Sachin Agarwal

My final iSachin blog post

2008-10-27T02:33:00.002-04:00

I should have done this a long time ago but things have been incredibly busy. My life has completely changed in 2008, in every single respect.

I met Kate
I quit my job at Apple
I started Posterous
I have experienced New York City to its fullest
Kate and I are moving to San Francisco on December 1

In 2008, I was able to accomplish everything I had dreamed of.

I came to New York to experience big city life, and that I did. For three years I went to every great restaurant, every secret bar, went to all the city events I wanted to go to. I will leave New York without a single "I wish I had done ? while I lived there." I was fortunate to be in New York with the time and money to experience the city right.

I met the girl of my dreams on New Years Eve and convinced her to move back to California with me. I definitely would not be able to leave New York without her by my side.

I started Posterous with Garry, a company based around the things I love: blogging and photography. I spent years blogging on iSachin.com via Blogger, always dreaming of something better. There can be no better company to start than building a product that solves the problems you personally have, and others have too. I love it everyday.

iSachin.com will live here but will no longer be updated, which is fitting since I no longer work for the company that created the 'i' branding. It sure was weird not being an Apple employee for a while after I quit.

Please follow me on my Posterous:

http://sachin.posterous.com

My new company is on TechCrunch!

2008-06-28T22:26:00.007-04:00

Garry and I started Posterous. More info later, but for now check out:

http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/06/28/posterous-beats-tumblr-in-simplicity/

http://www.lifeclever.com/create-an-instant-blog-with-posterous/

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/posterous_minimalist_blogging.php

http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2008/07/posterous.html

http://michelemartin.typepad.com/thebambooprojectblog//2008/06/posterous-for-t.html

http://www.inquisitr.com/1348/posterous-even-simpler-than-tumblr/

http://kionee.posterous.com/wow-2

http://johnjohnston.posterous.com/

http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/02/posterous-its-like-tumblr-via-email/

http://webworkerdaily.com/2008/06/30/posterous-nails-simple-blogging/

http://theory.isthereason.com/?p=2265

http://summize.com/search?q=posterous

http://wordpress.com/tag/posterous/

http://onlinejournalismblog.com/2008/07/04/something-for-the-weekend-8-the-easiest-blogging-platform-in-the-world-posterous/

A hot day in the city

2008-06-28T15:39:00.001-04:00

All over Brooklyn people had opened up fire hydrants to cool off, just like in the movies!

Some even seemed to have special attachments just for this purpose

From my neighborhood starbucks

2008-06-25T17:43:00.001-04:00

Feels so good to be back in new York. But the construction all around my apartment is crazy. Just a couple months ago you would have seen my apartment in this shot.

-Sachin

Sent from my iPhone

A night out in Central Square

2008-06-22T21:17:00.001-04:00

On Saturday night Kate and I had dinner at Central Kitchen. Monika recommended it to us and it was amazing! The restaurant is beautiful. We had a plate of goat cheese for appetizer. Kate had a great piece of halibut. And I had steak frites. The plate was huge. It was on of the best steaks I've ever had in my life. It was perfectly cooked rare/medium rare but still hot all the way through. There was almost no fat on the meat and it was soft and juicy. Yum.

For dessert we had a fallen Belgian chocolate cake. It takes 25 minutes to make so we had to ordered it when our entrees arrived. Wow. It was steaming hot and all melted in the middle. Possibly the best chocolate cake I've ever had.

Highly recommended.

Boston photos

2008-06-22T20:02:00.001-04:00

Kate was in Boston this weekend. A few shots from around the city...

Photos from Monika's birthday

2008-06-22T19:41:00.001-04:00

Last weekend I was in New York for Monika's birthday. We had a great dinner at Kion followed by drinks at Arlo and Esme. At dinner they started us out with fried sliced banana and fried corn. Then Kate and I had Zucchini stuffed with goat cheese, and then an amazing (HUGE) piece of salmon. Manhattans were consumed by all. Yum.

Cheers!

