MinJungKim.com

Greetings from Women 2.0!

REMINDER: The deadline to submit for the Women 2.0 Napkin Business Challenge is TOMORROW! To enter, just fill out the entry form (attached for your convenience!) and email it to women 2.0@gmail.com by MIDNIGHT on March 30th. If you have not yet mailed your napkin please take a digital photo of it and include it with your executive summary via email. Your napkin can be postmarked for March 30 but no later than that.

Questions? Here are some answers.
*Yes, you may participate as an individual if you are a women under 35. Or, your team of two to four individuals must consist of at least half women under 35 with significant ownership in the company.
*Yes, we have NDA forms upon request.
*Yes, semi-finalists will be notified (by April 1st) that they will need to submit a 10 slide PowerPoint presentation (due April 6th). Finalists will be notified (by April 20th).
*Yes, If you are submitting internationally, you must be present (on the night of April 25 in San Francisco) if selected as a finalist.
*Yes, you must make your own arrangements if you are coming from outside the San Francisco/Bay Area.

We are truly excited about this first time, world-wide event!  Submissions have been received from all around the SF/Bay Area, New Jersey, India and Canada…. so get started and submit your best idea today!

Cheers and good luck!

- Women 2.0 -
Shivani, Angie, Wen Wen & Shaherose
www.women2.org

I have never said “Come to Mama”

Hurrah~! Bless Ira Glass   Episode 245 – Allure of the Mean Friend.

That some good people are being harassed, threatened, and have succumbed to fear – hopefully temporarily – and it’s just awful.

Totally miserably awful.

And while I think it’s important to be sensitive to these issues and very clearly aware of the nature of bullies, stalkers, and jerks (both online and off), it is also important to be quite clear that this is not the first time this has happened.

It’s just the first time it’s happened to someone that you know.

You see, I’ve known several other women (specifically Asian American women bloggers – Comabound, BadGrrl, C., A., J.,N, etc) who have had to pull down their blogs, shuttle from one domain to another, remain utterly anonymous, password protect their sites, or give up their online communities altogether. The list is longer than I’d like.

Why?
Oh yes, stalkers. Rape fantasies. Obsessed emails. Comment trolling.

Threatening notices. IM harassments. Flowers sent to your work office. Etc.

I’ve gotten them all too.

This is NOT NEW.

I was on campus at U of M when the landmark case of internet threats and stalking occured in 1995.

Remember Usenet? Yeah.

And what’s worse, since I’ve always been an open and direct person, I couldn’t really hide at all with my eponymous URL.

I mean, what *isn’t* uncomfortable about being pinged via email

“I saw you crossing the street at lunch today. You should wear shorter skirts so we can see your slanty snatch.”

Or more recently

“ Asians don’t belong in America, and their presence here is similar to the Boers of South Africa. …. And if the urine colored slitty eyed slopeheads won’t go peacefully, then the gooks should be put in concentration camps.”

(That statement particularly biting in light of Michelle “sell out my mama” Malkin attests that the Japanese Internment was justified and well, racial profiling is just fine and dandy)

And just so you know not all the harassment I’ve gotten is along racelines, there’s this that I got from a guy out of Seoul back in 2001.

“waterfllagoon: u give me erection now

waterfllagoon: my penis going up rub against thigh

waterfllagoon: penis now rub laptop

waterfllagoon: i like u

waterfllagoon: please be nice to me

waterfllagoon: i think of ur pictures i sent u

Mjkim1974: go away.

waterfllagoon: why

waterfllagoon: i on knees to u

Mjkim1974: Because you are totally creeping me out.

Mjkim1974: Go away.

waterfllagoon: i kiss lik ur toes

waterfllagoon: tie me up

waterfllagoon: lok me with no clothes in box from fri to mon”

Hell, I even get threats from lawyers out of Dallas because people have expressed displeasure in the comments of my site over Lash Extension products.

