Who is
this diva?
Xeni Jardin is a technology journalist and co-editor of the Weblog BoingBoing. She hosts events exploring tech culture and contributes to publications including Wired Magazine, Wired News and National Public Radio's Day to Day program.
Xeni lets the world know about the latest technologies and how these devices can help people. She loves to travel and has studied over a dozen languages including Maohi (Tahitian), Quiché and Kakchikel Maya ( Guatemala), Nahuatl (an indigenous language of Mexico), Mandarin Chinese and Yoruba ( Nigeria).
What
do you do at work?
I wake up around 5 a.m., write, go
running and come into the office around 7. I read today's
news on Weblogs and news Web sites, answer email, update
BoingBoing for an hour or so. Then, depending on what
projects are going on that week, I might work on radio
or TV segments or file a story for one of the online
or print publications I contribute to. I also
run an online business with my family that sells hip,
tech-friendly office furniture, so my day always includes
some tech-related tasks for the business.
Somewhere in there is eating and sleeping, but my typical "connected" day—the time I'm paying attention to work matters—lasts more than 12 hours, at least five days a week.
How does your job help other people?
If I'm doing my job well, it will help people understand how technology changes the world around them and their place within it.
Do you work alone or with
a team?
When you're an independent journalist or an I.T. manager for a small business -- I'm a little of both -- you may work alone, but everything you do depends on teamwork. Sometimes that means collaborating with people on the other side of the world, or on the other side of town, but teamwork is essential.
What's
the best part of your job?
I'm my own boss. And, yes, I have fun at work.
What's
the worst part of your job?
I'm a tough boss.
My personal life and my professional life tend to overlap, and it's hard to turn work off. When your job is to always know what the next new thing is, forcing yourself to unplug from the buzz is tough.
It's important to make time for things that aren't about your career— paying attention to friends, family, home, health and giving back to your community.
But the more mobile technology becomes, and the more "always-connected" we become, the more work permeates our lives. Technology was supposed to make our working lives more efficient, but it seems to have just created a 24-hour work day, instead.
Where
do you see yourself in 10 years?
I don't know…hosting wireless Webcasts from Mars, where I'll be raising a family of robot-babies with my future geek husband?
What
do you do when you're not at work?
Let's see. When I'm not at work, you might find me running on trails in the woods, studying dance (currently hip-hop and samba), lifting weights in the gym, taking long walks through L.A. and New York City streets, taking snapshots of city life with my digital camera, checking out art galleries and museums, going out to hear live music or watching cool films with my friends.
I love spending time with my family and our golden retriever, Nicah, who thinks I should spend more time tossing squeaky toys to her in the park and much less time behind my laptop.
What advice would you give
a girl about the I.T. field?
Don't ever let anyone fool you into thinking you don't belong in I.T.. You're smart enough; it's fun and rewarding work; and the tech world needs you.
What
were your hobbies when you were 11-14?
When I was 11 to 14, I was into painting, drawing, writing poetry and songs, singing in bands, making handmade books, writing and publishing fanzines (photocopied amateur magazines about art, music, and the punk rock scene), listening to hardcore punk records (on vinyl), making mix tapes that included scratchin' and mixin' and garage DJ effects, figuring out what clothes were likely to freak my parents out the most, and conducting first-hand research on how many colors I could dye my hair at once. We didn't have blogs when I was eleven, but if we did, all those fanzines would have been blogs.
Describe technology you
wish was available now.
I wish we already had an environmentally-friendly, ultra-efficient, affordable and sustainable system of public transportation for Los Angeles.
I'd use it every day. It would make our city a better place now, and for the generations of living things who follow us.
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