2008-06-21T16:01:00.001-04:00

-Sachin

Sent from my iPhone

I want this bathroom set

2008-06-17T00:43:00.001-04:00

How cool is this?

http://www.decorativevisions.com/Kids-Dinosaur-Shower-Curtain-p/dino.htm

It's almost 6pm

2008-06-14T18:18:00.003-04:00

It's been a really long day

-Sachin

Sent from my iPhone

I love new York food

2008-06-14T18:18:00.001-04:00

Amazing south American place in bushwick just a couple blocks from kate. Beef stew with rice and beans. Kate got a chicken sandwich that was real rotisserie chicken breast. And 2 beers for $14 total.

-Sachin

Sent from my iPhone

It all fits!!

2008-06-14T11:00:00.002-04:00

Not that we had any doubts.

p.s. There are a lot of jackasses in Hoboken. Hopefully I'll never be in this city again. All those stereotypes about New Jersey sucking and people being rude, totally true. There's reason why everyone in New York makes fun of NJ. And that stereotype that people in NY are rude is totally false. It's probably the NJ people who go to NY to work.

-Sachin

Sent from my iPhone

THE FIFTY-NINE-STORY CRISIS, The New Yorker, 5/29/95, pp 45-53

2008-06-13T02:37:00.001-04:00

One of my favorite New York stories...

http://www.duke.edu/~hpgavin/ce131/citicorp1.htm

CITY PERILS
THE FIFTY-NINE-STORY CRISIS
THE NEW YORKER, MAY 29, 1995, pp 45-53
What's an engineer's worst nightmare? To realize that the supports he designed for a skyscraper like Citicorp Center are flawed---and hurricane season is approaching.

BY JOE MORGENSTERN

Fwd: Bruce!

2008-06-13T01:42:00.001-04:00

Jason borrowed Bruce in San Francisco. That car is amazing. so much fun. It can't be beat.

Begin forwarded message:

From: Jason Ahmad <jasXXXX>

Date: June 12, 2008 12:32:08 PM EDT

To: Sachin Agarwal <a4XXXX>

Subject: Bruce!

In review, I have to think that miatas may provide the most fun/$ this side of a motorcycle. Some points of brilliance:

* Making 80 feel like 140
* Teeth
* Comic arrivals
* 8 gallons of gas total in 4 days (not being driven lightly)
* Unparalleled turning radius
* Personal responsibility (as enforced by the anti-roll protection of 'don't')

Overall quite the inventory. And overall the car's in quite good shape, honestly. Tires actually have enough tread - well beyond the wear bars. Clutch feels perfect. Motor didn't sound to be low on oil or have any such obvious issues. Brakes are totally fine, the only possible issue being low-grade pads. But regardless of their initial bite (or lack thereof), they showed very little fade, and the rear calipers appeared to work correctly (as evidenced by both the hand brake and visible rotor wear). It sounds very much like there's a leak somewhere in the exhaust, but that's way minor all things considered.

Anyway, thanks so much for the ride!!

Shall I mail you the key?

Got some good stuff from amazon

2008-06-11T14:43:00.001-04:00

Corn nuts. Nutri Grain cereal bars. Lots of Triscuits.

I also bought some Digestive Advantage lactose intolerance pills. Instead of eating a pill when you eat dairy, like with Lactaid, you just take a Digestive Advantage pill once per day and never think about. The reviews on Amazon were pretty spectacular so it seems like it works well!

I love Amazon.com

The most recently added song in my iTunes

2008-06-11T01:12:00.001-04:00

I really like sorting my iTunes library by date added. By scrolling down I can see when I added albums and what I was listening to at certain points in my life. My music taste has definitely changed, but nothing too significant. I still love Green Day :).

This is at the top of my iTunes list right now. It's a popular single. It got to the top of my list because it's the last album I purchased, and also because this is the last song on that album. So it was added last.

Enjoy!

To play mp3s in your browser, you will need to have Javascript turned on and have Flash Player 9 or better installed.

Hey There Delilah by Plain White T's(download)

At the apple store Boston

2008-06-09T12:57:00.001-04:00

For the keynote. I hope I get a new 3G iPhone today!!

-Sachin

Sent from my iPhone

What do these make?

2008-06-07T15:50:00.001-04:00

Manhattans for the summer!

-Sachin

Sent from my iPhone

Will Kate's stuff fit in a cargo van?

2008-06-06T15:31:00.001-04:00

Kate sent me this illustrator file. It's in 3 dimensions!! What a dork! But I love it...

