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Get to Know Ophelia Chong

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Welcome back to 'Better Know a SoCal Blogger" on KCET.org, where we feature our city's plethora of fascinating and first-rate blogs. This week we are speaking with KCET's own Ophelia Chong, a blogger who blends her love of art and technology into a showcase for cutting edge Internet trends, conversations, and considerations.

The Basics

Blogger Name: Ophelia Chong
Official name of blog: 404 City
When did you start blogging? I started April 2008 on HowToSplitAnAtom.com with Steve Spaulding. We found each other on Twitter, and developed a working relationship that encompassed writing for his site and designing his book. I wrote: How To Make Money On The Internet and If You Love Me, You Would Google Me.
Do you have a day job? I am the Art Director/ UI Designer for Redpoint Global, our head office is in Boston. I work over four time zones, our team members are in Australia, the UK, Israel, Manila, and from PDT to EDT. We specialize in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Enterprise Marketing Systems. Our clients are in the top Fortune 1000. I am also an illustrator and my work has appeared in three shows this year and another coming up in the new year. My illustration work has been published by Harper Collins International, Gestalten Press, Peach Pit Publishing and Quarry Press.
How many hours do you spend online/on your computer? I spend over 12 hours a day at my desk, and when I am away I am on my iPod touch checking in through local wi-fi.
Can you provide a link to the blog's first post? My first blog for KCET
Where do you physically blog from? I blog from my home office which faces my garden and I am surrounded by my collection of jetsam and flotsam.
What are you currently reading? I am reading: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski and Homer & Langley by E. L. Doctorow and whatever else lands on my desk. I love reading on planes, it's the only place I am not distracted.

The Lowdown

What is your blog about? My blog is about the streams of thought that pass us by everyday, some get caught in our butterfly nets, others fall on our heads like bricks, but most just float by unnoticed.

Who is your ideal reader? My ideal reader is someone who enjoys short bursts of thought.

Why did you start blogging? I started blogging because I enjoyed leaving bits of myself like a bread trail so that I could find my way back.

Everyone has on opinion on if journalism is dying. Do you have an opinion? Do blogs have anything to do with that? Journalism is like the Bible. When Gutenberg started to his printing press in 1490 to print mass produced bibles, he brought a book to the masses that was only affordable to the rich. Journalism is now a vocation that anyone can take up, it has become a product produces for the masses by the masses (and for the few).

What's your favorite L.A. Blog? My favorite LA Blog is Erin Audrey Kaplan's and Juan Devis'.

What's your favorite thing to do in L.A.? My favorite thing to do in LA is to enjoy the 3 mile diameter that I travel in. Andy Warhol said once that Los Angeles
repeats itself every 3 miles, and he's right, I can find whatever I want within my 3 mile comfort zone.

What fascinates you about the Internet and New Media? What fascinates me about the internet and media is the immediacy. Instead of your 15 minutes of fame (again Andy Warhol) you have 10 seconds to get your word out before it is washed away by the tsunami of information posted every second. People have claimed to be the "first" to Twitter about a star's death or breaking news, only to find out that someone was there before them, beating they by nanoseconds and by a faster connection.

Do you think Los Angeles has a unique cultural climate for writers and artists? Los Angeles has a unique climate for artists, every place in the world has a uniqueness of their own. You have to shift your thinking for every place you land your foot.

How does your history as an artist affect your blog? My history as an artist affects my blog by the art I post. I post my work exclusively on my blog. I enjoy tying in my work with my words.

A look at Ophelia's desk

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Thanks so much to Ophelia Chong for her insightful comments in this installment ofBetter Know a Blogger. For even more insights on art and technology in Los Angeles, check out 404 City right here at KCET.org.

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