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— contents —

~ guide :: parts 1 to 8
~ feature story
~ for reference
~ film trailers

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feature story |

publication: the Guardian
story: The quirky hobbies of the tech elite.
deck: From zero gravity to ride + tie.
date: April 2016

read | feature story

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presented by

publication: the Guardian
banner: The world’s leading liberal voice.
web: home ~ channel

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learn more

card :: the Guardian

banner: available for everyone + funded by readers

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feature story |

An introduction.

Long hours, high stress and overwhelming pressure to succeed: the work culture of Silicon Valley is notoriously unforgiving, so it’s not surprising that tech entrepreneurs find creative ways to blow off steam in their spare time.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin, for example, spends time learning flying trapeze, while former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo is an avid beekeeper. From DIY rocketry and zero-gravity flight — through to sonic meditation — many tech execs need more than yoga to claim their ‘me’ time.

And they say it helps them feel more fulfilled, relaxed, and productive at work. But it’s also a revealing insight into what makes them tick. Here — in their own words — 8 entrepreneurs explain their favorite extracurricular activity.

source: the Guardian

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guide | parts 1 to 8

1. Peter Diamandis MD
2. Ray Kurzweil
3. Ivy Ross
4. Bob Lord
5. Godfrey Sullivan
6. Jessica Mah
7. Rip Gerber
8. Steve Jurvetson

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no. 1 |

name: Peter Diamandis MD
day job: t
hobby: text

in his own words …

text

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no. 2 |

name: Ray Kurzweil
day job: Currently a director of engineering at Google, heading-up a team working on machine intelligence.
hobby: His hobby is collecting Alice in Wonderland memorabilia.

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in his own words …

The first piece I collected related to the classic book Alice in Wonderland was a facsimile of a 90 page hand-written manuscript of Alice’s Adventures Under Ground — written by Charles Dodgson, who went by the pen name Lewis Carroll.

The manuscript was written for + inspired by a real-life young girl named Alice Liddell. Later he expanded this story to become Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland — and the book became a world-wide success.

Decades later Miss Liddell needed money and sold the original manuscript.

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I have since collected various original + annotated editions of the book, and some paintings. Alice is emblematic of the imaginative, alternate realities we will create with emerging tech.

Once I was walking at a city fair in San Francisco, California — and I recognised Alice Liddell in a painting by portrait artist Terry Guyer. I was familiar with the photograph of Alice by Charles Dodgson, that Guyer based his painting on. So I bought the painting.

I also have a painting of the book’s character white rabbit — by the famous singer + song-writer Grace Slick. She’s actually a talented artist. She made a collection of whimsical artworks on the theme of Alice in Wonderland.

I also have a hologram of another famous character from the book — the Cheshire cat — who disappears when you move, leaving only his smile.

— Ray Kurzweil

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no. 3 |

name: Ivy Ross

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no. 4 |

name: Bob Lord

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no. 5 |

name: Godfrey Sullivan

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no. 6 |

name: Jessica Mah

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no. 7 |

name: Rip Gerber

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no. 8 |

name: Steve Jurvetson

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for reference

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name: Terry Guyer
bio: painter + sculptor
web: home

note: His award-winning art is feat. in private, public, and museum collections.

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name: Grace Slick
bio: singer + song-writer + artist
web: home ~ portfolio

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group: the Lewis Carroll Society of North America
banner: The life, work, times, and influence of Lewis Carroll.
web: home ~ channel

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boutique: Alice’s Shop
banner: Our shop is full of all manner of curious things.
web: home

note: The historic shop visited by Alice Liddell.

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platform: Wikipedia

profile :: Alice Liddell
profile :: Lewis Carroll
profile :: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
profile :: Through the Looking-Glass
profile :: the Cheshire cat
profile :: the white rabbit
profile :: Grace Slick

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film trailers |

film: Alice in Wonderland
film: Alice through the Looking Glass

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— notes —

DIY = do-it-yourself
CEO = chief executive officer