Brian Frank's Space

Valentine's Dinner

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:19:26 -0800

Tonight we eschewed the ritual of the over-priced, underwhelming dinner out on Valentine's Day and opted to stay at home, cook dinner and dine by candlelight.

The menu (and photos) are as follows ...

- Tartine Walnut Bread & Pecorino cheese wrapped in Walnut Leaves

- Baby Spinach Salad with Blood Orange Segments, Avocado & Blood Orange Vinaigrette

- Seared Scallops over an Asparagus Purée with Meyer Lemon Beurre Blanc

- Sea Bass in Parchment with Scallions, Ginger & Sake marinade, side of Asparagus tips

- Box of Chocolates (courtesy of Postmates)

Couldn't have imagined a better Valentine's dinner with my honey!

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Liked the "Idea" of the Kindle Fire

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:24:00 -0800

As Sandra gets ready to return her Kindle Fire after using it for 2 months, I was reflecting on the proposition of such a device and if the satisfies the expectation of a "tablet for all".

The price was the biggest "feature"

A tablet device capable of web browsing, watching online video & checking email for $200? Yes, please!

One month of Amazon Prime with the device is genius, but flawed

Right around Christmas, we would get free shipping on all our gifts, so it made having the Fire a great for just that month totally worth it to get the Prime benefits.

However, Prime for video primarily relies on streaming for video delivery, so we still had to go out of our way to pay for first run movies to download for offline use.

The big hurdle to overcome is the platform

If you've ever touched an iPad, the flaws in the customized Android operating system are front-and-center.

Battery life was dismal

Where Amazon really excelled was on the battery life for the Kindle ebook readers. Just wish they would have brought some of that know-how to the Fire.

We were charging the device each day, and would barely keep a charge for an extended usage period.

So, while I'm rooting for the Kindle Fire to become a market-mover for the tablet industry (and sales figures show it will be), I'm still expecting the device to live up to our high expectations for a tablet experience.

Thanks, Apple. You've ruined all other tablets for us, for now. ;)

(Full Disclosure: I'm an Apple stock holder and believe passionately about investing in great Product Design)

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Homemade Immersion Circulator

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:39:44 -0800

See the full gallery on Posterous

After 2 & 1/2 months of having the parts sitting around my apartment, I finally was able to buckle down and build a DIY immersion circulator for sous vide cooking.

Thankful, a friend who's an urgent care doc wanted to build one with me. At least I'd have treatment available if I burned or electrocuted myself. And I did do the former.

We bypassed one of the hardest parts, bending a J-curve into 1/4" acrylic, by having it done at TAP plastic. So, we started with cutting out holes for the electronics in a plastic box. Never having used a dremel before, this take some getting used to. They may not have been the most beautiful cuts, but they got the job done.

Next we stripped tons of wires and soldered connections to power, a relay, the temperature controller & the power switch.

I finally finished all the wiring at home later in the evening, but wasn't sure if a) all the connections were solid or b) I had even hooked them up right.

So the moment of truth came as I filled a bucket of water and submerged the heating elements, water pump & temp sensor for the first time.

I plugged it it, and watched as the temperature controller flashed to life! It cycled through its warm up routine and, magically, registered the water temp, a cool 56 degrees. The water pump was also running and circulating the water, as it should.

Like a proud parent watching his child take its first steps, my eyes were transfixed on the readout. I wondered How long would it take to warm up 1 degree? So, I sat there for what seemed like 5-7 minutes watching the temp climb by one tenth of a degree at a time.

When it hit 57.1 degrees, I turned it off and called it a success!

Now all I have left is to waterproof it and run it for 24 hours to see if it can get up to the programmed temp setting and hold that temp for a continuous period of time. Wish me luck!

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Social Media New Year's Resolution 2012 - What's your resolution?

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:41:00 -0800

via 2012socialmediaresolutions.com

Last year was the year of "oversharing" on Social Media. Let's make this year about Smarter Sharing to the right people in your life.

Whether your a celebrity (ahem, @Aplusk), a politician (lay off the Tweets Congressman Weiner) or just the average Joe, not everything needs to be shared to everyone.

In fact, you score more points in my book if you talk to me directly about things that matter to me. That goes for public figures, but more so for my close friends, family & co-workers.

So, with the New Year, lets all resolve to share status updates, life experiences and special memories with the people that matter most.

And, in the vein of 2012 Social Media New Year's Resolutions, I'll also offer up mine ...

"I resolve to take and share more pictures of the important people in my life than food. More #peoplespotting, and less #foodspotting."

Please check out http://www.2012socialmediaresolutions.com and make your own 2012 Social Media New Year's Resolution!

