Xeni Jardin
Born 1970 · Age 55
American weblogger, digital media commentator and tech-culture journalist; longtime co-editor and partner of Boing Boing, NPR tech correspondent, cofounder of the Freedom of the Press Foundation, breast cancer advocate.
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Life & Career Timeline
Father died of ALS
Her father, artist Glenn B. Hamm Jr., died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease).
Left home at 14
Left her family home at age 14 but remained in school in Richmond.
Scholarship to San Francisco Art Institute (approx.)
Earned a scholarship that funded a year at the San Francisco Art Institute (approximate date mid/early 1990s based on profiles).
Studied journalism at San Diego State University (mid-1990s)
Took journalism courses at San Diego State University and took computer science courses; timing described as 'mid-1990s'.
Worked as web developer in Southern California
Transitioned into web development in Southern California — early professional exposure to the Internet and web technologies.
Site editor, Traveltrust
Listed as site editor for travel agency Traveltrust (archived 1997 reference).
Supervisor of Enterprise Web Technology, Latham & Watkins (approx.)
Served as Supervisor of Enterprise Web Technology for law firm Latham & Watkins (approximate late-1990s role reported in profiles).
Worked at Quaartz (internet calendaring startup)
Worked at Quaartz, an internet calendaring startup (reported as part of pre-journalism technical career).
Began journalism career with Silicon Alley Reporter
Associated with Jason Calacanis's Silicon Alley Reporter as a contributing editor — beginning of formal journalism career (1999).
Vice President, Rising Tide Studios (approx.)
Later became Vice President of Rising Tide Studios, the parent company of Silicon Alley Reporter (date approximated after her contributing-editor role).
Left Rising Tide to focus on journalism
Left Rising Tide Studios in 2001 to concentrate on freelance writing and journalism.
Began freelancing for Wired and other publications
Started freelance writing for Wired Magazine and other outlets as part of a full-time pivot to journalism.
Joined Boing Boing as co-editor
After meeting Mark Frauenfelder at a party, she was invited to contribute and became a co-editor of Boing Boing, a major turning point in her career.
Began 'Xeni Tech' on NPR's Day to Day
Started contributing the 'Xeni Tech' segment to NPR's Day to Day (2003).
Zero-gravity flight with ZERO-G
Was a passenger on a zero-gravity flight (ZERO-G) at about 32,000 feet and reported extensively about the experience for Boing Boing and NPR.
Frequent TV guest appearances
Became a frequent guest tech/commentary presence on major television networks (PBS NewsHour, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, ABC) and on radio (KCRW), as reported in profiles.
Major LA Times profile
Featured profile in the Los Angeles Times (April 2005) that described her as a rising star blogger and reported Boing Boing's weekday traffic.
Appeared on PBS NewsHour
Appeared on NewsHour with Jim Lehrer (Jan 24, 2006) to discuss The Washington Post's decision to remove its comments section (topic connected to Boing Boing's moderation decisions).
Op-ed in The New York Times
Published an opinion piece in The New York Times (March 9, 2006).
Op-ed in Los Angeles Times
Published an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times (Sept 25, 2006).
Boing Boing Video offered on Virgin America flights
Boing Boing Video (originally Boing Boing TV) was initially offered as exclusive inflight entertainment on Virgin America flights (2007).
Began covering Guatemala civil-war aftermath
Started covering the aftermath and atrocities resulting from the Guatemalan Civil War (reporting and coverage on Boing Boing beginning ~2007).
Boing Boing Video recognized by The Webby Awards
Boing Boing Video received recognition from The Webby Awards (site and BB Video credited with Webby recognition; specific award year reported in sources).
Executive producer — SPAMasterpiece Theater
Executive produced the web series SPAMasterpiece Theater (2008), dramatizing email spam; later episodes featured readings by John Hodgman.
Violet Blue deletion controversy
In June 2008 she removed/unpublished posts and references to sex blogger Violet Blue from Boing Boing, generating debate about journalism ethics and site transparency.
Guest on NPR's All Things Considered
Appeared on NPR's All Things Considered to reflect on the major tech stories of the previous decade (2010 appearance).
Poetry publication: 'Everything Moves to Live'
Published the poem 'Everything Moves to Live' in Poetry (October 2011).
Breast cancer diagnosis (public announcement)
Live-blogged her mammogram and announced a positive breast cancer diagnosis via Twitter (Dec 1, 2011); later documented treatments including Taxol and surgery.
Cofounded Freedom of the Press Foundation
Became one of the initial supporters/cofounders of the Freedom of the Press Foundation, joining its board of directors.
Interview: Triangulation (TWiT) appearance
Featured on the podcast/TV show Triangulation (episode 216) — in-depth on her start in journalism and career (Sep 14, 2015).
Accused former senator Birch Bayh of sexual assault (public accusation)
Publicly accused former US senator Birch Bayh of sexual assault when she was a young professional (reported 2016).
Resigned from Freedom of the Press Foundation board
Resigned from the board in Dec 2016 after a dispute regarding Julian Assange/WikiLeaks and citing health reasons.
Op-ed/advocacy: Obamacare saved my life
Wrote and spoke publicly about how the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) saved her life after her cancer treatment (CNN commentary, Jan 16, 2017).
Controversial tweet re: Pelosi/Trump (public backlash)
In 2019 she tweeted comments ('Homie what set you from' reply later referenced) about Nancy Pelosi 'gangsta checking' Donald Trump; generated media attention and backlash.
Quoted in LA Times COVID-19 coverage
Spoke with the Los Angeles Times about the disparate impacts of COVID-19 and healthcare as national security; cited as an LA-based writer isolating in southwestern Utah (Dec 2020).
Left Boing Boing / took leave
Announced via tweet (Feb 19, 2021) that she had taken leave of Boing Boing; stated she remained a partial owner.
Publicly reverted to legal name
Tweeted that the public name 'Xeni Jardin' had been given by an abuser; announced she was moving back to using her legal name (May 11, 2021).
Social-media controversies (Epstein/Maxwell tweets) and backlash
Made tweets claiming Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell were gay; these tweets drew media backlash in mid-2021.
Public profile continues; partial ownership noted
Public reporting indicates she remained a partial owner of Boing Boing after stepping back from day-to-day duties (reported/archived material into 2022).
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