It’s not that different than the thuggery that Joey has received re: Movers.

So yeah. I’ve heard it all.

I’ve gotten hot under the collar about it. I’ve felt the need to sleep over at a friend’s house or have them stay over with me a few nights so I could vent and feel safe again. I’ve ranted. I’ve cried. And I’ve gotten over it.

You’d think it would be harder for me to do, having been a sexual assault victim (totally unrealted to any online person/event – and yes, that’ happens to 1/3 women you know too) and one that has suffered through weeks upon end of nightmares and insomnia, to take and tolerate these attacks.

But no.

I won’t succumb to fear. To laziness, yes. To other priorities IRL, yes. But to online fear? No. I absolutely refuse.

Now with all that in mind, doesn’t it seem radically weird that in this day and age we’re all making ourselves even *more* stalkable?

Locations via Dodgeball and Twitter. Events that may be hosted at your home via Upcoming or whatever.

There are folks I know who are rigorously private and those that are publicity mavens. I’m somewhere in between. Eponymous still (after all these years) and open. But more private with my thoughts and conscientious about using full names. I respect those that protect their children by ommitting all real names/photos of them and I also adore those individuals who feel lively and confident about sharing their families with their online communities. Of course there is balance and perspective,values and comfort levels.

But one thing that needs to be very clear – people say more awful things to you online than they ever would in person sitting next to you on the park bench. That is – and always will be, some degree of the culture of the internet – an environment where consequences are hard to enforce and identity can be cloaked.

But it’s not a reason to let fear paralyze or terrorize your life. Online – do the right things within your control. Delete comments. Notify your ISPs. Alert local authorities as necessary. SHAME the FARKING HELL OUT OF IDIOTS if need be. But don’t let it silence your voice.

And Ladies, if someone should say something awful to you in person, at that point – I think you’re perfectly justified to take off those lovely pointy shoes you have on and take it like a hammer to wap at that person’s head.

Click me.

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So last night, I was out with some friends at a bar and I wound up putting the bill on my card, takign the cash.

The total for my bill was $136.20
Totally blanking re: for tip I simply doubled the tax and forgot the reality of drinks not being taxable on there.

I’d added a tip of 11.80 to the bill makinh it a total $148.00

The waitress, had asked re: the quality of service and I realized my error and left a $20 cash tip in addition of the 11.80.

So that’s a $31.80 tip on a $136.20 bill. Food & Drinks.

So that’s an over 20% tip for the bill overall on the evening. Which I’d like to think is more than reasonable and fair.

So imagine my surprise when I checked my online statement today and saw that I was being billed for $163.44

That’s an additional $15.44 tip.

So that’s hmmm let’s see – $47.24 tip total on a $136.20 bill.

That’s now a 36% tip.

And while service was fine, good even, I feel very pissed re: this additional billing being done to me and I’ve emailed the establishment and called and left a vmail on the matter for the manager/owners.

Has this happened to you? Am I right be annoyed? Were they expecting a $1-$2 tip per each individual drink being served too?

Insights? Opinions?

Hey folks,

I suppose you’re expecting some big SXSWI post mortom regaling you with ludicrous stories of getting drunk and putting some CEO or somewhat in a headlock.  Or tumbling into a bar booth with some lothario.  Or being the lotharia and sassing with some younger man.  Or providing some geek rundown of my trip and how it was.the.best.ever.

And I could, but I probably won’t.

Why?  A few reasons besides the fact that  — I had a good (but not categorically sweepingly great or epic) time there — was sick for a few days — didn’t kiss nearly as many people as I’d planned — failed to get wildly drunk — didn’t pick any fights with beligerant or stupid ceo’s — and am delightfully affianced and thereby utterly devoted to my honey to have any couger situations,- (but still triggering this blog confession. )
(Absolve me readers, for I have lamed)

Because I think I’ve gotten I know I’ve gotten quite lazy about writing these days.  And blogging.  And putting down my thoughts and digesting projects and creative lists, and transcripting awkward and delightful conversations with my dad, or trying to write v. thoughtful prose or poetry, or social commentary or snark.

