MY URBAN KVETCH

What I Learned at Google (on the PICZ Geek Tiyul)

One of the geek highlights of the Geek Tiyul was our visit to Google, which made all of the PresenTense Institute innovators immediately think we were in the wrong business (we could "not be evil" by working at a multi-billion-dollar company with offices everywhere...plus--did I mention--free snacks? Oh, I guess I did.)

At Google's Haifa office, which shares a technology park plaza with companies like Yahooo and Microsoft, we met with Yoelle Maarek, originally from France, who opened the Google Haifa Engineering Center in July 2006, and is now its Director. "I assume you are all Google users," she said matter-of-factly, causing me to reflect on what it must be like to be able to correctly assume that everyone knows your product and is a user. (Personally, I know I would never say "Oh, I assume you all read MyUrbanKvetch.com," unless I were talking to my parents.)

Yoelle gave us a very enthusiastic presentation about what search provides, how Google works, and gave us some advice in terms of our approach to individual and team work. She explained the Google work ethic, which encourages employees to work on their own projects one day a week, noted that the biblical concordance was the ancestor of the contemporary search engine and told us that the Google search autocomplete function was created at Google Haifa. (Makes sense, since Jews have been finishing other people's sentences for years.)

So here are some of those lessons, followed by some of my elaborations/comments. (Plus your scrolling bonus after the jump, videos--not taken by me--that further explain what working at Google is like.)

• "You have to trust in the ecosystem."/"Know who your users are and make them happy." (Google as a company of users rely on their users to tell them what's working and what's not working--through usage, you troubleshoot, mend, and improve the final product. Because really, if the user's not using it, what's the point?)
• "Give trust to people of quality, and you get it back." (Having an idea is one thing, but trusting others to help you achieve your vision is another. By bringing on people who care about the product and have the skills to make things happen, you give them a personal investment in the company or product and empower them to speak in an authentic "we" voice, which creates an atmosphere of mutual commitment.)
• "Be funny and cool, and break the routine--that's part of the culture." (A culture of iconoclasts, against a background of chill humor. I'm in.)
• "We're a company of geeks, we really don't care about money." (Say no more...I shall rescue you, O Google, by removing said troublesome money henceforth and forthwith. No, no--you don't even have to worry about where it's going. I'll take care of it. You're welcome.)

Geek Tiyul: PICZ Goes North

Going on tiyul (trip) to the north is something that Israelis love to do, as they visit beautiful scenery, go on picturesque hikes and dip their city toes into clear, refreshing grottoes. It's a welcome respite from the day-to-day life of work, eat, sleep, start over.

On Monday, a group of intrepid Zionist innovators left their pied a terre in the somewhat-remote Jerusalem neighborhood of Arnona and headed north for a slightly different type of tiyul: infused with the spirit of innovation, the young group of 20-somethings were on a pilgrimage to a different type of holy site, where new ideas find life and search engines reign supreme.

First stop was what I called a "hikelet," a small hike along a nature path that ended at a grotto, where pasty computer-addicted youngsters stripped off as much clothing as they were comfortable and waded into the refreshing waters. After this relaxing start, they took some group pictures and photos of the beautiful scenery, before heading to the first real stop of the day: Tefen Industrial Park's Open Museum, where they visited one of the companies that had been incubated in the park, Savta Jamila's soap company.

Then the group headed slightly south to Haifa, to visit the Golden Temple of Google and pay homage to colorful cafeteria/engineer play rooms, while liquidating the company of its bounty of holy, free snacks and developing a group case of job envy. Even a visit to the bathroom was different at Google: the "Testing on the Toilet" program (no, I'm not making that up) provides specific bathroom reading to employees, posting it on the inside of bathroom stall doors so that no moment is, um, wasted.

Back on the bus, they headed north to Rosh Hanikra, close to the border of Lebanon, visiting the home of a friend of the PresenTense Institute and enjoying a lovely reception and views of the ocean before heading back to Jerusalem.

But pictures are worth a thousand Google searches. (OK, they're not. But you get the point.) And therefore, I present the Geek Tiyul: A day in pictures.

Journeys and Transitions: An April Update

As we welcomed spring with taxes, cleaning, holidays and saying things like "I can't believe it's April already!" I had my eye already trained on summertime--not because it brings vacation during an academic year, or because I'm dying to sit on a beach somewhere. (My skin, in case you haven't noticed, does not tan.) But because I've been invited to participate in several special projects this summer that I think could really make an impact, I've had to make summer plans early. And since I already owed some people an update, I thought I'd share with the class.

April and May will mark a major transition for me: I've decided to leave the singles column at the Jewish Week (most recent column, "Spring Cleaning, Relationship-Style," is here--two more to go). This was an extremely difficult decision--to walk away from something that's been so much a part of my life for four years. It's often been a challenge to be the Lorax for single Jews, but it's always been a privilege. It was good for my ego, becoming the most minor of local Jewlebrities, and alternately encouraged and discouraged me to learn that the challenges I faced were also faced by others.

