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"Fear is the mindkiller." That is one awesome thought and perhaps one of the most penetrating insights in Frank Herbert's incredible sci-fi classic, Dune. I have read Dune 4 times and recently listened to the unabridged audio version which is really quite amazing. There are multiple readers (though sometimes they seem to use a large caste and sometimes just the narrator and I am not sure why they switch back and forth but it does not matter.)

if you want to see what all the hype is about or want to re-visit paul ma'ud dib's adventures among the fremen, sarduakar, and bene gesserit, I HIGHLY recommend this unabridged version. Dune is one of the most prophetic, politically savvy, and psychologically true stories I have ever read, as well as being an ass-kickingly great tale.

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Lisa Kristine Migration Photography

Updated Nov 12, 2007

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I was recently in Sonoma, CA and came across Lisa Kristine's Migration Photography gallery. Lisa Kristine creates really beautiful travel photography that documents peple and places from around the world w/a particular bent toward Asia and 3rd World subjects. Her work is powerful, rich, and nuanced. I love this sort of stuff alothough it always fills me w/wanderlust and a desire for a world-romping, seeking adventure right now.

Her work is large format color photography. What I think is particularly interesting about Lisa Kristine, besides the work itself, is how she has built a business around her own brand. She has made herself a commercially viable artist by opening multiple captive galleries and mass-producing her work. I know the art world purists out there are probably horrified by this sort of behavior, but it seems to me to be the wave of the future. People like Wyland (though his stuff is cheesy), Murakami, and Christo have all shown that there is a strong demand for the commercial high art artist

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Breitling - Emergency Watch

Updated Nov 6, 2007

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I am sporting my new Breittling Emergency and I totally love it. Granted and fortunately, I generally don't need an emergency distress beacon w/110 radius on a daily basis, it is still a good feeling to know I could let any plane flying overhead know exactly where I am and that I needed help asap. The breitling Emergency is designed to offer downed pilots an additional beacon in case their plane crashes. I am not a pilot but I am a mountain biker, climber, and surfer, sports which often take me to places where there are few other people around. If I ever crash hard on my bike and am off the trail in a heap, stranded climbing, or, as was the case when I surfing in Indonesia, afraid our boat was going to sink after hitting a reef @ night 100 miles off the coast of Sumatra, I would be really glad to have the extra beacon on me.

plus, the Breitling Emergency looks cool (I got it w/an orange face). Stylish enough to wear w/a suit but still sporty. Has an alarm too which is a must-have feature for me.

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Perini Navi sailing yachts

Updated Aug 1, 2007

1st to recommend

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I grew up on/around boats and am totally in love w/the ocean. I have spent months of my life aboard boats and love the freedom, vitality, stripped down simplicity, and sense of connectedness of life aboard a ship in blue water. Perini Navi is the premier sailing yacht maker and they have built one of the most beautiful ships I have ever seen in person, in this case the Morning Glory (pictured above).

The Perini Navi Morning Glory was owned at one point by Rupert Murdoch and is one gorgeous vessel. My personal ambition is to have a global cruiser like the Morning Glory that I could do trans Atlantic and trans Pacific crossing in, have all my friends aboard for truly awesome surfing trips around the globe, sail the Antarctic and Arctic, and also donate time and operating costs aboard to ocean conservation organizations (ie use the ship as a research vessel). (Craig Venter, the founder of Land's End, and, I think Donna Karan's cfo all either used their yachts to do research themselves or lent them to research orgs which I think is totally cool. Personally, I would love to have the time to do more oceanographic research. My dad had a small boat and we did some research for the Natural History Museum and I also spent 3 months aboard a schooner doing a senior thesis on global climate change and seaweed distribution patterns in college)

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Surfaris

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National Geographic Magazine

Updated May 3, 2007

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National Geographic is possibly the most inspiring magazine I have ever read. I started reading NatGeo as a little kid and it really instilled a taste for adventure, science, and exotic locales/cultures in me. I have never lost that interest and always thought running NatGeo would be a blast.