I have got an attention span shorter than a fruit fly’s  hardon these days and if it isn’t a brief glance or post on twitter, it’s not something that I’m really registering.

I mean, for gawdsakes people, how lazy do you have to be to only produce regular writing in 17 syllables.

Oh that’s right. You have to get *MJ* lazy.

And I’ve been more focused on regular real world connections vs. online ones.

Which means that I’ve fallen *waaaaay* behind on reading up on blogs.

Or watching vids online.  Or posting comments to thoughtful things that I see produced by my friends.

Or writing on the other locations online (Blogher) (8Asians) where I should be writing *something*.

Keeping connected online is something that’s become simultaneously easier and more exhausting at consynchronous junctions.

I mean – on day to day vibes/landscapes or the general pulse of life for my friends, twitter is fantastic.  It’s immediate and ubiquitous and doesn’t involve much personal investment mentally, time, and is device/platform/client destination agnostic. 

But at the same time – keeping connected is v. v. difficult and exhausting.

There’s reading people’s main blogs and then you read their project’s blogs and maybe even their work blog if they’re responsible for that as well and then don’t forget about their private blogs and then viewing their produced media online whether it’s in photos or videos or audio and podcasts (breathe huff gasp) and then you’re checking in and peeping at their mainstream social networks for announcements & updates because of course they added something to their facebook wall or commented on your MySpace profile or updated a blog post on friendster that you should also check into (breathe huff gasp) and god forbid they have an updated profile on consumating because oh wait didn’t you read that twitter saying that they were newly single again or something…oh fuck no, that was a dodgeball shout or maybe that was someone else with the same name that you met for 10 minutes at a conference and they added you as a friend so you feel socially obliged to add them too because well they bought you beer and you would like to not be “that ingrate” that they refer to as being the asshole of whatever event you met at (breathe huff gasp) and then what if they also have a del.icio.us account and you want to keep tabs on the cool things that your friends, as trusted trend/niftycool sources are up to and if they’re into gaming let’s not forget that you have to make sure that your various toons and their alts are connected via their own social network and then what if you need to see who in your community of friends/contacts/acquaintances and as-yet-unmet-neighbhors are putting something clever & fascinating & worth knowing about right about your neighbhorhood on Yelp or Yahoo Local and you realize that ProfileLinker isn’t quite there enough yet to take care of really making your social network online as solid as it should be wonder why you haven’t picked up a newspaper in a few months or so (breathe huff gasp) and don’t even get me started at the effort it takes to juggle and update a social calendar that includes everything from evite to boardnetwork meetings to upcoming.org and to renkoo and then to check my friends’ 30boxes and local arts organizations newsletters and that wedding  invitation that you got in the mail and at some point in all of this you come to the shocking and stunning realization that your best friend from highschool has faithfully and kindly sent you postcards (hand written) every week telling you about the joyful and sweet daily activities of her and her family and you realize that you’ve not written her back, barely scribbled a one sentence email to her and HAVEN’T CALLED HER YET TO TELL HER THE GORY AND JUICE DETAILS ABOUT BECOMING ENGAGED. (hyperventilate and black out)

So yeah.

There’s a little bit of that in the reasons why I haven’t blogged lately.

Because, frankly – having people over for thai food and playing warcraft feels like the seriously easy way out.

Sorry.

Please forgive.

Read!

There I am… going and causing trouble again.

Sandra Oh & Me

Originally uploaded by minjungkim.

Not that it’s the best photo ever or anything…but come *on* now… really?

Quick update highlights on yesterday and today – of which I’ll write in better length and detail when I get a chance (with hotlinks to goodie posts – I promise!)

