Tag Archives: Biz Stone
William Wurster designed homes are still in demand
A new book and exhibition on the architecture of William Wurster, the co-founder, in 1959, of the College of Environmental Design at UC Berkeley, serves as a reminder of the desirability of the homes he designed. And Wurster homes do still come up for sale in Berkeley and the Bay Area with some regularity, so becoming an owner of one is not outside the bounds of possibility.
In fact, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone lived in a William Wurster designed home in Berkeley — until he sold it in September 2009 for $550,000, the same price he paid for it in 2006.
As one would expect, Stone tweeted the news that he was putting his home on the market, writing to his then 980,000 followers (now 1.7 million): ”We loved our Wurster cottage in Berkeley but it’s time to move – if you’re into architecture, check it out.” … Continue reading »
UC Berkeley student proved pivotal in the rise of Twitter
It was a one-word tweet that did it. The word was “Arrested” and it was posted on April 10, 2008 by UC Berkeley J-School grad student James Buck who was in Egypt photographing anti-government protests, and ended up getting detained by the police.
Unwittingly, Buck played a pivotal role in the development of micro-blogging service Twitter, which until then had been seen primarily as a social tool — but from that moment on was viewed as having the power to change society.
At least that’s how Twitter co-founder Biz Stone sees it — as he explained to NPR’s Terry Gross on Fresh Air yesterday.
Stone said he first realized that Twitter could be used as a global organizing tool when Buck was arrested while covering the protests in Egypt — three years before Twitter was to play a key role in demonstrations in the same country which, this time, toppled the head of state.
Even though he was from the Bay Area, Buck had not heard of Twitter. It was Egyptian friends who told him about how they were using the service to organize protests and led Buck to sign up. After Buck tweeted the word “Arrested” on his way to the police station, his friends in California read it and were able to call the consulate and Egyptian authorities and help secure his release. His next tweet was simply “Freed.” … Continue reading »
William Wurster homes on both sides of the Bay
A home designed by William Wurster is always going to be worth a second look. Wurster, the co-founder, in 1959, of the College of Environmental Design at UC Berkeley, created eminently livable homes with the sleek aesthetic and early 20th-century modern design touches so beloved of a current generation of architectural enthusiasts.
So beloved for one person, in fact, that he or she was willing to pay $300,000 over the asking price for a … Continue reading »
