And it’s encouraging to see SF-based companies that are running with this concept. At Rock Health’s demo day this afternoon, incubator company Genomera described the large-scale transition from “n=they” (when people waited for others to be studied for treatment) to “n=we” and “n=me” (when there’s a bias towards participation to improve outcomes). It’s being realized with platforms like SuperBetter from Social Chocolate and Eatery from Massive Health, both of which I’ve just starting trying. What other related services have you excited? Looking forward to hearing.

Blame too much fancy Texas toast at Outerlands, but by the time I walked into General Store in the Outer Sunset I wanted to hire a trailer to cart its new and vintage wares home. A carefully crafted selection of succulents, art books and letterpress cards is something to behold–but still second to the shop’s skateboard ramp-esque indoor structuring and backyard greenhouse. Wooden radios and fringe moccasins indicate that collaborators Serena Mitnik-Miller and Mason St. Peter have great taste, and when their site implores to “come out for a visit!,” I’m inclined to say “how soon?”

As they say,

Mission Cycling is a neighborhood-based cycling club that aims to bring people together through the shared experience of cycling. That sounds so official, doesn’t it? We’re just trying to build a sense of community among our riders and sponsors. I mean, we’re already riding our bikes and frequenting these businesses, so why not bring the two groups together?

After all, it’s not every local adult extracurricular that gets the backing of Self Edge, Ritual, Bespoke, and other establishments of note (and with good reason).

SF: Do you consider yourself a writer, spiritualist or surfer first? And at what point did you recognize the overlap between the three?
JL: They’re all sort of part of the same program for me so I wouldn’t say one is at the top. I define the spiritual path as any that leads to real freedom and contentment, and writing and surfing have both been tools for me in that search, just like meditation has, just like art, travel, relationships, etc. I see everyone as on that path – whether they use the term “spiritual” or not – and everyone has their own tools and rituals they use along the way.

Writing and surfing have been great tools for me probably because of the family I grew up in – mom, big reader; dad, a surfer – but I try to keep myself from identifying too much with any one of them as a hard label that defines me. I’m just a human with interests, and those interests have formed some quirky personality I call Jaimal Yogis, a story, but that story isn’t all that I am.

What were your thoughts upon winning the New Face of SF Media award, and what does it mean for the future of your work?
I still can’t believe I won. I looked at the list of nominees and really thought I didn’t stand a chance. I also thought some of them were probably more deserving of the title “New Face of SF Media” than I was. I looked at nominees like Markos of the Dailykos or Brock Keeling of SFist and thought, well, they’re more involved in the online world and probably will be more formative in guiding what the people of San Francisco look at on a daily basis in the future. I’ve focused much less on blogging than I have on long form journalism and books. But after winning, I realized that the diversity of the formats I work in was probably my greatest strength. My fans could be book readers, blog readers, YouTube watchers, magazine readers – or all three. And I do think that seems to be where journalism is headed–you have to be able to wear different hats.

Knowing that you work with SF Magazine and now The Bold Italic, how do you select which local publishers to partner with in your freelance work? Are there particular types of SF voices you think you deserve more attention?
I have to like the design and style of the publication to want to write for it, but what it has really come down to is human connections. I’ve ended up doing most of my work for San Francisco Magazine because my editors, Bruce Kelley and Nan Weiner, are just so damn talented and such great people. I see that they want to make the city a better place and that inspires me. Plus they let me write. When they do edit me, they make my story better and that’s tough to find.  With the locally-based online pubs I write for, Gizmodo and TBI, it’s the same. I love Brian Lam at Gizmodo and Nicole Grant at The Bold Italic. They also let me write and don’t try to micromanage, and if they do have suggestions, they’re suggestions that help me form my voice rather than trying to impose their own.

