Michio Kaku, theoretical physicist and author of Hyperspace, talks about the different types of civilizations. He mentions that we’re not even on the scale with regards to the different types, since we have not yet harnessed the entire energy of our planet.

He also states that we’re in the most crucial part of human history, since we are currently making the transition between a Type 0 and Type 1 civilization, which is the hardest transition for a civilization. He claims that within about 100 years, we’ll be able to make this transition, and thus control the Earth.

I tend to disagree with this — I believe that it’s going to take us a bit longer, perhaps 500 to 1000 years before we attain Type 1 status. We just have too many problems with nuclear proliferation, poverty, and worldwide unity.

I created my first Facebook application: Mood. You can now alert your friends of your mood. Add it and tell me what you think.

The overall experience wasn’t too bad. Facebook really opened up their API in a deep way. You can access almost everything that internal Facebook developers can.

I just submitted to the application directory — we’ll see how it goes.

Yes, you too can close bags of chips without a clip. Now, I can finally go buy chips again, since I hate closing bags!

Coke is buying Glaceau, the makers of Vitamin Water, for around $4 billion cash. And so Coke ungulfs yet another beverage on the supermarket shelves. Most people are shocked when they learn how many products are actually owned by Coke.

Recently, I’ve been getting into Vitamin Water. It’s marketed as pure water with vitamins. Sounds pretty good for a health conscious urbanite doesn’t it? The problem is that there’s controversy over how healthy it really is, since each 20oz container can contain up to 200 calories and 30g of sugar.

I don’t expect it to get any healthier once Coke is involved.

Google recently launched Street View for Google Maps, which integrates a street level view into the map. You can view some of the streets in San Francisco (click street view in the upper right hand modes).

The technology, which was an acquisition from Stanford, allows you to virtually drive down city streets. They apply blurs and 3D mapping to the images that makes for a seamless and smooth navigating experience.

Currently, they have good coverage of San Francisco, including most of the major streets in the entire SOMA district. This brings us one step closer to being able to virtually walk down any street in the US without the computer.

Now, if only they had a real time view so that I could figure out where all the empty parking spaces are next to my apartment before leaving work.

We fought the traffic up Highway 1 this past Saturday to grill some oysters at the Tomales Bay Oyster Company. Armed with our cooler, breads, cheeses, and various other condiments, we set to work on shucking 50 oysters in the cool breeze. It was my first time shucking, so, after a bit of practice, I got the hang of it.

The Oyster Company was pretty accomadating. They provide a BBQ area and picnic table, oysters at less than $1 per piece, and various condiments for sale. Being that it’s Memorial Day weekend, the place was packed with people. Oysters sandwiches with brie and roasted red peppers are delicious.

Afterwards, it was off to a secluded beach in Tomales bay for a relaxing afternoon of skipping rocks.

Yesterday night was the first NewTeeVee Pier Screenings, which was organized by the beautiful Joey Wan. I got the chance to cover it as the official GigaOM photographer. The night turned out to be fabulous, and I got a lot of great shots in, including some long exposure photos like the one above. You can also view the whole set on Flickr.

Since this was my first semi-professional gig, I decided to rent some good equipment. I got the Canon 85mm f1.2, 35mm f1.4, and 580EX flash. The 85mm was unbelievably sharp and fast. I’ve read so much about this lens before, but it’s a whole other world when you get your hands on it. I was able to get shots that were previously impossible. The 35mm is a favorite among the photography socialites Lane Hartwell, Scott Beale, and Thomas Hawk. It’s a great walk around event lens that is both wide and fast.

In the end, I really enjoyed shooting the event. Since it was outdoors and unlit, the venue presented a unique lighting challenge. It was especially difficult to get large group shots in such a dark environment. I ended up doing some long exposures (one of my favorite techniques), which came out reasonably well.

Let me know what you think. And also, if anyone needs photography done for an event, send me a line at “jamesjacobyu (at) gmail (dot) com”.

Stumbled upon an awesome remix of William Shatner and Conan O’Brien, which uses an interview and Shatner yelling in a car. Unlike a lot of other remixes that tend to get annoying within the first few measures, this is spot on.

After my brief post about HappyCampr ripping off Truemors yesterday, the people at HappyCampr replied saying

First and foremost thank u for highlighting that Happycampr is a ripped off from Truemors as mention in ur blog and truemors website.

Second do sharing ur secrets with others is the same as spreading rumors/news/gossips? Happycampr is about sharing of secrets be it ur secret place or hangouts. Does that means rumors=secrets ? What is ur definition?

[…] I did a mock up long before i got to know truemors.

So if what he’s saying is true, maybe Guy ripped off HappyCampr?

I feel like the whole rumor mill mixed with the Digg paradigm is a bit overplayed in general. Digg is clearly the market leader in social news, and, there’s nothing stopping them from adding a rumors section. Even if they don’t, rumors surface all the time in the form of blog posts that are pushed out to the front page of Digg.

Yesterday, Joel and I were out again scavenging for food in the SOMA. As usual, it’s hard to find a restaurants that we’re not tired of yet. And please, don’t even let me go into how often we’ve head to OSHA on 2nd street, desperate for something to eat after a long networking event offering stale-tasting finger foods.

This time, we decided to head up to Union Square. Finally, after some deliberation, we entered a touristy Italian place for a satisfactory meal. I ordered the Sauvignon Blanc, a white wine. Bad idea.

The wine that was served to me was the worst glass of Sauvignon Blanc (or any other wine) that I’ve ever had. Let me talk you through the wonders of how bad this was.

Sauvignon Blanc is supposed to hit you hard. Crisp. Clean. Acidic. These are the words that should pop into your mind as the wine first hits your mouth. When this particular wine hit my mouth, I thought the waiter had mistakenly given me water. Flat. Tasteless. Insipid.

After the SB hits you, there should be a development of floral flavors as the wine develops in your mouth. A nice finish should end the tasting. However, after the tasteless beginning that my wine had yesterday, it began to develop a little and then whimpered and died. It was the most pathetic excuse for a SB, like a sedated rendition of Beethoven’s Fifth. The interpretation of the grape left a sour taste in my mouth.

I’ll never order wine in Union Square again.