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Oct 18, 2015
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Sep 29, 2016
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 Three of us tackled our first century ride, starting and ending at Morro Bay High School. Mostly Hwy 1, with a long haul of up Hwy 46 to get lots of climbing in. 101 miles, 5400 ft ascent. More images from the ride at Flickr:Nov 19, 2015
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I've been looking for something cool to do with an old Arduino board that's been sitting around, and it just occurred to me that the most useful thing I could probably do with it would be to build a Useless Machine, as shown here.Mar 7, 2015
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Had an incredible experience in Prague and Czesky-Krumlov in summer 2014. Wrote up a detailed blog post here: http://birdhouse...Mar 7, 2015
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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. I actually need to build two - one for Bucketlist and one for my workplace.&n...Mar 7, 2015
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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. vid img Finally made this happen in Feb. 2015, It...Feb 16, 2013
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My son did this at his grandparent's house - had great fun, and the grandparents' reaction was priceless. http://www.flickr.com/photos/shacker/849052...Aug 21, 2012
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Did an amazing tour of Vancouver Island with family, summer 2012. One of the highlights was a 5-hour sea kayak trip to Meare's Island. This was my first time in a kayak with a skirt and rudder - very different experience from the smaller...Jul 1, 2012
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There is a beer, made in small quantities by Trappist monks in Belgium, called Westvleteren 12. Incredibly hard to get (you can't order it - you need to put in a reservation and visit the monastery in Belgium on a specific da...May 29, 2012
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My son and I have actually planted six geocaches over the past five years - all of them in the East Bay area. Look me up on geocaching.com - I'm shackerMay 29, 2012
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As an unapolagetic treehugger, I've done this many times on our weekly family hikes.May 20, 2012
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Since originally posting this, I started teaching a class in HTML/CSS/PHP/Javascript at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, and then later took a job at a central campus department as a full-time front-end developer, using Jav...May 18, 2012
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Something I've wanted to do since I was a kid, finally came true today - a morning spent 1500 feet above the ground in a hot air balloon with family and friends. Absolutely amazing experience, totally still and peaceful on a picture perf...Apr 29, 2012
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A 100-mile bike ride is called a "century" and a 65-miler is sometimes referred to as a "metric century." I had thought this would become one of the hardest things I'd ever done, but was pleasantly surprised - it was hard, but not horrib...Feb 24, 2012
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Composting is a way of life! Amazing to see how much lighter your trash is every week when you put the bins out - so much good potential soil goes into landfill.Dec 31, 2011
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Proud to say I've completed a New Year's resolution - took a photo every single day in 2011. Notes and slideshow here: http://birdhouse.org/blog/2011/12/31/phot...Nov 1, 2011
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This process continued through 2011, and I finally finished around November. Here's a quick video tour of the digitized LPs: Read MoreJul 26, 2011
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Ivory is full of microsopic bubbles, which expand rapidly when heated. 90 seconds in the microwave is all it takes (start with 1/3 of a bar). What you get is something like this (green added in Photoshop for the heck of it): image ...Jun 10, 2011
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Bought the SkyLab kit from antigravityresearch.com. The build was pretty straightforward, and we were blown away by how high it flew - over 400 feet from a single...Jun 8, 2011
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Yeah, it's loud and obnoxious, but it's also approximately the most fun you can possibly have on water. SO fun!Jun 2, 2011
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OK, it just happened - I laughed until I cried reading the Best of Autocorrect. I'm still crying.Feb 20, 2011
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We've lived in the Bay Area for a decade, but had never gotten around to walking the length of the Golden Gate bridge. Finally did it today. It was OK. The views and architecture are incredible, but you're right next to six lanes of traf...Jan 28, 2011
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I like to strum a little ukulele (Hawaiians pronounce it "ooh-ke-leh-leh") every now and then. Such a happy sound - you can play the saddest song in the world and it'll still sound cheerful when played on the uke. imgThe kit A while ago ...Oct 22, 2010
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After a nine-month wait, my Renovo Pandurban was finally completed. Spent a few hours building it up, and spent the next week riding every chance I got. So in love with this bike! Bamboo is an incredible construction material for bikes. ...Sep 22, 2010
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I spent my senior year of high school as an exchange student, living in New South Wales, half an hour north of Sydney. One of the most transformative years of my life. Fell in love for the first time, spent two weeks on a sheep sta...Sep 22, 2010