How did you find your team of “professional storytellers” for the Saltwater Buddha film?
My friend Roberto Vezzone, a really talented local filmmaker, made a seven minute documentary about my book and put it on YoutTube. A few weeks later, Lara Popyack and Mike Madden, the founders of Nohoch Productions – this awesome company that has been making ocean-based documentary films for decades – saw it and said, that’s the next film we want to make. We all sat down and it felt instantly like family. We knew we were going to make a movie together. From there, new talent like Jim Klar (music), Sam DeWitt (animation), and others kept wanting to join the project even before we have full financial backing. It just keeps snowballing and we’re having a lot of fun.

What impact do you think digital media can have on urging people to preserve their local environment?
From my experience, what digital media really excels at is bringing like-minded individuals together quickly, people who would’ve had a hard time meeting without ending up on a common website or whatever. Historically, that’s how things get done. Out here at Ocean Beach, for example, we have a fundraiser at our local bar, The Riptide, every month where all the surfers get together and watch surf videos.  We all buy $5 raffle tickets and try to win prizes like free surfboards donated by Las Olas Surfboards. In the beginning, it was just a night for local surfers in the neighborhood to raise a few hundred bucks for non-profits like Save the Waves, but now the night is publicized by all sorts of blogs social networks and we’re raising thousands of dollars every month for different non-profits – sometimes educational, sometimes environmental — all by just hanging out, drinking beer, watching surf videos and buying a couple raffle tickets each. The same thing could’ve happened without digital media, but the speed at which these fundraisers ramped up and brought in ocean lovers from all over the Bay Area was really impressive.

What advice do you have for local student writers about getting their work in front of San Franciscans?
Write about what excites you and write in the format that excites you. If you write about something you don’t care about in a voice that isn’t yours, you’ll burn out after a while. Sometimes you have to do that for work in the beginning, but ultimately, if you want to write for magazines, pitch, pitch, pitch and don’t get discouraged by rejection. If you want to write a book, start writing it now, today! If you want to write a blog, get a WordPress site–or whatever–now, today! A lot of writers think they need to jump through a million hoops before they begin, but that’s just another excuse.

Writing is all about having faith in yourself and just sitting down to do it, again and again. The magic happens in the process. Internships and networking are helpful, but when it comes down to it, getting published isn’t about who you know. That’s just a cynical that people use as an excuse to not follow their dreams. It’s about telling a good story and then persevering in getting it out there. Good stories are essential for society. We need them like we need air. And if you’ve lived through your teenage years, you doubtlessly have a bunch of them. So carpe diem. Just do it. There are a million catch phrases, but I can’t stress the “start now” thing enough. Write everyday and do it how you want to. If you’re excited about it, the writing will fuel you.

In staging its the second of its original spring 2010 programs at Yerba Buena, the 10 dancers under Brenda Way’s charge present simultaneously athletic and intentional performances that demanded audience attention. Despite neutral costumes, the playful choreography of “Something about a Nightingale” and the premiering “Labor of Love” is a perfect way to showcase the ability that has helped the company win tests of strength against Cal athletes in recent years. But the keynote of the program, “In the Memory of the Forest,” is most compelling with its video backdrop of dancers interacting in the forest as a live performance of the original score bounces and climbs. The very capable dancers’ imaginative approach reminds me of an observation of e.e. cummings’ poetry: it’s only when you know the rules of the craft well that you can break them.

After creating products for elite athletes and Everest climbers, Kim said he became more passionate about getting everyday individuals outside with friends (and their dogs). “With so many places to be outside in San Francisco, like Golden Gate Park, Dolores Park, Fort Funston and Stern Grove,” Kim said, “it was easy for me to convince my friends to leave their boring jobs and start Alite Designs.”

The resulting offerings include Japanese-style fisherman’s packs and magenta and red Sexy Hotness sleeping bags that can be zipped together (for pals, not those nights after outdoor festivals, por favor). I’m a fan of the prices and the color palette, which feel like a rendezvous between Rainbow Brite and classic L.L.Bean.

(Also, two points to ALITE for using the customer feedback solicitation tools from Get Satisfaction–a good partner for getting started on the eve of the social CRM company’s unveiling of the Facebook Social Engagement Hub.)

