Author: ryan

…and as a result of not being able to sleep the site now has permalinks, the number one most requested feature (“You need permalinks to your blog entries, sucka“). I’m both an insomniac and a geek.

Unrelated, but I’ve gotten sucked into the whole Survivor thing this year — the idea of getting to live on a tropical island while simultaneously testing your ability to fend for yourself is one that seems really appealing. However, in the shows I’ve seen they all kind of just sit around on logs and complain about how hungry they are or who should be voted out. I want to get on the show and be like the professor on Gilligan’s island, making fishing nets out of palm fronds and radios out of coconuts and stuff. All I need are some ideas for a good audition video — “Survivor needs more guys who are losing their hair at a young age” probably isn’t the pitch that will convince CBS to put me on the show. Suggestions are welcome, so long as they don’t involve nudity, farm animals, or both.

I got to sheep number 213 and finally gave up counting…

Exactly ten working days left. The last of the Antarctica gear (waterproof pants and gaiters) was purchased yesterday, so it’s now just a matter of getting everything ready to go.

Twenty-three days and thirteen minutes until the plane leaves from SFO and the Antarctica trip starts. Between now and then I’ve got to finish up at Warner Brothers, move out of JB’s place, and figure out whether it would be easier to survive on penguin meat or leopard seal, should the boat become encased in ice. I would think leopard seal would be tougher to catch, although penguins can be wiley little buggers…

Ahem. Despite the fact that Google has changed their searching algorithms such that this site is no longer the top result for searches on “Ryan Holliday”, I still found the results for miserable failure to be really amusing. Another fun one is to type “French military victories” into Google and then click on the “I’m feeling lucky” button. Last of all, this site is retarded.

Jason is now a man with a mission. However, in typical Jason fashion that mission doesn’t come with a mission statement.

The next version of the Linux kernel, which is the software that this web server is running, is nearing its production release. Here’s an excerpt from Linus Torvald’s release announcement:

Btw, I tried to come up with a good name for this release. But the fact is, that as Scott Adams has so often pointed out, you can’t do much better than “weasel” when it comes to funny. Ever since the “greased weasel” series of kernel releases I have been stuck for a good name.

This release is tentatively called the “stoned beaver” release (beavers are _almost_ as good as weasels, as I’m sure Scott Adams would agree).

If you feel strongly about the issue, please send your votes and ideas to “feedback@beaver-overlord.com”, I’m sure somebody will find your insight fascinating.

Thank you in advance.

One can only imagine the meetings at Microsoft tomorrow morning where high ranking executives will be forced to say “stoned beaver” with a straight face.

Greg just added a new update on the Galapagos. I may try and get another trip together for May 2005, so if you’re interested or know someone who might be drop me a note and I’ll keep you in the loop. If you need details, the trip would be very similar to the last trip, although there are no guarantees of snorkeling with orcas this time around (as Greg would say, “it’s a crapshoot”).

I was writing to an old friend from work today about places in the world that I still want to visit. While trying to remember how to spell “Lechuguilla” Caverns I stumbled on this page (and this one) which has some absolutely amazing photos. Lechuguilla is high on the list of places to visit before I die, but it’s also very difficult to get access to.

A few of the other places on my list (since people ask a lot) are:

• Australia and New Zealand – This one will be a trip that lasts several months some day, but I’m waiting to first meet exactly the right travel partner.
• The Himalayas – The dream is to spend a few months trekking in Nepal, Pakistan, and/or Tibet with just a backpack and a camera.
• Pribiloff Islands, Alaska – If you’ve ever seen a picture of a puffin or a walrus, there’s a good chance it was taken here.
• Polar Bear National Park, Manitoba – I need to do some research to find out if there’s a lesser known place in which polar bears can be seen, otherwise Manitoba will be the spot to visit.
• McNeill River Sanctuary, Alaska – Highest concentration of grizzly bears in the world.
• Turkey – A girl I met on a train in Greece in 1998 put this one on the list.

There are hundreds of others; throw a dart at a map and you’ll hit something interesting. Easter Island, Machu Picchu, Siberia, Africa, the Great Wall of China, and so many others. Plus, there’s no doubt that I’ll return to the Galapagos, Alaska, and Europe. One lifetime isn’t enough.

progress (n) – Steady improvement, as of a society or civilization

Thousands of years ago primitive humans lived in caves. Their diets consisted of whatever they could scrounge up, and their social lives were little more than grunts directed at one another.

irony (n) – Incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs

Today I work in a small room with no windows. Occasionally I wander out to pick out whatever items might be left in the vending machine (yesterday it was a pack of mini cookies and some snack mix). I don’t know the names of most of my co-workers, but I mutter a hello when passing them in the halls.

I’m not complaining, especially not with only forty-four days remaining until I leave for Antarctica, but it is amusing when you step back and think about things a bit.