" for 1,400 sales employees on June 11. What's really pathetic: Google wants its salespeople to boogie down after hours to the sounds of U2 and Journey. Not the actual U2 and Journey, mind you, but cover bands. Neighbors aren't charmed, and not just by having their backyards used at the set for lightly inebriated lip dubs of "Don't Stop Believing." But the people who bring in Google's billions should ask why, if Larry Page is such pals with Bono, he wasn't able to deliver the real thing for their park-wide party.

12:20 PM on Thu May 1 2008
By Melissa Gira Grant
919 views, 8 comments

Latest by n/a: Oh, I almost forgot to mention: as a Google shareholder, I prefer that they save a few bucks by getting the cover band. The party attendees won't know the difference. They will be too busy Twittering or talking shop to care. more »

san francisco

Gavin Newsom complains about his Yelp rating

Yelp founder Jeremy Stoppelman and Nish Nadaraja, marketing director of the local listing site, sat down with San Francisco's preternaturally hunky god-mayor Gavin Newsom. Newsom agreed to the meeting in order to convince Yelpers he's "more hip than the 3.5 stars makes me appear." Before they lobbed him softball questions in earnest, he got to pitch his environmentalist credentials, taking credit for a greener taxi fleet — though his executive order commanding municipal agencies to convert to greener vehicles has stalled, and it was the Board of Supervisors who passed the taxi legislation. All most voters seem to care about is The Hair:

The days where I had a little dollop of gel are gone. I'm using quarter of a bottle at a time and I'm not proud of it. And I know that I need help!

(Photo by AP/Eric Risberg)

6:00 PM on Tue Apr 22 2008
By Jackson West
727 views, 9 comments

Latest by Troll_2.0: Say,Jer my man...I have an investment idea for you: Why don't you give ME 4 million dollars to travel around the world, hobnob with celebrities, and admittedly, give you jack-sh-t in return! But, unlike Jimmy, I promise that the only person more »

real estate

David Hayden's Pacific Heights manse for sale after foreclosure

Serial entrepreneurial failure David Hayden has had his home transfered to boutique bank Robertson Stephens under a Sheriff's deed — which means that the property was seized to pay debts. The transfer is so new, realtor Bernadette V. Lamothe hasn't even had time to have the place properly staged judging by interior photos. It's now for sale for a mere $14.9 million through Sotheby's. Prospective buyers won't just get an opulent home with fantastic views, but a piece of San Francisco history. More »

6:00 PM on Fri Apr 18 2008
By Jackson West
3,097 views, 3 comments

Latest by n/a: David wasn't a bad guy when I worked for him, but, yeah. A little... naive. Let's go with that. more »

cleantech

How to get Gavin Newsom to give you taxpayer dollars

San Francisco's evil Board of Supervisors is standing in the way of hunky god-mayor Gavin Newsom and his efforts to save the world by giving thousands of dollars to San Francisco home and business owners to install solar panels on their property, if you believe the San Francisco Chronicle. This should give Valley privateers a good idea of how to work with City Hall. Need to divert public money to the private sector, get a few laws changed, and at least win favor with our possible future governor? All it takes if five easy steps. More »

10:20 AM on Fri Apr 18 2008
By Jackson West
561 views, 4 comments

Latest by n/a: @Rachel Marsden: Don't you have some rampaging PC professors up in Saskatchewan to worry aboot? more »

i hate it here

Olympic torch gets obligatory rickrolling

San Francisco city officials, hoping to avoid the hippies, began today's torch run up the Embarcadero in front of the Splunk office and its large scale sound system.

4:23 PM on Wed Apr 9 2008
By Paul Boutin
1,210 views, 4 comments

real estate

Bay Area hit hard by mortgage foreclosures

While the whole country has been hit hard by the subprime mortgage crisis, with sky-high housing costs the Valley and surrounding area have also felt the pain. How bad is it? HotPad's interactive heatmap of local foreclosures show eastern counties with more than one in 150 foreclosures. Surprisingly enough, there are few in San Francisco, but that probably has to do with most of the population renting — with rents going up, how about an eviction heat map? (Via Good Morning Silicon Valley)

7:00 PM on Tue Apr 8 2008
By Jackson West
1,703 views, 7 comments

Latest by Valleygrrl: check out www.socketsite.com for better commentary and analysis on the subject. more »

death of print

San Francisco Chronicle, you're doing it wrong: It's business in the front, party in the back

As commenter WhatBubble pointed out, when it comes to mullets, it's supposed to be business in the front, party in the back. The San Francisco Chronicle got a trim in February, and some days now runs the sports section and business section together — but got it backwards, with the sports party in the front, and the exploits of captains of industry relegated to the rear. The New York Times has also combined the two sections in the weekday edition, but properly puts business up front. But hey, for those who like their business in the back, the Chronicle has you pegged.

5:00 PM on Tue Apr 8 2008
By Jackson West
279 views, 5 comments

Latest by Arnaud H: Says who? C'mon, don't tell me you also read Friday's NASDAQ closing prices in the Saturday edition. more »

Valleywag

Depraved pictures land Facebook user two-year jail sentence

Valleywag team

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