ValleyZen - At the Intersection of Zen, Modern Life and Technology

“It’s not brain surgery—It’s economics,” Meg Whitman recalled the take of her brain surgeon husband, Dr. Griffith Harsh, on California’s budget crisis. With a wry sense of humor, and authentic personal stories, Meg shared her impressive vision for a new California at the MEGa Women Bay Area Launch. Pumping up the audience was Statewide Chairwoman Jillian Manus: “there’s so much estrogen in this room, it could blow off the roof.” A diverse audience of female Silicon Valley influencers cheered when Jillian challenged them to go out and make MEGa Women a million strong…

Who are the most influential women in technology for 2009? You had to be with ValleyZen in the Fairmont San Jose last Thursday to be able not only to see but to experience the answer.

Women have gone a long way in tech, and the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology’s Women of Vision’s Award celebration and dinner presented ample evidence of the distances women have traveled. The event was beautifully emceed by CBS News Anchor, Sydnie Kohara with inspirational opening remarks by Telle Whitney, President & CEO of the Institute. The 2009 Women of Vision Awards honored three women who have made significant contributions to technology through outstanding innovation, leadership, and social Impact.

ValleyZen got full access to these inspirational women and the ambitious event. We interviewed the keynote speaker and the award recipients and spoke to numerous other accomplished women in technology, from…

You already know it all about the fabled “Über Entrepreneur” (as he was billed by the Churchill Club yesterday) Elon Musk. How he dropped out of the graduate program in Physics at Stanford after only two days, how he co-founded PayPal and was the largest shareholder when it sold to EBAY in 2002 for 1.5 billion, and all about his latest accomplishments and adventures with Tesla and SpaceX.

At ValleyZen we like to report on what we don’t know about yet, what’s new, what is in the imaginative space. In a Sumi-e painting that’s like the negative space, the space between brush strokes where all possibilities lie. People in Silicon Valley are comfortable with things that haven’t been defined yet and with what is uncertain. That’s exciting.

Yesterday we met with Elon and…

Fast-paced action and friends took center stage at CookFest 2009 hosted by Wellsphere Co-Founder Ron Gutman and Miri Gutman. Digerati descended on the Gutman home to celebrate Wellsphere’s recent acquisition by Virginia-based HealthCentral with a homey homestyle digerati hoedown. The Zen of Process…It wasn’t a slick East coast styled cocktail party and sitdown dinner (although there were many friendly ex-New Yorkers there). Instead the day began with a communal trip to Whole Foods led by Ron and Miri. Next engineers and product designers alike pitched in to chop vegetables and talk about their startups.

Eight hours later…

As world leaders meet at the G20 London Summit this week, ValleyZen reflects on the following. What if you had the responsibility to resolve simultaneous national and international crises that consisted of and were dependent on resolving a number of diverse smaller crises…

We recently met with Charlie Rose, host of the Charlie Rose Show. Rose was this month’s featured guest for Dick Henning’s Celebrity Forum. While swinging through Silicon Valley, Rose also interviewed some Valley luminaries including Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Twitter Co-Founder Evan Williams and Stanford’s President John Hennessy.

BUT— ValleyZen interviewed Charlie Rose!

Don’t miss this exclusive backstage interview where Rose takes time to chat before addressing one of three sold-out crowds at Flint Center…

Drue has recently completed a portrait of Michelle Obama. We look forward to your responses and reactions. Please view her portrait of the First Lady and read the story behind the portrait…

After his presentation today, Tom Siebel fielded audience questions.
A voice began speaking…

“What are you?” Siebel asked.
“A freshman,” the voice said.
“What are you studying?”
“Still figuring that out.”
“Me too,” said Siebel.

Silicon Valley gets Zen.

In the 80s and 90s, Siebel’s expertise in relational database theory helped him make Siebel Systems a global leader in software. Now he is becoming a Zen beginner—moving away from his domain, IT (Information Technology) into a totally new arena (Energy Technology). Even though Siebel has spent the last three years doing research on energy issues, this is uncharted territory for him. He’s taking a radical departure from his “comfort zones” in order to tackle pressing ecological problems. Siebel gave us a sneak preview of…

It is only February but already Jillian Manus and Alan Salzman have set the bar high for the best parties of 2009 in Silicon Valley. Last night guests arrived to raise money and awareness for the Stanford Cancer Center…

Go all access with us at Tim O’Reilly’s home, as he graciously opens his doors to ValleyZen.

Join us in an exclusive video experience where twisting country backroads lead to the home of the Founder & CEO of O’Reilly Media. ValleyZen was invited to O’Reilly’s Sebastopol dwelling which is nestled on 6 acres of farmland–far from Silicon Valley hustle and bustle, and tucked between California earth and sky.

O’Reilly is candid, open and relaxed, taking us on a tour of his home, his kitchen, and even his treehouse. This video is filled with action, movement, and satori!

The trailer below shows a few minutes of highlights taken from footage shot over the course of an entire morning…