Portfolio
‘Who is frightened by our laughter?’: Young Chinese use Halloween costumes to protest the government at massive celebration in Shanghai
November 2, 2023
Thousands of Chinese people flooded Shanghai to celebrate Halloween this year. Social media users described it as the largest mass gathering since the protests against COVID restrictions at the end of 2022. Among the celebrities and cartoon characters, many costumes satirized various issues in China, such as Dabai, the notorious suits that were worn by medical personnel, community workers and police during the three-year lockdown.
‘Llama 2 went on a rampage about political correctness’: Users say Meta’s AI is so ‘safe’ it won’t even call a woman beautiful
October 26, 2023
On Reddit in recent months, people have criticized Llama 2 for lecturing them about values, ethics, and issuing safety warnings. Posts on the platform claim that the AI refused prompts to list the ingredients of methamphetamine and Thermite, a combustible substance often used in welding. According to one user, it also declined to write a story with a sad ending because it might make readers feel bad.
‘Just use Safari and enjoy skipping ads’: YouTube’s crackdown on ad blockers sparks backlash
October 12, 2023
YouTube has declared war on ad blockers in recent months. Its efforts have led online users to revolt against the platform and look for ways to continue skipping ads. In its latest move, YouTube pauses the videos users are watching and displays a pop-up urging them to subscribe to YouTube Premium for $13.99 per month, disable ad blockers, or put the platform on the list of sites allowed to display ads.
‘They muscled in and gloated’: Aggressive, desperate men accused of overrunning tech conference for women and nonbinary people
October 4, 2023
Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC) is the world’s largest gathering of women and nonbinary tech professionals. Its goal is to improve inclusivity and equity in the tech industry. This year the event has been mired in controversy over complaints that cisgender men overran the conference. Some men have argued that the event unfairly discriminated against them by gender.
McDonald’s ad has some feeling nostalgic and others accusing it of representing a whitewashed version of family life
October 2, 2023
A McDonald’s Japan advertisement featuring a family recently went viral on X. Although the ad presents a seemingly innocuous scene of a family eating a meal, some viewers mocked it as being homophobic, transphobic, and racist, and lashed out at artists who reimagined the scene.
Having an uncomfortable talk about aging early saves families from heartache and hard feelings
August 28, 2023
Among nearly 800,000 Americans surveyed in 150 studies, only 29% had completed a living will that detailed their care wishes, and only 33% had designated a health care power of attorney, according to a 2017 University of Pennsylvania study.
Break-ins set Oakland Chinatown businesses back: ‘Things were slowly getting better, then all of a sudden the doom arrived.’
April 5, 2023
Oakland’s Chinatown has been striving to recover the business that was lost during the pandemic and the increase in anti-Asian hate crimes. The latest break-ins have dealt a severe blow to those efforts, leaving businesses and customers worried about being targeted and about the future of Chinatown.
Lantern Festival lures many back to Oakland’s Chinatown
February 6, 2023
Oakland’s Chinatown was transformed Sunday into a vibrant street market, where the aroma of cooking food mingled with the crackle of conversation and the bright colors of balloons and paper lanterns. Beneath a canopy of floating red lanterns, vendors hawked rib and radish soup, boba tea, and pineapple buns.
DATA VISUALIZATION: How far are we from a low-carbon power system?
Janurary 30, 2023
Despite producing more and more energy from renewables each year, we continue to burn more combustible fuels. The following interactive charts show the energy production mix from 1990 to 2019. We will explore how energy production varies across the world, how it changes over time, and whether we are making progress in shifting towards a low-carbon energy system.
‘It’s just a beautiful experience’: Community groups plant trees to make Verde school greener
December 3, 2022
For years, even on hot mornings and afternoons, Verde Elementary School students have spent their recess and physical education periods on a cracked and sun-drenched blacktop — a wide open space with colored lines drawing volleyball courts and soccer fields, a running track along the edge.
AUDIO: Facebook’s case against Section 230
November 10, 2022
Facebook – like most social media – benefits from the protections that Section 230 offers platforms online. So then why is it advocating for Section 230 reform? This is the second episode of a UC Berkeley cross campus initiative called “Our Better Web.” This episode continues to consider the impact that Section 230 has had on the internet as we know it today. Today’s stories look into content moderation, algorithmic discrimination, and the legislation that has attempted – and is attempting – to change Section 230.
Berkeley is ‘making progress’ on Marina food truck village
October 24, 2022
Berkeley can’t find a restaurant for the vast Hs Lordships space, so food trucks in its parking lot might be the next best thing.
Boating's big boom in the Bay Area amid the pandemic
December 17, 2021
“I haven’t had a boat in stock for over a year, and we are waiting for boats coming in next year,” said Jacobsen, owner of The Outboard Motor Shop in Oakland. “Boat sales ever since July of 2020 have just gone crazy. Starting in June and July we sold out of all our boats.”
As local Dungeness crab season delays, San Francisco is selling Washington crabs
November 20, 2021
Thanksgiving is the busiest season for the crab restaurants around San Francisco's Pier 45. A single stall, Crab Station, was selling 500 pounds a day before the pandemic, even though it was surrounded by a row of competitors selling the same Dungeness crabs. “Now, 30 pounds if we’re lucky,” said Caroline Petitt, manager of Crab Station.
A food trucks village for the Berkeley Marina?
November 5, 2021
Anyone who goes to Berkeley Marina will notice the bumpy roads, the stunning views, and the scarcity of food. The Marina complex comprises 60 acres of upland and 40 acres of water but has merely three restaurants, all with floor-to- ceiling windows facing the ocean and San Francisco skyline. But the only casual eating spot is nearly a mile from the waterfront, so visitors who don’t want sitdown dining must bring along their own food.
Family-owned bayside diner eyes new park next door and wonders its future
October 12, 2021
Seabreeze Market & Deli, a family-owned diner on University Avenue near the entrance to the Berkeley Marina, has been serving crab cakes, burgers and fries to bikers and hikers for more than two decades. But its future is now in doubt, ironically at the same time a big neglected bayfront expansion project adjacent to it is finally getting an ambitious, long-awaited makeover.
VIDEO: At Tamales Tamazula, Food is Art
September 13, 2021
Cruz Arroyo owns and operates Tamales Tamazula in Richmond, where his passion for food and tradition drives his business and keeps his customers returning week after week. He’s had to move his business to various spots in Richmond in the past eight years and jump a few hurdles to keep it going during a global pandemic. Through it all, his customers have remained loyal.