Oakland Focus News | Oakland News Online Blog

Let’s face it: flirting, finding love and managing relationships have always been complicated, but with the involvement of countless forms of technology now impacting every little step of the way, the social rules of love and sex have only gotten more confusing. The role of tech in dating is a primary topic in psychotherapy sessions I conduct with young singles in the Bay Area of California- the world’s hub and backbone of tech culture. Part of my role as their clinical psychologist is to help them decode and navigate the emerging social rules of text, online dating and social media to help them achieve fulfilling relationships. I recently spoke with Tech Crunch journalist Sara Buhr , who was investigating dating trends among people immersed in the tech industry. Some of the questioned she asked of me were: How are the norms and expectations different? Are young men in tech less likely to follow traditional social rules of dating? How has the proclivity toward using dating websites ch...

The San Francisco Bay Area Interactive Group or "SF-BIG" asked me to make this video of their "Reach" event held March 20th, 2008 at the St. Regis Hotel in San Francisco. The topic was on what ad firms look for in digital ad talent and what advantage -- if any -- San Francisco has as a center of digital media. The panelists included Melinda Mettler (Academy of Art School of Advertising), Alyson Hyder (Avenue A | Razorfish); Bernie Albers (Federated Media); and David Greenwald, (i2iplacement). In all it was a great event and the breakfast was terrific.

According to the Yahoo! Message Board Oakland District Two Councilmember Pat Kernighan has conducted a poll to gauge resident's views on Ex-Oakland Raider Chester McGlockton's proposal for a new Fatburger to be built at the current Kwik Way site at Lake Park near Lake Merritt. Surprisingly -- and in the face of Kernighan's support of the project -- 70 of 126 in poll voted "no." You can vote with a click on this sentence. Here's a photo of the vote tally as it stands right now. It could change. Here's the text that Kernighan wrote: The Recent History at the Site The Kwik Way property has been owned by the Hahn family for about the past seven years. Three years ago, they proposed leasing it to McDonald's. The community organized massive opposition to the McDonald's, primarily because of the increased traffic and litter it would bring to an already congested area. Over 500 people attended the Oakland Planning Commission to oppose the McDonald...