toad in silicon valley

so i kinda like it here in the bay: it oozes variety, vibe, food, and culture. i love how little italy is across the street from chinatown (coffee and cake followed by yum cha?), and that even though the public transport is quite efficient and effective, bikes zip in and out of traffic. riders are duly respected: there is ample bike parking around the place, on buses, and on the trains. the people are just so friendly it throws me off a little, from the bus/tram drivers to shop assistants and locals on the street. i'm not used to courtesy.

off to silicon valley today to see what the mothership is up to, and on the morning commute in, you can tell that most work in the valley of si: there's a certain look and feel that seems to come hand in hand. after getting lost amongst the sandwiches of tech corp buildings, the mothership looks fun and pretty on the surface; but scratch the epidermis and it might bleed. i ask about the changing culture and it is indeed an growing hierarchy. but perhaps if it's fun enough it won't matter? gadgets and gidgets galore; the (unnervingly) happy people mingle in with the laundry, swimming pool, gym, cafes of free food, volleyball court, and soccer field. as nice as the folks are, it's an insular family. keep them comfortable to keep them in? people walk around with laptops as one would walk a pet dog...

i visit stanford to have a look see and am very impressed with their vibe (love the bikes!), and blown away by a book of > 200 pages of lecture notes on the fourier transform. delivered for a 2nd year subject, i doubt our 4th years could understand the depth of material; some of it is beyond me too. i can see what a difference a good institution can make: it's not just about how smart you are. tertiary education taught properly, combined with the innovative attitude of the folks on the mothership, is really refreshing and uplifting. on the mothership, to be allowed and encouraged to voice random ideas amongst intelligent people without automatically waiting for the 'lack of funding' or 'it's too hard' or 'i don't care' response, was an experience that occurs far too rarely for me. it's far too stagnant at home, intellectually and otherwise. that's extremely clear to me now.

back in the bay, i've been here less than 60 hours and i can hear that i sound different; i might actually be hearing my own accent! i've had to pick up a local accent so the locals can understand what i'm saying. hopefully the accent doesn't stick...