Background
Jardin was born in Richmond, Virginia, on August 5, 1970. Her father, artist Glenn B. Hamm Junior., died in August 1980 of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis .
Jardin was born in Richmond, Virginia, on August 5, 1970. Her father, artist Glenn B. Hamm Junior., died in August 1980 of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis .
She is known for her position as co-editor of the collaborative weblog Boing Boing, as a contributor to Wired magazine and Wired News, and as a correspondent for the National Public Radio show Day to Day. She has also worked as a guest technology news commentator for television networks such as Public Broadcasting Service NewsHour, Cable News Network, Fox News, Microsoft and National Broadcasting Company and American Broadcasting Company. She left home at age 14, but remained in school in Richmond. Her brother, Carl M., retained their family name, and is a Richmond, Virginia-based disc jockey, who performs under the stage name "DJ Carlito".
Jardin prefers the name "Xeni Jardin" over her given name.
"Xeni" is short for "Xeniflores," a word with origins in Guatemala"s native culture, meaning "protector of flowers," while "jardin" is the Spanish and French word for "garden" (with the French pronunciation used). Prior to becoming a journalist, she was site editor for travel agency Traveltrust, then Supervisor of Enterprise Web Technology for Latham & Watkins before working at Quaartz, an internet calendaring startup.
Her career as a journalist began in 1999 when she was associated with Jason Calacanis"s Silicon Alley Reporter, first as a contributing editor, and later as Vice President of Silicon Alley"s parent company, Rising Tide Studios. In 2001 she became a freelance writer for Wired and other magazines, and in 2002 she began contributing to Boing Boing after Mark Frauenfelder met her at a party and invited her to be a co-editors
Jardin has also written op-ed pieces for the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.
Jardin is also involved in television and radio work. In 2003, she began contributing the "Xeni Technical" segment for National Public Radio"s show Day to Day, and has appeared as a guest on the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer to discuss the Washington Post"s decision to remove their comments section (a step Boing Boing had also taken). She has also made appearances on Cable News Network, Fox News, Microsoft and National Broadcasting Company and American Broadcasting Company World News Tonight. and featured on the British Broadcasting Corporation Radio 5 show Pods and Blogs discussing her work at Boing Boing.
A June 2008 controversy over Jardin"s deleting from public view all posts and links associated with sex blogger Violet Blue in the wake of a falling-out led to discussions about journalism ethics and standards and media transparency.
On December 1, 2011, she live-blogged her first mammogram, which returned a positive diagnosis of breast cancer. In 2012, Jardin became one of the initial supporters of the Freedom of the Press Foundation.
In August 2012, she stated she was in a relationship with broadcast journalist Miles O"Brien.