Six incredible years at Apple

2008-06-02T17:11:00.001-04:00

It's hard to believe I almost didn't take my job on Final Cut Pro; I was strongly considering working for Amazon in Seattle. But I chose Apple. I remember the last conversation I had with my first manager before accepting the job was when he told me ProApps went to Vegas every year. Sign me up!

Not only did I stay at Apple for six years, but I stayed on Final Cut Pro the whole time. Yes, it was that good. My time on FCP saw it go from the application that was pulling ahead of Premiere for the first time, to becoming the de facto editor for everything except film (we are in that market also, but not the leader).

The past six years included 4 large releases and countless minor updates. There were six amazing trips to Las Vegas, some for as long as 10 days (not a good idea!). I worked with people who are now some of my closest friends. We did a photo slideshow on Thursday at my going away party. So many great memories.

Being on Final Cut Pro also allowed me to work remotely from New York, something that I probably wouldn't have been able to do if I worked anywhere else. I thought I would explore New York for a year and head back. But instead I found a city I fell in love with and where I really fit in. New York City makes me happy, and I owe that to Apple as well.

It's definitely a weird feeling to not be an Apple employee. Apple has been such a huge part of my life, I'm sure many people never thought I would leave the company. But there are bigger things ahead! It's sad to not be associated with this company anymore. But even if I'm not an employee, I'll always be a fan boy :).

I got a lot of shit from people for using a Mac through middle school and high school. Apple never got any respect for what they did, but I always stood behind the company. The way I evangelize Apple today, imagine how hard that was 10 years ago.

It's been incredible to be at Apple the past six years and see them on their way up. Since the iPod was announced in October 2001 (I was in the audience in Town Hall where Steve announced the first iPod), Apple has become incredibly well respected for all the products they produce. Mac market share is way up, Vista is thought to be dead, anyone buying a new computer who can afford a Mac is considering it.

It really is a dream come true to see where Apple is today. Apple may not have even 20% market share yet, but that's fine. The way I see it, Apple has succeeded in becoming the BMW of computers. Not everyone wants one, and not everyone can afford one. But everyone respects them and sees them as high quality computers, with attention to detail, great software, great design. Everyone aspires to be like Apple.

My last day at Apple felt very surreal. And it was a little bittersweet. I don't know what I expected, but at the end I couldn't believe it was over.

Thanks Steve. Thanks Final Cut Pro.

View from the meat packing apple store

2008-06-02T16:26:00.001-04:00

Gotta love the free wireless!

-Sachin

Sent from my iPhone

Dean and Deluca 'Tropical'

2008-06-02T15:00:00.002-04:00

Mango and passion mousse, coconut and fresh raspberries. Being stuck in NYC for an extra day isn't all bad.

Boston tomorrow!

-Sachin

Sent from my iPhone

How to buy car a newish car

2008-06-01T17:51:00.001-04:00

I have always been a fan of buying cars Certified Pre Owned (CPO). You get a car that is a year or just over a year old that has been certified by the dealer. Since it's not new, you don't pay the huge premium for a new car. But it's been run through a huge inspection, and it include a new bumper to bumper warranty. With BMW, the warranty may even be longer than with a brand new car. (And with BMW you get free maintenance so literally all you spend money on for 6 years is gas and tires. Not even brakes)

My dad decided to buy a CPO Lexus GX470. At first he wanted a Mercedes ML350 since he's wanted a Mercedes his whole life. I told him to at least drive the Lexus and BMW first. The Lexus blew the Mercedes away, no question about it.

My dad jumped on Lexus.com and searched their CPO inventory. He found the perfect car he wanted but it was in Georgia. The one drawback of CPO is since the car is still fairly new, there aren't a lot of them for sale.

He called the dealer in Georgia, made an offer, haggled a bit, and now it's on a truck to California. He bought the car without seeing it. But why not? There's no body damage at all, it has low miles, and everything is covered by the warranty.

We'll see how it goes, but it seems like a great way to buy the perfect newish car you want.

Conversation on the hoboken bus

2008-06-01T17:41:00.001-04:00

Sachin: The NBA finals start this week. Boston vs LA. Should be awesome.
Kate: Who are you going to vote for?

Need a loan?

2008-06-01T11:59:00.001-04:00

Cool old building in Bushwick

-Sachin

Sent from my iPhone