Thanksgiving is a special time of year: We sit around the table, stuff our faces with pumpkin pie, and remember all of the things that drive us crazy about our relatives. It is also a time to give thanks for the blessings in our lives.
Here in Silicon Valley, those blessings are many—from warm weather to access to some of the world’s best minds and way more flavors of slow-drip coffee than any one person would ever have time to drink (they drip really, really slowly). In the spirit of the holiday weekend, I created my own list of things I’m thankful for, Silicon Valley-style. Anything to add? Tweet it to me: @mlevram.
Venture capital bubbles: For bursting and giving us business/tech journalists something to speculate and write about.
The sky-high real estate market: For guarding me from having to pay property taxes (because, at this rate, I’ll never be able to afford a home in the Bay Area and will be a lifelong apartment renter).
The Nextdoor social network: For notifying me about every single thing going on in my neighborhood, including that lady down the street looking for “others without plans for Thanksgiving.” (Cue pangs of guilt for not inviting her to my aunt’s Turkey Day dinner.)
Bitcoin digital currency: For providing me with a new way to give my hard-earned money away to my kid’s school. (Yes, my kindergartner’s public elementary school accepts donations via PayPal and bitcoin—only in the Bay Area.)
The Tinder dating app: No, I’m not on it. But I am thankful for the salacious stories inspired by its founding team, which have made for hours of titillating bedtime reading.
Big data: For making me feel ever so small.
And, last but not least, Soylent meal replacements: For giving introverts everywhere an alternative to socializing on Thanksgiving.
This article first appeared in the daily Coins2Day newsletter Data Sheet. Subscribe here for a daily dose of analysis from Adam Lashinsky and a curation of the day’s technology news from Heather Clancy.