If you are curious, have kids, or just love to look at beautiful pictures, I highly, highly recommend getting a subscription to National Geographic.

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The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey

Updated Apr 22, 2007

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River of Doubt is a fantastic bit of history and partial biography of Teddy Roosevelt, the US president whom I think I most admire as a man (but not his policies). Roosevelt was a true adventurer, naturalist, and bon vivant who lived an outsized life. River of Doubt tells the story of his trip to the Amazon Basin where he set off to descend the River of Doubt, one of the Amazon's unexplored, nearly thousand mile long tributaries.

River of Doubt is a harrowing tale of adventure, misadventure, leadership, exploration, the ecology of the Amazon, and the politics of that day. It reads like a thriller but also does a good job of putting the story in historical context w/out overloading on the minutae that often overwhelm history books. IOW, it is good popular history, not the footnote-laden slog you might have read in school.

I think that being on the trip would have been one hell of a time, certainly historic, and no doubt very trying- definitely the kind of experience that is character-building!!!!

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The North Face Pamir Windstopper Glove

Updated Dec 1, 2006

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The North Face Pamir Windstopper Gloves are awesome. I have been a big fan of Windstopper materials for years- the fabric really does work to cut out windchill. It is tough too: it does not rip or melt too easily and the gloves themselves never seem to fall apart, no matter how much I brutalize them (w/in reason, of course, but, generally speaking, I am very hard on my gear)

The main reason I have to replace the Windstopper gloves is usually because I lose one of them :-(

In any event, if you want some durable, comfortable, bomber gloves for campling, etc that are supple enough so you can still do relatively delicate things w/them on, get the Pamirs or any of The North Face Windstoppers. Essential for climbing trips and surfaris to non-tropical climates

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2007 Ford Escape Hybrid

Updated Nov 29, 2006

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My Ford Escape Hybrid is not the most luxurious car in the world, but it is a fun car and it fits all my toys in the big cargo area (ie mountain bike, climbing gear, surfboards, etc). It also has surprisingly good pick-up and is pretty zippy. I like that it is not a huge, obnoxious SUV but still can take me off-road when going on adventures in relative comfort.

I got mine in the ice green (see above color) which I dig it is not for everyone, I know. The Ford Escape Hybrid also has a pretty cool little rolling 15 minute mpg average. It is surprisingly addictive to drive around town trying to maximize fuel economy (which you do by not stomping on the gas too abruptly and minimizing the times you have to come to a complete stop). Driving around West LA (non-freeways), I get about 22.4mpg and can get nearly 30mpg on the freeways. So it is not as fuel efficient as a Prius but it is a virtuous car nonetheless ;-)

One thing I HIGHLY recommend is getting a jack installed so you can play your ipod in your car. Ford should make that a standard feature

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Shantaram: A Novel

Updated Aug 23, 2006

1st to recommend

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A big, sprawling, beautifully written semi-autobiographical novel about the author's real-life experiences as he escapes prison in Australia, seeks refuge in Bombay, opens a free medical clinic, and joins the Indian mob. A great adventure story w/some sparkling insights about life.

Not for those who are not willing to commit to a longer read. Personally, I think the only novels worth the time tend to be epics, but that is just me. (via marikohirakawa)

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Kea™ - Kids Beginner Kayak - Includes Paddle - Ocean Kayak

Updated Aug 25, 2006

Description

Great way for kids to play and learn about the ocean. Excellent for adventuring and exploring and playing pirate or world-traveller. Also a great way to introduce kids to various nature-sports and the great outdoors in general. NOTE: this is not for really little kids, and definitely not something that kids should use unsupervised. But you all knew that already...

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A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin

Updated Jan 10, 2006

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I am not usually a fiction fan, but this is one of my all-time favorite books, ever. It is a huge, beautifully written, and rousing meditation on life, love, strife, aesthetics, adventure, and living authentically.

HIGHLY recommended. The protagonist is also a climber which is a big plus for me.

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