You won’t find much about Mauro Fortissimo on Google. But he’s well known in Half Moon Bay. If you walk around town and notice some unique metal work it probably is due to his hands.
If you know famous musicians Neil Young, or Thomas Dolby, they’ve had him do copper work in their homes.
But, this morning, I didn’t know who he was. To me he was just the guy making breakfast at Enso’s in Half Moon Bay.
I’m torn about telling people about Enso’s, cause it really is the best-kept secret that none of us want you to find. It’s a tiny (really tiny) little place right next to the beach in Half Moon Bay. If you weren’t brought there by a local you probably would drive right by and not even notice it.
Inside they only have enough seats for about 10 people. But, this really is a great place to get breakfast because it’s always different, made with love, and you get to meet interesting locals. They only are open on Saturday mornings (they also own a gallery and a Yoga studio on the property).
I digress.
Back to Mauro. We were there pretty late so after everyone else left he poured himself an ice tea and sat down with us. Until that point we had no idea he was the famous artist who makes all sorts of cool copperwork in town and elsewhere.
He plays piano, too, and owns a Yoga studio, a gallery, and a little garden. Much of the stuff we were eating was grown in his garden. He told us he makes food for the pleasure of it, cause it isn’t a good business, he told us. He also teaches art classes where he’ll show you some of his metal work tricks.
But, you know I’m going to loop this around to tech somehow, right?
We started talking about tech cause he asked me what I do. He told me that he resisted getting a computer for a long time and, even now, doesn’t really use it even though he has lots of friends in the tech industry. Even other artists try to get him to learn cause they show him the benefits of planning out his work in advance and how that’d save him time.
“They tell me I could learn to use it,” he told me. “But I answer I could learn to play violin too.”
The Argentinian-born artist, chef, musician has a sense of humor too. He’s the kind of guy that I just love hanging around.
Then I noticed there was a Maker Faire poster on his wall. We talked about that. Turns out one of his best friends is director of advertising at Make Magazine and that he’s throwing a party for Maker Faire speakers and staff members in May. He says they are expecting 50,000 people that weekend and that Make Magazine is doing extraordinarily well.
To bring this full circle. Make is owned by Tim O’Reilly. You know, tech publishers. But, I thought I was just getting breakfast, now I’ve learned about the area’s excellent metal work, the celebrities in town, another tech party I can crash, as well as got another contact at Make Magazine. You never know where your networking is going to happen.
Anyway, hope you are having a great weekend. The stories and weather in Half Moon Bay are just stunning.
Oh, and if you come to Half Moon Bay tomorrow for our Photowalking you’re in for a real treat. The weather is just spectacular.
Scobleizer 
People don’t really need to use computers, or have 50 mobile devices on PCS or be reachable at all times day or night. Or stream 100000 RSS feeds to your cell phone and read them while driving for the fun of it.
Remember James Kim. He was a manager at CNET, and didn’t even so much as carry a GPS unit on him or in his car.
The people you would assume are tech enabled, are often times not. A metal worker, you would assume has a website to sell their wares, but ultimately many do not and see no purpose in that.
I probably wouldn’t go without GPS in the car, because I get lost easily, but anything that connects and lets me see requests or complaints stays off. I would imagine that people like Mauro that don’t have nag boxes, are probably happier than us, the tech savvy.
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People don’t really need to use computers, or have 50 mobile devices on PCS or be reachable at all times day or night. Or stream 100000 RSS feeds to your cell phone and read them while driving for the fun of it.
Remember James Kim. He was a manager at CNET, and didn’t even so much as carry a GPS unit on him or in his car.
The people you would assume are tech enabled, are often times not. A metal worker, you would assume has a website to sell their wares, but ultimately many do not and see no purpose in that.
I probably wouldn’t go without GPS in the car, because I get lost easily, but anything that connects and lets me see requests or complaints stays off. I would imagine that people like Mauro that don’t have nag boxes, are probably happier than us, the tech savvy.
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Robert, this is getting annoying: it’s actually the second time I read a blog post of yours one day too late. Just yesterday, I was driving past Half Moon Bay and could have used that information. Now I’m sitting in my tiny Travelodge room near the airport, my flight back to germany leaving tomorrow morning.
next time…
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Robert, this is getting annoying: it’s actually the second time I read a blog post of yours one day too late. Just yesterday, I was driving past Half Moon Bay and could have used that information. Now I’m sitting in my tiny Travelodge room near the airport, my flight back to germany leaving tomorrow morning.
next time…
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Is this the artist with the killer cool T-Rexs? I would have liked to take one of those home and be the talk of the neighborhood kids!
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Is this the artist with the killer cool T-Rexs? I would have liked to take one of those home and be the talk of the neighborhood kids!
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Brad: nope, that’s another guy.
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Brad: nope, that’s another guy.
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that’s an awesome story.. 😉
well, it also goes to show btw that you don’t have to have all the techno gadgetry to be well networked… 😉
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that’s an awesome story.. 😉
well, it also goes to show btw that you don’t have to have all the techno gadgetry to be well networked… 😉
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Hi Robert , are you still bloging around? you had braekfast more than a year ago , time to come by again , they are called brakeslow now , and i also serve vegetarian dinners on monday nights , dont tell anybody . The last makers faire was a blast , i had a cool space with lots of pianos liberados , i play the inside of pianos ( did you know i also play music ?) anyhow i was next to the big dudes of microsoft , i think i was kind of a joke , there was i making sculptures , taking pianos apart with a couple of screw drivers , some candles and incense , not an ounce of electronic gear and got away with the Editors choice award ! , check some more on c-net or at the make magazine site , under ff mauro , hope the summer treats you good , come by for some food , che vediamo , peace and happinees , m.
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Hi Robert , are you still bloging around? you had braekfast more than a year ago , time to come by again , they are called brakeslow now , and i also serve vegetarian dinners on monday nights , dont tell anybody . The last makers faire was a blast , i had a cool space with lots of pianos liberados , i play the inside of pianos ( did you know i also play music ?) anyhow i was next to the big dudes of microsoft , i think i was kind of a joke , there was i making sculptures , taking pianos apart with a couple of screw drivers , some candles and incense , not an ounce of electronic gear and got away with the Editors choice award ! , check some more on c-net or at the make magazine site , under ff mauro , hope the summer treats you good , come by for some food , che vediamo , peace and happinees , m.
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