Popagandhi

Spent some time changing up this site's look and feel. Can you guess what inspired me?

This new year, we were snug and cozy, as we have been for a number of years. Still the best way to ring in the year.

It's the season for catching up with old friends. This past week, I've spoken to lots of people I've known from a long time ago, from all over the world. Good times. I miss you all.

I started doing a pretty fun thing I call Penne Pals. The idea is I want to talk to anyone, anywhere, as long as they're not trying to sell me something. I put up a cal link and people book time. There are some rules, of course. No agendas, and no MLM / religion / startups. I've probably talked to hundreds of people I don't know this way, and learned so much.

For the past year, I've been working on AI red teams and evals. It's been rewarding work, and I am so energized by new clarity on some very specific areas of investigation that I'd like to follow. We even have a website! It was great to see all the things I've done in this space, on one page.

I am working on a new website to feature my marine and nature photography and writing. It's also a way for me to learn 11ty's new features.

In April 2025, I gave a talk at North Bay Python just outside Petaluma, CA. I talked about my experience leaving 'tech' for 'fin tech' (at the Monterey Bay Aquarium). Blog post here.

I was asked to speak about my experience with my many intersectional identities, at a work all-staff meeting. Post and slides here.

I was lucky to have been able to spend the last 9 months working on various aspects of AI ethics, red team work and research. This is a core area of my academic and professional interest at the moment. I don't write about that much but this newsletter post captures more relevant information about what I got up to in this space.

Sabrena's family visited from France. We spent a lot of time together but I was especially proud to be able to plan a whale watching trip and aquarium visit with them.

Here in Monterey and San Francisco, we are in a foggy and cold-ish time of the year. It is not unexpected (this happens every year!) but it feels especially relevant given that we are now officially unable to leave this country due to something known as 'adjustment of status'. This is usually a thing that bodes well because it means we are one step closer to some degree of 'stability' (with regards to 'immigration'). But at this point, everything feels meh. I am relieved, but I am also feeling all kinds of meh.

I got a Polaroid SX-70 and that's unleashed a new passion for Polaroid instant film. I've been shooting instant film with Instax film, but Polaroid is a whole other beast. Far more finicky, but I also enjoy the experience.

My parents came to visit me. We went to Monterey, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle. It was lovely showing them my part of the world. They were already very familiar with San Francisco, but got to see these other cities this time. We traveled by Amtrak, coach (Flixbus), plane (Alaska Air out of Burbank, best way to arrive in / leave Los Angeles), and caught a ride with friends (Monterey to Los Angeles). We ate well, saw waterfalls, saw friends. It was a lovely way to spend a month.

After 4 months going to and from Monterey (by shuttle), I've grown quite comfortable with the commute and life there. I have favorite spots (Ho Wah! Barba azul! First Oriental Market!), friends, and more. I like it.

This is a jumbo sized update, because lots of things have happened.

I work at an aquarium now!

I started a ridiculously cool gig at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where I am building their first product management team. There's a lot to do, the people are wonderful, the animals are fun, the environment is delightful. I've been keeping track of some of the things that give me joy here (text-only Mastodon thread) and here (photos mostly). If I may say so myself, the photos are lovely.

I spend half my week out there, which I honestly don't mind. I go to the aquarium any time I want (which is, all the time). I am surrounded by marine puns all day.

It's funny this happened, because back in May I started listening to marine biology and deep sea ocean research podcasts whenever I was running. I thought, 'wonder if there are any cool jobs at the Monterey Bay Aquarium for me?' Turns out, they did.

Kismet.

Cookie, the love of my life, passed on in June 2024. She was 14 years and 8 months. This Mastodon thread celebrates my life with her. In time, I may want to publish a little memorial photo book.

My wife, Sabrena, graduated summa cum laude from SF State University in psychology! Back to work for her though, as she also started her Masters in Clinical Psychology shortly after. I am incredibly proud of her. What an achievement

More to come, hopefully I'll update these pages more frequently!

I am writing a book! "Product for the People: A Guide to Building Mission-Driven Digital Services in Government and Nonprofit Organizations"

Too often, many product management books are about maximizing profit. Well, that's important, but people are important too. So I'm writing a book about that. More details soon!

My presentation was on, '11ty for 'non-devs'. While rebuilding this site in 11ty, I fell in love with building for the web again. So many things about 11ty just make sense to me. I truly believe that people who are technical-adjacent, but not web devs, can probably have fun with 11ty too. My talk was about my personal journey, why I think 11ty is the right tool for these folks, and why it's important to make building on the web fun again. (View the YouTube video here)

Did I mention that I absolutely love LA? I didn't expect to. I don't like cars. But, I love the people, the food, the neighborhoods. I had a wonderful time in East La and then in Sawtelle. More on that in a bit. I even said on Mastodon 'I like the food scene in LA as much as I like Bangkok's', which is no small feat.

I am still developing them.

With honors. I am so proud of her. Next stop: grad school.

Also a few life events that still feel too new to talk about, but I will, soon.