But it was a challenge for me personally, in my dating life, and when I was otherwise "off the clock," to not become the column. I faced the regular charge of trying to share enough personal insights so that the columns were meaningful, without giving too much (of myself or my emotions) away. I ended up watching reruns of late Season Six episodes of "Sex and the City," watching as Carrie grappled with identity within her column and how she insisted that she was her own entity, apart from the context in which people knew her. And I thought, well...sort of.

But after being seduced by the romance of--and moving her life to--Paris, Carrie was pursued by her past, and sucked back into it. A happy ending, most people thought. But I had always resented her ending--she went back to her old life, her old patterns, even the ones she'd identified as dysfunctional. I was not anxious to stand in her fictional, yet clearly uncomfortable shoes. I'm not entirely done with the subject--I'll keep writing about dating and relationships on JDatersAnonymous, and will likely use the experience in a longer, dare-we-say "book-length", venue someday--but the day-to-day focus of my writing will be elsewhere.

But wait...there's more.

Pesach Video Battle: Moses v. Moses

It's Passover, which means any excuse to make another video that the creators hope will go viral and be the "Lazy Sunday" of the holiday season. "Lazy Seder," if you will. (Why hasn't anyone done that?)

First up is Matt Bar collaborating with Doogree Records on the video for his Moses rap that took shape last year at the PresenTense Institute. (I was there, and heard early versions, and I have to tip my hat to Matt--he's done an amazing job.)

Next is Birthright Israel's entry into the mix, "Get Down With Moses," which has a much higher production value and a cast of thousands. OK, that's an exaggeration, but there's certainly a bunch of people involved.

And your scrolling bonus, still one of my favorite Seder-related clips, Ben Baruch's "Seda Club."

"Haman, What's With the Attitude?"--BibleRaps Video for Purim

Jewish Entrepreneurs, Apply!

Now's your chance to become involved in one of last summer's most innovative, creative Jewish experiences (outside of ROI of course). Join the spirit of creativity and the excitement of a movement at its very beginning: The PresenTense Institute.

Last year's group featured an eclectic group of projects, from the planning of an Israel trip specially designed for aliyah-minded students to a Bible rap project and covering every field, from tech to education, in between. So if you have an idea that needs support in many ways--not solely financial, but engaging in the expertise provided by both peers and industry leaders--do yourself a favor and apply for a PresenTense Institute Fellowship.

The PresenTense Institute is dedicated to enriching the Jewish People and the culture of Jerusalem through the training and equipping of socially-minded pioneers in the fields of hi-tech, education, social action, and the arts. The Institute engages Jewish pioneers on multiple levels, providing fellowship opportunities to entrepreneurs, open-to-the-public lectures on topics affecting the Jewish here and now, and workshops for up-and-coming leaders in the third sector from Israel and around the world. In the summer of 2007, 18 fellows were accepted, 12 projects were launched from across the disciplines, and six projects are seeing early success less than half-a-year since graduation.

Do you have a project you've been dying to launch? Are you a socially-minded pioneer who wants to create value for the Jewish People and the world? Or are you a hacker who wants to spend a summer in Israel at an incubator and bring your project to market? If the answer is yes, consider the PresenTense Institute for pioneers -- a six-week, intensive inter-disciplinary launchpad for socially-minded entrepreneurs running this summer from June 23rd until August 3rd in Jerusalem, bringing together innovators from the fields of hi-tech, business, social action, education and the arts. Read more at www.creativezionism.com and apply today.

And when you apply, tell them you heard about it on My Urban Kvetch. They'll know what you mean.

Boteach, Diamant and Beery Among Top 5 for Brandeis Professorship

I kind of still don't believe it, but my friend and PresenTense Magazine editor/publisher Ariel Beery was named a finalist in the Charles R. Bronfman Visiting Chair in Jewish Communal Innovation competition run by Brandeis University, alongside Anita Diamant (author of "The Red Tent") and Shmuley Boteach (author of everything else). This certainly goes under "Friends Doing Cool Stuff," in addition to a host of other categories. You can read Ariel's proposal, "Translating Judaism for the Post-Digital Age: Creative Zionism and a Renewed Jewish People," here. These additional details are from the JTA.

Applicants were asked to come up with an innovation in Judaism and develop it with proposals for changing the way Jews think about themselves and their community. The winner will receive a visiting professorship at Brandeis and two years to develop the idea into a book that Brandeis will publish. The finalists are Jerusalem Post editorial page editor and columnist Saul Singer; Harvard doctoral candidate Yehuda Kurtzer; author Anita Diamant; Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, the founder of the Jewish Values Network; and Ariel Beery, the publisher of PresenTense magazine. They were selected from 231 applicants, including 49 rabbis and from such countries as Israel, Italy, India, Australia and Sweden. The five will present their proposals Feb. 24 at a symposium for members of the Brandeis community and Boston-area Jewish leaders.

