Pockets of Blue

On Seasteading

Tue, 27 Feb 2024 16:24:33 -0700

I became interested in Seasteading in 2018. I don’t remember how I came across the concept, but at the time I was doing extensive online research about alternative modes of large-scale societal organization. What really got me excited was the idea of self-organizing bands of people experimenting with novel forms of governance and small-scale economics. “Don’t argue; build!” was the rallying cry for some time (which, non-coincidentally, is pretty much the same as the web3 movement). New forms of governance and economics will be required to get humanity through the end of the century intact, and what better place to experiment than floating structures unencumbered with existing rules and regulations.

A New Focus

Wed, 13 Jun 2018 23:45:03 -0600

There have been a few recent changes in my life that has caused me to be increasingly interested in that ugly, hairy topic beneath all our noses: Will our luck run out and we end up all killing each other?

My wife gave birth to our daughter, Charlotte, almost two years ago. Soon thereafter we started attending Wasatch Presbyterian here in Salt Lake City each Sunday. Christianity is a somewhat divisive subject in the west, so I will lay out the caveat that I am not a Christian and have not been for a long time. But you don't have to be a Christian to get a lot out of going to church. It of course depends on the church and community. We are fortunate to have a stellar Reverend who gives exceptionally uplifting and motivating sermons. These sermons have coalesced with my ongoing gratitude practice of the past few years to make me realize: So far I've had about as fairy-tale a life as a human being can have on this beautiful planet. It's time to take advantage of that gift and give back to this world that has brought forth such beauty and wealth for so many people.

Airport Refugee

Mon, 04 Jan 2016 22:03:00 -0700

Over the Christmas week, I had a truly wonderful time in Jamaica hanging out with my folks, brother, and Katherine. We got to know quite a bit about Jamaicans through many interactions with locals and generally had a leisurely vacation of swimming, snorkeling, eating and drinking in perfect weather.

But that doesn't make much of a story.

On the way home, we happened to connect through Houston, which was in the throes of "Winter Storm Goliath" (Is there a non-sensationalistic, non-media reason to start naming these things?) I will just give you the play-by-play:

Trekking to Machu Picchu

Wed, 24 Jun 2015 08:10:22 -0600

Hiya everybody! K and I are back from our five-day trek in the Salkantay region of Peru. It was fabulous and we feel quite fortunate to have booked the tour with a respectable company hiring top-of-the-line chefs and guides.

As you probably know, we don´t typically hire guides for our outdoor adventures. When you´re traveling internationally, though, I think it can be worthwhile to pay somebody else to handle the logistics. This was certainly true for a hike to Machu Picchu, the most popular attraction on the entire continent of South America!

Climbing the Nose Part Four: Chasing Legends

Sat, 31 Jan 2015 21:33:52 -0700

Continued from Part Three

Sometime before dawn I was roused by shouted voices from below:

"Off belay!"
"What?!"
"Off. Belay!"
"Huh?"
"OFFFFF BEELAAAAY!"

...silence. I fell back asleep, barely aware of the pre-dawn light sneaking around the rounded aréte of the Nose. At this point in the route we were facing southwest with a spectacular view up-canyon: pitch 24 or something.

A few minutes later I was again awakened, this time by the jingling of climbing hardwear. Jim Donini's face popped up over the ledge. No f'ing way, I thought. He used the bolted anchors about five feet above, trying not to step on me all curled up in my mummy bag in the fetal position.

Climbing the Nose Part Three: Ego Check

Tue, 11 Nov 2014 21:55:49 -0700

Continued from Part Two

We packed up camp fairly leisurely, again faced with the same dilemma: Do we pass or wait it out? It was a tough decision -- on one hand we were clearly moving substantially faster than either of the other parties, but we could also afford to take an extra day. They also had a portaledge, so we could probably coexist on some of the bivy spots if need be. It seemed that we might be fast enough to do the Jardine Traverse, a short (chipped) pitch to shortcut a few of the normal pitches before converging again after the King Swing. However, laziness ruled and we again opted to wait it out -- we would have an easy day climbing to El Cap Tower (P15), fixing the next two pitches to the top of Boot Flake, and sleeping on the plush ledge.

Climbing the Nose Part Two: Cruising to Dolt

Thu, 27 Mar 2014 22:37:22 -0600

Continued from part one

(Edit April 2016: Follow along with Google's "street view" of the Nose!)

Standing at the bottom of El Cap is pretty intimidating. Hell, sitting in El Cap Meadow, half a mile away, and staring up at the wall is pretty intimidating. It is an immense piece of stone. In the Meadow, if you look straight above you, then slowly tilt your head forward until you are at the horizon line, El Cap takes up about 70% of that space. It is the biggest piece of rock most anyone attempting to climb it has ever seen.

