Peter Ha

The Lone Beard Behind TECHLAND

Peter Ha is bad ass - a tatted out, beer drinker who rocks a beard, surfs the cool waters of New York, and just so happens to be the technology editor for Time and editor of TECHLAND.  As a regular attendee of CES, I have always been under the impression that most geeks (said with love, of course) could never grow a full beard, but Peter is destroying this held notion.  So we've been politely Twitter stalking him, but it wasn't until he posted his Apple iPhone 4 review that we made an open plea for a Q&A with this bearded tech warrior.

Just don't ask him if you can touch it...
 
BAB: In your recent iPhone 4 article, you're sporting a beard... how long did that take you to grow? Peter: That’s a tough first question. Jeez. I thought we were, you know, Twitter buddies. In its current state, I’d say this one took about seven days. It’s a little long to be honest.
 

(BAB side comment: It's not long enough)

What are your thoughts on mustaches? I really wish I could pull one off without look like a total sleaze ball. It all depends on the type and thickness. I like a good old-fashioned handlebar. I’d really like it if mustaches came back into style. 

Goatees? I’ve only been able to grow a full beard in the last four or five years and before that I had a goatee. I’d rather cut off my pinky then go back to having a goatee, though. 

Who is your bearded hero (fiction, musician, artist, author, etc.)? Chewbacca. Duh.

You grew up on the West Coast.... how is the beard scene there?  How does it compare to NYC? Yeah, I was born and raised in Portland, but spent some time in the Bay Area, as well. There are enclaves within cities like Seattle and Portland that are full of beards. NYC beards got nothing on us lumberbacks from the PNW.

You work for Time... what is the corporate reaction to your beard? No one really seems to care about the beard. I’m fairly clean cut and present myself in a manner that my mother would approve of. 

Reaction to your tattoos? I don’t know if this is true but a co-worker told me that the former managing editor had sent a memo around the day before I started to inform everyone that a tattooed greaser would be joining the company as the technology editor. I have yet to see said e-mail. The elevator rides in the morning are a trip. 

How many other bearded tatted-out tech reporters are rocking Time? I’m the only one.

We're calling 2010 the "Year of the Beard" - any predictions for 2011? Year of the Moustache?

How long have you rocked facial hair? I first started showing signs of being man around 1999. 

What's the most annoying thing about having a beard in NYC? The upkeep.

Anything else we should know.... ? Cheez-its with Frank's hot sauce is the shit.

        Peter Ha of TECHLAND