Category Archives: personal

in praise of hands-on expertise

Posted on May 17, 2012 by ben

(I don’t usually share personal stories in public fora, but in this case, and with my wife’s permission, I’m making an exception.) “Shoulder Dystocia,” said the Obstetrician, as we neared the end of my wife’s otherwise-routine delivery of our son … Continue reading →

Posted in medical, personal | 3 Comments

BrowserID and me

Posted on September 21, 2011 by ben

A few weeks ago, I became Tech Lead on Identity and User Data at Mozilla. This is an awesome and challenging responsibility, and I’ve been busy. When I took on this new responsibility, BrowserID was already well under way, so … Continue reading →

Posted in identity, personal, web | Leave a comment

my 9.11

Posted on September 11, 2011 by ben

Maybe it’s silly to add yet another story to the list of “where I was on 9/11.” I suffered no direct loss, while some people I know did. Many other world events were far, far more awful. But as I … Continue reading →

Posted in personal | 1 Comment

with freedom comes responsibility: open publishing

Posted on September 5, 2011 by ben

As of a few months ago, I’m no longer on a publish-or-perish academic track. Mozilla gives me the freedom to publish, but no pressure. Coincidentally, the publishing world is at a bit of a crossroads. Some organizations, like USENIX, are … Continue reading →

Posted in personal | 5 Comments

2 months in at Mozilla

Posted on May 31, 2011 by ben

It’s been 2 months since I started at Mozilla. I’m working with fantastically talented and friendly people. I’m enjoying myself tremendously and I’m starting to get a sense of what makes Mozilla different from my previous experiences. Put simply, it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in personal | 1 Comment

benadida@mozilla

Posted on March 7, 2011 by ben

In a few days, I’ll be joining Mozilla. What started as a fun lunch with Sid and Alex quickly turned into passionate brainstorming with Mike, Pascal, and Lloyd on the Mozilla Labs team. I told them I wanted to deeply … Continue reading →

Posted in personal | 5 Comments

a personal update

Posted on January 30, 2011 by ben

Tomorrow (Jan 31st) is my last day on the Research Faculty at Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital Boston. It’s been a fantastic ride thanks entirely to the folks with whom I had the pleasure of working, in particular Zak … Continue reading →

Posted in personal | 2 Comments

The Accidental Tinkerer, Unexpected Lock-in, and Fatherhood

Posted on April 2, 2010 by ben

Ben Fry recently explained his concerns about the iPad: I want to build software for this thing. I’m really excited about the idea of a touch-screen computing platform that’s available for general use from a known brand who has successfully … Continue reading →

Posted in autonomy, personal, policy | 7 Comments

Owning Genes

Posted on May 13, 2009 by ben

At some point in the history of patents, something went a little nutty: it became possible to patent genes themselves. Not “a method for extracting” a gene. Not “a method for synthesizing” a gene. But the gene itself. As a … Continue reading →

Posted in genomic, personal, policy | Leave a comment

Does CVS provide a CSV?

Posted on April 7, 2009 by ben

Over the last two years, I’ve spent most of my time on… not elections believe it or not, but rather the personal control of health data over at Children’s Hospital, Boston, with a fantastic crew. And so now it turns … Continue reading →

Posted in health, personal, policy | 2 Comments