Climbing the Nose Part One: Casting Off on a Sea of Stone

Wed, 26 Mar 2014 22:05:51 -0600

I took a long-overdue extended trip to Yosemite Valley last summer. It was something I had been thinking about for awhile, and this time I had a partner in mind -- someone who could also take the time off from work and would have ample psyche for similar (big) goals. Around early Spring I called up Eric and mentioned my plans -- he was pretty excited from the get-go and we planned for four weeks in the Valley: mid-May through early June.

Casting Light on Wasatch Front Air Pollution

Sat, 25 Jan 2014 15:08:44 -0700

The Wasatch Front of Northern Utah is a special place to live. In many areas of the country, mountain views of the quality (and quantity!) that we regularly enjoy come at a very high premium in terms of real estate and general cost of living. Our unique topography, however, leads to a rather nasty side effect in the coldest months of the year. For up to a few weeks at a time, temperature inversions trap cold air down in the valleys. This by itself is not such a big deal, but the vast majority of air pollutants also get caught in the bottom layer of air; the air we see, hear, and at its worst, taste.

Grand Canyon 2012 Part Five: Lava!

Tue, 09 Jul 2013 22:28:02 -0600

Continued from Part Four

Day 12: Lava Falls and its aftermath

We got a nice, early start from our pretty mediocre campsite -- on the river by 8:40, probably a record. Most of the day went by rather slowly. It was oppressively hot and everyone jumped in the water to cool off -- but only for a few seconds since the water was still freezing. The hot/cold dichotomy was quite strange, but the cold water very welcome. Without it the trip would be much less comfortable.

Grand Canyon 2012 Part Four: Finally, Some Hiking

Sun, 23 Jun 2013 16:51:55 -0600

Continued from Part Three

Days 8-10: Deer Creek and Madkat
The river had finally turned the color we had been expecting the entire trip -- an opaque, muddy brown that would stay with us all the way to the take-out. We had breakfast and packed up at an unhurried pace -- might as well wait out the rain so we could dry out some gear. We floated 16 somewhat uneventful miles until right before Deer Creek, one of the better-known scenic highlights of the Canyon. Once again, another Thunderstorm forced us into the big group tent, thankfully after the Pork Loin was sufficiently slow-cooked on some coals on the fire pan. We all ate together in the floorless tent, and some debauchery led to a relatively late bedtime for the group. It was interesting to see the group settle into a predictable schedule of early rising and sleeping, following the daylight hours as much as possible.

Grand Canyon 2012 Part Three: The Ups and Downs of Rapid Day

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 21:57:48 -0700

Continued from part two

Day 6: Phantom Ranch
We elected to get an early start in order to make it to Phantom by mid-afternoon. There were a few bigger rapids beforehand and we wanted to make sure we didn't miss out on restocking ice due to a flip, so we pushed off before 9 (by far a record). Hance Rapid would be our first grade 8 rapid, and the biggest yet, which we hit around noon. I had been gaining confidence the last few days on the oars, and the day's rapids went quite well for everyone. At Phantom it was imperative that we restock the ice for some of our coolers -- one of the ones that was still sealed was already not looking too good. We literally bought every block of ice they had on hand (a couple dozen at least) and did some cooler rearranging. The coolers had been the last persistent cause of worry for me so it felt great to finally take care of them.

It was a little odd wandering around Phantom with beer in hand while dozens of scruffy backpackers were cooking freeze dried meals on JetBoils. River trips can spoil you. We decided to camp early and celebrate -- best day yet of the trip for me.

Grand Canyon 2012 Part Two -- Days One to Five and Some Scares

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 12:43:42 -0600

Continued from part one

After a stressful two days of preparation, we were finally floating. At this point, as a trip leader, you should really just sit back, crack open a beer, and relax, because there's really nothing more you can do from a planning perspective. There's no returning after you pass the "permit required past this point" line.

Day 1: Jubilation
We only floated eleven miles due to our late put in, and they were almost all flat except for a few small rapids to warm up a little bit. Beers were consumed en masse until (and after) Graham whipped up a tasty batch of steaks, and I remember having fairly civil conversation with only a couple people falling out of their chairs. Pacing oneself is an important river skill to learn.

Grand Canyon 2012 Part One -- Preparation

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 15:45:42 -0600

I've been doing a fair number of river trips the last few year, and haven't really posted a whole lot about them here. Over the last four years I've done five major trips and a scattering of shorter 1-2 dayers: Desolation Canyon twice, Cataract Canyon once, and the Middle Fork of the Salmon last year (July 2011). The Middle Fork trip was the highlight of the bunch: a small river running through stunning, remote mountain scenery in central Idaho. Ninety-three miles over seven days resulted in a nice relaxed pace, with plenty of time to hang out, read, hike, go on hikes, or have beers around a fire. Just about perfect.

