I come across a lot of startups in my work as a technology journalist, and quite often I can’t tell if they have any shot of making it. I admire the passion, but I know that they face many hurdles, and many will fail. I don’t know if Get Satisfaction, the startup that I profiled […]
Author: Dan Fost
Dan Fost is a freelance writer in the San Francisco Bay Area whose credits include Forbes, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, USA Today and San Francisco magazine. He specializes in technology, but branches out into baseball and other features. Dan’s books, "Giants Baseball Experience" and “Giants Past and Present,” about San Francisco's championship baseball team and its New York antecedents, were published by MVP Books in 2014 and 2010. As a staff writer at the San Francisco Chronicle for nine years, he had a front row seat at the rise and fall of the dotcoms, as well as their resurrection in the form of Web 2.0. In a lengthy career in newspapers, he has covered sports, social ventures, the environment, education, police, business, and politics. He is a native of New Jersey and a graduate of Boston University. He lives in Marin County, Calif., with his wife and son.
Feel better, Om Malik
I’d like to join the chorus wishing for Om Malik‘s speedy recovery. In today’s New York Times, I have a story about how Om suffered a heart attack just after Christmas — and how other A-list bloggers like Paul Kedrosky and Michael Arrington warn how stressful it is to have to constantly update a site. Om was […]
Shed a tear for Dow Jones
I wrote a story in today’s New York Times about how Dow Jones has lost its spot in the Standard & Poor’s 500, getting replaced by GameStop, a shopping mall seller of new and used video games. For Dow Jones, the demotion is but one more sign of the painful move into Rupert Murdoch’s fold. For […]
Fortune, if not fame
A story I wrote about what Rupert Murdoch might do with the San Francisco Web site MarketWatch.com is up today on Fortune.com. Fortune has revamped its Web site, and it looks great. Now, instead of stories appearing to come from CNNMoney, you can tell that they’re by Fortune writers. I hope to contribute more in […]
The virtues, and sins, of editing
As a writer, length has always been important. As a newspaper reporter, I tended to write long stories, trying to cram in every detail I had gathered. As a freelance writer, I’m frequently paid by the word. I love long-form journalism, and am enjoying writing for magazines and dreaming up book projects. Yet I struggle with […]
USA Today: Cash, charge or cell phone?
I’ve got a story in this morning’s USA Today about how cell phones will soon have credit card information stored in a chip, so that you’ll only have to wave it over a scanner in order to pay for something. While all the experts I spoke to said this is a very secure technology, there […]
New York Times: Outsource my chores to India
The New York Times today published a story I wrote about how small businesses and individuals can outsource even mundane tasks to “virtual personal assistants” in India. In reporting the story, I found many people using these affordable services in a variety of creative ways: A woman in New Jersey who works for a health […]
Right and wrong, Giants style
I’m at the ballpark right now, where as my friend Mike Shapiro just put it, it’s a Super Bowl feeling: The commercials are better than the game. In this case, the Giants on the field are playing the pathetic baseball that has them in last place, but between innings, the fans are treated to highlight […]
Bonds away
Tonight is Barry’s last game as a Giant at AT&T Park. I’ll be there. The Road to History signs around the ballpark resonate deeply for me, as everything Barry has done in this decade feels historic, including his departure. I expect he’ll be showered with adulation, and that he’ll give the fans something to remember. […]
Omar, Barry and me
For some, the San Francisco Giants‘ last homestand of 2007 is a sad affair. The team is closing out the season in last place, and many of the players won’t be back. For me, though, I’m having the time of my life. I have an assignment from San Francisco magazine to write a story for […]