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Dinner @ Ikko

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 07:03:45 -0800

See the full gallery on Posterous

After driving 6+ hours to LA from SF, our little reward was a great, modern Japanese meal, complete with super-fresh sushi, at Ikko in Orange County.

The highlights were the scallop mousse in a fried potato "cannoli" topped with a raw scallop and a chawamushi with uni and black truffle.

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Hearts popping up all over the Mission

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 09:07:00 -0800

Permalink | Leave a comment »

It's a Christmas / Festivus / Hannukah miracle!

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 08:29:59 -0800

It's been a busy month.

I started a new job, the girlfriend was still traveling to Minnesota & we had the typical holiday "craziness" with buying presents and making travel plans.

We didn't consider we'd be home long enough throughout the week to warrant a Christmas tree, so we sadly passed on buying one this year.

But, lo, our wishes for a small tree of our own was magically granted.

It was simply sitting on the corner of our street a couple days ago with this sign: "Free. Merry Christmas."

I lugged it upstairs and quickly decorated it before the little woman came home last night.

Yay, it's a Christmas / Festivus / Hannukah miracle!

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Sausage Making w/ Brett & Jason

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 11:12:00 -0800

via sunset.com

Congrats to Mr. Wittman & Mr. Marwedel on the spread in Sunset Magazine, January 2011 edition.

I've been to the Chorizo competition with these boys, and its a blast. Tons of great sausages, plenty of other Basque foods & lots of beer. Couldn't get much better.

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Interview: Cornell’s Dean Huttenlocher, On Expanding Into NYC And Building A Tech Ecosystem | TechCrunch

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 21:40:00 -0800

via techcrunch.com

Congrats to Cornell & (my former advisor) Dean Huttenlocher on the new NYC Tech Center expansion!

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Heretic Brewing Pint Night

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:07:00 -0800

If you missed the Heretic Brewery tour last month you’re in luck, Amsterdam Café and Bay Area Beer Socials are bringing Heretic to you!

Here is your chance to taste beers from one of the best up and coming breweries in California. Amsterdam Café’s pint night will be one of the few, possibly only place in San Francisco you will be able to get Heretic on tap.

The beers will be $5 to $6 a pint, a list is below. Even better the brewer will be joining us to answer any questions you may have about the beer.

This is going to be a great event; we hope to see you all there!

Beers on Tap:

Tafelbully- is a Belgian-inspired table beer based on a recipe from our friend Matt Staley. Tafelbully is the bully of the other table beers, pushing them around with its citrusy dry hopping, Belgian yeast spiciness, and a refreshing Brettanomyces finish. Even though it is a bit bolder than most, this is still a session beer. It features a delicate malt character from the European pilsner and specialty malts and judicious dry hopping with citrusy Sorachi and Amarillo to compliment the gentle fruitiness and delicate phenols of the Belgian and Brettanomyces yeasts.

Evil Twin- This blood-red ale may not be what you might expect from a malty and hoppy craft beer. Evil Twin has a rich malt character, without being overly sweet. It has a huge hop character, without being overly bitter. It is a great example of a bold, rich, balanced craft beer, without being heavy and hard to drink in quantity. Our Evil Twin is only bad because it is too good to resist.

Evil Cousin- Evil Cousin is Heretic's take on a West coast imperial IPA. This beer is a bold, in-your-face hop monster. It has a light, easy drinking malt character that allows the hops to stand out. The hop character in this beer is intentionally on the dank side; big, sticky, and aggressive. This beer is for those of you who can't get enough hops. Join us on the dank side.

via meetup.com

Lots of my Beer Nerd friends have been talking up Heretic, so very excited to check out their brews at the Amsterdam Cafe tonight.

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Posterous Space Gingerbread Cookie

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 22:32:13 -0800

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Twitter / @b_frank: Posterous launches Embedda ...

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 11:25:00 -0800

Posterous launches Embeddable Tweets w/ Twitter - blog.posterous.com/introducing-em… - announcing it myself with an embedded tweet! :)
— Brian Frank (@b_frank) December8, 2011

via twitter.com

Now I can post full-fledged Tweets in-line to my Posterous Space!

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Google Circles and Path 2.0: How good UI design cannot fix a broken solution

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 09:27:00 -0800

via elezea.com

This article encapsulates my same thoughts about Google+ & Path. The UI for both break from the norm, and they're slick, but they still lack the everyday "need" I'm searching for to Share with my communities.

