Gawker: valleywag, diana furka

Chadrick loves Diana, and the feeling is mutual

Owen Thomas — Tue, 13 May 2008 19:00:00 EDT

The act that first brought Chadrick Baker, virtual-worlds advocate and lover of love, to our attention was his declaration of romantic fealty to four Valley foxes. Bad news for Sarah Meyers, Amanda Lorenzani, and Sarah Lacy: Baker has found his feelings for Ask.com art director Diana Furka requited. Before declaring their feelings, the two pursued a platonic paternship on a website, Oddistry.com. Good luck, you crazy kids! As for the rest of you, can you think of a better caption for mascot and mate? Suggest one in the comments, and it will become the new headline. Yesterday's winner: "You mean this isn't the Facebook prom?" by dannyisme.

Valleywag mascot touts computerized beaver at Maker Faire

Owen Thomas — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:40:00 EDT

Chadrick Baker, Valleywag's mascot, has been suspiciously silent lately. I'd just started to worry that he'd disappeared into a virtual world once and for all when he popped up to let me know he and Ask.com's Diana Furka had posted a new video on Oddistry.com. Thank goodness! Learn about the compubeaver and the emerging popularity of "steampunk" in this episode. Check out the end, where Furka touts her employer's search engine. As a marketing strategy, it makes slightly more sense than trying to find Jesus.

Chadrick loves helping Diana Furka launch tech blog Oddistry.com

Owen Thomas — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 22:00:24 EDT

Our new Valleywag mascot, Chadrick Baker, first came to our attention by announcing his love for the tech girls of Silicon Valley. Now he's ventured beyond love into selfless devotion. Ask.com art director Diana Furka has launched a new tech-culture videoblog, Oddistry. Baker is helping produce. I asked Baker whether Oddistry.com was anything like JakobandJulia.com, the ill-fated relationship blog of Vimeo founder Jakob Lodwick and reality-TV hopeful Julia Allison.

He and Furka aren't dating, Baker hastened to clarify. "This is different," he IM'd me. "Although, if that'll give her press, we could always do the Jakob and Julia angle." Chadrick, as our mascot, Valleywag does have certain expectations of you. In the clip above, Furka explains the recent bridal extravaganza which got Baker felt up by a hairy man in a dress.

Chadrick loves Southwest calling the cops on him for being a "fuckin' genius"

Owen Thomas — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:40:05 EDT

"I've just been the victim of an attempted undressing by Southwest Airlines," Valleywag mascot Chadrick Baker informs us via his blog. Returning from SXSW, Baker sported a T-shirt he'd borrowed from Ask.com's Diana Furka (shown here modeling it). It announced to the world what Valleywag already knew about our Chadrick: He's a "fuckin' genius." Such a genius that he wore said shirt while flying Southwest back to San Francisco. Come on, Chadrick!

Southwest is the airline which once tried to kick off a Hooters Girl over her miniskirt. A flight attendant told our Chadrick to take off his shirt because Southwest is "a family airline." Apparently a shirtless guy on a plane was deemed less offensive than his T-shirt. Sadly, he covered up with a jacket instead. But his questions about Southwest's clothing policy irked an attendant enough that she had a cop get on board the flight at LAX. He narrowly dodged them by holding his bag in front of him as he got off the plane. Next time, Chadrick, fly United. You're too important to the future of the Internet to go to jail.

(Photos by Chadrick Baker)

Chadrick loves Sarah, Amanda, Diana, and Sarah — and thinks you will, too

Nicholas Carlson — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 20:00:43 EST

If only you people would stop clicking on posts about Julia Allison and Meghan Asha, you would make Metaversatility biz-dev guy Chadrick Baker very happy. "Please, please for all that is good and is right in the world," Baker beseeches us in an email, "please stop reporting on nitwits." Below, the "smart, attractive geeky entrepreneurial type girls" Chadrick thinks we should be writing about instead. Who's your favorite? Vote for her in our poll.

(Photos by b_d_solis, mf_cailloux, Lorena & David, and again, b_d_solis)