Gawker: valleywag, kpcb

Eric Schmidt and wife Wendy seen in Valleywag Green #61b335

Jackson West — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:00:00 EDT

Last week's opening gala for the new Renzo Piano-designed California Academy of Sciences building in Golden Gate Park was graced by Google CEO Eric Schmidt actually with wife Wendy Schmidt and Shawn Byers with Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers VC hubby Brook Byers. The Byers even had accessories crafted from the San Francisco Chronicle's funny pages. Care to craft a better headline? Leave it in the comments and we'll judge the entries harshly, promise. Yesterday "BoothRank == 0" from Athletic Supporter v0.42beta evaluated to true. (Photo by Catherine Bigelow/7x7)

Al Gore's Twitter account still a secret

Jackson West — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 10:00:00 EDT

So Al Gore, who cofounded Current TV, promised to have a Twitter account by Saturday. It's Monday, and the algore and albertgore account don't look anything like they're being maintained by the former American vice president and current free marketeer. If you find him under shouldawon00 or some other catchy handle, do let us know. I couldn't find anything from his wife Tipper, either — tipper is a Twitter bot for calculating tips, and tippergore doesn't exist. And it's for shame. Because how fun would it be if they really embraced the medium, instead of just showing up to press the flesh at staged events? Below, pure speculation as to what we all have to look forward to.

Used superyacht for sale in San Francisco Bay

Jackson West — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:20:00 EDT

The world's largest sailing vessel, the Maltese Falcon, will be visiting San Francisco Bay. It's owned by Tom Perkins — "Perkins" as in "Kleiner Perkins," the venture-capital firm he helped found — and cost around $130 million to build. However, Perkins has been trying to sell the thing with a price tag of $233 million. With a financial crisis on Wall Street and the economy getting flushed down the head, parading a 289-foot tribute to "vulgar ostentation" feels a bit like a thumb in the eye to the average American right now. There is a way Perkins could redeem himself.

Two words: Homeless shelter. With homeowners failing to make mortgage payments, and the Bay Area known for a seemingly intractable homeless problem, the Falcon could provide part of the solution. And Perkins has admitted to being embarrassed by its expense. After all, it shares a name with a book by noted socialist (and alcoholic) Dashiell Hammett. The onboard "hotel" only accommodates twelve guests, so it would only be a symbolic gesture — at least 5,000 homeless live in San Francisco alone. But as it stands, it's a symbol of unrepentant greed, which at the moment is about as trendy as mortgage-backed securities. (Photo by AP/Lionel Cironneau)