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I was an exchange student in Australia in 1983 and had the good fortune to be able to spend two days diving the Barrier Reef. Memories I'll never forget -- was able to grab onto the shoulders of a manta ray with a 15' wingspan and glide ...Sep 22, 2010
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In jungle areas around the world, especially in "eco-tourism" areas, you can often ride a zipline through the forest canopy. Some of these are up to a quarter mile long, and cross gorges hundreds of feet deep. Here's one in Costa Rica: Z...Sep 22, 2010
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For years, I've made mental notes about all the things I wanted to do before I die. Meanwhile, I've watched as social networks became the main way people log and catalog their interests online. Finally, decided it was time to get s...Sep 22, 2010
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In high school, I got pretty good - even rode a 5-foot unicycle once (though my usual ride was a "standard" height one). I commuted to Morro Bay High School from home in the hills (5 miles) on a unicycle a few dozen times. Haven't ridden...Sep 22, 2010
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As a boy, I went to my Aunt Kathy's farm in Oregon, and had my first opportunity to milk a real cow. Remember being amazed at how warm and supple the teats were, how sensuous the experience was. Never thought about milk the same way agai...Sep 22, 2010
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Traveled through Europe in 1989 and met a great guy who invited me to stay on his family's tulip farm. Even got to visit a tulip auction! imgSep 22, 2010
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Las Vegas is home to a small but incredible museum dedicated to the life -- and wardrobe -- of the great Liberace. Sadly, the museum is scheduled to close before long. If you want to check this one off your bucketlist, get it done before...Sep 19, 2010
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The kobe sushi at Yoshi's in Oakland, CA is sublime. Hard to describe just how sensuous great kobe beef really is. Melts in your mouth!Sep 2, 2010
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I played guitar casually for around 20 years, then picked up a Fluke three years ago. A year later, received a cigar box ukulele kit for a gift. Enjoyed building it, but it didn't sound great (sound is round! how can you expe...Aug 25, 2010
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This is one of my most indelible memories. Australia, 1983, with the first love of my life. Stopping on bicycles in the middle of a field, when warm rain started to pound. We stopped our bikes, not sure what to do next, then suddenly the...Aug 25, 2010
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Would like to build a fort for my son - a place for him to hang with his friends, store his stuff, and play out his imaginary world. We spent most of the summer of 2009 building a fort from mostly discarded or re-used lumber donate...Aug 25, 2010
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I got PADI certified at age 15 and made an OK living cleaning boat bottoms in Morro Bay, CA through my teen years and early 20s. Wouldn't want to go back to boat cleaning, but do enjoy occasional pleasure dives, preferably in tropical wa...Aug 25, 2010
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I actually spent most of my childhood wanting to surf, then most of teen years actually doing it (mostly in Morro Bay, CA). So I guess I can count this one complete :)Aug 25, 2010
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OK, have to confess this wasn't on my bucketlist until I saw it on Shana's, but I've done this many times. Just be careful what you reach for when it's time to wipe - especially if you're sensitive to poison oak! Seriously though, I alwa...Jul 14, 2010
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The Northeast coast of Kauai, Hawaii, aka the Napali Coast, is regarded by many as one of the wonders of the world. image The road that encircles most of Kauai doesn't make it all the way around, simply because the cliffs and mountains o...Jun 15, 2010
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Recently completed the first 2.5 miles of Kauai's Kalalau Trail, along the Napali coast. Amazing experience, but the hardcore do the entire 11 miles. Hope to return one day when my boy is all grown up and do the entire hike, camp a night...Jun 15, 2010
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During a trip to Kauai in 2010, spent a glorious afternoon lounging on a volcanic black sand beach. http://www.flickr.com/photos/viator-things-to-do/20...Mar 17, 2009
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Every year I travel to Austin TX for SXSW Interactive, and rent a bike to travel the city. This usually means lots of riding along the river. If I'm there near sunset, love to stop and watch the bats flying out from under the bridge.&nbs...Mar 8, 2007
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On a biz trip to Austin a few years ago, I rented one for a day and had a blast. It's the most intuitive, graceful mode of transportation you can imagine. Would love to own one, if it were more practical! This is me, in 2007, riding...Jul 12, 2000
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I'm no expert, but have had many opportunities, and am able to stand up and stay up! http://www.flickr.com/photos/oliviabellphotography/4974642...Apr 21, 1999
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In the late 90s, I wrote The BeOS Bible for Peachpit Press, followed by MP3: The Definitive Guide for O'Reilly (both now out of print) book1 book2Aug 18, 1997
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In 1997 I rode a motorcycle across the country, camping wherever I ended up. One of the highlights was laying a sleeping bag down in the Arizona desert. Couldn't even see where I was. When I woke up, I was staring into cactus needles - g...Mar 12, 1996
