• Answers to Your 2011 Gear Post Questions

    Answers to Your 2011 Gear Post Questions

    I was going to post something new today, but there are so many questions on the 2011 Gear Post that I figured it’s better to answer them in a separate post rather than the comments, since blog commenting systems suck. What happened to the Vibrams / huaraches? Vibrams are gone. They just smell too bad…

  • The 2011 Gear Update: Style Edition

    The 2011 Gear Update: Style Edition

    (Note: if you haven’t read last year’s post, you may want to read it first, since this is only the gear that is different) During South by Southwest this year I was lucky enough to see the Kanye West show (thanks to my brother, Devon, and Colt Woody). Kanye had about a million different guests…

  • The Unexpected Joy of Motorcycle Riding

    The Unexpected Joy of Motorcycle Riding

    I may have to add an asterisk to the saying that buying things can’t make you happy. I bought a motorcycle, and I’ll be damned if it hasn’t made me one percent happier than I used to be. Then again, we all know that spending money on experiences can make you happy. A motorcycle isn’t…

  • A Random Week in Iceland

    A Random Week in Iceland

    My favorite way to travel is to land in a new country with no plans whatsoever, improvising as we go. That’s what we did in Iceland. I’ve always wanted to go to Iceland, probably because it’s remote and I perceived it to be a weird place. With clever routing you can go there for free…

  • Playing in the World Series of Poker as an Underqualified Amateur

    Playing in the World Series of Poker as an Underqualified Amateur

    To my left is Barry Schulman, the owner of CardPlayer magazine, and a professional poker player. At the next table over is Jennifer Harman, considered to be one of the very best limit hold’em players in the world. As the dealer starts flinging the cards around our table, Jennifer stands up. She’s just been busted…

  • Why I Don’t Read Your Blog, And Why You Maybe Shouldn’t Read Mine

    Why I Don’t Read Your Blog, And Why You Maybe Shouldn’t Read Mine

    Roger Bannister ran a four minute mile in 1954 because he didn’t know that you weren’t supposed to be able to run a four minute mile. If he read running blogs, talking about how impossible it was to run a mile in four minutes, he probably wouldn’t have done it. I don’t read running blogs.…

  • Eating Dirty Food as a Clean Eater

    Eating Dirty Food as a Clean Eater

    I’m sitting outside the Viking Museum in Oslo Norway. The museum is closed, but the little ice cream stand in the otherwise empty parking lot is still open. I’m on my third ice cream. Eating ice cream in Norway is about as nonsensical as it gets. The ice creams are the crappy kind you find…

  • Five Rules to Make Friends with Influential People

    Five Rules to Make Friends with Influential People

    I’ve been putting off writing this post for a long time because I haven’t quite figured out how to write it and not come off as arrogant. When I’m stumped for a blog post idea, though, this one often swirls around in my head. So I’ll do it today and risk coming across as an…

  • Tynan vs. Wild

    Tynan vs. Wild

    Almeria turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Our crew, which has grown to nine or so as we’ve made friends aboard the ship, woke up dutifully at 8 in the morning in order to be the first off the ship. Back when I was in the land of plentiful internet, also known as the…

  • A Day in the Azores

    A Day in the Azores

    I’m not generally the easiest person to wake up in the morning, but on port days on cruises, I’m up before the old people. It helps to have free access to the best alarm clock invented– free scheduled room service. Such was the case today, when our ship stopped in Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel, Azores.…