Must try this!
\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yJMSHWLAShc
\n", "tags": "
I'm a regular bike commuter, but have never ridden long distance. I'm going to change that by tackling a 65-miler in April 2012 - the Chico Wildflower run. Just got a used road bike and training starts... now!
", "tags": "Have wanted to do this for a very long time. When will I finally get around to it? So many sculptures to make...
\nhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/54596905@N00/459015132/
\n", "tags": "
\"El Caminito del Rey (English: The King's little pathway) is a walkway, now fallen into disrepair, pinned along the steep walls of a narrow gorge in El Chorro, near Álora in the province of Málaga, Spain. The name is often shortened to Camino del Rey (English: King's pathway).\" (Wikipedia)
\nApparently the path has fallen into such disrepair that it's virtually un-doable now, but they're planning to rebuild it. Should be completely accessible in a few years (though no longer dangerous/challenging).
\nTwo unbelievable videos here - one in low-def, and a hi-def walk shot a while later, after the trail had deteriorated even more. Sadly, the person who filmed this, Daniel Ahen, died on 11 May this year at a climbing expedition in the Himalayas.
\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZmDhRvvs5Xw
\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlw6Yk4WT2I
", "tags": "http://www.flickr.com/photos/oceangrant/3709543032/
\n", "tags": "
There's a massive indoor trampoline garden in San Francisco called the House of Air. Must... jump!
\nhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/mariachily/4996396809/
\n", "tags": "
\"Just 23 miles west of Austin, a city known for its quirks and weirdness, is perhaps the weirdest sight in all of Texas: a breathtaking natural oasis emerging out of the dust and scrub grass in the Texas desert. Hamilton Pool is a natural spring formed in the limestone bedrock and fed by an underground river, which also feeds the small tributaries and lush flora surrounding the pool. The abundant freshwater has led a diverse population of trees and vegetation to emerge surrounding the pool, forming what is now a protected nature preserve of the same name.\"
\nhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/cal_holman/6026937201/
\n\n
More info:
\nhttp://atlasobscura.com/place/hamilton-pool
\n", "tags": "
BOB (Breathing Observation Bubble) is a kind of underwater scooter that allows you to explore the floor of the ocean.
\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3n4D_VyXN8
\nhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/17699550@N04/2597311651/
\nhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/17699550@N04/2597306671/
\n", "tags": "
This is an amazing instrument - played without physically touching, it mimics the tonality of the human voice more than any other. Made famous in the Beach Boys' \"Good Vibrations\" but has also appeared sporadically in pop and rock through the decades.
\n\n", "tags": "
After decades of web development, it's time to tackle something new - building a site completely optimized for mobile devices such as iPhones and Androids.
\nI actually need to build two - one for Bucketlist and one for my workplace. After much research, have decided to use JQuery Mobile for both. Hope to have the Bucketlist one finished by the end of summer!
", "tags": "Actually, I don't have to do this in New Zealand - could be anywhere. Looks like there's a facility in Big Bear, Southern California. And a few more scattered around the world.
\n", "tags": "Yosemite's Half Dome is better enjoyed from the granite surface than from the comfort of your car. It can be a good 14 miles, so it's an all-day deal - plan to leave early. For much of the year, there are cables alongside the steepest parts to keep you safe.
\nI want to do this hike with Miles once he's capable of hikes this long.
\n", "tags": "I'm not entirely sure how these work, but am intrigued by what I see at this site and want to try making them with my kid. Apparently there are videos all over YouTube as well - have to give this a whirl!
\nThis one is not mine:
\n", "tags": "Those old-timey bikes with the ginormous front wheels are called \"penny farthings.\" The reason for the wheel is that it took a long time to develop the technology for shiftable gears on bikes. In the meanwhile, bikes were stuck with a 1-1 gear ratio, which meant they were very slow. The big front wheel allowed for more efficient travel, at the expense of difficulty hopping aboard.
\n", "tags": "No engines, no motor noise, just you and the sky.
\n", "tags": "We've waited way too long to do this, and have no excuse beyond \"Haven't gotten around to it.\" Really really want to make it happen this summer.
", "tags": "There are many ways to do this - hopefully I'll find one easier than rubbing two sticks together!
\n\nHere's a great how-to on using a friction bow, which is probably the way I'll do it:
\n", "tags": "There's a program called 100 Pushups -- the idea is that \"anyone\" can build up to doing 100 consecutive pushups after completing a six-week training program. Three days a week, you do five sets of increasing difficulty, for example 14, 19, 14, 14, 25.
\r\nUnfortunately, the program doesn't really account for the fact that muscles don't build as quickly as you get older. Nor does it warn you that it starts out pretty fun, but gets excruciating as you head into week 4 or 5.