Permalink | Leave a comment »

Parts for Homemade Immersion Circulator ( - two still yet to arrive )

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 08:07:58 -0800

Taken at The Mission District

Permalink | Leave a comment »

The Sharing Revolution

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 00:01:00 -0800

“You are forgiven for your happiness and your successes only if you generously consent to share them.” ― Albert Camus

There's something amusingly recursive of me to share the news of my new role as Chief Product Officer of Posterous, on my new Posterous Space, sharing my thoughts on the future of Sharing.

I'm incredibly excited about joining the amazing team at Posterous, and the chance to work with them to improve their powerful yet elegant online sharing service.

This opportunity also affords me the ability to contribute to a revolution; a revolution that will forever alter our personal and professional lives. It will change the course of business, and bring people closer across the great divides of time and space. Its possibly the BIGGEST innovation to happen for our society since the advent of the Internet.

I speak, of course, about Sharing. Simply sharing.

Sharing the moments that matter. Sharing the power of our words, which can move mountains. Sharing the images that makes time stop, just for that moment, so we can all savor it. Sharing the kaledescope of visuals that emenate from our individual experiences, putting them into a social consciousness or just archiving them in a digital shoebox for our own reflection.

The foundation of this revolution owes much to the efforts of the smart folks at Google, Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter, along with many other companies before them. They have laid the foundation for our social networks and ability to seamlessly share our lives, in text, images and videos, with the world.

However, there's a problem.

I share everything. Where I'm eating, my travel schedule & almost every snapshot I take with my iPhone.

Its truly an addiction. And all the services out there to broadcast your every action feed that addiction.

It became clear one day when one of my friends said, "I really DON'T CARE that you're 'doing your laundry'."

Was I in the wrong to share everything? Were they at fault for being my friend?

Of course not. The tools I had to use for sharing were "coarse" and ill-equiped to let me share in the ways that I do in real-life: in 1-1 interactions, 1-several communications & 1-many broadcasts.

Maybe my signficant other needed to know I was doing laundry, so she could ask me to throw in the bathroom towels, but heaven forbid, not everyone needs to know!

I came to realize it's all about context and community.

Let me elaborate. My hope is to start a discussion on how we can build better Sharing Services. So, to that end, here's the cases for Sharing I experience on a daily basis ...

Share with Everyone

We all have aspects of our lives that can serve to enrich or influence others (context), and

we choose to share them with the World (community).
They can appear in major publications, like the Wall Street Journal, or on our own, personal sites like this one.
And whether its a business or an individual, they strive to the right audience for their messages, and make sure people are engaged in the global discourse.
Share with your Family & Friends
However, there are certain types of content or life-alterating occassions (context) that are meant to be shared with those who you share a special bond (community). These are private vacations, your wedding, the births of your children and the organization of family reunions, just to name a few situations.
They have little to do with the world-at-large, but have incredible meaning to a select group in your life.
Share with your Work Colleagues
And there is the daily digital conversations that go on at work (context), between colleagues attempting to reach a shared goal (community).
With any company, there's a concern about access & privacy around sensitive information. And often in these situations, there's roles (such as a project leader) that need to maintained to create order in the chaos of everyday business operations.
Share with your Future Self

Finally, there's the need to capture your thoughts and moments in time (context) through images or video to share with, for lack of a better term, your "future self" (community).
These are the journals or shoeboxes we all keep to store life's big, and little, adventures. There are thousands of moments over a lifetime, and technology can help us archive and search through these memories.
Whether you choose to keep these to yourself in the museum of your experiences, or share them with your grandkids, embellishing them with epic tales, they are yours and yours alone.

For many of the above use cases, save maybe situation 4, its also important to remember the Sharing needs to be Symetrical & Collaborative.

We don't just share to someone, and expect them not to participate. This is the basis of Symetrical Sharing, or a way to share where people are aware of the context for the sharing and they can participate equally in the conversation around the shared content. Symetrical Sharing does not exist where one creates a Group or list of "blind" participants that cannot see the makeup or function of the group (i.e. - private mailing lists or personal Groups). The other participant must be aware of the space they are engaged in, and have the ability to contribute in the same way to the emerging dialog around the shared content.

This brings us to our next mode of Sharing, Collaborative Sharing, where all users should have the ability to contribute to the discussion in meaningful ways. Users should be able to share content, comment and vote up/down the postings of the community. Ideally, this is also done in a device agnostic manner (i.e. - access or share from web browser, email, mobile device, TV, etc.), so that Sharing is democratized too.

For all these use cases & modes of sharing, I believe Posterous Spaces can become the best way to share knowledge and experiences with the diverse communities in your life. Hence, my excitement to be part of this Sharing revolution with the Posterous team.

Want to learn more about the market demand for Private Sharing? See the interesting research results from Harris Interactive here:

You're in control with Posterous Spaces

Permalink | Leave a comment »