December 2011
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Creating unforgettable moments
NY resolution #1: Actively cultivate memories by breaking with routine. I absolutely love the comfort of returning to the same places over & over again — but, in some respects, I might be doing myself a disservice. Our brains seem to record novel experiences in long term memory with more fidelity than those experiences which are more familiar (there is significant evolutionary advantage...
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How often I found where I should be going only by setting out for somewhere else
– Bucky Fuller
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Consider the fact that for 3.8 billion years, a period of time older than the...
– Bill Bryson, A Short History of Nearly Everything
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Hey, what camera do you use?
I’m often asked, “What cameras do you use?” I basically shoot 2 cameras: the Canon 5D MK II & the Leica M9. Yes, I use my Canon S100 occasionally, and my iPhone 4S Hipstamatic with some frequency. But, for serious shoots, it’s either the SLR (Canon) or the Rangefinder (Leica).
Perhaps more important than the body are the lenses. I typically use the 16-35MM f2.8...
Airfield rebuilt every year on annual sea ice near...
The U.S. Antarctic Program builds a temporary airfield on the sea ice in McMurdo Sound every year for use by both ski-equipped and wheeled aircraft that provide transportation to and from the continent, as well as those that support research to far-flung field camps. Construction begins before the summer field season in October, and the airfield is in operation until early December, when the...
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Hash, Mareewana?
Last year at this time, I was in Kathmandu & posted this in my journal:
“I am in a colorful bicycle taxi moving smartly down Freak Street in Kathmandu heading for the famed Snowman Cafe (always in search of great coffee) when I hear a voice right behind my left ear, “Hash, Mareewana?” I quickly look behind me and see a wizened newari head between the back flaps of...
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In the end, winning is sleeping better.
– Jodie Foster
Less is More
If you are like me, one of the great pleasures of traveling is the enormous reduction of our worldly possessions down to only the bare essentials. When we carry our things from place to place, we become deeply aware (and appreciative) of each items purpose and role. At home, you may have 10 fleeces, countless shoes, shirts, etc - but on the road, perhaps only one of each…and, if you are...