\r\nThis is not me :)
\r\n\r\nNo matter - if you don't complete a day, you just repeat it until you do. Truthfully, I've been working on the program for over a year, but every time I build up into week 4, it gets to be such an exertion that I wimp out and skip doing pushups entirely.
\r\nFinally realized that it's more important to stay in shape than it is to complete the program. So I've gone into \"maintenance\" mode, doing Week 4 Day 2 over and over again. It's just strenuous enough to be a good workout, but not so intense that I skip them.
\r\nStill, I'd like to pick up the pace again sometime and complete the program. It would feel amazing to do 100 without stopping.
", "tags": "Geocaching is a sport/hobby that involves using geographical coordinates and a GPS to look for containers hidden in the woods, in cities, on top of mountains, underwater, in lamp posts, inside of logs, etc. When you find one, you sign a log to prove you were there, and optionally take a prize from the cache, replacing it with a new one of equal or greater value.
\r\nIt's not about the prizes though - they tend to be pretty lame. The fun is in exploring trails and areas you might never have visited otherwise - it's a great way to discover new terrain. It can also become a semi-competitive sport, once you get into it. Geocachers compete to find the most caches in an area, to find caches in every county or state, etc.
\r\n\r\nEvery cache has two difficulty ratings: The difficulty of the hide itself (how well concealed it is) and the difficulty of the terrain (how hard is it to get to). Most caches are in the 2/3 or 3/2 range. Caches with a terrain rating of 5 require specialized gear to get to, such as scuba equipment, mountain climbing rigs, or hot air balloons :)
\r\nOf course, the most challenging caches of all are rated 5/5 - extremely well hidden and extremely hard to get to. Before I die, I'm going to find one...
\r\n\r\nshacker pulling an ammo can cache from Minkalo Cliffs, near Tahoe.
\r\n", "tags": "
With all the back-end web programming languages out there, JavaScript remains the lingua franca - the one thing almost all web sites share in common. Weirdly though, I've spent most of my career mired in back-end stuff, and haven't taken time out to master JavaScript. I can hack around in it, but don't feel like I have mastery. I want to change that.
", "tags": "I've been in caves, of course - as a tourist, with guide rails and tour guides, but have never gone spelunking proper, as in \"a little bit dangerous.\" Have heard the spelunking in New Zealand is especially amazing.
\n\n", "tags": "Was inspired to add this to my list by this video, the Green Tunnel:
\n\nA six month journey along the 2,200 mile long Appalachian Trail, condensed and reinterpreted into five minutes of stop-motion.
\n", "tags": "
Kite surfing looks like pure joy. Not sure how closely it will map to my previous life as a \"regular\" surfer but we'll see...
\r\n", "tags": "Human jet pack, water powered!
\n", "tags": "I mean not just some dinky tunnel or small cave - I've done that. I want to dive in a real cave, with otherworldly lights and surreality everywhere you look.
\n", "tags": "It's kind of crazy how long I've been a Patti Smith fan without ever seeing her live. I have a framed album cover of her album Easter on my office wall, pit hair proudly gleaming.
\r\n\r\n", "tags": "I'm always surprised when I turn around, realize I'm 45, and still haven't gone skydiving. Totally seems like something I would do.
\nWill probably wait for my kid to grow up before going for it. Can't risk leaving the family alone :)
", "tags": "Slacklining is a balance sport that uses nylon webbing tensioned between two anchor points. Slacklining is distinct from tightrope walking in that the line is not held rigidly taut (although it is still under some tension); it is instead dynamic, stretching and bouncing like a long and narrow trampoline. The line's tension can be adjusted to suit the user and different types of dynamic webbing can be used to achieve a variety of feats. The line itself is flat, due to the nature of webbing, thus keeping the slacker's footing from rolling as would be the case with an ordinary rope. The dynamic nature of the line allows for impressive tricks and stunts.
\n", "tags": "While hiking Mt. Tamalpais recently, discovered a wonderful little 1930s hotel called the West Point Inn, nestled in with the Bay Area's best views. No electricity, so you have to rough it a bit, but it was just wonderful. Would love to spend the night here with family or just the wife.
\nA few photos of it in this Mt. Tam slideshow:
\n", "tags": "Apparently Mosquito Bay in Puerto Rico is the best place to do this.
\n", "tags": "Socotras Island, between Somalia and Yemen, has one of the most alien landscapes on earth.
\n\"The island has been geographically isolated from mainland Africa for the last 6 or 7 million years. Like the Galapagos Islands, this island is teeming with 700 extremely rare species of flora and fauna, a full 1/3 of which are endemic, i.e. found nowhere else on Earth. \"
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", "tags": "