A closer look at the Personalized Media Communications v. Apple trial

Posted by on Apr 10, 2021 in Letters Patent | No Comments

Letters Patent is a project I started in December. It’s a newsletter and blog where I cover patent litigation and patent politics. My most recent post takes a close look at Personalized Media Communications, a non-practicing entity that recently won a $308 million jury verdict against Apple. I used transcripts of PMC’s November trial against […]

Bike Ride: Santa Cruz Mountains via Bean Creek, Mtn. Charlie, and Soquel-San Jose

Posted by on Sep 11, 2020 in Cycling, Ride Report | No Comments

This ride includes one of the most fun descents I’ve done, Soquel-San Jose Road. I rode this on Sunday Sept. 6, which may end up being the hottest day of the year throughout the Bay Area. Fortunately, I got going at 7:45am, and was done with the hardest climbing by 9:15. I would have finished […]

Weekend Ride: Chileno Valley and Marshall-Petaluma Road

Posted by on Aug 31, 2020 in Cycling, Ride Report | No Comments

Seeking to escape the smoke last weekend, I drove out to Helen Putnam Park near Petaluma. Sadly/humorously, there were two other parties there talking to each other—both from Oakland, seeking to escape the terrible smoke. Being a new parent means I have limited ride time these days. When I negotiated a few hours earlier this month, […]

The “California City” podcast, and what I saw in 2005

Posted by on Aug 12, 2020 in California City, Journalism | No Comments

A few weeks ago, a friend texted me a link to a podcast called “California City” that came up as a suggestion for him in his podcast app. Was this the same California City, he asked, that I had visited and reported on, had breathlessly told him about? Of course, it was. I was an intern […]

Ride Review: Peachy Canyon in Paso Robles

Posted by on Apr 15, 2019 in Cycling | No Comments

I learned about Peachy Canyon from Bestrides, and rode it last weekend (April 7, 2019). Very nice ride, with a fantastic descent on the west side of the road. We rode it on a Sunday that had perfect weather, and there wasn’t much traffic, despite the fact that there are several wineries on the road. I […]

SF Muni Pass from 1970

Posted by on Jul 22, 2018 in Miscellany | No Comments

I bought an old copy of “The Sun Also Rises” at the SF Public Library sidewalk sale. Tucked inside the front flap, I found an SF Municipal Railway pass from 1970 (or perhaps 1971). Since I’ve long used transit passes as bookmarks, I feel a connection with the previous owner of this tome.   It […]