I am a San Francisco-based writer covering enterprise, education technology, health IT, and venture capital.

Prior to VentureBeat, I worked in public relations representing companies in the Big Data, cloud computing and analytics space. Before that, I worked as a freelance writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, TheNextWeb and Digital Trends, among others. In 2011, I received a Masters from the Stanford Graduate School of Journalism.

The first thing people usually notice about me is my weird accent. Growing up, I divided my time between the urban sprawls of New York and London. So when I’m not telling stories, you’ll find me embracing everything that the hippie, chilled-out California lifestyle has to offer: yoga, wine and hiking.

Disclosures: I stand behind VentureBeat’s ethics statement. Prior to VentureBeat, I worked in public relations and marketing, but do not maintain any relationships with former clients that would bias my reporting. I don’t own shares in any company in the tech sector. I don’t accept gifts with the exception of the occasional gift bag swag.

Christina@venturebeat.com

stories by Christina Farr

New online course encourages students to cheat… for science

One unintended use for massive open online courses, dubbed "MOOCs," is to help professors better understand the mechanics of cheating in online learning.

OwnerListens nabs $1.1M for its Yelp alternative, a virtual suggestion box

OwnerListens has raised over $1 million in funding for its suggestion box that lets customers anonymously communicate with store owners.

Sir Richard’s crossdressing adventure ain’t no drag

Richard Branson lost a bet in 2010, and finally made good on his promise to don heavy makeup and full drag. His sense of humor is a lesson to all founders and CEOs!

Africa’s entrepreneurs say their ideas aren’t a ‘dime a dozen’ like in Silicon Valley (video)

Check out this 20 minute documentary on Africa's tech scene. Unlike Silicon Valley, "innovation is born from necessity."

How long until your doctor is wearing Google Glass?

Although Google Glass is still in its early (and annoying) stages, it holds a lot of promise in the medical field -- and entrepreneurs and investors are already salivating at the possibilities.

Meet the 10 startups competing in the HealthBeat ‘Innovation Showdown’

We’re blown away by the quality of the more than 150 applicants to the HealthBeat 2013 “Grand Rounds Innovation Showdown,” one of the highlights of VentureBeat’s inaugural health tech conference (May 20-21 in San Francisco).

We asked startups throughout the …

Big spender Yahoo snaps up GoPollGo & Milewise

Yahoo has been on a bit of a spending spree of late, and this morning it acquired two small startups, GoPollGo and Milewise.

Cloud collective? ‘Enterprise cool kids’ Box & GoodData partner on new product

The "enterprise cool kids" are partnering up so customers can visualize relevant data to better understand the effectiveness of their teams.

Coursera partners with publishers to bring digital textbooks to the masses

Coursera is partnering with publishers to make it easier for students to access e-textbooks.

Funding daily: Bitcoin, crowdfunding & other trends

In a rare twist, the majority of startups closing funding rounds today are targeted to consumers. We've recently seen business-focused tech dominate the deals channel.

YouEye is your eye in the sky for cloud-based user-experience testing

YouEye today closed a $3 million round to scale its futuristic approach to usability testing.

Accenture boosts its design chops with Fjord acquisition

High-end design firm Fjord counts Nokia, Citibank, Harvard Medical School, and PayPal among its clients.

Educlipper launches its ‘virtual pinboard’ for teachers & students

Teacher-turned-entrepreneur Adam Bellow has launched Educlipper, a tool for kids to save and share content from the web.

The Southeast gets its first digital health accelerator

Entrepreneurs enrolled in the accelerator will get $20,000 in seed capital to help jumpstart new digital health businesses.

How these college dropouts beat Harvard grads in competition for jobs

Enstitute's fellows are placed in two-year apprenticeship programs, an alternative to college. They pickup the technical skills that are coveted by employers.

Crowdcases says its ‘crowd of designers’ can change the world (exclusive)

New York-based Crowdcases wants to bring together a community of designers to raise money for nonprofit organizations.

Trophy home buyer Larry Ellison sets his sights on Malibu

The Los Angeles Times reports that the world's third richest individual has set his sights on "billionaire beach," and may have dropped anchor in the neighborhood.