Ariel, together with Aharon Horwitz, also created the PresenTense Institute, which is now also seeking applicants for this upcoming summer. Applications available--in Hebrew and English--here. Kol Hakavod, Ariel! And best of luck with the symposium...

Calling All Jewish Social Entrepreneurs With Great Ideas...

 Those of you who know me off the blog know that I'm involved in lots of projects with friends that deal with fostering Jewish innovation and creativity. As a freelancer, I'm very lucky to be able to float between different projects, like PresenTense Magazine, Birthright Israel, ROI, my blogging, my Jewish Week column, etc. But one of these projects really made an impression on me last summer, due to its spirit of creativity and due to the excitement engendered by a movement at its very beginning: The PresenTense Institute.

Last year's group featured an eclectic group of projects, from the planning of an Israel trip specially designed for aliyah-minded students to a Bible rap project and covering every field, from tech to education, in between. If you have an idea that needs support in many ways--not solely financial, but engaging in the expertise provided by both peers and industry leaders--do yourself a favor and apply for a PresenTense Institute Fellowship.

Do you have a project you've been dying to launch? Are you a socially-minded pioneer who wants to create value for the Jewish People and the world? Or are you a hacker who wants to spend a summer in Israel at an incubator and bring your project to market? If the answer is yes, consider the PresenTense Institute for pioneers -- a six-week, intensive inter-disciplinary launchpad for socially-minded entrepreneurs running this summer from June 23rd until August 3rd in Jerusalem, bringing together  innovators from the fields of hi-tech, business, social action, education and the arts. Read more at www.creativezionism.com and apply today.

The PresenTense Institute is dedicated to enriching the Jewish People and the culture of Jerusalem through the training and equipping of socially-minded pioneers in the fields of hi-tech, education, social action, and the arts. The Institute engages Jewish pioneers on multiple levels, providing fellowship opportunities to entrepreneurs, open-to-the-public lectures on topics affecting the Jewish here and now, and workshops for up-and-coming leaders in the third sector from Israel and around the world. In the summer of 2007, 18 fellows were accepted, 12 projects were launched from across the disciplines, and six projects are seeing early success less than half-a-year since graduation.

And when you apply, tell them you heard about it on My Urban Kvetch. They'll know what you mean.

Jerusalem Graffiti Mystery

The streets of Jerusalem are no strangers to graffiti. Usually the nature of the scrawling is easy to discern: black spray painted letters spelling out the Hebrew equivalent of "Meat=Murder," or the occasional pro-feminist sentiment. But I have to say, it takes it to a whole new level when your friends are transformed into a stencil fit for spray-painting on walls in Jerusalem.

That's right...if those kids in the image at left look familiar, it's because they are the graffiti representations of my friends and PICZ co-founders Ariel Beery and Aharon Horwitz. The tag continues to go up at various sites in Jerusalem--as of press time, it was spotted in Nachlaot and in the town center, with new sites being reported all the time. And by the way, Aharon and Ariel have NO IDEA who's responsible. They've already interrogated the usual suspects: the PICZers who are still remaining in Israel, and select Jerusalem hipsters and have come up with nothing.

I took a class in college that had a section about graffiti tags, and traditionally they were either boastful of the tagger's prowess in creating a public display or a denigration of the work of another tagger (essentially blog flame wars, sprayed on walls instead of on the internet). So naturally, I have questions: is this supposed to be an homage to the two young thinkers? Or is it some sort of viral criticism of their work? All I can do is parse what is there--two Alephs, to signify their initials, and blue on white, to invoke Israel. And that sounds like homage. But since when do people create a tag featuring other people that is a positive endorsement? This would be a great viral promo for the next Creative Zionism institute, scheduled for this summer, if the guys were responsible. But they weren't.

This, my friends, is a Jerusalem graffiti mystery. I deputize you all: find out who is responsible and what their point is. Post your findings and speculations, and we'll solve this one together.

Pondering the Bronfman "Big Idea" Proposals

What's new in Jewish innovation? Glad you asked.

Over at New Jewish Philanthropy, Maya is running a series highlighting big ideas for Jewish communal innovation (a la Charles Bronfman's Brandeis contest). So far, "New Jew," as the site is known, has posted proposals--a few of which have actually also been formally submitted to the Bronfman contest--on "Using the Internet to Fight Anti-Semitism and Anti-Zionism in Higher Education," "The Jewish Community Incubator," "Hebrew Nation: A Jewish Identity in the 21st Century," "Edah: Embracing a New Definition for Am Yisrael," "Covenant for the Jewish Future," “Translating Judaism for the Post-Digital Age: Creative Zionism and a Renewed Jewish People,”and "Renewing the Pioneering Spirit through Jewish Volunteering in the Negev."

Do you have a big idea? Go visit The New Jew and submit it to Maya...

And ten points if you can guess (without using Google or any other search engine) which of the above was submitted by someone I know. (NO CHEATING, PEOPLE. Please. If you cheat, I will know. And because you'll have stolen Fizzy Lifting Drinks, you will get nothing. Zilch. Nada. I said, "Good Day, sir!")