J.Yang has slummed it in the valley with the Wakefield twins; slumber partied with Huey, Dewey and Louie; joined Krakow in stalking Angela; and climbed every mountain with the Von Trapps.

Originally from San Diego, he's lived and traveled the world (okay, not all of it) in pursuit of that most elusive of targets -- inspiration.

He's authored and published a book, written for online and offline publications, and maintained a variety of popular blogs on subjects ranging from movies and technology to personal stories and amateur musings. He's just wrapped up his second book, a fiction novel for teens, and is hard at work on his third one.

You can reach him at digitaljon@SPAMgmail.com. He is BFF with his iPhone so he should answer promptly.

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Shine your light on the world  
Friday, June 22, 2007 : 3:03 PM : 0 comments

I told you I fell in love with Brooklyn right? Well, the six block radius of Brooklyn that I was in. Two unique places that I have to talk about are the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Company and Cafe Habana Outpost.

First, the Superhero Supply Company is exactly what it sounds like; a superhero supply store. Its got gadgets and gizmos a-plenty, its got whozits and whatzits galore. Capes, utility belts, x-ray glasses, sub-atomic molecular re-organizers, invisibility cloaks, the whole works. Plus they sell t-shirts. Oh, and they double as a writing/tutoring center for kids. Children come ripping into the store, ignore the supplies and head through a secret entrance to enter the classroom. How cool is that?

I've seen the 826 tutoring centers in San Francisco (it doubles as a pirate's den) and heard of a few other locations but this New York one is the one I was dying to visit. It's small, it's gimmicky, but it's an amazing idea. Plus, if you buy something, they make you say a superhero oath.

Cafe Habana Outpost is the Brooklyn branch of the famed Cafe Habana. If you love corn, this is the place to go. To be honest, half the reason I love visiting New York is to go get Cuban corn. It's ridiculous how delicious the corn is.

The original Alphabet City location is small and cramped but this new Brooklyn location is colorful, expansive, and eco-friendly. Like corn-based plastics (or something), solar panels, pedaling a bicycle to make your own smoothie.

The entire restaurant is recycled (the outdoor picnic tables, the food truck) and the hand-dryers in the bathroom are the super powerful fun kind. This Brooklyn location just recently opened up and apparently it also hosts free movies on Sunday, local art exhibits, and cool little community based things like that. Go for the corn, stay for the atmosphere.