Irving Ruan Irving Ruan, Author at The Six Fifty

A Silicon Valley Thanksgiving

The titans of tech talk around the turkey. Let’s hope they don’t consume all the privacy. Illustration by Kaz Palladino Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon all sit together at Thanksgiving dinner. Per annual tradition, they traveled away from Silicon Valley and rented out a cozy Airbnb near a quaint and air-conditioned server farm. INTERIOR: DINING ROOM (APPLE walks in, carrying a giant turkey) APPLE: Dinner’s ready! AMAZON: That looks amazing! (FACEBOOK snaps a photo and updates its status) FACEBOOK: Mind if I tag you guys? (They ignore ...

Citizen Zuckerberg: The Rise and Fall of An Internet Tycoon

Pondering (or perhaps just pandering) the legacy of a legend The year is 2115. Everyone on earth has access to the Internet, Amazon Prime, and their own Etsy store as humanity continues to prosper in a brave new world. At the moment, everyone’s looking forward to the upcoming summer blockbuster, The Fast and the Furious 97: Very Fast But Not That Furious. However, the excitement is drowned out by the unexpected death ...

Dear Bay Area Parents: Your Toddler Is Falling Behind In the Following Ways

We noted several areas for improvement that we think will help Emma reach the board-recommended goal of self-actualization by age seven. Illustration by Shannon Corey/The Six Fifty Dear Mr. and Mrs. Veron, Printed on this Etsy-sourced eggshell stationery is your child’s progress report for today. Overall, Emma Gladstone-Fitzgerald Veron was well-behaved, but we noted several areas for improvement that we think will help Emma reach the board-recommended goal of self-actualization by age seven. Here at Los ...

Pear Theatre’s “Slices” is Silicon Valley art with bite

Memorial Day is upon us. Don’t already have every moment booked up? Then go get tickets to Pear Slices at Mountain View’s Pear Theatre and see this challenging and insightful show before it closes with Sunday night’s final performance. Even if you’re not into theater, you’ll be glad you did. Sorry for the late notice, of course. But hear us out. Pear Slices is a series of short skits showcasing local playwrights and with ...

Improv your life: getting on stage at Silicon Valley’s top improv schools

Photo courtesy of Clara Morgan. “Don’t worry about my pet martian,” I said. “It’s potty-trained.” “From the looks of it, you certainly aren’t,” my scene partner responded. If standing on stage to deliver jokes like this off the cuff sounds like a horrifying experience, then consider improv. Get outside your comfort zone, say whatever comes to mind and meet new friends in the process. You’re guaranteed to make a fool of yourself and remember ...