During my Tuesday shift I was pleasantly surprised to hear a radio station manager speaking directly to listeners for an extended period of time about the state of the station. In the past, I’ve heard station managers speak during pledge drives, but pledge drives offer a relatively small subject of conversation when compared to an [...]

Sunday was a busy day in the City, Monday was busy enough as usual, but Tuesday early morning was dead. It was very difficult to get orders and I was afraid I would go home with less than $100 take-home — something I haven’t done in a long time. I was preparing myself for a [...]

While sitting in the queue to pay the toll for the Bay Bridge Monday, I heard two great counterintuitive pieces on KQED.
The first was a thoughtful comparison between our quality of life now compared to the distant past. It is a true and important comparison and a nice reminder of how great our lives really [...]

I recently stumbled upon another great radio show: Radiolab.
Radiolab tries to explain things. Big things. Philosophy and science things.
Radiolab features a simple theme for each episode such as Love, Pop Music, or Deception. My initial frustration while listening was that they didn’t always get to the bottom of the theme. Why do we fall in [...]

Who says the golden age of radio is dead? I’m amazed at the depth and breadth of radio these days and I’m blessed to have cabbing force me to explore these depths during long shifts.
My latest find is a wacky but great show from Simpsons voice actor Harry Shearer. You’ll recognize his voice instantly.
It’s difficult [...]

When I drive an 11 hour shift and make only fifty or sixty bucks I feel pretty sour. This doesn’t happen often. But, it does happen a few times a month during this time of year when demand for cabs in the City is seasonally low.
My angry mind jumps first to the cab company. How [...]

I drive a taxi. I drive 11 hour shifts. That’s a lot of time in a car. I need something for my brain to do. Passengers only talk so much, and this time of year is quite slow. Often I don’t have a passenger to talk to anyway.
I listen to a lot of radio. A [...]

Two fun pieces on free Wi-Fi.
First, a nicely written commentary on Wired suggests that you should unlock your wireless router! It’s not as crazy as it sounds.
Second, a well funded startup called Meraki claims it will create a free wireless network across San Francisco. A bit of digging reveals that Meraki manufactures inexpensive mesh networking [...]

I switched my shifts around. I stopped working Saturdays so I could get my Friday nights back. I kept my Sunday (5am-3pm) shift and added Mondays and Tuesdays from midnight-11am. (That’s the only time they have available for newbs like me.) It’s exciting to drive a new shift.
During my shifts

It rained the entire morning [...]