Emotional Vertigo

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:08:07 -0700

One of my earliest memories from childhood is lying on the couch, covered with a blanket, with an aching body from the flu. Sometimes, when especially out of it, I would enter a kind of hallucinatory state where the room would tip and shift, and I would daydream about cubes and spheres in the room expanding, contracting, and bouncing around. The empty space in the room would take on a life of its own, rotating and breathing as a single unit. Really weird stuff, and probably a by-product of my 103° temperature and various medications.

Adios Barcelona

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 01:33:51 -0600

Well, it´s my last day here in Barcelona, and I wanted to write a quick post before leaving later this morning. I´m typing this up at a public computer of my hostel, which has been a lively place to stay four nights at. I feel a bit old for the daily-clubbing college scene here, but it´s a nice location with nice facilities. Katherine and I had a fantastic week in France and Spain, touring Nîmes and Carcassonne before making our way over the border to Barça. Today I´m meeting up with a friend (currently living in Spain) to go climbing in Margalef, one of the newer locations of Spain´s ridiculous hard-climbing scene. I´m really looking forward to it after not climbing for three weeks (an eternity for me!). And yes, there are apparently a host of moderates to entertain a non-sporto like myself.

Provence

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 03:56:00 -0600

It's a lazy Wednesday, as I was roused by the impossibly bright Provençal sun at nine this morning. The weather has been perfect for sleeping, around 60 degrees minimum, and I have yet to close my bedroom window in the three nights I've spent there. My wonderful Great-aunt and uncle, who rented this house almost a year prior, unfortunately were unable to make it. Louise's health has been deteriorating, and she was determined to make the most of her holiday rather than be cooped up in the house all week.

Europe bound

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:13:56 -0600

Well, it's been a long time coming (over a year now?), but I'm off to Europe on Sunday. I feel like I've been telling people about the pending trip for eons, and have started resorting to the terse cliff-notes version out of fatigue. To be honest, I really haven't been all that excited about it, preferring to live in the moment and enjoy my summer and all the traveling I've been doing around the west.

Freelancing: One Year In

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 23:34:39 -0600

Well, technically it hasn't quite been a year yet, but close enough for me to provide some perspective on my new career freedom. I guess I quit my job at the end of June 2010, so I've been going at it for over eleven months now. A few thoughts:

Holy God I've done a lot of traveling. Several weeklong trips over the summer, dozens of weekend trips, an extended holiday trip: I've been all over the place. Sometime around the end of last year I started realizing how much I've been getting around, and started collecting stats (this is for all of 2010):
1. Overnight trips (at least one night away from home): 21
2. Days away from home: 82 (divide that by 365, and I'm gone 22% of the time!)
3. Nights sleeping in a tent: 36 (almost 10% of the time, which is kind of ridiculous as I'm a homeowner)
And I was only freelancing for half of that year. This year has been pretty much the same, and this summer is shaping up to be the most epic yet -- more on this later!
I've only had a handful of projects, but can already tell that I'm making leaps in my development ability, especially in Javascript. I can bang out snazzy user interfaces in no time at all, much to my clients' delight. The short project timelines (typically less than a month) mean I'm regularly shipping code and building my portfolio.
I'm basically working for two companies right now, thanks to one friend who basically single-handedly launched my freelance career. Thank you, Corey, you are amazing, and I'm so grateful our paths crossed not so many months ago. Both are a joy to work with, are super laid back, and employ exceptionally talented and good-natured people (I swear I'm not trying to be a kiss-ass, though it's probably coming out that way...)
There's not a better time to be a freelance developer here in Salt Lake, especially in the advertising industry. Even if freelancing isn't your cup of tea, if you're a halfway decent programmer, make sure you like where you're at, because you have tons of options. Just count the billboards advertising for programmers on I-15; it's laughable.
One thing I run into from time to time is the feeling of being expendable (which, let's face it, is often a reality). Companies need to keep their employees busy before they can contract stuff out, which sometimes leave the less desirable projects for freelancers. This might improve with a better relationship with each client (where they learn your strengths and weaknesses and can cater to them), and it may just be the nature of the job.

In short, though, so far so good! I've got a jam-packed summer ahead of me, and I'm trying to save a bunch of money for my trip to Europe this fall while still packing in a few trips.

Richard D James, or the artist formerly known as Aphex Twin

Wed, 04 May 2011 01:06:18 -0600

It seems every year or two I get on an Aphex Twin kick, revisiting some of my old favorites from Drukqs and beyond. Usually these reminiscences lead to reading an old interview or two. I'm not sure if I like his music or public persona more. Interviews tend to fall into two categories -- the more professional interviewees get lambasted by James while the more casual encounters uncover some real gems. Like this one. It's in a narrative style, but James' very British humor comes out hilariously. Some highlights: