in printfrom | the GuardianThe quirky hobbies of the tech elite

feat. Ray Kurzweil
August 1, 2022


— contents —

~ guide | parts 1 to 8
~ story
~ for reference
~ film trailers


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

read | story

— description —

For Silicon Valley’s successful tech entrepreneurs the world is a playground of creative ways to unwind, and even boost productivity.


presented by

the Guardian | home ~ channel
tag line: The world’s leading liberal voice
banner: available for everyone + funded by readers


the 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


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

no. 1 |

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

in his own words…

text


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.

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.

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.


for reference


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

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


name: Grace Slick
bio: singer + song-writer + artist
web: homeportfolio


the Lewis Carroll Society of North America | home ~ channel
tag line: The life, work, times, and influence of Lewis Carroll.


Alice’s Shop | home
tag line: Our shop is full of all manner of curious things.
banner: The historic shop visit by Alice Liddell.


from: 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


film trailers | Alice in Wonderland + Alice through the Looking Glass


— notes —

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