About ginsudo

ginsudo means “the way of Ginsu” – like jeet kune do means “the way of the intercepting fist” and Tang Soo Do means “the way of the empty hand” – Do is the same word as Tao, which might be more familiar to some. Ah, but what is my way, The Way of Ginsu, you ask? I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain.

Sounds mystical and martial and oriental, doesn’t it? And although I may be all of those things, the truth is, ginsu.com is owned by by the knife guys, so I had to think of something else.

Speaking of the knife guys, “Ginsu” is my actual name, and it’s just a coincidence that the knife’s claims of sharpness and durability echo those of my family clan. 진수 is a somewhat common Korean name, and I was born before the legendary late-night infomercial ever aired. The “G” in my name is a soft “g” as in gin-and-tonic, not a hard “g” as in gimlet. So I don’t ever want to hear from the soft-G knife guys, unless it’s for the sort of accommodating letter they wrote to Miss Ginsu (no relation). All this aside, 진수 in hanja is 晋洙, the name connotes something like “a river of progress” and is meant to encourage a life of steady growth and prosperity through ceaseless turbulence while maintaining clarity and balance.

About this blog: There isn’t much of a consistent theme to this blog, but basically I write for pleasure and for thinking. “If you’re overthinking, write. If you’re underthinking, read.” Many posts select a single page in sequence from The Great Gatsby, noting my favorite phrase or sentence on that page, never more than one sentence. If the page is especially chock full o’ goodness, I may discuss alternatives, but I’ll still pick a favorite. I can’t say I have good reasons for doing this, but I do have some reasons. I’m not sure if I’ll ever finish the project. Do I really want to be borne back ceaselessly into the past?

Other basics about me: Born in Jersey, ran to NYC, spent the last quarter century in California mostly in the SF Bay Area riding the tech waves, with a sojourn into Lake County to run for State Senate in a quixotic desire to not do nothing about it all … now back to tinkering in startups, as it’s the only thing that can be done that might matter. Worked at VLG, Storm Ventures and Airespace, Linden Lab, Bynamite, Google, Honeycomb, and my current work, Gaida Corporation. Random: Experimented with podcasting about technology and policy, because hey we were at peak podcast. After a long and arduous search, in 2006 I identified my favorite bourbon, way before it became rare & precious. (I don’t drink much anymore, don’t send it to me if you find it.) In 2013, I finally went to Burning Man. These events are somehow all related in my mind. “Gene” is a nickname for “Ginsu” – people call me both or either, I don’t have a preference, it’s not any weirder than “Tom” for “Thomas.”

Me elsewhere: I don’t use legacy social networks much anymore, but you can connect with me on LinkedIn.

Last updated: 29 Jan 2025