james higa

host

In the beginning...

was an island paradise called Okinawa, the once proud and peaceful kingdom of the Ryukyus afloat on the East China Sea. The ocean is so beautiful here that we have always known that heaven lies in the seas below rather than the skies above. Though my life has taken me on many a journey to find what lies beyond the furthest wave, this is where it all started, the pounding of the surf and the melodies of ancient songs. The currents have carried me back and forth across the Pacific through the heady days of the Macintosh and the launching of Apple Japan to more years with Steve Jobs at NeXT.

Then suddenly...

amidst the rush of life as usual, in a non descript hotel restaurant in Tokyo, I met Howard Rheingold for breakfast. It was my first f2f with someone I knew online. We had just received the news that Jerry Garicia had died. As we mourned over our coffee and shared our dreams it occurred to me that here indeed was community. There is strength in our bonding by bits.

And finally...

driven by this belief in community I find myself at the birth of Eminds. When I'm not online, I'm in the center of the maelstrom that is the Internet as a VP at Progressive Networks, the folks who bring you RealAudio. When it gets too hectic, I seek shelter in the study of haiku and the laughter of my son. Somehow, I hope that all of these pieces will come together for me. Perhaps it will be like the city of Tokyo, where both the old and the new converge. Bursting with energy yet strangely calm. But splashed with the colors of Okinawa....