The Blog It Forward project, which includes 300 design aficionados discussing their inspiration, is a kind of chain letter in the best way. No middle school students have their feelings hurt, and bloggers partaking in the project link to one another’s work. Ohioan Pretty Shiny Things shared her visual inspiration before me, and today I’ll be followed by the vintage-minded The Sunday Times Market, which I’ve become quickly enamored with while I should have been typing and linking away on this.

In having spent the better part of this week in the Texas state capital for South by Southwest Interactive, interactive whiz kids (and migas) are especially front of mind. I feel fortunate to be learning from especially visionary women designers, communicators and founders, and following Heather Gold’s recent live taping of her podcast episode about acknowledging the effort in making things, I tip my bicycle cap to these inspiring individuals, including:

Alison Covarrubias and Claire Fontana, whose educational Hatch Network design is admirable /// Jen Bekman for demonstrating the potential for art community growth with 20×200 /// Han Pham for her Youth Women Social Entrepreneurs collaboration /// Jamie Panzarella, for giving y’all Ladywood in the next few days /// Miki Johnson, for her visual and thought-provoking liveBooks photo blog contributions /// Tiffany Shlain for sharing her early “Connected” documentary work /// Rebecca Bortman, who I’d love to have perform at a future Ignite Bay Area event with her SF-born band My First Earthquake, for art directing another successful Disposable Film Fest /// Janetti Chon and Stacey Foreman for announcing a great speaker lineup for this summer’s Conversational Marketing Summit /// Lindsay Ronga for bringing the Cork’d wine community to vino drinkers everywhere /// Cara Jones for introducing journalist consortium Storytellers for Good locally this week //// Maria Ly, for bringing activity tracking platform Skimble to SXSW to lots of acclaim when she wasn’t allowing us to tape her climbing at Mission Cliffs time and again /// Kristy Graves and Amy Benziger for helping open the HUB community space in SF in the upcoming weeks /// Sharon Vosmek’s leadership in the Astia network’s expansion to India /// Kennedy School alum Elana Berkowitz’s contribution to the FCC’s broadband plan, which goes before Congress shortly /// High school pal-turned-producer extraordinaire Leah D’Emilio for helping Rocketboom’s programming expand /// Femgineer Poornima Vijayashanker and Liz Wilsie for rigorous prep of their new software for sole proprietors /// Caitlin Bristol, for expanding Ecofabulous’ style and sustainability video offerings while kicking leukemia butt on her bike /// Shauna Causey for leading by @Voluntweetup example /// Gayla Trail, for whom positive “Grow Great Grub” book reviews are well-deserved /// Danae Ringelmann, whose good acquisition news about the IndieGoGo funding platform is well worth celebrating this week /// Project H founder Emily Pilloton for getting the Design Revolution Road Show to kids and adults nationwide /// Rebecca Orlov for exapnding Blog Out Loud live events to Northern and Southern California /// and, of course, Victoria Smith for starting this undertaking and launching her vintage Etsy shop last week.

This is just a sample of the women who inspire your work, and I’d like to open this up to mentions of yours. Have at it!

Since moving to SF almost four years ago and after more post-run ales at Kezar Pub than I count, I’ve wondered what took place inside the stadium across the street. This weekend pals and I found out in the form of co-ed roller derby in which the SF Bay Bombers took on Brooklynites with the encouragement of the adult Cheer SF Squad (see them, I implore you). But after more than a few dramatic over-rail plays, the contest seemed more staged than I expected, and I’m eager to see a competition more along the lines of the athletic and fierce nickname competition Micki Krimmel presented at the first Ignite Bay Area.

In advance of the most recent Skimble iPhone app update, company co-founder Maria Ly talked with Women 2.0 and VidSF about creating the activity tracking platform. She certainly didn’t sit down for the In Conversation series interview at Mission Cliffs, but she did discuss transitioning from a Fortune 500 company to selecting activities for personal tracking, including snowboarding, swimming, running, and yoga. Platform participants note their physical exercise and can share their progress with friends, and it doesn’t take much to understand how the Bay Area with its plethora of weekend warrior has been home to the startup.