Yesterday:
Woke up late, grabbed awesome gingerbread pancakes at Magnolia with Jason, Ernie, Jackson & Eran.
Had a phone call where I was asked straighforwardly “So…are you an ass to work with?”
Had my panel where I and my awesome panelists conducted ourselves in true sxsw rawk forum.
Shot photographs of people shooting guns.
Went to Buff Billiards to Break Bread with Brad.
Hung out at the hot tacofest of BlogHer and shared a cab with Erika.
Came home, took bubbly bath.
Woke up to the sound of Ernie coming in a dry heaving (when will he learn?)
And then slept through the rest of the night.

Today:
Woke up
Ate lovely lunch
Vandelized (a little – and permitted to) with Photobucket stickers @ lunch
Learned about knitting genius funny women from awesome new and old friends
Sat in on a few panels which were decent
Ran off to the Salt Lick to get my BBQ on
Got mistaken for Sandra Oh in the can.
Got punked by waitstaff and friends at Salt Lick when folks asked me for my autograph
Drank a load of shiners
Ze Frank party – introduce tall boy of Daring Fireball to tall boy of Ze Frank
Giggled furiously re: Sergio as Ernie’s boyfriend
In my PJ’s and wanting to snuggle up.

Details tomorrow – wow— every sxsw is something all sorts of awesome.

Jason and I got dropped at the airport this morning and got en route to Austin.
It was delovely having a day to settle in and hang out with friends prior to the chaos that is to come.

My panel is tomorrow. I’ve just learned we’ve been moved over to a bigger room.
Mischief truly does ensue shortly.

Though, to be fair, the mischief has really already started. My good friend Tara was kind enough to pick up Jason, Ernie, and myself from our hotel and bring us to her home where we knocked back a few Shiners and had a delightful dinner. (Pink wig mischief) Laters, I’d hook up with Matt, Glenda,Charlene, Barry, Andy, Barce and a few others at the Moonshine and then at Dirty Dog (where I swear the bouncer had a herpes colesore on his lip and we had to furtively purell our hands after we got our id’s back) and I got nearly knocked over at some fratboyesque “shots’ bar on 6th street. I gave stern looks of judgement and hate but then realized that having hateration is not a good way to “rawk out” and I am here to “rawk out” in “all hands on deck spirit”.

Ok. So right now “Rawking” out implies sitting in a hotel room, uploading pictures of me and my friends in wigs, and singing a polenta song for Rouxebe and dancing.

What? That isn’t rawking out? Pah. I know what’s rawking out and the the polenta song makes me giggle and cheer.

“Po-len-ta bah bah bah bah bah bah — Po-len-ta bah bah bah bah bah bah.”

Ok. Those 5 Shiner’s are beginning to show.

SXSWI 2007 is iminent.

I. Can’t. Wait.

I! AM! FULL! OF! EXCLAMATION! POINTS!

I! AM! DOING!LIP! EXCERCISES! IN! ANTICIPATION!

How to Rawk SXSW Room 9ABC
Friday, March 9th
5:00 pm- 6:00 pm

Panels or parties? Sleep or another trip to Starbucks? Experienced pros give their insights on making the most of your next few days in geek wunderland.

Moderator: Min Jung Kim , Photobucket

Min Jung Kim Photobucket
Glenda Bautista Agendacide
Tantek Çelik Chief Technologist, Technorati
Nick Douglas Dir, Look! Shiny!
Andrew Huff Editor & Publisher, Gapers Block
Lynne d Johnson Senior Editor, fastcompany.com
Tony Pierce Editor, LAist.com

EVERYTHING!IS!AWESOME!

SO MUCH TO DO! (omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg)
Twitter Haikus will be a plenty

Will I be buzzed @

my panel on how to rawk

only time will tell

Dodgeball (aka location based friend stalking – because you can’t put an electronic tag on the ears of geek friends who play your loveboat social cruise directpr “Julie”)will still be useful!

QUESTIONS will be answered oh my!
And I WILL EAT BBQ!

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

(must breathe)