ValleyZen, Ancient Organisms, And Happy 'Beatles Birthday' Pop

Drue Kataoka is full of surprises. Not only is she a master Sumi-e artist, an ancient Japanese brush stroke technique, she's also an accomplished musician, world traveler, and Web pioneer. Her site, ValleyZen.com, has only been around for a couple months but it's getting attention for its message of simplicity in a tech world often cluttered with distraction and consternation. Indeed, her motto on the site is: "At the intersection of Zen and technology." I know, I know, if you're always stressed out and multi-tasking then then you might think Zen+technology seems like an oxymoron, especially in a place like Silicon Valley. Au contraire, mon frere. That's exactly why Kataoka believes it's such a worthwhile pursuit.

Her site contains stories, ideas, and videos that revolve around the Zen ideal, and some of the clips are illustrative of Zen through their spontaneity, such as the time a Silicon Valley exec decided to flip Drue (Judo style) and she gracefully went along for the ride. You have to see it. Anyway, I recently interviewed Drue for a CBS Radio segment, so keep an ear out for that, too.

Wanted to mention a cool story from the BBC today, which shows how researchers in France are using a high-powered X-ray to peer through dense amber (fossil resin) and analyze bugs and insects that have been trapped there for millions of years. It's part spycam, part high tech, and very gee whiz. They can even build 3-D images. Check it out here.

And a quick shout out to my dad, who was introduced to Tech Talk/CBSNews.com readers last year when I traveled to the Arctic. Birthday greetings, bottle of wine? Yep, he's 64 today. Lookin' good, Pop. And speaking of the Arctic, I'm working on a possible story for tomorrow's Early Show about the debate surrounding listing polar bears as threatened on the Endangered Species list.

Until next time, stay connected!

P.S. Also working on a story for next week about CRAGs (Carbon Reduction Action Groups -- neighborhood gatherings very popular overseas aimed at saving the environment and money on their energy bill), and that will also mark the debut of a behind-the-scenes video shot on the Flip camera.

[consta2-2009]

It is great to read your article and find that you discovered ValleyZen. So did I few weeks ago and I have to say it is good stuff! I value the way how Drue and ValleyZen have managed in exploring avenues for Zen values to inspire the revolution that made this world a smaller place. ValleyZen could achieve something unexpected in facilitating knowledge from different disciplines coming together with the specific purpose of creating a more fair and equal world. Thanks for your article and keep sharing with readers findings like this one!

Costa Casasbuenas / Oxford / UK

[druekataoka]

ValleyZen is all about intersections and Daniel Sieberg is one of those people in his groove at the intersection of traditional and new media. He reports for CBS but also keeps tabs on the latest happenings in the Web 2.0 world. This requires just removing a small thing called sleep from the schedule, I think. Thanks for finding ValleyZen on your radar and sharing it with TechTalk & SciEye Dan.

It%u2019s been just two months since Bill Fenwick and I launched ValleyZen.com and the response to this blog has exceeded our expectations. ValleyZen is an exciting collaborative effort. Bill and I think of the blog as a laboratory for ideas as we decide on subjects of posts, video interviews, and future guests. A pioneer of Silicon Valley, Bill co-founded one of the premiere law firms here and built it into one of the powerhouses of technology law. In the 60s, Bill started with a vision that the future lies in information technology, something that is plain to us now, but was revolutionary for the time.

ValleyZen is a blog about unexpected insights. Share yours!

[giiid]

I have learned about Drue and her work recently, and I am very much looking foreward to folow her from now on, at her blog. The painting that she made at "Earth hour" (you can see it at the blog) is made in a few brush strokes, telling thousend of words. Very very nice. I think that Drue is a very giving person, she is offering us flowers, - but we have to remember to water them ourself. That is my guess of what some of Drue4s thought is. I am ready with the vase!

[leslierl]

Thanks for calling attention to Valley Zen! I''ve long been a fan of Drue''s, and the blog''s point of view is fresh and always leads to some really interesting conversations.

So happy you are focusing on Valley Zen and Drue!

Tho we haven''t met, she and I IM at crazy late hours, and she is always full of insight, presented in a refreshingly clear way. Valley Zen in a great new voice, and the artwork is pretty amazing too.

So happy you are focusing on Valley Zen and Drue!

Tho we haven''t met, she and I IM at crazy late hours, and she is always full of insight, presented in a refreshingly clear way. Valley Zen in a great new voice, and the artwork is pretty amazing too.

[lpfaleafine]

I admire the courage that Drue Kataoka has in her faith and efforts to find balance and share that with this multi-tasking, rat race world.

Bask in ValleyZen, it''s well-worth your time.

Aloha,
NEENZ

[dtaheri]

This is great to see that ValleyZen is been introduced in CBS. I had/have the privilege to talk with Drue occasionally. She has an extraordinary powerful and yet innocent, warm and peaceful presence. This is a rare combination of all a human being in Silicon Valley can be I believe. ValleyZen brings human soul among the wheels and steel of technology. Isn''t it the missing piece of the puzzle?

[dtaheri]

This is great to see that ValleyZen is been introduced in CBS. I had/have the privilege to talk with Drue occasionally. She has an extraordinary powerful and yet innocent, warm and peaceful presence. This is a rare combination of all a human being in Silicon Valley can be I believe. ValleyZen brings human soul among the wheels and steel of technology. Isn''t it the missing piece of the puzzle?

[dtaheri]

This is great to see that ValleyZen is been introduced in CBS. I had/have the privilege to talk with Drue occasionally. She has an extraordinary powerful and yet innocent, warm and peaceful presence. This is a rare combination of all a human being in Silicon Valley can be I believe. ValleyZen brings human soul among the wheels and steel of technology. Isn''t it the missing piece of the puzzle?