by Michael Shapiro | Jul 16, 2014 | Blog, Gambling, Stories
I co-write the gambling column for the SF Chronicle, and every so often I get to relate first-hand experiences while playing poker. This column documents one of the most memorable sessions, a night of utter chaos at Petaluma’s 101 Casino. Click the link above or...
by Michael Shapiro | May 16, 2014 | Blog, Interviews, Travel
En route to Thailand last year, I saw a short video about the Moken, a Polynesian who traditionally have drifted among the islands and coasts of Thailand and Burma. Inspired to see them, we found a group that arranged visits and provided a translator, which led to...
by Michael Shapiro | Apr 1, 2014 | Blog
CritBit wins top prize on Top Inventor reality show BY FRANK FARKAKTE DISASSOCIATED PRESS SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A wearable device called the CritBit has earned Petaluma inventor Michael Shapiro $1 million on the Turner reality show “America’s Greatest Makers.” The...
by Michael Shapiro | Apr 1, 2014 | Blog, Sports
LOS ANGELES — Veteran Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully was suspended today by Major League Baseball for 50 games after performance enhancing drugs were found in the announcer’s booth at the Dodgers’ spring training stadium in Glendale,...
by Michael Shapiro | Mar 23, 2014 | Blog, Interviews, Stories
One thing I love about my job is that sometimes I have no idea where my day will lead. In early 2014 an editor emailed me on a chilly morning and that afternoon I was surrounded by the spirit-lifting art-filled warehouse of collector Jack Leissring. Here’s my...
by Michael Shapiro | Feb 5, 2014 | Blog, Books, Literature, Past Events, Travel
Michael Shapiro will appear as part of a panel of writers whose work is featured in The Best Travel Writing, Vol. 10, published by Travelers’ Tales. Among the other authors speaking are Jeff Greenwald, Lavinia Spalding and Don George. The executive editor of...
by Michael Shapiro | Jan 28, 2014 | Blog, Interviews, Music
By Michael Shapiro Was sad to hear about the death of folk legend Pete Seeger today – here are three stories you won’t read in his obits. 1. Decades ago, Warren Hellman, then a NY investment banker (he was head of Lehman Bros.), asked Seeger if he would...
by Michael Shapiro | Jan 1, 2014 | Blog, Music
NEW ZEALAND HERALD STAFF REPORT AUCKLAND, New Zealand — On the eve of the Single Malt Curlers sold-out show this Sunday at Auckland’s Vector Arena, singer and tambourine player Adriena Daunt announced she’s leaving the band. Daunt gave no reason for...
by Michael Shapiro | Dec 11, 2013 | Blog, Sports, Travel
Exactly 10 years ago today my mother, brother and I sat with my father as he drew his last breath. He’d been battling pancreatic cancer for eight months; I’d been on assignment in England, interviewing travel writers for my book, A Sense of Place when he...
by Michael Shapiro | Oct 16, 2013 | Blog, Gambling, Stories
Here’s my latest Gambling column from the San Francisco Chronicle, on odds to win the NBA title. As expected, Miami is the favorite, but Golden State has it’s best odds in more than a decade. Read it on sfgate.com using the link above or see the full text...