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On a cross-country motorcycle trip, around 1996, I had the opportunity to do some caving in Montana, and spent half a day walking through the lava tubes. Amazing experience! Read MoreNov 12, 1992
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I've done this many times, but one of the most memorable was in Walden Pond, near Boston MA in the early 90s. A summer squall came through while swimming there with my girlfriend, and the sky opened up. Warm rain was pelting down so hard...Jul 16, 1991
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/13115927@N06/1358906734/ ; On a cross-country motorcycle trip, 1991. It was cold and windy that day :( ...Jul 19, 1989
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One of the most powerful experiences of my life. I had just graduated from college, and will always remember this as a somber passage in an otherwise joyful adventure.Aug 18, 1987
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Since I grew up in Morro Bay and went to college at UC Santa Cruz, I drove up and down the PCH many times - by car, by VW bus, even hitch-hiked it a few times. Every trip was more beautiful than the last. imgJul 7, 1986
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Classic post-college trek, living in hostels, out of my backpack for months on end. Living large in a small way, discovering the world.Jun 20, 1984
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The Capela dos Ossos in Evora, Portugal is incredible - every time the cemetery fills up with the bones of monks and nuns, they dig up the oldest ones and make a larger chapel out of them! There are actually many such Oss...Jun 12, 1984
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On a trip to Fiji in 1984, went out on a dive boat. As we headed out to sea, the wind and rain and dark clouds came bearing down on us. It was so warm and tropical, the wind, rain, and ocean water were all equally warm. Just sat on the d...Apr 11, 1984
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I've gotten to try this twice in my life, and loved it each time - once in Fiji and once in Australia. You rise up so quickly your heart sinks to the pit of your stomach, but you don't notice because the view is so incredible! imgMar 1, 1984
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I spent a week in Fiji in 1984, on the way home from Australia. Stayed in a hostel with a couple from the island of Mauritius. One night the husband slipped off his shoes and practically ran up a coconut palm in the back yard, and knocke...Nov 15, 1983
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While diving the Great Barrier Reef in 1983, had the great fortune to come across a manta ray with a 20' wing span, grab his shoulders, and be towed along the sea bed for a good long time. The most peaceful experience you can imagine. Wh...Jun 15, 1983
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I was an exchanged student to Australia in 1983, and worked on a sheep station for a month. Saw hundreds of kangaroo in the wild while there! imgJan 18, 1983
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I spent a year as an exchange student in Australia in 1983, and had Vegemite nearly every day! It's not that I LOVED it, just that it was always there on the table, and I wanted to have the "full experience." imgJul 13, 1982
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Back in high school in Morro Bay we used to do this once or twice per summer. We'd bring our guitars, some food, and just enjoy the heck out of each other. imgJun 11, 1981
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Actually got my PADI certificate at age 16 (I'm 45 now) and have been diving all my life!Nov 11, 1980
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I've been skinny dipping many times in my life (I was kind of surprised to see it on so many people's bucketlists actually). In pools, in lakes, in the ocean. From my teen years to the present. In the tropics and in icy cold ponds, in th...Oct 19, 1980
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Was never really an option in our family - all of our cars were stick shifts! I learned in a VW Squareback similar to the one pictured here (but not so fancy/shiny). We lived in a hilly area and I remember the smell of burning clutch as ...Aug 19, 1980
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Many, many times in my life - the best is the crab I've caught myself while snorkeling or scuba diving (I've been bringing crab home to the family from the sea floor since I was 14 or so!)Jun 19, 1980
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I've ridden many of them, both at ski resorts and on "dry" land. One of the most memorable was the gondola in Palm Springs, rising up to the mountains above. imgJun 11, 1980
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Did a lot of this in my youth, growing up in Morro Bay CA. Even built my own skimboard at one point, fiberglass and all (didn't work as well as the ones from the local surf shop though). Had some amazing times. My body would never stand ...Dec 15, 1975
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Have done this many times in my life, in many lakes! http://www.flickr.com/photos/71111184@N08/6427640367/in/photostreamSep 29, 1974
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img Our family had goats as a boy, and my brother and I had to milk them every day before school. I remember the milk being so warm, and sometimes goat hairs would fall into it. Sometimes we'd drink the goat milk right out of...Jun 9, 1974
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When I was young, we had a few acres, and we had some goats. My brother and i were young, and little enough to try to ride them like horses. No pictures, unfortunately. Just a good memory.