Editorial Staff
John Yuda
Editor in Chief, Designer
John Yuda is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University, where burnout from computer science led him to the graphic arts. He made his first web page in 1995, first worked as a web designer in 1997, and currently works as a web designer for the U.S. House and freelance photographer while residing in Alexandria, VA.
John’s qualifications for editing are built primarily on his encyclopedic knowledge of English grammar and insistence that “I know quality when I see it.”
Crystal Sarakas
Contributing Editor
A former West Texan now living in the wilds of upstate New York, Crystal Sarakas has the necessary diverse resume required of fledgling writers: actress, singer, soccer referee, voice coach, tutor, line cook and speechwriter/designated driver for the Young Democrats of Texas. She can now be found indulging her passion for music and human interest stories as a producer for WSKG Public Broadcasting and spends her spare time reading, writing, designing jewelry, making lists and living out her elven fantasies in online gaming circles.
Chris Kocher
Contributing Editor
Until the age of 7, Chris Kocher was raised by wolverines in the wilderness. He was rescued and ended up adopted by a family in a rural ‘hood in Pennsylvania. After high school, he joined the world’s worst dinner theater production of “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” (there were only four brothers). He now works at night on the production desk of a daily newspaper, which is slowly making him go insane.
Aphid
Art Editor
Aphid is an herbivorous garden pest and net.artist infesting the SF Bay Area while finishing his BFA in digital media. His work, which has been shown at the Diego Rivera Gallery in San Francisco and rhizome.org’s ArtBase, is focused on the development of web applications in which the user is empowered to affect the direction and aesthetic of the piece. His interests include revolutionary theory, cooking, ethnobotany and collecting obscure video art. His caffeine intake-of-choice is a blend of Peet’s Fair Trade Blend and Arabian Mocha Java.
Michael O’Keefe
Music Editor
Michael O’Keefe is an undergraduate student in theoretical linguistics and cognitive science. This will qualify him for very little other than grad school. Currently most of his spare time revolves around music in some way. He is a DJ for WSRN, Swarthmore College radio, and is entirely too enthusiastic about rock music for his own good. He’s not sure he actually should review music, but considering the amount of time he spends listening to obscure indie rock from the 80s, he’s probably at least sort-of qualified.
“Sister Ray” by the Velvet Underground is the crowning achievement of rock music, and if you think it’s just a bunch of tuneless crap you may not like his reviews. Or—rethinking that last statement—if you think it’s a bad thing that “Sister Ray” is 18 minutes of tuneless crap!