… Even if you have specific COVID-19 coverage included, apparently. — In June of 2022, I got sick with COVID-19 on a trip to Australia. That really sucked; this was the first time I would be able to see my family for in almost two years, and the two-week trip was significantly impacted by getting sick. Luckily, I had travel insurance…

Over the years, we’ve seen a steady trickle of tech journalists leaping the fence and heading for the VC world. (I was one — I went from TechCrunch to starting my own startup, then joined a VC fund for a couple of years). A number of people don’t seem to…

You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to grow salad, tomatoes, or strawberries hydroponically. Here’s how to do it for less than $150, everything included. — As part of my day job at TechCrunch, I get a surprising number of pitches for companies doing at-home hydroponics systems. They have a few things in common; they typically have a subscription model so they can send you seeds and nutrients. The setups themselves can also be eye-wateringly expensive.

Grief was my teacher for how to grieve. Absence making itself known in my body like a soft, gentle wave of heaviness. That deep, sucking feeling of being pulled under. The struggle that somehow makes it worse, and the acceptance that makes the emotion brighter but pass faster. Grief is…

More and more, I’m getting pitches from PR folks that are marked as ‘draft’. Honestly, as a reporter, I don’t give two craps if it’s a draft or not — if you’re sharing info with me, you’re sharing info with me. — I’ve had a bit of a break from being a tech reporter, and I’ve gotta say — things haven’t gotten better over the last five years. More than once in the last few weeks, I’ve had people share something with me, then tried to withdraw the information. That’s… not how…

Never underestimate the depth of “it works for me.” Humans are complex. We play such a lattice weave of roles for each other, and it shifts at incredible speed. — This happens in all aspects of life, but in particular, with the people you grow closest to. We all live at least two lives. I suspect most of us live orders of magnitude more, but because we intersect with people in specific ways, we’re not able to see it.

Here’s a handy Google Docs template you can use to help have better safer sex talks. Fill it in and share it with would-be partners, or use it as a reminder to yourself when you have the conversation. — As a part of my work in the Human Awareness Institute, both as the organization’s podcast host and as a workshop participant, I’ve done a lot of thinking about consent and safer sex conversations.